From: hun nax Date: Mon, Apr 2, 2018 at 7:31 PM Subject: From The U.S Department Of Homeland Security. To: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY,MG Timothy J. Lowenberg, Adjutant General and Director State Military Department Washington Military Dept., Bldg1 Camp Murry, Wash USA. Good Day To You, I hope this email finds you in good spirit and in good health? because i am quite aware of your losses in the past years now through this security office intelligent track devices, it may surprise you that i am also aware of your Consignment Boxes Pursuit In Benin, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Spain, France, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Korea and etc .My name Is Supp. Tony Jeh Johnson,the Current secretary of U.S Department Of Homeland Security , i am in charge to monitor all Foreign Transactions In Africa Europe And Asia and this kept me in constantly traveling round the world. I have been in The U.S Department Of Homeland Security Secret Service now since The Government of President Donald Trump, monitoring the various transactions going on in Africa, Europe And Asia, most especially Consignments Cases, A.T.M Card Cases And Bank Transfer. I do not intend to spoil your day or to put you under duress but you can not receive any of your Consignments Boxes, A.T.M Card And Bank Transfer pursuit, without a Clearance from this U.S Department Of Homeland Security. However, upon my arrival in Benin Republic after series of meetings with our President Donald Trump, and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, due to numerous complains from other Security Agencies from Africa Asia, Europe, Oceania, Antarctica,South America And The United States Of America Respectively, and against the Benin Government and Nigeria over the rate of Scam/Fraudulent Activities going on in these Africa Countries and around the World. When i arrive in the Benin Parliament in Cotonou and going through all cases of unpaid funds, i found your Consignment Box Clearance File lying on the Foreign Affair Office Desk without any attention and on a thorough scrutiny, i discovered that your Consignment have been abandoned by your delivery agent. Meanwhile, i was made to understand that the Foreign Affair Office have tried to reach to you, but no way and they have made several attempts to contact your delivery agent but to no avail. To my greatest surprise, during my recent routine Re-Checking, i personally discovered that your Consignment Content Declaration Document (C.C.D.D)stated that your Consignment Contains Personal Effects meanwhile, it contains United States Dollar Cash US$40 Million Dollars, (Forty Million United States Dollars) which made it impossible for the Consignment to be delivered to you earlier before now. Based on this personal discovery, i am contacting you now to let you know that with my position and power as the secretary of U.S Department Of Homeland Security and now i am presently here in Benin Republic to handle this matter of all unpaid foreign payment to their respective owners like you, i can assist you to legally clear your Consignment Funds and personally make the shipment to you on my traveling back, but you must agree with the following conditions. Because i have called our office in Washington,Dc from here in Benin, who has been intercepting all your E-Mail Communications, telephone Text/Sms messages & all telephone Calls, with the help of Mtn, Tigo Vodafone And Airtel Network Benin. I also received some information from our Homeland Security Office representing here in Benin Republic, they have confirmed about your emails, & other communications that you have been dealing and sending Money to people in Benin, Ghana, South Africa, Togo, Nigeria , UK & etc who claims to be the Western Union Directors and representative of other unofficial offices. You are also dealing with a Bank, and other names which i am still waiting to be forwarded to me from Our Office In Washington,Dc. My office authority have monitored all your dealings with those Hoodlums. You are advice to from hence fort stop further dealings with all the above mentioned people, until we complete our investigation. Because your dealing with them is termed as illegal transaction. I wish to inform you that we the Homeland Security is on look out for all the above mentioned names, mostly those who claims to be the director of West African Debt settlement, Western Union And Money Gram And A.T.M Card offices and including the property recovery Benin. All these mentioned people are imposters, and we intend to apprehend them soon. I want you to please stop communicating, and dealing with them until we complete our investigation. I wish to notify you about the latest development concerning your Consignment Box content of your total US$40 Million that was already handed over to me today. Your Consignment Box content of your total US$40 Million was assigned to me today after the meeting held between me and some of the top Parliament members of Benin and the Foreign Affair Minister in the Benin Capital Commercial Headquarters Cotonou, due to the delay by you as nobody has haired from you to receive your Consignment Box For Long time now. Accordingly, we have waived away all your Consignment Box "Clearance Fees" and authorized the Government of Benin Republic to allow me fly with this your approved Consignment Box to make the delivery to you without any delay which they have agreed. The only Fee you will Pay to confirm Your Consignment Box received in your possession is the "Air Flight Weight Fee" of your Consignment Box which is the sum of US$135.00 only. In order words your Briefcase is with me now and i shall be coming to your country to make the delivery to you as soon as you sent me your below shipping details/Address where you will want your consignment be deliver to you. Your Full Name: . . . . . Your Full Address: . . .. Your Direct Telephone Numbers: . . . . . . . Preferably, you can send us your Mobile Phone number to enable an urgent direct contact with you hence the arrival in your city. Hence i hear from you also with the MTCN Numbers for the fee payment of the Air Flight Weight Fee of your Consignment Box which is the sum of US$135.00 only, then, i will be coming along with your Consignment Briefcase Box content of your US$40Million, but remember that as the secretary of The Department Of Homeland Security United States Of America, i am a Us Government Secret Security Agent and i have the power to go through any Airport Customs and security Agents without personal inspection or inspecting what i carry along and as soon as i arrive in your state, i will give you a telephone call and instantly send an email to you from my official Ipad Hand Computer which is always with me while traveling around the world so that you will give me a direction on how we can meet Face to Face and i will physically hand over your Consignment Box to you before proceeding back to to my official duty Post in the States. As soon as i arrive, i shall call you on your Telephone Number following an email to you then when you immediately respond, i will Meet you in person, hand over your Consignment Box to you and all these will end once and forall now. I have taken this assignment upon myself because i understand that you have really paid so much on the cost of these Delivery which i want to stop now, because, nothing was received by you. So be advised to contact me hence immediately you get this email now because, every thing has been done ok. Once you send the money, try to immediately notify me with the Mtcn for easy pick up and for the immediate action on the delivery of your Consignment Box,for you to receive your Funds without any further delay Again . Since you was unable to receive it since . Send the fee of US$135.00 via Money Gram or Western Union Money Transfer using the below stated receivers name and information. Receiveras Name_____ANDY MIKE Country_________Benin City__________Cotonou Amount_______US$135.00 Question_______ Urgent Answer______Today Mtcn_______ Sender's Name _____? Sender's Address___? As soon as you send the fee, make sure that you send me the MTCN numbers, senders name and other payment information.Once you send the Money, Try to immediately notify me with the Mtcn for confirmation and for the immediate action on the shipping of your Consignment and its Handing over to you. Also you are to forward to us any email that you have been receiving from people for proper verification and investigation before you deal with them okay. Sincerely Yours, CURRENT SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY USA . mr.hun nax From The U.S Department Of Homeland Security. From: hun nax Date: Thu, Apr 5, 2018 at 2:11 AM Subject: Re: From The U.S Department Of Homeland Security. Dear your email is well received and understood now you have to feel this our Full Name: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... Your Full Address: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Your Direct Telephone Numbers: . . . . . . after this information i will tell you how you are going to receive your Consignment box thank you On Tue, May 15, 2018 at 2:14 PM, hun nax wrote: > > his is D.H.L MANAGEMENT COMPANY Diplomatic Agent Dr jack william just > > arrived here at John.F Kennedy International Airport in New York City with > > your consignment box worth 4.7million usd. I'm hereby waiting for you to > > forward me your correct home address to enable me locate your house and > > deliver your consignment box to you today to enable me go back tomorrow On May 20, 2018 1:36 AM, "hun nax" wrote: > > Hello > We need your > Full > Information > Immediately > > Thanks From: hun nax Date: Wed, May 23, 2018 at 8:25 AM Subject: Re: Re[2]: Attention your fund is now available Hello Are you doing today From: hun nax Date: Mon, May 28, 2018 at 5:38 PM Subject: Re: Re[2]: Attention your fund is now available Listening to me Did you still remember that am still waiting for you at the airport Or you have forgotten about 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. . Mark Wilson/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- In a rare move, the Trump administration confirmed Friday that it will take "immediate steps" to prevent coal and nuclear power facilities in the U.S. from closing. A statement from White House press secretary Sarah Sanders did not say specifically what steps the administration would take but said that "keeping Americas energy grid and infrastructure strong and secure protects our national security, public safety, and economy from intentional attacks and natural disasters." "Unfortunately, impending retirements of fuel-secure power facilities are leading to a rapid depletion of a critical part of our Nations energy mix, and impacting the resilience of our power grid," Sanders said in a statement. The National Security Council reportedly discussed a draft memo on Friday, reported by Bloomberg News, that would direct electrical grid operators to purchase electricity from coal, nuclear, or oil-fueled facilities at risk of closing. The draft memo laying out the directive doesn't give a specific amount operators would have to spend but says it will be enough to keep the facilities open for the next two years, saying that U.S. national security "relies on a robust U.S. domestic industrial base, of which the coal, nuclear, and oil and natural gas industries are critical strategic components." he Department of Energy did not respond to a request for comment on the memo. The administration says the move will prevent coal and nuclear power plants critical to the electrical grid from closing, but opponents say the requirement is essentially a bailout for a dying industry that the president promised to save and will cause Americans' electricity bills to get more expensive. According to data from the Energy Information Administration, coal consumption has fallen about 20 percent compared to last year, from about 149,200,000 short tons in the first two months of 2017 to just under 119,600,000 short tons in the first two months of 2018. The EIA also reports that nearly all power plants that retired between 2008 and 2017 were fossil fuel plants and that most plants that plan to close before 2020 use coal or natural gas. But the agency said that most of the coal powered plants that closed were "relatively old and small." Several industry groups call federal intervention 'misguided' Groups like the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity have told the Energy Department that retiring coal facilities could threaten the electrical grid. The National Coal Council said in a statement Friday that existing coal facilities provide "direct economic benefits, energy and price stability, job-creating opportunities and environmental benefits." Perry previously said the department was considering this approach in a hearing with the House Science Committee earlier this month. "It's about the national security of our country. Of keeping our plants, all of them, online, being able to deliver energy, no matter whether it's a natural disaster that we might see from a polar vortex, or it's something more nefarious, as a cyber attack from a terrorist state or some entity with bad intent for the United States," Perry said in the hearing on May 9. But some groups that study the U.S. electric grid say that it isn't at risk of breaking down in the way the directive describes. One independent group that manages the electricity grid that serves more than 65 million people said that it could be bad for consumers if the federal government intervenes in the market. "Any federal intervention in the market to order customers to buy electricity from specific power plants would be damaging to the markets and therefore costly to consumers," that group PJM Interconnection said in a statement. "There is no need for any such drastic action." Another coalition of energy industry groups representing the oil, natural gas, solar, and wind industries issued joint statements saying the administration's plan is "misguided," "unwarranted," and "an exercise in crony capitalism." The American Council on Renewable Energy, a nonprofit that represents various groups that want to emphasize renewable energy sources, said in a statement that the administration is intervening to bail out coal and nuclear power plants "that are no longer competitive on their own." "Arbitrary market interventions of this sort have no place in the electricity structure that has kept American electric power reliable and affordable," the group's President and CEO Gregory Wetstone said in a statement. Environmental groups like the Sierra Club have been pushing campaigns to phase out coal as part of the U.S. energy grid and they say that even a "bailout" will not keep coal and nuclear plants open as the global market focuses more on natural gas and renewable energy sources. This is an outrageous ploy to force American taxpayers to bail out coal and nuclear executives who have made bad decisions by investing in dirty and dangerous energy resources, and it will be soundly defeated both in the courts and in the court of public opinion. Trump will clearly," Mary Anne Hitt, the director of the Sierra Club's campaign to close coal facilities, said in a statement. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. After embassy move, Trump weighs Jerusalem consulate changes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, (left) and David Friedman, (right) the new United States Ambassador to Israel attend a ceremony celebrating the 50th anniversary of the liberation and unification of Jerusalem, in front of the walls of the Old Ci AP, Washington : President Donald Trump is considering giving U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman more authority over the U.S. outpost that handles Palestinian affairs, five U.S. officials said, a shift that could further dampen Palestinian hopes for an independent state. Any move to downgrade the autonomy of the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem - responsible for relations with the Palestinians - could have potent symbolic resonance, suggesting American recognition of Israeli control over east Jerusalem and the West Bank. And while the change might be technical and bureaucratic, it could have potentially significant policy implications.As president, Trump has departed from traditional U.S. insistence on a "two-state solution" for the Mideast conflict by leaving open the possibility of just one state. As his administration prepares to unveil a long-awaited peace plan, the Palestinians have all but cut off contact, enraged by Trump's decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. The deliberations come as Friedman, who has pushed for changes to the consulate since he arrived in Israel last year, faces growing indignation in the U.S. over partisan comments and other actions in which he has publicly sided with Israel over its critics. On Thursday, a top Democratic lawmaker even suggested Friedman should be recalled after he waded into domestic U.S. politics on Israel's behalf, telling an Israeli newspaper that Democrats have failed to support Israel as much as Republicans. For decades, the Jerusalem consulate has operated differently than almost every other consulate around the world. Rather than reporting to the U.S. Embassy in Israel, it has reported directly to the State Department in Washington, giving the Palestinians an unfiltered channel to engage with the U.S. government. That arrangement was relatively clear-cut before Trump moved the embassy. Until Trump's decision in December to move it from Tel Aviv, the United States did not recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The Jerusalem consulate provided services to Americans in Jerusalem and also served as the de facto U.S. embassy to the Palestinians, who claim east Jerusalem for the capital of a future independent state. But since Trump earlier this month moved the embassy to Jerusalem, the situation has become more complicated. Now the U.S. maintains an embassy in one part of the city and a separate consulate less than a mile away, potentially creating confusion about who has ultimate authority if, for example, an American citizen needs help and turns to the U.S. government. No final decision has been made about what changes to make to the consulate's chain of command, a decision complicated by the consulate's unique circumstances. But the embassy, run by Friedman, is expected to end up with ultimate authority over the consulate, officials said. They weren't authorized to discuss the matter publicly and requested anonymity. Dan Shapiro, the former U.S. ambassador to Israel, said such a move would be perceived as undermining Palestinians' claims to sovereignty and statehood aspirations, because it would suggest that Washington considers the Palestinian Authority to be under Israel's jurisdiction. Otherwise, Shapiro said, why would it expect the Palestinians to talk to the U.S. through its mission to Israel? "They don't want to deal with the U.S. embassy to Israel as their channel," said Shapiro, now a scholar at Israel's Institute for National Security Studies. "They want their voice to be heard directly in Washington." Typically, the head of a consulate, known as a consul general, reports to the ambassador, who has "chief of mission authority" over all U.S. posts in the country. In contrast, the consul general running the Jerusalem consulate has historically had his or her own chief of mission authority. The closest comparable case to the Jerusalem situation is the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong, which also has its own chief of mission who does not report to the U.S. ambassador in Beijing. Friedman has advocated for having the embassy in Jerusalem subsume the consulate, officials said, although the State Department has ruled out that possibility. Other possibilities include allowing the consulate to retain some day-to-day authorities while letting the embassy set the direction for major policy decisions. Staunchly pro-Israel and with close ties to the West Bank settler movement, Friedman is broadly seen by Palestinian leadership as lacking good faith in U.S. efforts to mediate a fair resolution to the Mideast conflict. But on the consulate issue, he has an ally in the White House in the form of national security adviser John Bolton, the officials said. It wasn't clear precisely when the changes would be made, although one official said the administration is waiting until current Consul General Donald Blome leaves Jerusalem over the summer, possibly in July. Regardless of any changes, the Jerusalem consulate will remain the primary U.S. point of contact for the Palestinian Authority and for Palestinians, including those in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip seeking visas or other U.S. consular services. "Consulate General Jerusalem continues to operate as an independent mission with an unchanged mandate from its historic Agron Road location," the State Department said in a statement. Such changes would likely be carried out by Trump issuing new "letters of instruction," which delegate authorities to ambassadors and chiefs of mission, to Friedman and whoever heads the Jerusalem consulate, the official said. Separately, the Trump administration is also facing calls in Congress for the U.S. to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, the strategic plateau that Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war. Although Israel annexed the Golan in 1981, the U.S. and others consider it to be disputed territory with its status subject to an eventual peace deal between Israel and Syria. In recent months, however, Iran's increasing involvement in Syria and growing presence in southern Syria near the Golan Heights have drawn alarm in Israel and elsewhere, leading some U.S. law- and policy-makers to believe that the Washington should end its official neutrality in a show of support for Israeli security in the face of a threat from Iran and its proxies. Ideas under discussion range from flat-out recognition that the Golan is part of Israel to lifting restrictions on U.S. investment incentives for projects or more symbolic steps like including the area on official maps as part of Israel. The newly-elected executive committee of Chattogram University Journalists\' Association (CUJA) met with the CU authorities on Wednesday. Can there be successive prosecution? High Court Division : (Special Original Jurisdiction) M Enayetur Rahim J Amir Hossain J Robin Chowdhury @ Misba Uddin .... Petitioner vs Anti-Corruption Commission and others ............... Respondents Judgment July 21st, 2016 Constitution of Bangladesh, 1972 Article 35(2) The doctrine reflected in Article 35(2) does not extend to any offender prosecuted and convicted in a country of distinct sovereignty, under its own statute. .. .... (28) Constitution of Bangladesh, 1972 Article 35(2) Admittedly, the accused was prosecuted, tried and convicted in UK under its own law and it was done under the distinct source of power and consequently there can be successive prosecution in Bangladesh for the same course of conduct which does not violate the prohibition on the doctrine of double jeopardy as guaranteed in Article 35(2). Bangladesh as a sovereign entity has the power independently to determine what act shall constitute offences and to punish such offences, by enacting laws. And thus, the court of law of Bangladesh, a sovereign entity, exercises these powers given in its own law and not that of any other state or country. Prerogatives of sovereignty of Bangladesh are the power to enforce its own law. Code of Criminal Procedure (V of 1898) Section 403 Bangladesh a sovereign entity shall determine what act or omission committed within its territory constitutes an offense in exercise of power under its own law, not that of the other. Therefore, no violation of the prohibition on double jeopardy results from successive prosecutions under the relevant penal law of Bangladesh, because by one act the accused has committed two offences one is beyond' the territory of Bangladesh which was punishable under law of UK a distinct sovereign entity and now is being prosecuted for the same act constituting offence punishable under law of our own. Code of Criminal Procedure (V of 1898) Section 403 It cannot be said that the accused is being prosecuted twice for the 'same offence' merely for the reason that he has been convicted for the same act which constituted and offence punishable under the law of UK. It transpires that the accused allegedly by a single act violated laws of two sovereign states and thereby committed two distinct offences and thus the prosecution relating to an offence punishable under our own law even for the same act does not breach the doctrine of double jeopardy. Doctrine of separate sovereigns A sovereign State has jurisdiction over conduct or act or omission that occurs within its territorial borders. The 'separate sovereigns' doctrine allows for two states to prosecute for the same offence occurred within jurisdiction of both locations. ICCPR does not prohibit successive prosecution of the offence committed by same course of conduct under a distinct law of a sovereign country. . ..... (27) Evidence Act (I of 1872) Section 86 It is very difficult to hold that both the offences are same and also there is no scope to declare the proceeding of this case illegal and without lawful authority in evidence in view of the provision of section 86 of the Act. (30) Money Laundering The money which was brought to Bangladesh by the writ petitioner was eventually possessed, transferred and converted knowing that such property is proceeds of crime. New and distinct offence of money laundering has committed in Bangladesh by the petitioner. .. ... (31) International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Article 14(7) International Double Jeopardy-Since the principle of 'International Double Jeopardy' has not been incorporated in the Ain of 2012 and, as such, there is no scope to enforce the said principle within our domestic legal system. Article 14(7) of 'International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights [ICCPR)' provides that no one shall be liable to be tried or punished again for an offence for which he has already been finally convicted or acquitted in accordance with law and penal procedure of each country. This provision is almost similar to Article 35(2) of our Constitution. So, Bangladesh has incorporated the provision of article 14(7) of ICCPR in its Constitution. And, as such, there is no room to say that Bangladesh being a signatory country of the said covenant ignored or deviated from the ICCPR. In this particular case, it transpires that the writ petitioner is being prosecuted has not been tried and convicted 'in accordance with the penal law and penal procedure' of Bangladesh. The ICCPR does not prohibit successive prosecution of an individual in exercise of power given in law of Bangladesh as his earlier prosecution and conviction was not under our own penal law and penal procedure. He was prosecuted and convicted for act or conduct occurred beyond the territory of Bangladesh and under law of another sovereign country. Hussain Mohammad Ershad vs Bangladesh, 21 BLD (AD) Page 69 = 7 BLC (AD) 67 Saiful Islam Dilder vs Government of Bangladesh, 50 DLR 318; Bangladesh vs Unamarayen SA Panama, 29 DLR 253 and Bangladesh vs Sombon Asavhan, 32 DLR (AD) 194 ref. AJ Mohammad Ali, with Abdullah M Rafiqul Islam, and Raghib Roul Chowdhury, Advocates-For the Petitioner. Mahbubey Alam, Attorney-General (Appeared as per desire of the Court). Md Khurshid Alam Khan, Advocate-For the Respondent No.1 [Anti-Corruption Commission). Judgment M Enayetur Rahim J : On an application under Article 102 of the Constitution of People's Republic of Bangladesh this Rule was issued calling upon the respondents to show cause as to why the initiation and investigation of Kotwali Model Thana, Sylhet, being Case No. 23 dated 20-5-2015 under section 4(2) and (3) of the Money Laundering Protirodh Act, 2012 should not be declared to have been initiated and continued without lawful authority and is of no legal effect and/ or pass such other or further order or orders as to this Court may seem fit and proper. 2. The facts leading to filing of the writ petition may be noticed in brief. 3. On 20th May 2015, the Respondent No. 2, a Deputy Director (Special Enquiry and Investigation-I) of Anti-Corruption Commission, lodged a First Information Report (FIR), with Kotwali Model Police Station, Sylhet, being Case No.23, implicating the writ Petitioner and others for committing offence under sections 4(2) and (3) of the Money Laundering Protirodh Ain 2012 (herein after referred as Ain of 2012). In the FIR it is alleged that on 6-6-2012, Home Office of the UK sent a Letter of Request for Legal Assistance in the matter of Robin Choudhury @ Misba Uddin to the Ministry of Home, Government of Bangladesh stating that the writ Petitioner was 'working as an Office Manager in the FLP Solicitors (a law firm), London, from September 2007 to February 2008. During this period the writ Petitioner made 13 fraudulent applications for mortgage, through 'which he obtained more than 5 (five) million pounds and eventually, he remitted Taka 16 (sixteen) Crore to Bangladesh through different bank accounts. Apart from this he transferred 20,56,527 and Taka 13.31 from a joint account with his wife from London to Bangladesh. He deposited the said money opening 50 accounts in 10 different Banks in Sylhet in the name of his father, wife, uncle and brother in law. He also invested some portion of money in share market and purchased land, flats, furnishers details of which has been mentioned in the FIR. Thus, the writ petitioner has committed an offence under sections 4(2) and (3) of the Money Laundering Protirodh Ain, 2012. It is also alleged that writ petitioner having changed his name in London as Robin Chowdhury obtained driving license and UK passport. 4. The writ petitioner was arrested in August 2011, by the London Police on the allegation of Fraud and Money Laundering. He was charged under Section I of the Fraud Act 2006 for fraudulent mortgages and also Money Laundering under sections 372(1) and 334 of the Proceeds of Crime Act, 2002. 5. On 11-4-2013, the writ petitioner was convicted and sentenced to suffer eight years imprisonment and under Section 18 confiscation order was passed against the Petitioner under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, whereby the Southwark Crown Court in the UK asked for financial information from the Petitioner, i.e. details of his income property, motor vehicles, bank accounts etc. On appeal the writ petitioner's sentence was reduced to six years and four months, which he is serving. However, at present the writ petitioner is released on license. Section 18 order is essentially start of a confiscation proceeding, which is part of the Petitioner's conviction. After receiving the section 18 Order, the petitioner provided all his financial information accordingly to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the concerned Court. (To be continued) The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, is essentially akin to the Money Laundering Protirodh Ain of Bangladesh, as it creates the offence of money laundering and also laid down provisions of recovering/confiscation of proceeds of a crime, making it very much parallel to the Money Laundering Protirodh Ain of Bangladesh. 6. The Respondent No. I Anti-Corruption Commission of Bangladesh started inquiry into the matter vide `y`K/wetAbyt I Z`sI-1/gvwbjUvwis/61-2013/31836 and then, they also opened another enquiry through their Integrated District Office in Sylhet, vide Memo No. DUDOK/Special Enquiry and Investigation- I/Money Launders Prevention/ 80-2014/35611 dated 4-12-2014. 7. The Respondent No. I obtained an order on 2-1-2014 from the Respondent No.4, Senior Metropolitan Special Judge, Dhaka in Permission Petition No. I of 2014 freezing the Bank accounts of the petitioner and his wife. 8. After completing the enquiry the Anti Corruption Commission has initiated the present case lodging the FIR against the writ petitioner and 4 (four) others. 9. Respondent No. I, Anti-Corruption Commission, contested the Rule by filing affidavit in opposition. It is contended by the Respondent No. I that the writ petitioner has challenged the criminal proceeding and investigation invoking the writ jurisdiction under Article 102 of the constitution which does not fall within the perview of Article 102 of the Constitution; moreover, the petitioner being a fugifive from justice have no locus standi to file any application/petition before any court of law including this Court. The investigating officer having obtained permission from commission by the Memo No. `y`K/wetAbyt I Z`sI-1/gvwbjUvwis/61-2013/31836 properly investigating the case in accordance with law and also the Integrated District Office in Sylhet vide Memo No. DUDOK/Special Enquiry and Investigation/Money Launders Prevention/80-20 14/35611 dated 4-12-2014 enquired into the case and found prima facie case under section 4(2) and (3) of the Ain of 2012 against the writ petitioner along with 4 (four) others and thereafter, the commission lodged the FIR. And, as such, question of harassment does not arise at all and, as such, the Rule is liable to be discharged with cost. 10. Mr AJ Mohammad Ali, the learned Advocate appearing for the writ petitioner submits that offence of money laundering is a transnational crime and the petitioner had already faced prosecution under the proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in UK for committing offence of money laundering and for the same offence the writ petitioner cannot be prosecuted again in Bangladesh under the Ain of 2012, as the essence of the alleged offence under the Act of 2012 and the allegations made in the FIR are same or substantially similar to the offence with which the writ petitioner has already been prosecuted in the UK and awaiting for the outcome of the sentence and, as such, the action of the Respondents goes against the very principle of law and of natural justice. 11. Mr Aly then submits that the principle of 'double jeopardy' is enshrined in Bangladesh's legal system as a fundamental right in Article 35(2) of the Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, which provides that, no person shall be prosecuted and punished for the same offence more than once; thus, the actions of the Respondents have violated the fundamental rights as guaranteed under the Constitution and are illegal, malafide and violates the principle of natural justice. 12. Mr Ali further submits that ingredients of the alleged offence under section 4(2) and (3) of the Money Laundering Protirodh Ain, 2012, is as same as the offence with which the petitioner had already been prosecuted and convicted in the UK. Any subsequent proceeding including the impugned proceeding and investigation is a fresh proceeding is prohibited under Article 35 (2) of the Constitution and, as such, the petitioner cannot be tried for the second time and hence the initiation of the present proceeding is liable to be declared as unlawful and is of no legal effect. 13. He referring to Section 403(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898, also submits that initiation of the present case is also barred by the said provision of law. 14. Mr Aly referring to clause 7 of Article 14 of the 'International Convenant on Civil and Political Rights (herein after referred as ICCPR) finally submits that Bangladesh is one of the signatory states of the said covenant and the Government of Bangladesh, being a signatory to the Covenant, is bound by the Article 14(7) of the Covenant where it provides that no one sh all be liable to be tried or punished again for an offence [or which he has already been finally convicted or acquitted in accordance with the law and penal procedure of each country. And, as such, the action of the Respondents are in clear violation of the said Covenant and is liable to be declared illegal and without lawful authority. 15. Mr Md Khurshid Alam Khan, the learned Advocate appearing for the Respondent No.1 submits that after lodging of the FIR the petitioner is a fugitive and thus, he has no locus standi to file the writ petition through attorney or authorized person. He also submits that it is well settled by the Appellate Division that a criminal proceeding or investigation process cannot be challenged invoking Article 102 of the constitution. He further submits that the writ petitioner committed offence of money laundering in UK and accordingly he was convicted and sentenced. The writ petitioner having brought a huge amount of money from London to Bangladesh illegally again deposited the same in the different bank accounts in Sylhet, Bangladesh in his name as well as in the names of his wife and other relatives and also invested some portion of money in share-market and by purchasing land-flats. Thus, the writ petitioner has committed separate and distinct offence of money laundering as defined in Ain of 2012 and it has no nexus with the offence of money laundering committed in London. Thus, the question of double jeopardy does not arise at all. 16. In course of hearing of the Rule Mr Khan has informed the court that the Commission after completing the investigation of the case in the meantime submitted charge sheet against the writ petitioner and 4 (four) others, which fact was not denied by the learned Advocate for the writ petitioner. 17. As per desire of the court Mr Mahbubey Alam, the learned Attorney, has participated in hearing. He submits that since in the Ain of 2012 the provision of 'International Double Jeopardy' has not been incorporated, and, as such, this principle cannot be applicable as a matter of right or automatically. Thus, the plea of the writ petitioner for interfering with the criminal proceeding relying on the said covenant that is clause 7 of Article 14 of ICCPR is misconceived and not tenable in the eye of law. He further submits that annexure-J series, the copy of the case summary, statement of information from Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), were not attested or authenticated as per provision of Section 86 of the Evidence Act and, as such, those documents have no evidentiary value and thus, there is no scope to consider the same in deciding the present issue. 18. In this particular case the moot question is whether the initiation and continuation of the impugned criminal proceeding is barred by the principle of 'international double jeopardy' in view of Article 14(7) of ICCPR adopted by United Nations Assembly, where Bangladesh is one of the signatories. 19. We would like to address the above issue in two ways. Firstly, whether Article 14(7) of the ICCPR or any other provisions of the same prohibits successive prosecution for the same course of conduct in which an accused was prosecuted and convicted in another sovereign country under its own law; and secondly, whether the principle of 'international double jeopardy' doctrine will be applicable in this particular case. 20. Mr Ali, the learned Advocate for the writ petitioner, has extraneously argued that since writ petitioner once faced trial and convicted by a competent court of England for committing the offence of money laundering, he cannot be prosecuted further for the same laundered money in Bangladesh under the Ain of 2012. 21. Article 14(7) of 'International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights [ICCPR)' provides that no one shall be liable to be tried or punished again for an offence for which he has already been finally convicted or acquitted in accordance with law and penal procedure of each country. 22. This provision is almost similar to Article 35(2) of our constitution. So, Bangladesh has incorporated the provision of Article 14(7) of ICCPR in its constitution. And, as such, there is no room to say that Bangladesh being a signatory country of the said covenant ignored or deviated from the ICCPR. 23. In this particular case, it transpires that the writ petitioner is being prosecuted has not been tried and convicted 'in accordance with the penal law and penal procedure' of Bangladesh. The ICCPR does not prohibit successive prosecution of an individual in exercise of power given in law of Bangladesh as his earlier prosecution and conviction was not under our own penal law and penal procedure. He was prosecuted and convicted for act or conduct occurred beyond the territory of Bangladesh and under law of another sovereign country. 24. Bangladesh as a sovereign entity has the power independently to determine what act shall constitute offences and to punish such offences, by enacting laws. And thus, the court of law of Bangladesh, a sovereign entity, exercises these powers given in its own law and not that of any other state or country. Prerogatives of sovereignty of Bangladesh are the power to enforce its own law. 25. Admittedly, the accused was prosecuted, tried and convicted in UK under its own law and it was done under the distinct source of power and consequently there can be successive prosecution in Bangladesh for the same course of conduct which does not violate the prohibition on the doctrine of double jeopardy as guaranteed in Article 35(2) of our Constitution. For the words 'same offence' indisputably refers to act and omission punishable under laws enacted by our sovereign parliament and it does not refer to that punishable under law of any other foreign country. The principle reflected in Article 35(2) of our constitution is further confirmed in Section 26 of the General Clauses Act of 1897 and in Section 403 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1898. 26. Bangladesh a sovereign entity shall determine what act or omission committed within its territory constitutes an offense in exercise of power under its own law, not that of the other. Therefore, no violation of the prohibition on double jeopardy results from successive prosecutions under the relevant penal law of Bangladesh, because by one act the accused has committed two offences one is beyond the territory of Bangladesh which was punishable under law of UK a distinct sovereign entity and now is being prosecuted for the same act constituting offence punishable under law of our own. 27. It is to be noted that the territoriality principle is the most common basis of jurisdiction and is widely regarded as a manifestation of state sovereignty. At its simplest, the territoriality principle denotes that a sovereign state has jurisdiction over conduct or act or omission that occurs within its territorial borders. The 'separate sovereigns' doctrine allows for two states to prosecute for the same offence occurred within jurisdiction of both locations. Thus, literary ICCPR does not prohibit successive prosecution of the offence committed by same course of conduct under a distinct law of a sovereign country. 28. Prosecuting and convicting of a Bangladeshi national for an offence committed beyond territory of Bangladesh creates no bar for his or her successive prosecution for 'same act' in exercise of power given under our own law. The doctrine reflected in Article 35(2) of our constitution does not extend to any offender prosecuted and convicted in a country of distinct sovereignty, under its own statute. 29. From annexure-J series, copies of case summary and statement of information from Crown Prosecution Service, UK it transpires that though the name of writ petitioner was Misbauddin but he changed his name in UK as Robin Chowdhury; he faced trial in the crown Court, at Southwark, UK in Indictment Trial No. T 20117476 and on 24-8-2011 charged was framed against him in total 18 counts and only count No. 15 was related to transfer money from UK to Bangladesh. The other counts of charge were under Fraud Act, 2006 and also under Crime Act, 2002 for transferring money from UK to Thailand, Switzerland and Tunisia. The writ petitioner on the following day (25.8.2011) pleaded guilty to 13 counts of charge on the indictment and accordingly he was convicted and sentenced. 30. In view of the above facts it is crystal clear that the writ petitioner was found guilty on admission on so many counts of charge including laundering money to Bangladesh and accordingly convicted and sentenced. And, as such, at this stage it is very difficult to hold that both the offences are same and also there is no scope to declare the proceeding of this case illegal and without lawful authority relying annexure-J series, which are not admissible in evidence in view of the provision of Section 86 of the Evidence Act. 31. Moreover, the money which was brought to Bangladesh by the writ petitioner was eventually possessed, transferred and converted knowing that such property is proceeds of crime. Thus, new and distinct offence of money laundering has committed in Bangladesh by the petitioner and accordingly the present case has been initiated. 32. In view of above, it cannot be said that the accused is being prosecuted twice for the 'same offence' merely for the reason that he has been convicted for the same act which constituted and offence punishable under the law of UK. It transpires that the accused allegedly by a single act violated laws of two sovereign states and thereby committed two distinct offences and thus the instant prosecution relating to an offence punishable under our own law even for the same act does not breach the doctrine of 'double jeopardy'. 33. In the case of Hussain Mohammad Ershad vs Bangladesh. reported in 21 BLD (AD) = 7 BLC (AD) 67 Page 69, it has been held: "True it is that the Universal Human Rights norms whether given in the Universal Declaration or in the Covenants are not directly enforceable in national courts. But if their provisions are incorporated into the domestic law they are enforceable in national courts. The local laws, both constitutional and statutory, are not always in consonance with the norms contained in the international human rights instruments. The national courts should not, I feel, straightway ignore the international obligations, which a country undertakes. If the domestic laws are not clear enough or there is nothing therein the national courts should draw upon the principles incorporated in the international instruments. But in the cases where the domestic laws are clear and inconsistent with the international obligations of the state concerned the national courts will be obliged to respect the national laws but shall draw the attention of the law makers to such inconsistencies." 34. In the case of Saiful Islam Dilder vs Government of Bangladesh, (reported in 50 DLR, 318) the decision of the Government handing over of Anup Chetia alias Golap Barua, an Indian citizen who was engaged in a movement for right of self determination of Assamees People, to Indian Government was challenged on the plea that extradition of Chetia to India in absence of any extradition treaty would violate the provision of Article l45A of the Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. The writ petition was rejected in limine and the High Division observed that; "Now it remains for us to consider the case cited from foreign jurisdiction. At the outset we must say that observations made therein are pious expression to secure international fundamental human right, norms obtaining in different declarations and covenants of different state parties to such instrument and have little binding force on the municipal courts. Such views no doubt have opened a new horizon of International Human Right law but in international human rights law interpretation adopted by national courts can at best only be persuasive authority. In Ramoz vs Diaz, the right of a foreign power to demand the extradition was created by treaty. And in US in absence of statutory or treaty provision no authority exists in the Government to surrender a fugitive criminal to a foreign Government. A careful reading of the judgment will show that the decision rests on Article VI of the treaty of Extradition made between Government of the US and the Government of Cuba. Article VI of the treaty exempts extradition of a fugitive charged with political offence from the treaty. But Extradition Act, 1974 of our country does not provide such exemption. Therefore, the decision which is only of a persuasive value and decided placing reliance upon Article VI of the Extradition Treaty has no manner of application "to the facts of the instant case." 35. In the case of Bangladesh vs Unamarayen SA Panama, reported in 29 DLR 253, question arose whether private foreign companies enjoy immunity from arrest and seizures. 36. The High Court denied such immunity to be accorded to private foreign companies and deelined to protect them from arrest and seizures. The court observed, "immunity is available under public international law to persons and properties of classified persons mentioned in the list which is usually filed by foreign missions and international agencies". 37. Where there is clear domestic legislation on the disputed issue, the court gives effect to the domestic law, not to customary norms of international law. This particular aspect of domestic law vis-a-vis international custom was raised in the case of Bangladesh vs Sombon Asavhan, reported in 32 DLR (AD) 194. Bangladesh Navy captured three Thai fishing trawlers for illegal entrance and fishing in the territorial waters of Bangladesh. The question was whether the trawlers were within the territorial waters or the exclusive economic zone of Bangladesh. Instead of applying existing international law regarding territorial waters, the Appellate Division settled the issue on the basis of Bangladesh Territorial Waters and Maritime Zones Act, 1974, which lays down specific provisions for maritime boundaries for Bangladesh. The Appellate Division has observed: "It is well settled that where there is municipal law on an international subject the national court's function is to enforce the municipal law within the plain meaning of the statute". 38. It further held: "the point touches international law, since three fishing trawlers are involved and they have been captured from a place over which Bangladesh claims sovereignty. We are relieved from entering into long discussion of diverse laws, conventions, rules and practices of international law since there is complete code provided by our municipal law." 39. Recently, our Appellate Division, in the case of Abdul Quader Molla vs Government of Bangladesh (Criminal Appeal No. 24 of 2013 heard along with Criminal Appeal No. 25 of 2013, page-131) has held: "Nothing but the provision falling within the above constitutional periphery can be law and provision having force of law within the jurisdiction of Bangladesh. Therefore even any international obligation or responsibility undertook by the Government cannot have any force of law within the jurisdiction of Bangladesh. It will appear from the above provisions of the constitution, it is the parliament in general or the president under certain circumstances legislate and not the Government and the Courts of law do not require to have regard to the acts of the Government including entering into treaties or adopting the convention when interpreting the law. Though International Convention, could be recognized upon ratification it could be applied in our country only when its provisions are incorporated in our Municipal laws and thus for enforcing any international covenants under any convention to which this country is a signatory the provisions of the convention have to be incorporated in our domestic law. Any international obligations/responsibilities of the republic or any under taking taken at the international level or any norms/practices, 'howsoever regularly honoured by the state at international interactions, cannot be applicable in the domestic tribunal of the country unless the same is incorporated in the domestic law by a legislative action." 40. In the above case Appellate Division has further held: "There is no rule of CIL prohibits our domestic tribunal to proceed with the trial as per our domestic legislation, and, as such, it can be safely said that rules of public international law allows our domestic tribunal to proceed with the trial as per our Act. In short, the rules of international law whether applicable or not, our domestic tribunal has the jurisdiction to continue with the trial in any manner acting in derogation of the rules of public international law." 41. It is true that the issue of 'International Double Jeopardy' is of increasing concern and importance, and this decision may will have an impact in the development of the law. But, said concept of 'International Double Jeopardy' is not directly enforceable in domestic court unless it is incorporated in domestic law. International law ought to be transformed into State law before it could be applied in State territories. In other words, international law must be specially adopted or incorporated within the municipal legal system by way of implementing act of the legislature: Since the principle of 'International Double Jeopardy' has not been incorporated in the Ain of 2012 and, as such, there is no scope to enforce the said principle within our domestic legal system. . 42. Further, it is well settled that there is no scope for quashing a criminal proceeding under the writ jurisdiction unless the virus of law involved is challenged. 43. Having considered and discussed as above. We find no merit in the Rule. Accordingly, the Rule is discharge. However there is no order as to cost. 1 Celebrated for his clay and bronze bells, avant-garde drawings, and concept of Arcosanti (an experiential village hosting design workshops), the late Arizona architect Paolo Soleri is less celebrated for his residential designs. This could be because only one was built: this six-bedroom, four-bath, split-level home in Phoenix. It's listed for $1.88 million through Scott Jarson with azarchitecture/Jarson & Jarson. This Phoenix home was Soleri's only solo project. He did partner with another architect on a dome house in Cave Creek, AZ, and designed an amphitheater at the Indian School in Santa Fe, NM. He received a National Design Award in 2006 and taught architecture at Arizona State University. It's tucked into the Colter Estates neighborhoodnot far from the Arizona Biltmore Hotelwhere the home's lush green spaces are an unexpected pleasure in this desert. The unique creation was built in 1982 for Sen. Dennis DeConcini and his brother, Dino, who were fans of Soleris work. The DeConcinis were a prominent Arizona family, says Jarson. Exterior realtor.com Kitchen realtor.com Dining room realtor.com Living room realtor.com Bathroom realtor.com Bedroom realtor.com Soleris trademark organic architecture is apparent throughout the home, including the passive-solar features, barrel-vaulted ceilings, and oak cabinetry and flooring. Interior spaces include an office, tower library nook, and partly finished basement. The property's huge lot size also helps set it apart from neighboring homes. But its the outside amenities that bring this house over the top. The property is blessed with an older irrigation system, which makes it easy to keep the yard very lush and green. Its got a country setting, but its maybe 10 minutes from downtown, says Jarson. Youve got this oasis estate with very large shade trees. Yard realtor.com There's also a pool, gazebo, and fireplace perfect for alfresco living. Included with the sale is the home's original work-study model. Its remarkable that that got preserved with the house, says Jarson. The sellers will also leave a bell sculpture designed by Soleri. So who would appreciate the design of the home and want to live in it? Somebody who has an interest in art and design, foremost, but its a highly functional family home, too, says Jarson. Its rare to find a combination of the two. Bells realtor.com The post Desert Oasis: Rare Paolo Soleri-Designed House in Arizona Seeking a Buyer appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. Departmental proceeding is not same as criminal proceeding High Court Division : (Special Original Jurisdiction) Md Rezaul Hasan J Kashefa Hussain J Khandokar Kamrul Hasna .Petitioners vs Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, represented by the Principal Secretary, Prime Minister's Office and others. . ............... Respondents Judgment August 2nd, 2016 Constitution of Bangladesh, 1972 Article 102 A departmental proceeding is not same as a criminal proceeding. It is not necessary in a departmental proceeding that any persons should be found guilty beyond reasonable doubt, a stand of proof required in a criminal proceeding. The preponderance of probability is enough to found a person guilty in a departmental proceeding. This difference between these two forums has to be understood and to be followed consistently. One is not barred by the findings of other, nor the procedure followed by them are of equal stringency in nature. . ..... (11) AKM Ali with Nigar Sultana, Advocates-For the Petitioner. AKM Zahirul Hug, DAG with Abdur Rokib (Montu), AAG and Samira Tarannum Rabeya, AAG-For the Respondents. Judgment Md Rezaul Hasan J : On this application, filed under Article 102 of the Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, a Rule Nisi has been issued, calling upon the respondents to show cause as to why the respondent No. I should not be directed to dispose of petitioner's application dated 2-9-2014 as evident from Annexure-"K(1)" to the Writ Petition and for pass such other or further order or orders as to this Court may seem fit and proper. 2. Facts leading to issuance of the Rule are that, while the petitioner was working as Administrative Officer-cum-Common Service Protocol Officer, the petitioner, with oblique motive, had falsely identified one Mahbub Alam as Redwan Mujib Siddique and managed visa for Mahbub Alam and thus contrived to and had sent him to Italy as a member of entourage of the Hon'ble Prime Minister. Consequently, a chargesheet dated 11-1-2001 was issued upon the petitioner was asked to show cause as to why he should not be dismissed from the services for the said misconduct under Rule 3(b) of the Government Servants (Discipline and Appeal) Rules 1985. He was also placed under suspension on 11-12-2000, as per 11(1) of the Government Servants (Discipline and Appeal), Rules, 1985. The petitioner had submitted a written statement denying all the allegations. Thereafter the authority issued a second show cause notice upon the petitioner proposing major penalty and the petitioner again submitted his reply for the 2nd time pleading his innocence. However, without considering his reply the authority, quite illegally, dismissed him from his service, by their order dated 29-5-2001. The petitioner filed a Departmental Appeal against the said order, which was rejected on 23-7-2001 and subsequently he filed a petition, before the Administrative Tribunal, as per provisions of Section 4(2) of the Administrative Tribunal Act, 1980, against the respondents, for declaration that the order dated 29-5-2001, issued by the Respondent No.2, dismissing the petitioner from his service and that the order dated 23-7-2001, rejecting his departmental appeal, are illegal, void, without jurisdiction and of no legal effect and to direct the respondents to reinstate the petitioner to his service with arrear salary and other attending benefits. However, his petition was rejected by the Tribunal, by a judgment and order dated 19-4-2003. Thereafter the petitioner preferred Appeal No. 115 of 2003 before the Administrative Appellate Tribunal, which was dismissed for default, by it's Order No. 20 dated 20-3-2008, since none of the parties appeared before the Appellate Tribunal on that date. It further appears from the record that, a First Information Report was simultaneously lodged against the petitioner on 23-7-2010, at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station, by one S.l. Mijanur Rahman, which was registered as Sher-e-Bangla Nagar PS Case No. 32 dated 23-7-2010, corresponding to GR No. 245 of 2010 and the Police, after investigation, submitted chargesheet No. 124 dated 6-4-2011 against him, under Sections 419/465/471/109 of the Penal Code read with Section 11 of the Passport Act. The petitioner obtained bail in GR No. 245 of 2010, from the Court of Metropolitan Magistrate, Dhaka. In that court, the said GR case was fixed for framing of charge on 18-3-2012. The petitioner filed an application under Section 241 A of the Code of Criminal Procedure before that court. The Magistrate Court has taken up the petition under Section 241A for hearing along with the matter for framing charge. The Magistrate, after hearing the petition, has discharged this petitioner along with one Md Saifur Rahman from the charges brought against them. Thereafter the petitioner has filed a representation, on 2-9-2014, Annexure-K(1), to the Principal Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) with a prayer to reinstate him in the service, apparently, since he was discharged by the criminal court on the self-same allegations. But he received no response to his representation dated 2-9-2014. Hence, he has filed this writ petition and obtained the rule as quoted above. 3. The learned Advocate Mr Dr AKM Ali appeared along with learned Advocate Ms. Nigar Sultana for the petitioner. The learned Advocate for the petitioner, having placed the petition, along with other materials on record, mainly contends that the petitioner has submitted a representation on 2-9-2014, addressing the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister's Office and the representation was received in that office on 7-9-2014, annexed to this petition as Annexure- K(1). The. learned Advocate next submits that, the petitioner is the victim of the circumstances and the petitioner was dismissed from his service illegally, which will be evident from order dated 18-3-2012, passed in O.R. No. 245 of 2010 by the Metropolitan Magistrate, Court No.6, Dhaka, whereby the petitioner has been discharged, upon hearing an application filed by him under Section 241 A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, from the charge brought against him under Sections 419/465/471/109 of the Penal Code read with Section 11 of the Passport Act. As the petitioner was not found guilty by the trial court for committing the same offence for which he has been dismissed from the service, therefore, he has very reasonably submitted the representation on 2-9-2014, before the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister's Office, for reinstating him. But the Prime Minister's Office does respond to his application dated 2-9-2014. Hence, he has prayed for direction upon the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister's Office, Respondent No. 1 to this petition, to consider his representation. He concludes that this rule has merit and the same may be made absolute by passing an appropriate direction as prayed for. 4. Learned Deputy Attorney-General Mr AKM Zahirul Hug appeared along with Mr Abdur Rokib (Montu), AAG on behalf of the respondents and have opposed the Rule. 5. We have heard both the sides, perused the petition along with other materials on record. 6. Facts leading to filing of this writ petition has been narrated herein above, in brief. 7. We find that, admittedly the petitioner was the Administrative Office-Cum-Common Service Protocol Officer of the Prime Minister's Office and a chargesheet was issued, on 11-1-2001, against him specifying the allegations brought against the petitioner, under Rule 3(b) of the Government Servants (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1985 and the petitioner was suspended pending enquiry, keeping provision for allowing him subsistence allowance. He gave a reply to the charges brought against him. The reply having found not satisfactory a second show cause notice dated 28-2-2001 was served upon the petitioner, specifically asking him to show cause as to why he should not be dismissed from the service in accordance with the provisions of Rule 4(3)(d) of the Government Servants (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1985. The petitioner gave reply to the second show cause notice, on 14-3-2001. It further appears from the letter of dismissal dated 29-5-2001 (Annexure-D-2), that a departmental proceedings was initiated in which the petitioner was given all opportunity to defend himself us per provisions of the aforesaid Rules. The enquiry Officer found him guilty of the charges brought against him. Therefore, he has been dismissed from service according to the aforesaid rules, on 29-5-2001. It is also admitted that thereafter the petitioner has filed a departmental appeal. But the said appeal was dismissed by an order dated 23-7-2001. Subsequently the petitioner has filed an application under section 4(2) of the Administrative Tribunal Act, 1980, before the Administrative Tribunal, Dhaka. challenging the aforesaid order dated 23-7-2001, which was registered as Case No. 160 of 2001. The Administration Tribunal, by an elaborate judgment and order dated 19-4-2003, rejected the case of the petitioner filed- under Section 4(2) of the Administrative Tribunal Act, 1980, in which, as we find, all legally material facts were duly considered by the Tribunal. It is also admitted that, being aggrieved by the aforesaid judgment and order dated 19-4-2003 of the Tribunal, the petitioner had preferred an Appeal No. 115 of 2003 before the Administrative Appellate Tribunal, which was dismissed for default by order No. 20 dated 20-3-2008. Section 6(a) of the Administrative Tribunal Act, 1980, provides for preferring appeal before the Appellate Division under Article 103 of the Constitution against any judgment and order of the Appellate Tribunal. 8. In view of the foregoing facts and circumstances, we are of the view that the petitioner having not preferred any appeal under Article 103 of the Constitution, before the Appellate Division, as per provisions of section 6(a) of the Administrative Tribunal Act, 1980, the judgment and order 19-4-2003, passed by the Administrative Tribunal, has become final. 9. Once a dispute has been settled by the judicial body, there is no scope to refer the aforesaid representation dated 2-9-2014, Annexure-K(1), to the Principal Secretary of the Prime Minister's Office and thereby to re-open the matter. In other words, the Principal Secretary, Prime Minister's Office, being the executive authority, cannot sit in appeal over the judgment passed by the Administrative Tribunal or by any other judicial/quasi-judicial authority, by re-opening the matter. Nor this Division, far less the executive organ, can arrogate to itself the jurisdiction vested in the Appellate Division under Article 103 of the Constitution, read with Section 6(a) of the Administrative Tribunal Act, 1980. 10. On the other hand the executive authority, in this case the Principal Secretary of Prime Mmister's office, has no competence or authority to re-open the issue already decided by a competent judicial body or Tribunal or to sit as court of appeal over a judgment passed by any court or any Tribunal. Any persons aggrieved by any judgment or order of a court or Tribunal can address to the higher forum in the judicial highrearchy, if there is any, not to any other person or authority. The order or judgment thus passed is final and conclusive, so far as a dispute resolved by it. This is based on the doctrine of separation of power. 11. As regards the contention, though no more necessary to address indeed, that the petitioner was discharged from a Criminal case filed against him, we do hereby hold, to make it clear, that a departmental proceeding is not same as a criminal proceeding. It is not necessary in a departmental proceeding that any persons should be found guilty beyond reasonable doubt, a stand of proof required in a criminal proceeding. The preponderance of probability is enough to found a person guilty in a departmental proceeding. This difference between these two forums has to be understood and to be followed consistently. One is not barred by the findings of other, nor the procedure followed by them are of equal stringenecy in nature. In the light of the deliberation recorded herein above, we find no merit in this rule. Order In the result, the Rule is discharged. No order as to cost. WASHINGTON President Trump is considering giving U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman more authority over the U.S. outpost that handles Palestinian affairs, five U.S. officials said, a shift that could further dampen Palestinian hopes for an independent state. Any move to downgrade the autonomy of the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem responsible for relations with the Palestinians could have potent symbolic resonance, suggesting American recognition of Israeli control over East Jerusalem and the West Bank. And while the change might be technical and bureaucratic, it could have potentially significant policy implications. As president, Trump has departed from traditional U.S. insistence on a two-state solution for the Mideast conflict by leaving open the possibility of just one state. As his administration prepares to unveil a long-awaited peace plan, the Palestinians have all but cut off contact, enraged by Trumps decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. The deliberations come as Friedman, who has pushed for changes to the consulate since he arrived in Israel last year, faces growing indignation in the U.S. over partisan comments and other actions in which he has publicly sided with Israel over its critics. On Thursday, a top Democratic lawmaker even suggested Friedman should be recalled after he waded into domestic U.S. politics on Israels behalf, telling an Israeli newspaper that Democrats have failed to support Israel as much as Republicans. For decades, the Jerusalem consulate has operated differently than almost every other consulate around the world. Rather than reporting to the U.S. Embassy in Israel, it has reported directly to the State Department in Washington, giving the Palestinians an unfiltered channel to engage with the U.S. government. That arrangement was relatively clear-cut before Trump moved the embassy. Until Trumps decision in December to move it from Tel Aviv, the United States did not recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital. The Jerusalem consulate provided services to Americans in Jerusalem and also served as the de facto U.S. embassy to the Palestinians, who claim East Jerusalem for the capital of a future independent state. Staunchly pro-Israel and with close ties to the West Bank settler movement, Friedman is broadly seen by Palestinian leadership as lacking good faith in U.S. efforts to mediate a fair resolution to the Mideast conflict. Josh Lederman and Matthew Lee are Associated Press writers. MILAN Italys antiestablishment 5-Star Movement and the right-wing League succeeded Thursday in forming western Europes first populist government, which will be headed by a political novice whose first try was rejected four days earlier as too risky for the Italian economy. What changed was the willingness of 5-Star leader Luigi Di Maio and League leader Matteo Salvini to shuffle the proposed roster of government ministers amid a financial market scare. They moved an 81-year-old euroskeptic economist vetoed by Italys president from overseeing the economy ministry to a European affairs Cabinet post. After the fits, starts and financial turbulence of recent days, the realization of a 5-Star-League coalition government put its populist posture on full display in Salvinis first public remarks. He returned from Rome to address a crowd of supporters in his northern home region of Lombardy. I want to make Italy a protagonist in Europe again. With good manners and without creating confusion. But I am fed up of governments with the hat in their hand, Salvini said to cheers. We are second to no one. Just a short time earlier, President Sergio Mattarellas office announced that the new premier, University of Florence law professor Giuseppe Conte, and his ministers would be sworn in Friday afternoon. It was a stunning comeback from Sunday evening, when Conte the premier-designate at the time left a meeting with Mattarella empty-handed and returned to his teaching job. Emerging from a similar meeting with a different ending Thursday night, Conte read off his Cabinet list and pledged that we will work with determination to improve the quality of life of all Italians. The Cabinet includes Di Maio architect of the governments proposed basic income for struggling Italians as welfare minister and Salvini who has pledged to expel hundreds of thousands of migrants as interior minister. The new economics minister, Giovanni Tria, is a mainstream economist at Rome University, while the foreign ministry goes to Enzo Moavero Milanesi, a former European Union official in Brussels. In his remarks to supporters, Salvini pledged to make sending migrants back to their home countries a priority. Colleen Barry is an Associated Press writer. 1 World War II probe: Finland has commissioned an investigation to find out whether a Finnish volunteer battalion serving within Nazi Germanys notorious Waffen-SS committed atrocities during World War II. The government said Thursday the probe is being launched following a request by the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Jerusalem to Finlands President Sauli Niinisto. Following the bitter Winter War during 1939-40 against the Soviet Union, Finland became part of an alliance with Nazi Germany. Finnish troops fought alongside Wehrmacht soldiers following the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. 2 Missing persons: Mexico is sending its national commissioner for missing persons to the northern border city of Nuevo Laredo after the United Nations said it documented the disappearance of 23 people there likely at the hands of a security force. Mexicos Attorney Generals Office also opened an investigation after the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights asked about the situation. The United Nations says there are strong indications a federal security force was responsible for the disappearances. Human rights advocates and victims families blame marines. WASHINGTON President Trump announced Friday that the summit meeting he had canceled with North Koreas leader will be held after all, the latest twist in a nuclear-edged diplomatic drama that has captivated and confused much of the world. The president rescheduled the get-together with Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader, barely a week after scrubbing it on the grounds that Kims government had shown open hostility toward his administration. The reversal followed an Oval Office meeting Friday with a high-ranking North Korean envoy who delivered a personal letter from Kim to Trump. The envoy, Kim Yong Chol, the former North Korean intelligence chief and top nuclear arms negotiator, became the first North Korean official to set foot in the White House since 2000 and only the second ever to meet with a sitting U.S. president. The on-again, off-again summit scheduling had all the earmarks of a television cliffhanger from a president who made a name for himself hosting a reality show on NBC for 14 years, only this time with deadly serious consequences. The session is again scheduled for June 12 in Singapore. Trump, who has sought to impose maximum pressure on North Korea through economic sanctions, has insisted that it give up its arsenal of nuclear weapons, but Kim has sent conflicting signals about his willingness to consider that. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush each negotiated with North Korea to bring an end to its nuclear weapons program, only to have the deals ultimately fall apart. Neither one, however, ever agreed to meet with the North Korean leader, raising the stakes for Trump as he tries to achieve what they could not. Clinton did host a North Korean official at the White House in 2000, the first time a sitting U.S. president had met with a representative of the Pyongyang government. Much like his latter-day counterpart would 18 years later, Jo Myong Rok, first vice chairman of North Koreas National Defense Commission, delivered to Clinton a personal letter from the countrys then-leader, Kim Jong Il, the father of Kim Jong Un. The meeting yielded good will but no sustained agreement, and Bushs ascension to the White House a few months later brought to power a more skeptical group of officials who saw the North Koreans as untrustworthy. Among them was a State Department official named John R. Bolton now Trumps national security adviser. Peter Baker is a New York Times writer. WASHINGTON Already under fire for his combative trade policies, President Trump on Friday intensified pressure on Canada, demanding that Americas neighbor and close ally open their markets and take down trade barriers. Trumps tweet came a day after he ignited global condemnation by imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada and two other key U.S. allies Mexico and the European Union. In response, Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that he would impose retaliatory tariffs of $12.8 billion on U.S. exports. Mexico announced a round of counter-tariffs and retaliations aimed straight at the heart of Trumps base of political support. Along with tariffs on flat steel imports from the U.S., Mexico will impose tariffs on lamps, pork legs and shoulders, sausages and prepared foods, apples, grapes, cranberries, various cheeses and other products. The products were selected to affect exporters in states that are politically important to Trump. The European Union, on the other hand, filed on Friday a request for consultations at the World Trade Organization. The request means the two sides would have to discuss the tariffs and try to reach a deal. If that fails, after 60 days the EU could ask a WTO panel to rule on the case. The U.S. had sought use the tariff threat as cudgel to win concessions from Canada and Mexico in talks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement. But the NAFTA talks sputtered anyway, and the Trump administration imposed the tariffs at midnight Thursday. Trump took to Twitter Friday to accuse Canada of treating U.S. farmers very poorly for a long period of time. And he repeated his inaccurate claim that Canada runs a trade surplus with the United States. In fact, U.S. Commerce Department numbers show, the United States recorded a trade surplus with Canada for each of the past three years. Trumps antagonistic trade policies drew international denunciation from two other key allies. French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that he told Trump in a phone call that the new U.S. tariffs on European, Mexican and Canadian goods were illegal and a mistake. British Prime Minister Theresa May said the U.S. decision to impose tariffs on European Union steel and aluminum is unjustified, and European nations should be permanently exempted. Trumps move makes good on his campaign vows to crack down on trading partners that he claims exploit poorly negotiated trade agreements to run up big trade surpluses with the United States. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Get ready to put your feet -- and a little bit of money -- where your heart is this weekend. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, the 3rd Annual Lucille & Jay Chazanoff Sunrise Day Camp Walk will raise funds for the free six-week summer day camp for children with cancer and their siblings. (BTW: It's the only such camp in NYC and serves children from Staten Island, Brooklyn, Manhattan and nearby New Jersey. Learn more about it via Shira Stoll's moving video above.) Walk registration runs from 9 to 10:15 a.m. Fees: $10 for kids 12 and under; $20 for adults. Pre-register at Sunrise-Walks.org/StatenIsland. The event steps off at 10:30 p.m. Islanders participate in last year's Lucille and Jay Chazanoff Sunrise Day Camp Walk at Mount Loretto. This year's goal: To serve approximately 100 children, to raise $300,000 and to give kids with cancer the fun of a summer day camp. The walk is followed by a finish-line carnival from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to thank everyone for their dedication and hard work to make sure that children with cancer and their siblings are able to attend free of charge for six weeks. Miss Richmond County Madison L'Insalata will lead a crowd singalong of the "Star Spangled Banner." Also mingling with the marchers and adding to the festivity of the day: Miss Staten Island Nicole Doz and Miss Staten Island Outstanding Teen Juliana Meyer. Sunrise will also have a group of girl scouts who participate in a troop for those with disabilities serving as motivators along the route, shaking maracas and other musical instruments to add some festivity. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- President Donald Trump told Rep. Dan Donovan May 23 that he'd be endorsing him in his primary race, while the two Republicans were flying back to Washington, D.C., on Air Force One after a trip to Long Island. "On the way back, we discussed the campaign," Donovan told reporters after a press conference on Thursday. "He started the discussion, asked about the race and, after we spoke about it, he said he would support me." One week later, Trump tweeted his support, saying, "There is no one better to represent the people of N.Y. and Staten Island (a place I know very well) than @RepDanDonovan, who is strong on Borders & Crime, loves our Military & our Vets, voted for Tax Cuts and is helping me to Make America Great Again. Dan has my full endorsement!" Donovan -- who's facing ex-congressman Michael Grimm in the June 26 primary election -- said he discussed the nature of the primary race with Trump on their flight back. "I explained to him about the race," said Donovan. "I explained to him that I have a primary for the first time. It's important to me that you would support me and told him all of the things we've done in Congress ... He's supported me in every single one of my races. I think this is just a validation of his confidence in me as a member of Congress and helping him move along his agenda." Donovan declined to comment on what Trump thought or said about Grimm. "I had a private conversation with the president," said Donovan. "You can ask the president what he thinks about that." When asked about Trump's tweet, which said that Donovan voted for "tax cuts," despite Donovan voting against the GOP tax bill in December, Donovan said the president was referring to extending the President Bush tax cuts. "I have voted for tax cuts," said Donovan. "He didn't say I voted for the tax bill, he said I voted for tax cuts, which I have." Donovan also said he stands by his vote on the tax bill. "It's going to end up being something that's harmful to the people I represent and I'll always stand up for them," said Donovan. "I voted with the president 90 percent of the time. I voted with the people of Staten Island and South Brooklyn a 100 percent." Donovan also said the tweet should put to rest criticisms lobbed at him throughout the campaign that he hasn't supported the president enough. "It shows the deceitfulness or the false narratives that my opponent has been saying about me," said Donovan. "Apparently, the president believes I support him." Last night, Grimm tweeted, "All the endorsements in the world can't change the facts: Donovan has failed to pass even one substantive bill into law, and has voted against President Trump every time it's mattered -- from failing to repeal Obamacare to banning sanctuary cities, and even against tax cuts." Donovan left the door open when asked if Trump would get further involved in the race over the next three weeks. "I think there's going to be other things, but we'll wait to see; he's a very busy man," he said. "We're grateful for the tweets. If other events happen or the president gets involved in other ways, I'll be grateful." FOLLOW CLIFFORD MICHEL ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A second co-defendant of Richard Luthmann pleaded guilty Thursday to two charges in Brooklyn federal court. George Padula III, 29, pleaded to extortion and firearm charges, and faces a minimum of five years in prison, said a spokesman for the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York. The spokesman didn't say what the guilty plea means for Luthmann going forward, but Padulla's lawyer gave the impression his client would not be testifying against the Staten Island lawyer. "That was the price for not being a rat," Gerald McMahon said of his client's five-year plea deal. He said Padulla's actions were in the pursuit of an unpaid debt. He said his client should not have used a firearm, but downplayed its severity. "He didn't go in with a machete or a machine gun," McMahion said. Padulla is the second Luthmann co-defendant to take a plea deal. Staten Island resident Michael Beck pleaded guilty to two counts of kidnapping and two counts of collection of credit by extortion in Brooklyn federal court on May 22. Luthmann, Beck and George Padula III are charged with various counts of wire fraud, money laundering, kidnapping and extortion conspiracy. The scam was launched in the summer of 2015, between Luthmann, Padula and an unidentified co-conspirator, who sold scrap metals to overseas clients, according to an indictment filed in Brooklyn federal court. Beck was not charged in the scrap-metal fraud scheme. In December, Luthmann had allegedly arranged for the co-conspirator to come to his office under the guise of signing some paperwork. Luthmann wasn't there, and when the man contacted him, the attorney told him to wait inside a conference room. Padula and Beck entered the room and when the man tried to run out the door, Beck pushed him into a seat, said the indictment. Beck then allegedly kept him from leaving and pointed a gun at his head and knee. Prosecutors claim Beck was the "muscle" for Padula's alleged mob-connected clan. Luthmann's trial is set for June 25. The In Class education column will be published regularly to highlight area school happenings, and we want to hear from you. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Third-graders at PS 48, Concord, created mixed-media puppets that are currently on display at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan. Students participated in the Guggenheim's Learning Through Art program, and artwork will be on display until June 13. Student artists constructed puppets that express a single character trait. They learned about how shape and color can express character by looking at works by Alexander Calder and Nick Cave. More than 100 creative pieces are on display at the exhibition, "A Year with Children." View the gallery above to see the artwork. As part of our education column, In Class, we are highlighting some of the activities Staten Island students are engaged in -- both inside and outside the classroom. Here's a look at some additional recent education-related happenings. DISABILITY DAY Assemblyman Michael Cusick stands with students who were winners in the annual Disability Day Poster Contest. (Photo courtesy of Michael Cusick's office) Assemblyman Michael Cusick (D-Mid-Island) met with several Staten Island elementary school students in Albany on Assembly Disability Day to call attention to New Yorkers living with various physical and mental impairments, and to celebrate their accomplishments. "I will always work to improve the conditions, and make life easier, for men, women and children living with disabilities," Cusick said. "These young men and women are the future leaders of our world, and it is important that we provide them with the tools to understand issues that affect everyday people. They are an inspiration to the state and nation, and will always have a friend in me." Cusick honored students from kindergarten to fifth grade who were winners in the annual Disability Day Poster Contest. Kindergarten winners included: Jayden Balatucan, St. Christopher School; Anthony Pizzo, Our Lady of Good Counsel; Salvatore Ragucci, Our Lady of Good Counsel. Winners also included the following Our Lady of Good Counsel students: First-graders Michael Tisi, Scarlett Serdaros and Jordyn Carmelendo; second-graders Chiara Selfridge, Emma Kokkinakis and Joseph Iacono; third-graders Marcella Del Balso, Daniel Boylan and Nico Vitagliano; fourth-graders Star Papas, Jayla Rae DiTringo and Lily Ahlborn. Fifth-grade winners included Sara Pukala, PS 6; Nicole Kindja, St. Christopher School; Madison Hoerle, Notre Dame Academy. ANNUAL MASS Twenty-two Catholic elementary schools packed the pews of Our Lady Star of the Sea Church to celebrate and pray for eighth-graders as they plan to graduate. Students processed up the center aisle and placed roses in vases at the foot of the altar symbolizing each Catholic school on Staten Island, and to pray for future students. "This wonderful day is made possible, thanks to the dedication of our principals, students, staff and parents who have helped our students grow spiritually, preparing them for high school and their college years ahead," said Zoilita M. Herrera, regional superintendent. Students also placed roses in an additional vase to honor those lost in the last year. The "Mass of Eighth Grade Students" was held on May 23 by the Catholic School Region of Staten Island, and Bishop John J. O'Hara, Parochial Vicar of Staten Island, was the main celebrant. Pastors throughout the borough were invited to attend and celebrate. The first eighth-grade mass was celebrated in May 2007 in celebration of the Archdiocese of New York's 200th anniversary. Every year since, the Catholic elementary schools on Staten Island have gathered together in prayer. Students at 22 Catholic elementary schools participated in an annual mass. (Photo courtesy of the Archdiocese of New York) Do you have a story idea for the new In Class education column? Email education reporter Annalise Knudson at aknudson@siadvance.com. FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. Journos urged to help create awareness about village courts City Desk : Speakers at a programme said journalists could play significant role in creating awareness among people about village courts to settle dispute at nominal cost and short duration. They made the comments while addressing a workshop styled 'Role of Mass Media to Enhance Public Awareness about Village Court' at the conference room of Khulna Circuit House on Thursday. District administration and department of local government arranged the workshop under Activating Village Courts in Bangladesh (AVCB) Phase ll project funded by European Union, UNDP and Government of Bangladesh. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Amin-ul-Ahsan addressed the event as the chief guest while Deputy Director of Local Government Section of DC office Ishrat Jahan presided over the meeting. Director of Local Government Section of DC Office Hossain Ali Khondokar, President of Khulna Press Club Faruk Ahmed, Senior Assistant Police Super KNM Wasim Firoz, addressed as special guest while District Facilitator (DF) Mamunur Rashid Khan delivered the welcome speech. DC Amin-ul-Ahsan, in his speech, sought whole-hearted cooperation from all the journalists and urged them to publish positive and success stories aboutthe project at their respective media to make the project and its overallactivities more popular to the people in the days ahead. Earlier, communications and outreach specialist of AVCB Phase ll Project Arpona Ghosh screened a power point presentation on the theme. During the presentation, she said the project is being implemented at 41 unions of six upazilas here by Local Government Division under the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives. She also requested the journalists to create much awareness among the people about the village courts are being functioned at the union parishad complexes and its services. During the open discussion session, a number of journalists including S M Zahid Hossain, Mokbul Hossain Mintu, Rakib Uddin Pannu, Mallick Sudhangsu and Subir Kumar Roy, presented their suggestions and recommendations to attain the goals of the project. STATEN ISLAND -- Glenn Yost, an Island attorney and former NYPD detective, announced his candidacy for the South Shore state Assembly seat outside of the 123 precinct alongside State Sen. Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island) Friday. Yost, a Republican, former candidate for the New York State Assembly seat, and the assistant counsel to Lanza, said his experience as a lawyer, civil servant, and understanding of Albany makes him the most qualified for the seat. "I can tell you from my background that I am not going to be easily intimidated by the Assembly leadership, the Democratic majority," he said. "I'm going to stand up to the governor and the mayor, I know how to legislate law, I know how to bring lawsuits, I'm an attorney, and I think that's what sets me apart, because as a legislator you need to understand the Constitution, how to enact laws, how that process works and no one in the field right now has that kind of experience." Yost said his top priorities include lowering property taxes, and fixing issues around tolls and traffic. He said he also would like to try to stop safe injection sites for moving forward and focus instead on extending rehabilitation to up to 60 days for drug addicts and getting more detox beds. Another one of Yost's top priorities is working to bring down the Island's deer population to address the issue of deer-vehicle collisions. Yost's candidacy announcement comes as the state's Health Department recently completed its study into the legalization of recreational marijuana, according to media reports. Yost said he believes more studies need to be conducted before taking a position on legalizing marijuana for recreational use. Lanza, who Yost has helped craft legislation with, said he was confident Yost could go to Albany and get to work right away because of his experience. "They'll be no study time for Glenn, Glenn is the only one ... that on day one he can hit the ground running, he's already been doing the job and the people deserve no less," Lanza said. Assemblyman Ron Castorina (R-South Shore) triggered an open race in the 62nd Assembly district after he announced in March that he wouldn't seek re-election and will run for the Staten Island Surrogate Court judgeship. Other candidates in the race are Michael Reilly, the president of Staten Island's Community Education Council, and Ashley Zanatta, a public health advocate. The primary election is Sept. 13. ABOUT YOST Yost is a graduate of St. John's University and New York Law School. He worked in the NYPD for 20 years in Brooklyn, Manhattan and the 122 and 120 precincts on Staten Island. He said he went undercover for several years and made more than 500 street level buy-and-busts. He then went on to open his own law practice on Staten Island working on issues related to divorce cases and custody battles. Yost has served as an adjunct professor at St. John's University in the Criminal Justice Program. He has also worked as a teacher at St. Joseph by-the-Sea High School. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A heavily trafficked roadway on the South Shore has become a major hazard, with motorists routinely ignoring the posted stop signs. A concerned resident reached out to the Advance, worried that drivers ignoring the stop signs at the intersection of Richmond Valley Road and Amboy Road could soon result in a serious injury. Within spending an hour at the location, over 10 vehicles had blown through the stop signs, many of which can be seen in the video above. Drivers could often be seen making dangerous, left-hand turns in front of oncoming traffic, as well as following the vehicle in front of them through the intersection without stopping. And your average commuters aren't the only culprits. Work trucks, utility vans, and even a school bus, could be seen ignoring the stop signs. This does not appear to be an isolated incident, with motorists blowing through the stop signs "all the time," according to an employee of a nearby business. A police officer in the area stated that a traffic officer is typically assigned to oversee the intersection due to nearby ongoing construction, but no traffic order was seen in the vicinity. "The Commanding Officer of the 123 Precinct is aware of the traffic condition at the location. The intersection receives special attention by both patrol and traffic units," said a spokesperson for the NYPD. 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! Agreement is not enough; Myanmar must prove its sincerity LAST Thursday the UN authorities stated that it had struck a rough deal with Myanmar aimed at eventually allowing hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims sheltering in Bangladesh to return safely and by choice. However, no detail of the deal was discussed in this regard. It is only good that finally the UN proved to be instrumental in solving a long-term humanitarian crisis. At least now we can expect to see some light at the end of the tunnel. But Myanmar has to visibly prove its sincere intent to repatriate the refugees. More than nine months have passed and so far Myanmar hasn't shown any sign to put an end to its manmade humanitarian crisis - either by itself or with joint international assistance. The UN High Commissioner in particular mentioned that since the conditions are not conducive for voluntary return yet, the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) is the first and necessary step to support the government's efforts to change that situation. The sequential series of signing of a formal agreement is nothing new to us, but we believe the UN authorities, like us, are well informed that MoUs are non-committal understandings between two sides, and nothing more. Bangladesh and Myanmar governments have also signed a MoU but it made little impact to change the situation. However, we have marked a clear division in terms of issuing statements by the Myanmar authorities. Myanmar's government said in a brief statement late on Thursday that the MoU would be signed 'soon', but the government spokesman shrewdly avoided from making any remark by saying 'he had nothing more to add'. Simultaneously, in a separate statement on the same day Myanmar's government also said, it would set up an 'independent commission to investigate the violation of human rights and related issues in Rakhine State' following the army operation there in response to attacks by Rohingya insurgents on security posts. Multiple statements issued on the same day, often makes it difficult to understand what the focal point for Myanmar is. It is confusing to gauge its topmost priority. Nevertheless, following the UN's active engagement the ball is now on UN's court and hopefully it will play it well. Lastly, since there is no room for us to witness voluntary safe repatriation any time soon - the UN must woo donor agencies to come forward. With the monsoon knocking at our doors, the funds for taking care of refugees are fast shrinking. 6 meat traders fined Tk 1.40 lakh in city UNB, Dhaka : A mobile court on Friday fined six meat traders Tk 1.40 lakh for selling stale meat at Shantinagar kitchen market in the city. A mobile court led by RAB executive Magistrate Mohammad Sarwar Alam conducted a drive and fined them Tk 1.40 lakh each, in default, to suffer one month jail. Brisbane-based regional carrier Jetgo Australia has grounded its passenger services after entering into voluntary administration on Friday. The airline, with its fleet of five Embraer aircraft, flew regular passenger services to and from Brisbane and Melbournes Essendon Airport to regional centres in the eastern states. Jetgo Australia went into voluntary administration on Friday. Credit:Robert Peet It had also announced services between Brisbane and Karratha, in Western Australia, which would have run from August. Jetgo Australia will continue limited charter operations, however, all Regular Passenger Transport scheduled services are suspended for the duration of the administration period, the company said in a statement. Virgin Australia has cried foul over a new a codeshare agreement between Qantas and Air New Zealand that will allow customers to access connecting flights on each of their domestic networks. Air New Zealand boss Christopher Luxon said on Friday the two "frenemies" would continue to compete fiercely on trans-Tasman services while cooperating to get each others' customers to regional domestic destinations. There are 4 million people who fly across the Tasman connecting our two countries, and from an Air New Zealand perspective, we have 140,000 of those customers that do onward journeys," Mr Luxon said. Air New Zealand currently code shares with Virgin Australia domestically and across the Tasman but in April tore up their eight-year alliance, which will end in October. Three out of four properties sold for a combined $16.695 million on Thursday at a glitzy evening auction event overseen by agency CBRE in the Zagame luxury automotive showroom in Richmond. Three properties sold at the Thursday portfolio auction. Credit:CBRE The well-attended portfolio auction was staged against a backdrop of Ferraris and other luxury marques at the Richmond venue as buyers attempted to outbid each other for a healthcare centre leased to Sinclair Dermatology, a Nino Childcare Centre, BP and KFC service station and 7-Eleven outlet. It achieved a 75 per cent clearance rate. The only asset that failed to sell was the childcare centre in Elsternwick which was in negotiation after the auction with a sale expected over the next few days, CBREs project head Joseph Du Rieu said. The healthcare site at 339 Bell Street in Pascoe Vale sold for $3.58 million on a 5.17 per cent yield. It was not a normal Facebook shareholder meeting. On Thursday in Menlo Park, California, one investor compared the social network's poor stewardship of user data to a human rights violation. Another warned that scandal is not good for Facebook's bottom line. And one advised Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg to emulate George Washington, not Vladimir Putin, and avoid turning Facebook into a "corporate dictatorship". "A lot has happened since last year when we were here," Mark Zuckerberg told shareholders in his opening remarks. Credit:Bloomberg Facebook struggled to keep order, kicking one woman out of the meeting within the first few minutes for repeated interruptions. A plane zipped overhead pulling a banner that read "YOU BROKE DEMOCRACY" and advertising Freedom From Facebook, a group of privacy and anti-monopoly activists that are pressing the US Federal Trade Commission to break up the company. "A lot has happened since last year when we were here," Zuckerberg said to open his remarks. It was an understatement, intended to break the ice. One shareholder, Trillium Asset Management, came with a list of 15 distinct controversies, including Russian interference in the USpresidential election, the spread of misinformation and concerns over data privacy. Australia's third-driest May on record has compounded the misery facing many of the nation's farmers, with the window for winter plantings closing fast. Projections by Rabobank released on Friday indicate 21.6 million hectares of winter crop will be planted this year. While down 2 per cent on the previous year, the drop in Queensland and NSW will be much more severe at 11 per cent and 7 per cent, respectively. Rainfall last month was down 83 per cent on an area-average basis in Queensland compared with long-run averages, and 75 per cent for NSW, the Bureau of Meteorology said. Not enough of this: rainfall deficiencies are increasing, dimming the prospects for winter crops. Credit:Louise Kennerley The so-called autumn break of 25-30 millimetres of timely rain that farmers in southern Australia often bank on was absent for many regions. Unseasonably warm conditions have also contributed to low soil-moisture levels, the bureau said. Banks appear likely to escape more small business regulation following the closing submissions of round three of the banking royal commission on Friday. However, counsel assisting the commission, Michael Hodge, has invited Commissioner Kenneth Hayne to make findings that the banks breached small business lending requirements. After two weeks of hearings, 630 submissions, 164 notices to produce and 75,000 documents counsel assisting the royal commission recommended no additional statutory obligations should be imposed with respect to making loans to small business. Mr Hodge said the causes of the failings of the business case studies considered by the commission were multi-faceted. Commissioner Kenneth Hayne lost patience with the corporate regulator for its lack of action on unfair contracts for small business. Why work with the lender? Why not just say Do it!?, he asked after the banking royal commission heard on Friday morning the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) had not taken any enforcement action against the banks. Michael Saadat defended ASIC's inaction before the banking royal commission. Credit:Louie Douvis All banks failed to comply with unfair contracts legislation protecting small business when the legislation came into effect in November 2016 and some banks are still not compliant. However, the commission heard ASIC preferred to take a conciliatory approach towards the banks. Reshaping Saudi Arabia's austere image The Guardian : A Vogue cover photo of a Saudi princess behind the wheel of a red convertible has ignited a heated debate following a string of arrests of women's rights activists. The image of Princess Hayfa bint Abdullah al-Saud in the driver's seat wearing leather gloves and high heels is on the front cover of Vogue Arabia's June edition, published as the conservative kingdom prepares to lift a driving ban on women. The issue is dedicated to the "trailblazing women of Saudi Arabia" and lauds the reforms launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has sought to loosen social restrictions in the conservative kingdom and curb the powers of religious hardliners. "In our country, there are some conservatives who fear change. For many, it's all they have known," Princess Hayfa, daughter of the late King Abdullah, was quoted as saying in the magazine. "Personally, I support these changes with great enthusiasm," added the princess, whose cover photo was shot in the desert outside the western city of Jeddah. But the image was criticised by campaigners protesting at the arrests in May of at least 11 activists, mostly identified by rights groups as veteran women campaigners for the right to drive and to end Saudi's male guardianship system. At least four of those activists were released last week, Amnesty International said, but the fate of the others remains unclear. Reports in state-backed media branded some of the detainees traitors and "agents of embassies". Many on social media posted the Vogue cover with images of the detained activists photoshopped over the princess's face. Analysts say the crackdown, which prompted a torrent of global criticism, has underlined the limits of reforms masterminded by the crown prince, who recently undertook a global tour aimed at reshaping Saudi Arabia's austere image. The kingdom, long condemned for its human rights record, is set to lift its decades-old ban on women driving on June 24. Home prices across Australia's major cities weakened for an eighth straight month in May as tighter lending standards at banks cooled demand in Sydney and Melbourne - although regional markets continued to tick higher. Property consultant CoreLogic said on Friday its index of home prices for the combined capital cities slipped 0.1 per cent in May, after a 0.4 per cent dip in April. That left nationwide prices down 0.4 per cent for the year, the first annual decline since October 2012. Along with tougher rules from regulators, lenders have also been raising their borrowing standards amid revelations of widespread malpractices on loans and financial advice among several big banks and institutions. The result has been a marked pullback in demand in Sydney and Melbourne, ending the five-year property boom. It was with an eight-minute song about a flying man that New York avant-garde artist, composer and musician Laurie Anderson first burst onto mainstream consciousness in 1981, and now the creator of O, Superman is bringing to Australia a new work in which the audience itself gets to fly through the air. Made up of letters, drawings and stories, Anderson's virtual reality show Chalkroom is a choose-your-own-adventure piece in which you get to decide the ending after flying through 3D sculptures and words that have been graffitied onto walls. Awarded Best VR Experience at last years Venice International Film Festival, Chalkroom is a collaborative piece created with Taiwans Hsin-Chien Huang, and marks a bold foray into the emerging medium for the veteran artist. "I don't know what it is about VR that makes me want to do it," the 70-year-old says. "It's not like making music there is no beginning, middle or end. It's not a narrative. VR is spatial. There are many things in it that are puzzle-like, and you have to solve one after another. I love that it's not three-dimensional and it's very stimulating." Victoria has challenged NSW over its plan to extend protection to wild horses in the Kosciuszko National Park, introducing a rival strategy to control animals it says are "causing significant damage to threatened plants and other wildlife". The Andrews government's Feral Horse Strategic Action Plan, released on Saturday, contradicts the Berejiklian Coalition government's bill, now before the NSW Parliament, to protect what it dubs "heritage horses". "Horses are not a natural part of the Australian environment," the Victorian plan states. "Their hard hooves can cause serious damage to alpine, subalpine, montane and floodplain environments." Brumbies in the Kiandra high country, in the Kosciuszko National Park. Credit:Karleen Minney. The Victorian policy is in line with the ACT government and most environmental groups and scientists. They argue that the introduced species don't belong in delicate highland regions. A few days later, she went to see her GP, who prescribed antidepressants. Gabrielle, who won't take Panadol for a headache, didn't want them. Instead, she made an appointment to see a psychologist. She made it to just one session. She had become consumed by a new and troubling narrative, one that quickly established itself as her incontrovertible reality: she wasn't coping, she was a bad mother and David was going to be taken away from her. Worse, Andrew was conspiring with this nameless enemy to bring about her downfall. "I wouldn't have anything more to do with him," says Gabrielle. "We had a clock on our living-room wall and I became convinced there was a camera in it. I was under surveillance and Andrew was reporting back to them." She was ambushed by terrifying hallucinations. Standing naked in front of a mirror after a shower that took every atom of her rapidly dwindling mental and physical reserves, she saw that one half of her body was grotesquely scarred and disfigured. There were vivid flashes of arterial red, repeated visual cues of imminent physical annihilation. And she'd started seeing the face of her father, who died when she was nine, in the place of her baby's. Gabrielle lapsed into a near-catatonic stupor, unable to act, eat or speak "Because I was so scared of what I'd say" and could no longer bear to have David anywhere near her, not even to hold him to her breast. "He was feeding all the time," she says. "I felt suffocated by him." Desolately surveying the wreckage of his new family, Andrew wondered where on earth his vivacious young bride had gone. On the advice of their GP, he called the 24-hour Crisis and Assessment Team (or CATT, a kind of psychiatric SWAT team) to arrange a visit. With trembling fingers, Gabrielle managed to send a two-word text to Frances: "Come back." PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia) was founded in 1983 to raise awareness and reduce the stigma of postpartum mental illness. Until recently, says CEO Terri Smith, the organisation was reluctant to go public about the psychiatric emergency that is postnatal psychosis (PP) for fear of its being sensationalised. But it has recently begun working with "community champions", women who've survived it and want to talk about what's happened to them. "They said, 'Come on, why aren't you doing anything about this? Every expectant woman and her partner should know that this is a possibility. It shouldn't be a secret,' " says Smith. "As a consumer-led organisation, we knew we had to represent their voices." PP affects two women in 1000 in the days or weeks after having a baby. It's not to be confused with either the "baby blues", or postnatal depression (PND). More than half of new mums experience the first of these. It usually kicks in around day three or four, causing them to feel low, teary and irritable. It doesn't require any treatment and has usually cleared off by about day 10. PND is more serious. It has a minimum duration of weeks, and looks and feels like the kind of depression that can show up at any other time of life. It affects 10 to 15 per cent of women and is usually treated with a combination of therapy and antidepressants. PP is their hulking, black-clad relative at the celebration, the uninvited guest who always leaves a trail of devastation, even tragedy, in its wake. It can strike without warning, swiftly spiral into debilitating mental illness and be dangerously unpredictable, capable of changing course from hour to hour. Its party pack comprises manic highs (the "baby pinks"), depressive lows, paranoia, delusions and hallucinations. To make matters worse, the sufferer is often unaware she's descending into madness, so authentic has her substitute reality become. It falls to those who love her to sound the alarm and sound it they must. Professor Marie-Paule Austin is director of acting perinatal psychiatry at the Royal Hospital for Women (RHW) in Sydney and St John of God chair of perinatal mental health at the University of NSW. Her windowless office, accessed by way of a labyrinthine, ground-floor corridor at the RHW, contains two desks with a computer on each: one for research, the other for her clinical work. She listens intently and talks slowly in a low, well-modulated voice, the signs of someone who spends her days in the company of the emotionally ravaged. "Women suffering from puerperal psychosis don't come forward themselves typically," she affirms. "They lose what we call 'insight', the ability to distinguish between what's real and imagined. Often families are loath to seek help when the mother becomes unwell: they don't want her to feel that they don't trust her with the baby. She might see any efforts by family to help as proof that they wish to harm her or take her baby away." Often, a well-meaning husband finds himself at the centre of his wife's paranoid delusion. "But if the psychotic episode is more depressive," continues Austin, "a mother might start to think that the world is too bad a place for her and her baby to live in. And thoughts like these can lead to very dangerous outcomes." Perinatal psychiatric expert Professor Marie-Paule Austin says sufferers lose the ability to tell whats real. Credit:Christopher Pearce/Fairfax Media Asta* is a 29-year-old nurse who lives in rural South Australia. As we talk for almost an hour over Skype, she asks me not to publish her real name or that of the town where she lives. "I still feel so much grief and guilt," she tells me. "I don't need the judgment: I judge myself enough already." She has finally summoned the courage to talk about something that happened to her nine years ago when her daughter, Olive*, was 10 months old. Her story goes to the very heart of one of society's darkest taboos: the private and public shame of a mother who can't take care of the baby she has waited her whole life to hold. Olive was six weeks old when Asta was diagnosed with PND; her GP prescribed antidepressants. "I'd put up a mask and everyone around me thought I was doing just fine," she tells me. "I felt embarrassed about not coping. I was a nurse who'd looked after children for years: how was it that I wasn't able to cope with my own baby?" Two weeks later, Asta experienced her first psychotic episode. She and her then husband had just got home after being at church with Olive, who was unsettled and crying continually. As she sat in her bedroom with the blinds drawn holding her screaming baby, Asta became convinced there were people outside watching and that, any minute now, they were going to burst in and take Olive away. Asta went into the lounge, but felt countless eyes on her there, too, this time coming from the flat-screen TV. Becoming more and more distressed, she wouldn't relinquish her hold on her daughter, not even to give her to her father. Later that day, Asta was admitted, involuntarily, to the psychiatric unit at Flinders Medical Centre in Bedford Park, Adelaide: she'd been sectioned. "It wasn't nice there," she says. "I remember random things. We were shepherded into the dining room at meal times and all the cutlery had to be counted before and after we ate. One night a spoon was missing. None of us could go back to our rooms until it had been found. Turned out they'd just miscounted." Later, Asta was transferred to mother and baby unit Helen Mayo House at Glenside Health Services, an inpatient facility which she'd revisit at least three times during the next eight months as doctors struggled to find a treatment that would stabilise the worst of her symptoms. Finally, she was prescribed olanzapine, an antipsychotic medication used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. In July 2010, her condition suddenly worsened. With her marriage stumbling towards its conclusion, she and Olive had moved back in with her mum and dad. It was an arrangement that seemed to be working until, one night, Olive woke up and started to cry inconsolably. "I just couldn't get her to settle and all of a sudden I don't know, but something snapped in me I couldn't look after her anymore. I'd never felt that before, I'd always wanted her. Yeah, that was the lead-up, very sudden and very strong feelings of just not wanting her anymore." She pauses, the pain of the recollection etched on her pale young face. "She was in her cot and I grabbed a pillow, put it over her face and held it there. Mum and Dad's bedroom was right next door, they'd woken up with Olive's crying and, all of a sudden, Mum heard her cry become muffled she came running in, she knew something was going on. I let go of the pillow. I don't remember, but she says I told her straight away what I'd done." The next day, Asta was readmitted to Glenside Health Services for acute, one-on-one care. It was here, during her nurse's scheduled, five-minute break, that she came perilously close to ending her life. She'd had only vague thoughts about it before, she says, but, in that moment, she felt a swift and intense certainty. "I didn't want to be here anymore," she explains. "I felt 100 per cent that Olive would be better off and Mum and Dad would be better off. I felt I'd put them through so much and this would end my pain and suffering and theirs." I ask Asta gently what would have happened if her mum hadn't heard the change in Olive's cry that night. "I think I would have completed the job," she says with infinite sadness. "I really do." Professor Phillip Boyce is head of the Perinatal Psychiatry Clinical Research Unit at Sydney's Westmead Hospital. He tells me that at no other time in a woman's life is she more at risk of developing a mental illness than during the postpartum period. No one knows exactly how or why PP strikes, he says, but it's possible that one or more factors are at play when it does. The first might be hormonal. In the minutes after a baby is born, the placenta is expelled from the uterus, leading to a 200-fold reduction in the reproductive hormones oestrogen and progesterone in a woman's body. "Some women seem to be exquisitely sensitive to this changing level of oestrogen," says Boyce, "and oestrogen, we know, has a buffering effect on dopamine." The role of dopamine the neurotransmitter that conveys signals across the spaces between brain cells is key when trying to understand the changes taking place in the brain when psychosis is afoot. "Whether too much dopamine is being pumped out in the first place or whether the dopamine receptors aren't working properly, we really don't know, but this [improper level] causes alterations in the way the brain functions and thinking goes badly awry," he says. Another element could be an acute disruption in the body's biological circadian rhythms, which also has been known to trigger bipolar disorder. "Oftentimes," says Boyce, "a woman doesn't sleep during her labour, then she can't get to sleep in the days after the birth. She becomes increasingly over-aroused and this can also lead to psychosis in a woman who has an underlying susceptibility." Anyone with a personal or family history of psychosis or postnatal mental illness can fall into this category. A third possible trigger being explored by psychiatrists, says Boyce, is an inflammatory immune response in the brain to the stressors of childbirth. Any one of these factors, acting alone or in combination, has the potential to hurl a perfectly well woman over the precipice of mental oblivion precisely at a time when society expects her to be at her happiest and most nurturing. The shame is immense. PP still has no listing in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), an omission that one expert I speak to attributes to "politics". Not only does this omission impede research, it makes arriving at the right diagnosis less straightforward: not every woman who's dangerously unwell, for example, will have manic symptoms. The good news is that most women with PP respond very well to treatment, which comprises antipsychotic medication and, in some severe cases, electroconvulsive therapy (or ECT). "Yes, I know," says the RHW's Marie-Paule Austin, raising her hands in mock surrender, "it sounds like something out of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. That movie has been such a scourge on psychiatry!" ECT involves inducing an epileptic seizure under a very light general anaesthetic. These days, Austin says, it's a very safe, refined procedure tailored to an individual's needs. "We don't know exactly how it works, but it's incredibly effective in the right patients. Women start to respond after three or four treatments, whereas an antipsychotic drug can take up to two to three weeks to kick in. It's a short-term treatment, though: a patient will need to be on medication, too, for at least six months afterwards to avoid a return of symptoms." Many women who recover from PP will stay perfectly well until they have another baby, at which point the likelihood of a relapse is more than 50 per cent. For others, there's a 15 per cent chance of being diagnosed with a mood disorder (such as bipolar disorder) at some point in the future. Gabrielle Micallef had no history of mental illness, nor had she ever heard of PP. But none of this mattered as her mind soared and plummeted like a kite in a hurricane while she waited for the olanzapine she'd been prescribed to take effect. After receiving her daughter's mayday text, Frances had driven straight back to the airport. Gabrielle slept with Frances in a made-up bed in the living room because it was the only place she felt safe; by now she was convinced that she and Andrew were under investigation for poisoning David with baby formula. Everything that she saw now, inside the house and out, supported her paranoia. She could shower, but not dress herself; just doing up a bra was a feat of mental endurance. While Frances looked after Gabrielle and did what she could to protect the fragile mother-baby bond, Andrew, who had an incredibly understanding boss, took care of David. Jane, Andrew's mum, managed the house. The sedating effect of the olanzapine helped Gabrielle sleep and, as she slept, her brain began to heal. The psychosis gave way, eventually, to a dull depression. "I just felt so ashamed," she says. "I'd always thought of myself as strong, resilient, independent. This shook me to my core." In mid-2014, after eight months on it, Gabrielle came off the medication ("They told me this illness could take 12 months and I was, like, "Hell, no!" she thunders). She started walking and doing class workouts at her gym: she'd put on 20 kilograms in the time she'd been "away". When David was 10 months old, the Micallefs moved to Gwynneville and Gabrielle was well enough to think about going back to work part-time. By the time David's first birthday rolled around, she and Andrew had found each other again. Most women in the grip of PP will need to be hospitalised during the most acute phase of their illness. Only a very small percentage of these will be lucky enough to have access to a bed in a publicly funded mother and baby unit (MBU); the majority will be sent to an acute psychiatric ward in a general hospital where the difference in the quality of care they'll receive is likely to be stark. As its name suggests, the function of an MBU is not only to help mums get well, but also to help them overcome any attachment issues they might be experiencing. Unfortunately, the distribution of MBUs nationwide is patchy at best. Victoria, by far the best-served state, has 35 beds in six units, while WA has 16 in two; there are only six beds in SA, four in Queensland (one unit each) and, incredibly, none in NSW the country's most populous state Tasmania, the NT or the ACT. (There's one private, 12-bed MBU at St John of God Burwood Hospital in Sydney's inner west.) This unevenness frustrates and baffles just about everyone working in the field of perinatal mental health, particularly those who live in NSW, where more than 90,000 babies were born in 2016. "Add them all up and you see that PP, which affects two women in every 1000 deliveries, isn't that uncommon," says Professor Boyce with feeling. "These women need specialists looking after them. They can be floridly psychotic one day and appear to be doing very well the next; you've got to be very cautious." When I ask Tanya Davies, the NSW government's minister for mental health, for comment, her email is Delphic in its obscurity: "As part of the mental health infrastructure planning process, the Ministry of Health regularly reviews services such as mental health beds that can accommodate a mother and her baby. This work will inform future investment." Martin Foley, her Victorian counterpart, underlines that his state is leading the nation in its support of new mothers: "With one in six new mums experiencing mental health challenges, it's crucial we provide them with the help they need," he writes. "That's why perinatal depression is a priority of our [2015] 10-year mental health plan." The state's newest MBU, its sixth, opened at Bendigo Hospital last year. Gabrielle and Andrew Micaleff with David and Joshua. "Gab's illness brought us closer together," says Andrew. Credit:Janie Barrett For a woman who has survived one round of PP, the chance of falling down the rabbit hole again after a subsequent delivery is high. When Gabrielle gave birth to her second son, Joshua, on September 29, 2015, at Wollongong Hospital, her doctors advised her to start taking antipsychotic medication immediately, but she preferred to watch and wait. "What can I say?" she says. "I'm a glass-half-full person. I believed it would be different this time around." It was different this time around. This time, she had to be admitted, in the middle of the night, to the locked ward of the Psychiatric Emergency Care Centre (PECC) at the same hospital where Joshua had been born five weeks earlier. "There's a pub not too far away from our house," she says. "One night, I heard people walking past our house on their way home. They were shouting and swearing and their voices sounded so loud and threatening and, suddenly, I just felt more frightened than I'd ever been in my life. I was terrified." Andrew didn't think twice: he left the boys sleeping at home with his parents and drove her straight to emergency. Later that night he had a panic attack. "Yeah, I hit rock bottom," he tells me. "My parents were about to leave to go back to Victoria and I was going to be by myself. I knew what was coming this time and I doubted everything. I thought, 'I'm not going to be able to do this and they're going to take David and Joshua away and maybe that's a good thing.' I couldn't sleep, millions of thoughts were going round in my head. I thought I was going crazy, too." Was it a difficult decision for him to agree to have a second child? "For me having one baby was a big decision," he says, "and that was before we knew of the likelihood of Gab getting sick. I feel we had a second child mainly for our first. Both of us know the benefits of having brothers and sisters and we felt we'd put in enough protective factors to stop Gab getting sick again." He pauses. "I doubt we'll have more." Gabrielle recovered more quickly the second time around, although she's still traumatised by the "10 days of hell" she spent alone inside that PECC ward. On the other hand, her brush with madness has made her a better psychologist. "I've been there," she says. Andrew, too, is damaged in ways that can't be seen: "I get highly anxious around other people's newborn babies. They're a reminder, I suppose, of all the pain," he says. He brightens suddenly. "Gab's illness brought us closer together. We have confidence now that no matter what challenges life throws at us, we'll be able to get through them. Nothing can ever get in the way of the love we have for each other." Loading In 2012, Asta moved out of her parents' house; she found a place close by and sees Olive, who still lives with her grandparents, every day. She doesn't know if they'll ever live together just the two of them again: "I just don't know if I could do it by myself," she says. In the meantime, she has a new partner who has two children from a previous relationship; neither marriage nor another child is on the cards for now. No mental illness is more freighted with emotional heft than the one that plays out in the space between mothers and their babies. And PP, with its implications for the safety of a helpless infant, is particularly loaded with judgement. PANDA's national helpline receives 1000 calls a month from women who are finding motherhood a struggle: "Eighty-seven per cent of them," says Terri Smith, "haven't told their midwife or their maternal child heath nurse about their feelings. This doesn't mean that they haven't been asked; it means they haven't been asked in a way that encourages them to answer honestly." Nadine is very curious. That's why she tried to find me. I was very impressed by her effort. We began exchanging occasional emails. Then, in 2008, she and her husband, Geoff, came to our home in Sydney and we met for the first time. It was like seeing an old friend. We got on very well. Of course I'd lost the photo, but it was the same person. Just older! She's a gentle lady, very graceful. She doesn't talk straight away: she thinks about what she's going to say. I learnt that after she left school, she nannied in the US, got married, had two babies. The family moved back to England and the marriage broke down. Later on she met Geoff. We visited them in Liverpool in 2012 we saw Strawberry Fields, Penny Lane, John's house. They visited again in 2013, then last year and this year, too. In 2010, my daughter travelled to England, and Nadine gave her my original letters. I nearly cried when I got that bundle. To see my handwriting, the boy I was. I've never been back to Vietnam not in 38 years. Those letters are the only object I have from my life there. NADINE: I lived in Southport; Dad was a bricklayer and Mum ran our corner shop. When I was 14 my geography teacher offered us penfriends and I put my hand up. What surprised me about Tien was his perfect English and how normal he was: just an ordinary teenager. He loved pop music. Around that time the Daily Mirror published an article saying the only place people didn't know the Beatles was Vietnam. I wrote back, "My friend in Vietnam is very into the Beatles!" They published the letter. We lost touch after a year, then I went to the US. I met a boy, got married, got pregnant, came back to England. Suffice to say it was a big disaster. I ended up raising my kids myself and living with my parents. Eventually I met Geoff, which was lovely. Vice-Chancellor Brian Schmidt told staff on Friday he had "taken the difficult decision" that day to withdraw from contention for the program. The university pulled out over concerns about the degree of autonomy it would have over the course, which academics feared was designed to push one narrow view of history, with the centre having too much influence over what was taught. The Australian National University has pulled out of negotiations with the John Howard-headed Ramsay Centre to set up a controversial degree in Western civilisation. "We approached the opportunity offered by the Ramsay Centre in a positive and open spirit, but it is clear that the autonomy with which this university needs to approve and endorse a new program of study is not compatible with a sponsored program of the type sought," he said. The opportunity had been attractive, allowing the university to boost teaching and research in the humanities and social sciences and offer generous scholarships for students. But while negotiations were confidential, the university approached all partnerships and funding offers with the same principles, Prof Schmidt said. "These include retaining, without compromise, our academic integrity, and autonomy and freedom, and ensuring that any program has academic merit consistent with our status as one of the world's great universities." The Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation, which includes Tony Abbott and Kim Beazley on the board chaired by former prime minister Howard, was set up last year with a bequest from healthcare magnate Paul Ramsay to promote Western civilisation. It called for interest from universities in a degree course in Western civilisation and began negotiations with the ANU in December. The bachelor degree course was to start at the beginning of next year, 2019 with 12 staff, funded externally. The Little Strathallan Dairy in Braidwood has been in the Coffey family for almost 80 years. Now, the 48-hectare block of land is on the market, and relation Lenny Walker, who still lives in the farmhouse, says it's the end of an era. Michael Coffey's uncle, Lenny Walker, at Little Strathallan dairy in Braidwood, where he has been for more than 60 years. Credit:Sitthixay Ditthavong "It nearly broke my heart when Michael told me he was putting the property on the market," Mr Walker, 77, said. "So many memories here, it might take three whole days for me to tell you them all ... You'd see the magpies falling out of the trees ... it was that cold." The retailer does not pay the GST, it is the final consumer who pays the GST. The retailer is just an unpaid tax collector. If Mr Harvey wants to complain about GST shirkers then he should take up the issue with Australian consumers rather than Amazon. - Pat Casey, Lawson If the second largest company in the world, owned by the wealthiest individual in the world cannot find a way to pay its taxes, I'm out. I will put up with any small inconvenience or price difference to keep from giving any of my business - Rob McHugh, Balmain East Is this Hanson's last hurrah? One Nation senator Pauline Hanson. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Pauline Hanson deserves credit for perseverance, but little else politically ("Hanson's difficult nation", June 1). She has surprised many by maintaining a voice in politics over many years, albeit disturbingly divisive. However, it does seem the writing is on the wall for One Nation. Ms Hanson seems to have a talent for selecting self-serving candidates, and provoking disunity. I suggest that much of her party's downfall is due to the gospel she preaches. She is out of step with acceptable Australian values, and is unapologetically populist. I suspect that this may be her last hurrah. - Graham Lum, North Rocks Ms Hanson's sincere passion, and the intensity of her care for Australia and Australians, has at last ebbed to the surface. Many Australians always believed she was genuine and one of Australia's greatest politicians . Her tears are the proof. Many political leaders have shed a tear in high office. Ms Hanson has now joined that elite level of truly passionate leaders and has attained a new level of public admiration and respect. No wonder she looks so upset after being "stabbed in the back" by Senator Brian Burston. There is no loyalty in politics. - Carolyn Wills, Cremorne It seems that Senator Burston is selective about which particular "word" is his bond. On the single issue of his promise to support the government's company tax reduction, his word is his bond. However, on the much larger issue of supporting his party leader or the people who voted for him as a member of One Nation, his word doesn't count at all. Was he just looking for a way of ditching Pauline and her party? - Merona Martin, Meroo Meadow Was that Lesley Gore's hit song It's My Party and I'll Cry If I want To playing in the background as Pauline Hanson gave her explosive interview? - Con Vaitsas, Ashbury Cash not king, or queen Barnaby Joyce and Michaelia Cash need to swap attitudes. Michaelia should start answering questions and Barnaby, cash or not, should stop answering them (Letters, June 1). - Paul Miles, Gorokan Madonna King is of the opinion the Barnaby Joyce interview will be a ratings winner ("Joyce is not the worst offender", June 1). I have only heard people asking why anyone would want to watch this soap opera. For anyone who does watch it I can only hope they hear Mr Joyce and his partner announce that the money will be donated to a charity. This may restore a tiny bit of credibility to them. - Robyn Lewis, Raglan It's not Barnaby Joyce, it's not Channel 7, it's the baying public who clamour for the sordid details of people's private life that drives the media to satiate their appetite. - Elizabeth Maher, Bangor Governments are only as good as the people serving in them. As long as politicians such as Barnaby Joyce and Michaela Cash act the way they do, the people will judge the government on these standards. - Todd Hillsley, Homebush Having just spent a heady month touring France, returning to the world of appalling Australian politicians (the ludicrous light rail and the ongoing pettiness against the ABC) has been a culture shock. Somehow Michaelia can't quite match it with Mona Lisa. - John Byrne, Randwick Feeling the blues Why are we encouraging the Blues when there is already enough depression ("Blue-sky thinking", June 1)? - Les Shearman, Darlington Right out of it Right-wing commentators believe that using a vile swear word to make a point about Ivanka Trump is as bad as deliberate racist denigration ("Outrage over comedian's 'vile' slur about Ivanka Trump", smh.com.au, June 1). Says a lot about right-wing commentators. - Bart Fielden, Lindfield A breed apart I wish letter writers would not keep asking our decision-making politicians to consider the consequences for their children and grandchildren (Letters, June 1). For goodness sake, don't encourage them to breed. - Bob Doepel, Greenway (ACT) Creative inspiration Don't be a spoilsport! Surely everyone loves to dress up outrageously occasionally (Letters, June 1). The majority of the Vivid displays restored my faith that there may be some creative and innovative people left in Sydney. It's only once a year after all. - Jane Lodge, North Narrabeen Save us from ministers on their high horses Wild brumbies in the Kiandra high country. Credit:Karleen Minney It's not just environmentalists and academics who can see the impact of increasing numbers of brumbies on Kosciuszko National Park ("Defenders take to their high horses", June 1). Most of us are just ordinary people who simply love the Park - bushwalkers, back-country skiers, lovers of native animals, campers - who feel an intense sadness watching what were pristine mountain streams turned into sprawling bogs. - Bob Guy, Cootamundra The Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Bill 2018 is being promoted by Deputy Premier John Barilaro against the advice of expert committees, and contrary to existing legislation. He has usurped his own Environment Minister. The bill, if enacted, would be a major setback for the Kosciuszko National Park. Feral horses are a major destructive element in the park, as I've personally observed over many years. Their activities threaten other endemic rare species and the pristine amenity of the Park. Banjo Patterson has done our precious alpine areas a great disservice by romanticising the feral horse. I guess we should be pleased that Banjo did not romanticise the rabbit or the weasel. - John Burman, Lighthouse Beach Mr Barilaro's Bill will destroy Kosciuszko National Park as we know it. It is not about heritage horses. It is about the transfer of park management direction from the National Parks and Wildlife Service to a Community Advisory Panel and an all-powerful chairperson. The result will be huge horse paddocks, eroding mountain catchments and Aussie species being killed in what is a national heritage-listed, iconic national park. The bill is actually about environmental vandalism, the destruction of Kosciuszko's water catchments and the killing of Australian alpine species. - Graeme Worboys, Gilmore (ACT) Airbnb for hypocrites I have used Airbnb from time to time and appreciate the convenience (Letters, June 1). My question to all those opponents of Airbnb in Sydney is whether or not they take advantage of Airbnb themselves when travelling abroad? There seems to be a lack of distinction between letting the entire house or unit, or providing a room or granny flat only. To the hotels, I can only say that Airbnb provides a quite different form of accommodation altogether. We all have different needs and having self-contained accommodation on a long trip is so much better than a room in a hotel. - Pam Fichtner, Matraville Any time a residence comes up for sale in our street it gets snapped up by investors and rented out as short term holiday lets. I am used to going out my front gate in the morning and seeing people alighting from taxis with wheely suitcases,. I'm always friendly to them but sometimes I wish I just had permanent neighbours. At least they know when it's rubbish day. - Sarah Benmayor, Bondi Great to see MP John Sidoti standing up to the strong commercial interests of the short-term stays lobby group. We must protect the rights of the residents in apartment blocks and allow them the right to determine whether or not they want short-term stays in their buildings. - Anna Shepherd, Elizabeth Bay Labor dodgy on ABC cuts It is not good news that Labor is being evasive about restoring the cuts to the ABC made by the Coalition, if given the opportunity at the next election ("Labor evasive over ABC funding cuts", June 1). The ABC represents a great example of a fine Australian organisation which we all can be justly proud of. Please encourage our ABC; don't debase it. - Jim Banks, Pottsvile Beach Of course the ABC is diverse (Letters, June 1). Just look at the diversity of British crime dramas on the station! - Robert Hosking, Paddington Save the Family Court Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will not be remembered kindly if he presides over the destruction and independence of the Family Court ("Abolition of Family Court 'an act of vandalism"', June 1). The Family Court was established 1975 by the Whitlam government because of the recognised need for a specialist court to deal with the complex legal issues surrounding the dynamics of family breakdown. It was, and still is, hailed as one of the most progressive legacies of that government. There is no doubt the court is overwhelmed but the proposed amalgamation of the Family Court with the Federal Circuit Court with all its obvious disastrous implications, appears to be driven by economics. More judges to preside fairly with specialist knowledges is surely the answer, not the wholesale destruction of an excellent, if stretched, Family Court. - Christina Foo, Wahroonga The Kennedys had questionable family values Catherine McGregor is welcome to her views on Bobby Kennedy ("Bobby's death left Trump card", June 1). No question that the major accomplishments of the Kennedy era were the Civil Rights Act and the reversal of de facto segregation in the nation's schools and voting booths. However, Ms McGregor's article fails to mention the fact that both Bobby and Jack made a point of frequently reminding the gullible American public of their family values while engaging in numerous extra-marital affairs including the "sharing" of Marilyn Monroe's affections, which many feel played a part in her ultimate suicide. While this behaviour might have been accepted in the 60s, it wouldn't play terribly well today. - Michael Clarey, Pyrmont Postscript Letter writers were passionate, and poetic, this week. Barnaby and Vikki were this week's Meghan and Harry, but the comments on the political personalities were nowhere near as positive. Brian Millett from Yass was fed up with reporting on the pair and the media for doing its job. "Leave them alone and give us a break from the vicarious muck-raking!" he demanded. Alicia Dawson from Balmain had this to add: "Weatherboard and iron? We're all bored and dyin'." Passions were ignited by what is seen as the government's ongoing attack on the Aunty. "Good to see the ABC fight back," wrote Phil Bradshaw from Naremburn. "The commercial networks' business model of sport and cheap reality shows is broken. They've even sunk to the level of selling sponsorship for their news. As is constantly shown, a massive majority of Australians trust the ABC first, with daylight second. The culture warrior's talk of selling the ABC is pure fantasy." Start-up companies and educational institutions including the University of Technology Sydney had indicated interest in the Powerhouse Museum site at Ultimo after it was announced it would relocate to Parramatta, a parliamentary inquiry has heard. The former chief of staff to Mike Baird, Bay Warburton, denied any property developers or commercial operators had approached him directly about the fate of either the Ultimo or Parramatta sites following the government's election commitment in 2015. Former premier Mike Baird gives evidence to the upper house inquiry this week. Credit:Jessica Hromas But he suspected that other government agencies - Property NSW and Urban Growth NSW - that had the task of contributing to the project's costings might have had discussions. An upper house inquiry is scrutinising Coalition plans to build, operate and move the Powerhouse Museum to western Sydney at a cost of more than $1.1 billion. The business case justifying the move quantifies the cost to the taxpayer as less than $700 million once commercial revenues and donations are taken into account. Notorious triple murderer John Walsh has confessed to bashing his cellmate to death with a sandwich press at a Sydney prison. The 79-year-old also urged a judge to get on with sentencing him after pleading guilty to the murder of fellow convicted killer Frank Townsend in their Long Bay prison cell last year. John Walsh, pictured here in a photo released by the police in 2008. Townsend, 71, was found with severe head injuries on January 2, 2017, and later died in hospital. On Friday Walsh appeared via video link from Long Bay jail in the NSW Supreme Court, where a sentencing hearing was set down for August 10. US will veto UN draft on protecting Palestinians AFP : The United States will "unquestionably veto" a UN draft resolution calling for the protection of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, US Ambassador Nikki Haley said on the eve of a Security Council vote on Friday. Haley described the text put forward by Kuwait on behalf of Arab countries as a "grossly one-sided approach that is morally bankrupt and would only serve to undermine ongoing efforts toward peace between the Israelis and Palestinians." The vote is scheduled for 8pm South African time on Friday. The United States circulated its own rival draft resolution blaming Hamas for the recent flare-up in Gaza and demanding that Hamas and Islamic Jihad "cease all violent activity and provocative actions, including along the boundary fence", according to the text seen by AFP. It was unclear whether there would be a vote on the US text, which could fail to garner enough support. Kuwait presented its draft two weeks ago, initially calling for an international protection mission for the Palestinians as protests turned violent on the Israeli-Gaza border. At least 122 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the unrest since the end of March. A final, watered-down version however urges "the consideration of measures to guarantee the safety and protection" of Palestinian civilians and requests a report from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on a possible "international protection mechanism." "The United States will unquestionably veto Kuwait's draft resolution," Haley said in a statement. It would be the second time that Haley has resorted to US veto power to block a UN measure on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In December, Haley vetoed a measure that rejected President Donald Trump's decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem after all 14 other council members supported it. The council has been deadlocked for weeks over how to respond to the violence in the Gaza Strip-even as a UN envoy warned this week that the crisis could escalate into all-out war. "The resolution calls on Israel to immediately cease its actions in self-defense, but makes no mention of Hamas' aggressive actions against Israeli security forces and civilians," Haley said in a statement. She also delivered a blunt warning to European countries and other council members that choosing to "vote in favor of this resolution will clarify their own lack of fitness to take part in any credible negotiations between the two parties." The UN envoy for the Middle East, Nickolay Mladenov, this week warned the Security Council that Gaza was "close to the brink of war" following a serious escalation between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Hamas-ruled enclave. An exchange of fire on Tuesday and into the early hours of Wednesday began with a barrage of rocket and mortars into Israel from Gaza, prompting Israel to respond with strikes on 65 militant sites in the Gaza Strip. It was the worst flare-up since the 2014 war in Gaza. Diplomats have said the Palestinians may turn to the UN General Assembly to win support for the measure if the vote fails at the Security Council as expected. A draft resolution requires nine votes to be adopted in the 15-member council and no veto from the five permanent members-Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States. Minister for Jobs and Innovation Michaelia Cash. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Federal politics this week has been dominated by sideshows. Pauline Hansons emotional interview with a television network was not the first of these but in its florid theatricality it confirmed the pattern. Ms Hanson was expressing her frustration at a colleagues decision to keep a promise to the government. The strain that has caused may well split One Nation and compromise its future. Small parties on the fringes of politics the Greens as much as One Nation have a tendency to split and not just in Australia. The intensity of feeling which leads people to the fringes of the political spectrum can be carried into disputes within a party anywhere in the world. Ms Hanson needs loyalty to maintain One Nations numbers in the Senate and its political clout. She also wants room to manoeuvre over tax cuts for big business in One Nations campaign for the Longman byelection, where One Nations vote may affect the outcome and where the tax cuts are not a vote winner. Senator Brian Burston, the current object of her anger, believes he has made a binding agreement with the government over the tax cuts and once he has shaken hands on a deal, will not renege on it. In modern politics that approach is admirable, slightly old-fashioned, attractive to One Nation supporters and tactically inconvenient all at the same time. Politicians in larger mainstream parties navigate through these difficulties with an easy cynicism which annoys some voters intensely, and draws them to parties like One Nation. Ms Hansons problem now is that while Senator Burston is staying true to his word, she is acting like a standard duck-and-weave politician. If One Nation has exploded in a shower of sparks it will certainly harm that partys prospects but it may still not have greatly improved the governments chances of getting its way in the senate. More important, as sideshows go, has been the performance of Senator Michaelia Cash, who has now been subpoenaed three times to give evidence in a case brought by the Australian Workers Union against the Registered Organisations Commission over a police raid conducted on the commissions behalf at the unions headquarters last October. Loading Leaving aside whether Senator Cash knew that her staff member would tip off the media about the raid (which she denies and which is the point currently at issue), this whole mess is a botched attempt by the government to dig up dirt on the Leader of the Opposition. It is the legacy of Abbott-era vindictiveness against political opponents which has been simultaneously ineffective and politically damaging. That Senator Cash has been hoist with her own petard is a good outcome. The Abbott governments attempts to smear its ALP predecessors through royal commissions into the trade unions and the pink batts affair found little or nothing of substance. All they have done is set a dire precedent for future governments to pursue a defeated opponent to the detriment of standards of decency in our national politics which were set initially by Malcolm Fraser. As newly elected prime minister in 1975, Mr Fraser could have chosen to pursue former Whitlam government ministers for their actions in office. He did not, regarding the election result as verdict enough. That precedent removed revenge from politics and freed public administration from the taint of partisanship. "More than one hundred" Logan City Council employees will strike on Tuesday as they demand a new pay agreement, which has not happened since 2012, according to their union. Members of The Services Union, Transport Workers Union and Plumbers Union will walk off the job for the day and warn they plan further day-long strikes if their demands are not met. Services Union secretary Neil Henderson addresses Logan City Council employees. The Services Union secretary Neil Henderson said as many as several hundred employees could participate in the industrial action, with transport workers, plumbers as well as administration, technical and advisory staff expected to strike. Mr Henderson said council employees had been forgotten about while internal battles over chief executive Sharon Kelsey raged and calls came from within for the entire council to be sacked. Here's another thing to pencil into your calendar this month: at some point in June, Australia's population will tick over to 25 million, which will no doubt spark another heated public debate about the pluses and minuses of a Big Australia. But what's so often not mentioned is the very long baby bust that's occurred behind the adult population boom (which, let's face it, is really about congestion in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, while so many regional towns stagnate). Australians are not having enough babies to avert a long-term ageing population crisis. Credit:Shutterstock Australia has been in baby-making slowdown since 1976, the last year when our fertility rate stood above the replacement figure of 2.1. Australia's total fertility rate (TFR), at 1.79 in 2015 (Australian Bureau of Statistics figures), is continuing overall to decline, according to research by Monash University demographer Dr Genevieve Heard. (By comparison with our near neighbours, in 2015 New Zealand's TFR was 1.99 and Indonesia's 2.44.) Only high immigration over the past couple of decades has saved our population from shrinking and suffering an even deeper ageing population challenge than we already face. Today, just under one in four Australians was born overseas the highest level since the late 19th century but while immigration has injected enormous wealth and vitality into the country, it can't seriously reduce an ageing population in the longer term. This because most migrants arrive as adults and, when they begin a family, tend to have the same number of kids as the rest of us. It shouldn't be this way and it's not supposed to be. The fact is that there is a vast, quiet conspiracy against the people who do their work, live their lives and trust the super system to look after them. One big part of the puzzle is the size of the boss's compulsory contributions to the super accounts of their workers. Under Paul Keating's original conception, it was supposed to gradually ratchet up to 12 per cent. Under Labor's plan, it would have been 11 per cent by now. It's not - it's 9.5 per cent. What stalled? The Abbott government halted the progression for six years, now set to take effect in 2021. This fuelled the suspicion that the Coalition would dearly like to stop or sink the scheme altogether. But, in spite of its shortcomings, the compulsory super system is now so popular and so established that the political consequences would be dire for any prime minister who tried to unravel it. Besides, the early fearmongering proved baseless. The scare was that forcing employers to pay super for their workers would be ruinous for companies and the economy. The cost would be simply crushing. Instead, the evidence is that companies generally increase super payments instead of increasing wages. In other words, it's not an extra burden on firms. It's a substitute for wage rises. Workers get about the same total pay, but take a portion in super. It's effectively a forced retirement savings plan, with tax advantages. Paul Keating put the superannuation system in place. Credit:Fairfax Media So rather than tanking the system, the Coalition game is subtler - how to keep the system, while skewing it so that more of the spoils go to the private sector for-profit funds (so-called retail funds). And Labor, while committed to the system, is also committed to maximising the benefit for its trade union accomplices who have a big say in the not-for-profit super funds, so-called industry funds that are designated for a particular sector or industry. The industry funds are jointly controlled by the unions and the firms in any given industry. In this way, super is the just another playing field for the same old struggle of Liberal versus Labor, the private sector versus the unions. The second part of the puzzle is that it's a system that serves its purpose, but not as well as it should. It badly needs an overhaul. The Productivity Commission illustrated this forcefully with its report this week. The commission, an expert, independent federal government advice unit, identified two big structural flaws and proposed solutions. But to understand them, you need to know that the biggest enemy of the people is the inattention and indifference of the people themselves. Many Australians spend more time comparing the market for the phone data plans they want for the next year than for the money they will be relying on for a third of their lives. "I think that's pretty typical," says a superannuation expert at the consumer magazine, Choice, Xavier O'Halloran, especially of younger workers. Choice research found that many people under 25 couldn't bring themselves to even open their statements to check how much money they had. One woman carefully filed away the six-monthly reports, unopened. "Even the thought of opening their super statements was too overwhelming for many of them," says O'Halloran. Illustration: Jim Pavlidis Credit: And a lot of people are hoping that they keep it up. A lot of smug, well-paid people. Your indifference is their income, your breeziness their bonuses. And it's your loss. You got a good deal on your data plan? Congratulations. You might have just saved as much as a few hundred bucks a year. You change jobs and somehow find yourself with two or three different super accounts but don't bother rolling them into one? That'll typically cost you $51,000 by the time you retire, according to the Productivity Commission, because you're paying two or three sets of fees instead of one. Your super fund jacks up the annual fee it charges you by a tiny 0.5 per cent? You just lost $100,000 of the money you'll need to live on once you're no longer in work, says the commission, based on a typical full-time worker's situation. Because even tiny differences, compounding over many years, add up to big sums. Your super fund is gradually increasing your annual balance and you reckon it looks fair enough, but you fail to notice that it's among the funds in the bottom quarter of the performance league. Then you retire and realise that if yours had been among the funds in the top quarter of performers you'd now have $635,000 more waiting for you. Because that's the difference between a well-managed fund and an also-ran for an average worker. Fifty-six per cent less than a good fund manager would have earned for you. On the same amount of money invested. These are shockingly big penalties for inattention and indifference. Especially when the funds themselves often deliberately make themselves as impenetrable and baffling as possible. Not all the funds, but many prey on the people's aversion to complexity. "Once they hit the 100-page product disclosures and the wall of choices needed ..., people disengage," says O'Halloran. "But we found that once we started talking to people about the importance of super, once we started talking to people about potentially how much money they were missing out on, they are certainly very interested. I think that's what the Productivity Commission is talking about" with its two core recommendations. The commission realises that it has to work with a lot of disengaged investors. At the moment, when you start a job you will be offered a choice of super funds but here's the catch - if you don't choose one you will be automatically ushered into a "default" fund. Employers generally choose the default fund for their workers not based on how good it is but on their cosy connections. The commission wants to end this system. This is exactly how millions of people end up in dud funds and cheat themselves of hundreds of thousands of dollars. The commission instead proposes that a worker starting a job should be offered a choice of fund from a default list of 10. And that 10 should be based on the quality of the funds and the size of the returns they make for their members. The commission calls it a "best in show" list of 10. The commission proposes that these 10 should be chosen by an expert panel, not by a minister, to keep it independent. This idea terrifies the whole sector. There are about 1000 big funds, and a ridiculous total of some 41,000 funds altogether. Most are utter duds. The commission plan means the duds would go out of business, forced to merge with more successful funds. Minister for Financial Services Kelly O'Dwyer is on the job of reforming super. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen This proposal would focus the industry on making high returns and looking after their members. It would generate real competition. That's why it's so scary for an industry based on cosy relationships and kickbacks. The Liberal Party has identified $50 million in payments from the union-friendly "industry funds" to union head offices over the last decade. The former acting Liberal federal director Andrew Bragg called this "brazen" misuse of members' funds. If these funds wanted to make the "best in show" list under expert scrutiny, they'd need to make sure they were squeaky clean. By comparison, the private sector "retail funds" siphon off vastly more. The super funds charge their members management fees that, across the sector, total a staggering $31 billion a year, according to research firm Rainmaker. Some of this is necessary; most is not. The big offenders here are the private sector "retail funds". They charge fees two and three times as high as the industry funds on average. And they deliver, on average, lower returns. The average industry fund returned an 6.8 per cent a year to members over the last decade, says the commission. In return for exorbitant fees, the retail funds made 4.9 per cent. Pay more, get less. Hope you didn't want the heating turned on in the winter of your retirement. Loading So you can see why the retail funds will flat out oppose the commission's idea. But so do the industry funds. Because a default list of 10 "best in show" funds would mean cutting the funds allocation from the industrial awards and Fair Work Australia system. So as the handmaidens of their respective sectors, both Labor and Liberal are offering lukewarm praise for the idea, while carefully declining to commit. If they do commit, they will do it with a view to skewing the criteria for the expert panel or the criteria for the best 10. The parties need to be watched like hawks on this. The Turnbull government is moving on some of the scams and rorts in the sector. The minister, Kelly O'Dwyer, is on the job and has legislation before the Parliament that would tidy up unwanted duplicate accounts, for instance, a valuable reform. And proposes banning funds from automatically charging young people for expensive insurance products, contained in their super policies, that they will never use. But the commission's proposal would be transformative, raising returns, giving workers much better funded retirements, and ending the cosy collusion that conspires against ordinary people. That's why it should be enacted and probably never will be. A former employee of a Reserve Bank subsidiary who disguised a payment of almost $80,000 to a Malaysian businessman as "marketing expenses" has been spared jail after a Victorian judge found management had in fact made the decision. Former Securency business development director Clifford John Gerathy, 67, will not have to spend a single day in jail after he was handed a wholly suspended three-month jail sentence on Friday. Clifford John Gerathy (second from right) leaves the Supreme Court in Melbourne on Friday. Credit:AAP Gerathy had pleaded guilty to a charge of false accounting in the Victorian Supreme Court over a $79,502 payment made to Abdul Kayum Syed Ahmad in 2006. "The offending occurred on instruction of management superiors," Justice Kevin Bell said. Texan rapper Riff Raff's Australian tour has been cancelled after he was accused of raping a woman who attended one of his shows five years ago. In a statement posted on Facebook on Thursday, Melbourne woman Eliza Stafford accused Riff Raff, whose real name is Horst Christian Simco, of drugging and raping her in 2013, after being asked to come backstage at a show. Texan rapper Riff Raff's Australian tour has been cancelled in light of a rape allegation. "In 2013 I was raped by a man whose stage name is Riff Raff," she wrote. "I was offered a 60ml party shot. I took the shot, it was syrup and I immediately asked what it was. Riff Raff and his support act told me that it was codeine and started laughing. I dont remember anything from that point." A taxi driver was found injured in Melbourne's CBD early on Saturday after being attacked by three men. A passerby called police after the driver was set upon in Lonsdale Street just before 3:30am. He had suffered head and face injuries. His phone had been stolen but was later found. The man was taken to hospital for treatment. Police were unable to say if the driver was attacked inside his taxi or on the street. Police are searching for three men who they believe were involved in the attack but do not have any descriptions of the offenders. A Thor-themed whisky decanter allegedly stolen from a CBD bar, has turned up at the Melbourne airport. The decanter, weighing 8kg and 60cm long with a leather-bound shaft and engravings, was stolen from a CBD bar on Saturday night. Police released images of a group of men they believed could help lead them to the custom-made decanter, shaped like Thor's mystical hammer from the popular superhero franchise. On Friday, investigators found the hammer-shaped bottle at Melbourne Airport. An investigation by this newspaper found compliant bank officers assisted Arico at three of the big banks, providing him with loans that washed millions in drug money. The banks could hardly suggest they were blindsided, as a simple Google search would have shown that Rocco was no Rockefeller. Tony Mokbel built a drug empire called The Company and - although police initially declared he lacked financial acumen - became a millionaire many times over. In 1995 he owned one suburban pizza shop with known assets of $128,000 - six years later he was worth $15 million, which meant he would have had to sell a tad under 700 pizzas a day, or one every two minutes. While he invested $20,000 a week on Tattslotto and washed millions at Australian racetracks, his biggest asset was a tame bank insider who authorised dodgy loans for his team. A favoured financial adviser would fill out the applications with doctored documents that enabled the Mokbels to launder at least $10 million, while the adviser was paid a bank commission for bringing in new customers. Tony Mokbel. Credit:AP When Mokbel came crashing down, police seized 54 residential properties, two farms, 30 cars, an oceangoing yacht, a Caulfield horse stable, a country hotel, the Brunswick Market, a Sydney Road car park, a pizza parlour, four jetskis, 75 per cent of a champion racehorse, cash, jewellery and 3 million Linc Energy shares, which the crooks bought at 20 cents and the government sold at $2. And, you guessed it, the bank was at the front of the queue to get its money back. Mokbel was another who couldnt retire gracefully. Linked in 1997 to a $78 million drug lab and arrested for a massive chemical importation in 2001, he jumped bail while facing cocaine charges, fleeing to Athens. The menu from Tony Mokbel's pizza parlour included "Tony's Special". Taken with a pinch of salt. He may have been able to disappear if he hadnt continued to run his Australian drug network, leading to his arrest and a minimum jail term of 22 years. It is clear that money, not guts or guns, runs the underworld and it is surprising how often hitmen get ripped off. One killer who did a job in the 1980s was paid in counterfeit notes and while Mokbel is alleged to have offered $150,000 to kill gangster Lewis Moran, the hitman who did the job says he was short-changed $10,000. Carl Williams promised $100,000 for the murder of Jason Moran, but the shooter later told police he was only paid $2500, while the notoriously tight Lewis Moran offered only $50,000 to kill Williams. No wonder there were no takers. Williams also offered the hit team of Stephen Asling and Terrence Blewitt $150,000 to kill Graham The Munster Kinniburgh. Again Williams failed to pay, but as both he and Blewitt are dead, and Asling has been sentenced to life in prison, it can now be written off as a bad debt. (As the funeral directors who organised Carls service have done - they are still owed $15,390.) Graham "The Munster" Kinniburgh. Credit:The Age Speaking of such matters, The Munster was a regular at the exotic Flower Drum restaurant, once commenting he had spent 50 grand on fried rice. When the generous gourmand was shot dead outside his Kew home, a check of the books showed an unpaid account of over $5000. The restaurant owners decided against making a claim on the estate. If Kinniburgh had drifted into retirement, he might still be alive. As Australias most successful safebreaker he was not short of money even if it originally wasnt his but he continued to run with the wrong crowd. 50 grand's worth is a lot of fried rice. Credit:Paul Jeffers John William Samuel Higgs was another who prospered through dirty launderers and refused to pull his head in until it was legally guillotined. The former bikie was Australias biggest speed dealer (while others moved kilos, he moved truckloads). Police found $1,773,491 went through Higgs hands in 10 years. He also bought a fish processing plant, a Geelong business and a trawler on the NSW south coast. He used a town planner to run an excavating business, exported powdered milk to Vietnam and horse feed to Malaysia and planned to set up a fake company to get federal government subsidies to export to Asia, then import huge heroin hauls on the return. He moved $600,000 overseas through a corrupt lawyers trust account, then allegedly invested $18 million in city real estate - and $10 million in Queensland land. Often warned by corrupt police that he was under investigation, he almost certainly organised the 1997 drug squad break-in where confidential documents and tapes were stolen. Jailed for a relatively modest six years, he could have retired on his release to live off his illegal investments, but he was addicted to drug dealing and was soon back in the trade. In 2013 he was sentenced to a minimum of 14 years for importing 15 million ecstasy tablets with a street value of $440 million hidden in tomato cans. While he will be past 80 when he is finally eligible for release, it must be said he survived on the outside for a time with the aid of corrupt police. But the trouble with being a bent copper is that everyone knows what you earn legitimately and so if you turn up in the police car park driving a Lamborghini, tongues will wag. One rogue Victorian cop received a bum rap in the early 1980s when he owned a grey Condor, a kit car that looked like a new Ferrari. It was powered by an Escort 1600 motor and didnt have a luxury car price tag, but sitting next to workmates second-hand sedans it raised eyebrows. (He ended up going to jail, but that was on another matter.) Take the colourful and notoriously corrupt former NSW detective Roger Rogerson. Back in 1985, when on a wage of around $30,000, he managed to deposit more than twice that sum in just four days in NAB accounts under false names (the final total was $110,000). Detective Sergeant Roger Rogerson days before his dismissal in 1986: The beginning of the end. Credit:Fairfax Media Roger said much of the money came from the sale of a Bentley motorcar that he helped restore, but a Melbourne prostitute known as "Miss Jones" had a much more believable story. Miss Jones gave evidence she carried an estimated $100,000 from her then boyfriend, Dennis Bruce Allen, that she gave to Rogerson at the Sydney Airport in exchange for 2.5 kilos of white powder, believed to be heroin. In a bid to destroy Miss Jones credibility the defence used one of her previous statements where she alleged she had been raped by a Victorian detective with an abnormally large penis. Rogersons team threatened to provide evidence that it was well within normal parameters. How they were going to do that was never adequately explained. Long queues for advance train tickets Staff Reporter : Bangladesh Railway started selling of advance train tickets on Friday morning ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr as per the previous announcement. There are long queues in front of all the counters at Kamalapur Railway Station in Dhaka with some people waiting for those to open since last night. "A total of 26 counters -- 24 for men and two for women-are selling tickets from 8:00am," Sitangshu Chakraborty, Station Manager of Kamalapur Railway Station, told the media. "We are expecting to sell up to 23,514 tickets for June 10," the station manager added. Director General (DG) of Bangladesh Railway Amzad Hossain visited the Kamalapur Railway Station around 10:15am to observe the sales. "We are trying the most within our limit to ensure tickets for everyone," the DG said while talking to the media after observing the authorities' operation. Earlier on May 24, Railway Minister Mujibul Haque fixed June 1 for the sale of advance train tickets. Advance tickets for travelling on June 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 would be sold on June 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 respectively, the minister said. Return tickets for June 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24 will be open for sale on June 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 respectively at Rajshahi, Khulna, Rangpur, Dinajpur and Lalmonirhat stations, he said. The former head of WAs Pawsey Supercomputing Centre demanded the CSIRO pay for a $90,000 MBA as part of a redundancy package, it was revealed in the Fair Work Commission this week. The increasingly strained relationship between computational scientist Neil Stringfellow, who was Pawseys executive director from April 2013 to November 2017, and the CSIRO was laid bare after Dr Stringfellow applied to the commission for an unfair dismissal remedy. Former Pawsey Supercomputing Centre executive director Neil Stringfellow with Innovation Minister Dave Kelly last year. Credit:Pawsey Supercomputing Centre. Pawseys supercomputers include Magnus - the 141st most powerful computer in the world - and they are used by sectors that require huge processing power like astronomy and mining. The centre is run through a joint venture between WAs five universities and lead agency the CSIRO. A Perth real estate agent has been suspended for six months and fined $5000 after he used $20,000 from his agencys trust account to settle personal debts. James Ademola Oladejo, named by Consumer Protection as the bona fide head of Aubin Grove agency Jims Realty, was reprimanded by the State Administrative Tribunal over incidents in 2016, which also included making erroneous duplicate payments totalling $10,611. The State Administrative Tribunal handed down a fine of $5000 to Jim's Realty and suspended James Oladejo for six months. Credit:Heather McNeill It was found Mr Oladejo withdrew $20,000 from the Jims Realty trust account in September 2016 to pay personal debts, before the erroneous duplicate payments were made in December that year. Additionally, the SAT found the agency had failed to balance its trust account for the period from September to December 2016. ACT Health officials have revealed they are looking at setting up a palliative care ward in the Canberra Hospital, after damning evidence was given to a parliamentary committee of a system stretched beyond capacity. Territory politicians were told on Friday of doctors who did not know how to talk about dying, gaps in the aged care system and a shortage of palliative care beds and staff on the sixth day of hearings in the ACT's end-of-life choices inquiry. Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris said there were enough palliative care staff in the ACT, despite claims the sector was underresourced. Credit:Karleen Minney While the inquiry was set up in the wake of Victoria's legalisation of voluntary assisted dying, its focus has most recently turned to the problems with the provision of palliative care in Canberra. Chair of the ACT Palliative Care Clinical Network and the director of palliative care at the Canberra Hospital Dr Michael Chapman told the committee training more medical professionals to speak with patients and their families about dying was an absolutely critical need of focus. Former Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, now making his political comeback after being freed from prison, has accused the Australian government of being "complicit" in the corruption of his country's recently ousted leader Najib Razak. The reformist Anwar has been granted a royal pardon for politically-motivated sodomy charges after his unlikely alliance with former nemesis Mahathir Mohamad helped defeat Najib in Malaysia's elections last month. Malaysian reformist icon Anwar Ibrahim. Credit:AP Najib is accused of plundering billions of dollars from Malaysia's 1MDB state investment fund. Anwar, the presumptive successor to Mahathir, now the Malaysian Prime Minister, said Australia's foreign policy over Najib's time in power "clearly has been tainted, has been perceived by many Malaysians as complicit to the ... crimes of corruption and also criminal actions". One in five rooftop solar systems are deficient and thousands of Australians are being denied lower power bills because their household solar delivers less electricity than promised, new data shows. As the number of rooftop solar systems on Australian homes and businesses tops 1.8 million, there are calls for stronger safeguards to weed out dodgy operators and ensure the technologys benefits are fully realised. The Clean Energy Regulator found one in five rooftop solar systems were substandard. Credit:Jason South The Clean Energy Council, which accredits 5000 solar installers in Australia, cancelled 13 accreditations this financial year and temporarily suspended 153 installers. NSW Fair Trading has received 3327 complaints about the photovoltaic industry over the past five years, while Consumer Affairs Victoria received 6436 in the four years to June last year. Tougher ticket scalping laws have been launched in NSW, but there is already concern the new legislation does not do enough to protect consumers. NSW Minister for Better Regulation, Matt Kean, said the new laws mean it will be illegal for ticket resellers to sell tickets for more than 10 per cent above the original price. New laws aimed to give primary ticket sellers power over scalpers came into effect on Friday. Credit:Ben Rushton "We have empowered the event organisers to cancel the [overpriced] ticket and refuse entry to the person that holds it," he said. The new laws, which apply from June 1, also requires resellers such as Viagogo to show the original cost of the ticket as well as the seating details. A smoking ban in King George Square should be considered, Health Minister Steven Miles says. Mr Miles said introducing smoke-free public places had changed attitudes to smoking and councils should "seriously consider" banning smoking in public spaces. Griffith University's campuses are the latest space to have a smoking ban. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer "I would certainly urge the [Brisbane] City Council to look at King George Square and [consider] making it smoke-free," he said. "The [Queen Street] Mall is one of the few public places like that that is already smoke-free, so there is an opportunity for Brisbane to take an even greater leadership role." A loud cry broke the quiet of a Delhi court on Friday as Puneet Puneet, the hit-run driver who is facing extradition to Australia, wailed "I will be killed! I will be killed!" as he sat next to his uncle. Judge Gurmohina Kaur, whose view was blocked by a phalanx of lawyers standing in front of her desk, was shocked and looked around, asking: "Who made that sound? Was it him?". As Puneet, wearing a wide bandage on his head kept weeping, his uncle replied on his behalf: "Yes, he says he will be killed. He is saying, dont send him back." As everyone stared, the uncle led Puneet out of the Patiala District Court, still weeping with his head bowed. Hit-run driver Puneet Puneet (right) leaves court with his uncle in Dehli on Friday. Credit:Amrit Dhillon The drama occurred in what was expected to be the last stage of an extradition trial that has lasted several years, in a case that is almost 10 years old, a fact strongly emphasised by Bhaskar Vali, the Indian government prosecutor in the case. Rather than oppose Iran's nuclear ambitions and the years of crippling sanctions they brought on, large parts of the Iranian public have embraced them. In one Rand Corp survey from 2011 at the height of the sanctions 98 per cent of Iranians said the possession of nuclear energy is a national right. The sanctions relief that came with the 2015 nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, didn't change much. A substantial poll by the Centre for International and Security Studies at the University of Maryland conducted just a few months ago found that a whopping 86 per cent of Iranians still consider the development of a nuclear program important for their country, and almost 53 per cent thought Iran should pull out of the deal or restart its nuclear program if the United States withdrew. Similarly, more than 60 per cent of respondents affirmed that Iran's interventions in Syria and Iraq were in their country's national interest, and nearly 95 per cent said it was important for Iran to develop its missile program. When it came to America, more than 93 per cent had unfavorable opinions of the US government (Hezbollah, by comparison, had almost 65 per cent favourability). Trump, like many Western leaders, seems to believe that if only the ayatollahs were toppled, Iranians would embrace America, give up the nuclear program, halt missile development and cut terrorist ties. But even if some respondents understandably hesitate to criticise the regime out of fear, large parts of the Iranian public have consistently endorsed the programs that have led to international isolation. Given the internal Iranian divisions over economic policy, corruption and civil liberties, the nuclear program remains a rare source of unity. In Gaza, the will of the majority has proved equally harmful. Although Hamas certainly doesn't qualify as a democratic movement, it came to power in a sweeping victory in the 2006 Palestinian parliamentary elections. Despite brutalising many of its own citizens, despite the grave humanitarian crisis in Gaza, despite the poverty and degradation in which most Gazans have lived since Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade in response to Hamas's 2007 coup against the ruling Palestinian Authority, it continues to enjoy considerable public support as result of its fight against Israel. Lacking any genuine governing achievements, Hamas retains legitimacy because of its ability to rain down rockets on Israeli towns and conduct terror raids through its tunnel system. And conflict has clearly paid off. In the wake of each of its devastating wars with Israel (in 2009, 2012 and 2014), Hamas experienced a resurgence of popular support among Palestinians. This dynamic explains the current spasms of violence, too. One recent poll, conducted by the Tami Steinmetz Centre for Peace Research after Trump's formal recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, found that only 26 per cent of Palestinians still supported a peace deal with Israel (a sharp drop from 45 per cent last June), while 38 per cent endorsed armed struggle a rise from previous surveys. Given that most Gazans have traditionally endorsed violence against Israel, Hamas's growing intransigence and willingness to risk war by waging mass demonstrations and firing rockets at Israeli towns might be expressions, rather than distortions, of the public will. Israeli officials say Hamas forced civilians to participate in the recent protests, but given Gazans' desperation, it might be that mounting public pressure and discontent forced Hamas to instigate the demonstrations. While Netanyahu is often cast as an obstacle to peace reportedly even by Trump he is merely reflecting the rightward drift of the Israeli public. Less than a decade ago, he endorsed a two-state solution and reached out to the Palestinians, but now he no longer pays even lip service to such notions. A clear majority of Israelis as much as 70 per cent, according to one poll prefer a right-wing government. Accordingly, it appears that most of them have given up on the peace process: only 38 per cent say a peace deal should still be sought with the Palestinians, and two-thirds of Jewish Israelis don't consider the West Bank the contested lands conquered by Israel in the 1967 war to be occupied territories. Constantly hounded on his right flank, Netanyahu has effectively lost any domestic incentive to moderate. What's more, his combative stance towards Iran and Hamas, and his successful efforts to move America's embassy to Jerusalem, have diverted attention away from his alleged bribery scandals and lifted his standing. New polls have seen his popularity rocket and suggest that his Likud party would grab at least 35 seats in the Knesset if elections were held today (as late as April, he was polling at 28 seats). When Erdogan excoriated Israel for being an "apartheid state" and praised Hamas after the cross-border violence last month, the Turkish President was similarly responding to public sentiment. While commentators explained Erdogan's attacks as part of a political ploy to garner votes in the parliamentary elections in June, it is telling that it works. Although Erdogan long ago left behind the legitimate democratic leader he was when first elected prime minister 15 years ago he is now basically a modern-day sultan who has centralised power and neutralised any serious opposition he still needs to compete in relatively open elections. And he can bash Israel and extol Hamas exactly because he knows he will be rewarded by voters for doing so. In a 2014 poll, the Pew Research Centre found that a vast majority of Turks disliked Israel more than Islamic State, Hamas or Hezbollah; while 86 per cent of Turks held unfavourable views of Israel, only 2 per cent had favourable ones. Two important recent elections also spell bad news for the United States. Hezbollah's victory in the Lebanese parliamentary balloting nearly a month ago means that most Lebanese voters aren't all that interested in efforts by the West to block Iranian influence in their country or disarm Hezbollah. The Iraqi election results that came in a few days later were equally discouraging: Sadr, whose Mahdi Army ferociously battled American troops during the war, has now become the kingmaker of Iraq's next government by securing the largest number of seats in parliament. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, whose party finished a disappointing third, called the elections "a remarkable victory for democracy". He is right. But that doesn't mean they were a victory for American interests in the region. Meanwhile, the main source of stability in the Middle East remains the dictatorships and monarchies where the popular will has little impact on government policy. The only governments that openly maintain stable relations with Israel are Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority (Saudi Arabia has also co-operated with Israel through back-door channels to curtail Iranian influence). Unlike the short-lived democratic government in Egypt, headed by the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi, that threatened to review the 1979 peace agreement with Israel, the general-turned-president Abdel Fatah al-Sissi maintains peace with the Israelis exactly because he doesn't have to answer to the Egyptian public, which remains overwhelmingly hostile to the Jewish state. Set to be published next week by Random House, Rhodes' memoir, The world as it is - A memoir of the Obama White House, offers a peek into Obama's tightly sealed inner sanctum from the perspective of one of the few people who saw him up close through all eight years of his presidency. Few moments shook Obama more than the decision by voters to replace him with a candidate who had questioned his very birth. Rhodes served as Obama's deputy national security adviser through some of the most consequential points of his presidency, including decisions to authorise the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, send more troops to Afghanistan, pull most troops out of Iraq, restore diplomatic relations with Cuba, seal a nuclear agreement with Iran, intervene militarily in Libya and refuse to intervene militarily in Syria. Changing of the guard: Donald Trump and Barack Obama arrive for Trump's inauguration. Credit:AP But his book offers a new window, if only slightly cracked open, into the 44th president's handling of Russia's intervention in the 2016 election to help Trump get elected and the aftermath. Then deputy national security adviser for strategic communications Ben Rhodes speaks in the press briefing room of the White House in 2016. Credit:AP In handing over power to someone determined to tear down all he had accomplished, Obama alluded to The Godfather mafia movie: "I feel like Michael Corleone. I almost got out." Rhodes describes the reaction of foreign leaders. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe apologised for breaching protocol by meeting with Trump at Trump Tower in Manhattan after the election. Obama urged Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to take on a more vocal role defending the values they shared. German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Obama that she felt more obliged to run for another term because of Trump's election to defend the liberal international order. When they parted for the final time, Merkel had a single tear in her eye. "She's all alone," Obama noted. And yet despite criticism even from former advisers to Obama, Rhodes offers little sense that the former president thought he could have done more to counter Russian involvement in the election. Obama had authorised a statement to be issued by intelligence agency leaders a month before the election warning of Russian interference, but was thwarted from doing more because Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican majority leader, refused to go along with a bipartisan statement. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Credit:AP Rhodes called McConnell's refusal "staggeringly partisan and unpatriotic". But Obama, whose Supreme Court nomination had been blocked by McConnell for months, seemed less surprised. "What else did you expect from McConnell?," he asked. "He won't even give us a hearing on [Supreme Court nominee] Merrick Garland." Still, in preparatory sessions before meetings with the news media before the election, aides pressed Obama to respond to criticism that he should speak out more about Russian meddling. "I talk about it every time I'm asked," he responded. "What else are we going to do? We've warned folks." He noted that Trump was already claiming that the election would be manipulated if Hillary Clinton won. "If I speak out more, he'll just say it's rigged," Obama said. US President Donald Trump, right, and Russia President Vladimir Putin talk during the family photo session at the APEC Summit in Danang last year. Credit:Sputnik/AP Rhodes writes that neither he nor Obama knew at that time that there was an FBI investigation into contacts between Trump's campaign and Russia, despite Trump's recent unsubstantiated claims that the outgoing president placed a "spy" or multiple spies in his campaign. Rhodes writes he did not learn about the FBI investigation until after leaving office, and then from the news media. Obama did not impose sanctions on Russia in retaliation for the meddling before the election because he believed it might prompt Moscow into hacking into election day vote tabulations. Obama did impose sanctions after the election but Rhodes' suggestion that the targets include Russian President Vladimir Putin was rebuffed on the theory that such a move would go too far. Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail in 2016. Credit:AP Obama and his team were confident that Clinton would win and, like much of the country, were shocked when she did not. "I couldn't shake the feeling that I should have seen it coming," Rhodes writes. "Because when you distilled it, stripped out the racism and misogyny, we'd run against Hillary eight years ago with the same message Trump had used: She's part of a corrupt establishment that can't be trusted to bring change." On election night, Obama spoke by telephone with Cody Keenan, his chief speechwriter, and Rhodes to figure out what he should say. Rhodes asked if he should offer reassurance to allies. "No, I don't think that I'm the one to tell them that," he said. The next day, Obama focused on cheering up his despondent staff. At one point, he sent a message to Rhodes saying, "There are more stars in the sky than grains of sand on the earth." But days later, Obama seemed less sanguine. "I don't know," he told aides. "Maybe this is what people want. I've got the economy set up well for him. No facts. No consequences. They can just have a cartoon." He added that "we're about to find out just how resilient our institutions are, at home and around the world." Then President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump shake hands following their meeting in the Oval Office in two days after the 2016 election. Credit:AP The day Obama hosted Trump at the White House after the election seemed surreal. Trump kept steering the conversation back to the size of his rallies, noting that he and Obama could draw big crowds, but Clinton could not, Rhodes writes. 3 killed in Rajshahi, Gazipur 'gunfights' Staff Reporter : Three more suspected drug peddlers were killed in "gunfights" with the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Police in Rajshahi and Gazipur districts on Friday. In Rajshahi, two suspected drug peddlers were killed in a reported gunfight near Karamja on Thursday night. The deceased were identified as Belal and Nazmul. They were top listed drug traders, according to the Home Ministry list, said RAB-5 Deputy Commander, AM Ashraful Islam. He said a group of drug peddlers opened fire on them while the elite force was conducting a drive, prompting the RAB men to retaliate, thus triggered the gunfight. With bullet injuries in the chest, they were taken to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH) where they were declared dead. RMCH emergency unit doctor Billal Uddin said, "The RAB men brought the two bodies around 12:00am on Thursday." "They were already dead before reaching the hospital." According to RAB officials, the elite force has recovered a number of drugs and weapons from the spot. In Gazipur, a suspected drug peddler, Kamal Khan alias Kamrul Islam alias Kamu, 40, was killed in an alleged gunfight with the Detective Branch (DB) of Police early Friday. DB Inspector Amir Hossain said, acting on a tip-off, members of DB arrested Kamu while he was selling Yaba pills. Later, on the way to the police station, Kamu's accomplices opened fire on the DB officials. They fired back in retaliation. The police recovered 4,000 Yaba pills and one car from the crime scene. There are 14 cases, including two murder cases in all against Kamu with various police stations. Georgetown, SC (29440) Today A few passing clouds. Low 61F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A few passing clouds. Low 61F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. On May 31, Georgetown City Council directed city staff to pursue plans for the demolition of City Hall to make way for a new central office on the same site. City employees vacated the building in 2016 due to concerns over the building's structural integrity. Manik Mia`s death anniv observed Staff Reporter : The 49th death anniversary of legendary journalist and founder-editor of the Daily Ittefaq, Tofazzal Hossain Manik Mia was observed on Friday with solemnity and honour. In the morning, leaders and workers of different socio-cultural organisations, professional groups, individuals, family members and journalists paid homage by placing wreaths and offering Fateha at his graveyard at Azimpur. The journalists and employees of the Daily Ittefaq offered prayer at his graveyard. Journalists and employees of The New Nation, Weekly Robbar and Manik Mia Foundation jointly held a Milad and Doa Mahfil in the Ittefaq Bhaban after Asr prayer. Chairman of the Editorial Board of The New Nation Barrister Mainul Hosein attended the Mahfil. Khatib of Bangabhaban Staff Quarter Mosque Mufti Ziaur Rahman conducted the Milad and Doa Mahfil. Jatiya Ganatantrik League-NAP Bhashani organized a discussion at Dhaka Reporters' Unity yesterday afternoon. A discussion meeting on Manik Mia's eventful life will be held today (Saturday) at Engineers' Institution in the city at 3 pm organized by Jatiya Party (Manju). Different political leaders, intellectuals, educationists and senior journalists are expected to attend the discussion meeting. NASA astronauts are helping the agency's commercial crew program get ready for spaceflight, by working on the design and development of private spaceships and spacesuits as well as training operations for them. The goal is to ensure safe flights for future astronaut crews. In 2014, NASA selected Boeing and SpaceX to fly agency astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS); SpaceX received a contract worth up to $2.6 billion and Boeing a deal valued at up to $4.2 billion. Boeing's CST-100 Starliner capsule and SpaceX's human-rated Dragon spacecraft are expected to complete their uncrewed test flights later this year. The first crewed flights may follow in 2019 or 2020. Now, a joint test team is working to share technical expertise, to come up with procedures to train crews and to assess the spacecraft's interfaces with astronauts. [Cosmic Quiz: Do You Know the International Space Station?] "The simulators are a great tool to train and test the flight hardware before we fly," Mike Good, a former astronaut and current program manager assistant for crew operations and testing at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, said in a statement. Good flew on two space shuttle missions, STS-125 and STS-132. NASA astronauts Bob Behnken, Eric Boe and Doug Hurley perform a fully-suited test in Boeings CST-100 Starliner mockup trainer during early May 2018 at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The astronauts are wearing Boeing's blue spacesuits for Starliner flights. (Image credit: Boeing) "We work with this team to make sure we get all the testing done with the providers," NASA astronaut Suni Williams added in the same statement. "One of the key parts of the commercial crew program is the joint test team. So whenever the providers want to do a test requiring human interaction with their systems, the team gets together to understand the test parameters and go through the safety review process so no one gets hurt during the testing." Recent team activities with Boeing include assessing human factors, workloads, usability and manual piloting. And with SpaceX, the team has worked on spacesuit fit, displays, development, designing and training materials. "Really the whole mission, from pre-launch through docking and undocking, entry, landing and post-landing all of those need to be verified in the simulator," Good said. "So we'll have our astronauts going through each flight phase making sure all the tasks they have to do meet our workload, usability and error-rate requirements. Were also contributing by helping the provider complete their verification testing so that they can close requirements and we can go fly safely." Commercial crew astronaut Bob Behnken, center, watches during an evaluation visit for the Crew Dragon spacecraft at SpaceX's Hawthorne, California, headquarters as former astronaut Mike Good, right, looks on. (Image credit: SpaceX) Boeing and SpaceX will need to prove to NASA that their systems meet all safety requirements. The companies will even get feedback from astronauts in space during uncrewed test flights, because crews on the ISS will work with the test spacecraft before and after the capsules dock with the orbiting complex. NASA's previous crewed spaceflight program, the space shuttle, was retired in 2011 after 30 years of spaceflight operations. Since then, all American astronauts have departed for space on Russian Soyuz spacecraft launching from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. NASA buys seats for individual astronauts through a contract; in 2018, purchased seats had an average price of $81.7 million each, according to SpaceNews. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com. The distribution of dark matter in the galaxy cluster Abell 3827 appears as blue contour lines in this photo by the Hubble Space Telescope. Does dark matter have an electric charge? No one's really wondered before, but researchers are exploring the possibility that some dark matter particles do, indeed, have a small electrical charge and that they interact with normal matter through electromagnetic force. Julian Munoz, a theoretical cosmologist at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, led a new study alongside collaborator Avi Loeb, a theoretical physicist and professor at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), to try to determine whether some dark-matter particles have a small electrical charge. "You've heard of electric cars and e-books, but now we are talking about electric dark matter," Munoz said in a statement from the CfA. "However, this electric charge is on the very smallest of scales." The thought that dark matter could somehow be electrically charged seems too bizarre to be anything but science fiction. A new idea, Munoz and Loeb drew inspiration from previous research to investigate whether or not dark matter particles might have an electric charge, according to the statement. [Dark Matter and Dark Energy: The Mystery Explained (Infographic)] Research from the Experiment to Detect the Global EoR (Epoch of Reionization) Signature (EDGES) a collaborative research project located at the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory in Australia inspired Munoz and Loeb to investigate the possibility of electric dark matter. In February, the EDGES scientists announced that they had detected a radio signature from the first stars to form in the universe. Popular theories posit that, when this first generation of stars emitted ultraviolet light, that light interacted with cold hydrogen atoms between the stars, which, in turn, allowed them to absorb cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation left over from the Big Bang. The EDGES team claimed to have found evidence for this CMB absorption, though other scientists have yet to verify the finding. The EDGES team also found that the temperature of these hydrogen atoms was half of what they had expected. Munoz and Loeb interpreted these findings, especially the unusually low temperature of the hydrogen atoms, as possible evidence for an interaction between dark matter and normal matter, according to the statement. "If EDGES has detected cooler-than-expected hydrogen gas during this period, what could explain it? One possibility is that hydrogen was cooled by the dark matter," Munoz said in the statement. "We are constraining the possibility that dark matter particles carry a tiny electrical charge equal to one-millionth that of an electron through measurable signals from the cosmic dawn," Loeb said in the statement. However, the team has no way to prove the theory yet, as "such tiny charges are impossible to observe even with the largest particle accelerators."Munoz and Loeb further explained that normal matter would have been moving very slowly at this early time in the universe, and electrically charged particles scatter more easily when they move slowly. So, if some dark matter particles were charged, normal matter and dark matter would have interacted very strongly, and these interactions caused by the charged dark matter particles could have caused the hydrogen atoms to cool drastically enough to explain the low temperatures that the EDGES team found. Some astronomers challenged the EDGES results, but Munoz and Loeb will continue to explore how this research might improve our understanding of dark matter, according to the statement. Loeb expressed in the statement, "We're able to tell a fundamental physics story with our research no matter how you interpret the EDGES result. The nature of dark matter is one of the biggest mysteries in science, and we need to use any related new data to tackle it." Although Munoz and Loeb cannot yet prove their theory with direct observations, if small amounts of dark matter do have weak electrical charges, it might help to explain the EDGES data and support the findings of other dark-matter research, according to the statement. This study was published Wednesday (May 30) in the journal Nature. Email Chelsea Gohd at cgohd@space.com or follow her @chelsea_gohd. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. NASA's Dawn spacecraft captured this photo of Ceres on May 16, 2018, as it approached its lowest orbit ever of the dwarf planet in the asteroid belt. At the time of this photo, Dawn was about 270 miles (440 kilometers) from Ceres. A NASA spacecraft is about to get up close and personal with Ceres, a giant asteroid that also happens to be the only dwarf planet in the inner solar system. This month, NASA's Dawn spacecraft will shift into an orbit that will skim just 22 miles (35 kilometers) above Ceres at its closest point, allowing Dawn to get its best views yet of the dwarf planet. At its farthest point, the new elliptical orbit will carry Dawn out 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers). "The team is eagerly awaiting the detailed composition and high-resolution imaging from the new, up-close examination," Carol Raymond, principal investigator for the Dawn mission at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a statement. "These new high-resolution data allow us to test theories formulated from the previous data sets and discover new features of this fascinating dwarf planet." [See Dawn's Amazing Photos of Dwarf Planet Ceres] One target on Ceres is especially tantalizing during the new, lower orbit. That's Occator Crater, a place with strange, bright white spots. "As a bonus objective, scientists would like to study the elements in one of their favorite places (and perhaps one of yours as well): Occator Crater, site of the highly reflective salt deposits, famous not only on Ceres but also on Earth and everywhere else that readers follow Dawn's discoveries," Marc Rayman, mission director and chief engineer for Dawn at JPL, wrote in an April 29 blog post. "Studying this one crater and the area around it (together known as a geological unit) could reveal more about the complex geology there." At its lowest point, Dawn will be 10 times closer to Ceres than the probe has ever been. In fact, Rayman said it will be the closest Dawn has been to an object in the solar system since it launched from Earth. "The last time it was that close to a solar system body was when it rode a rocket from Cape Canaveral over the Atlantic Ocean more than a decade ago," he said. This NASA diagram shows the initial orbit of the Dawn spacecraft around Ceres (outer green ellipse) and its near-final orbit (center green ellipse), with the blue lines indicating the probe's path in between. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech) In addition to photos, Dawn will use its instruments to understand the chemical composition of the top layer of Ceres' surface. The Dawn spacecraft has been orbiting Ceres in the asteroid belt (between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter) since March 2015. NASA launched the mission in 2007, sending Dawn first to the large asteroid Vesta the second largest object in the asteroid belt after Ceres before moving on to Ceres itself. Dawn is equipped with a fuel-efficient ion drive that allowed it to fly between asteroids. In 2016, the probe went into a high orbit above Ceres to study the dwarf planet from a distance that ranged between 2,800 miles (4,400 km) and 24,300 miles (39,100 km). Dawn spent much of the last year in that orbit and began lowering its path around Ceres on April 16 of this year, Rayman said. Finding an orbit that would both get close to Ceres and allow for good science observations was a challenge for mission engineers, NASA officials said. Engineers ran through more than 45,000 potential variations before hitting on one that worked. NASA's $466 million Dawn mission is in its second extended phase and will end its days in orbit around Ceres. After launching in 2007, the spacecraft headed to Vesta and spent a year orbiting that asteroid (from 2011 to 2012). Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. Jun 1st, 2018 The international retail giant Amazon, has made an important announcement in regards to its Australian shoppers. In a few weeks time, those in the country will be blocked from Amazons various international websites, but still of course have access to amazon.com.au. Amazon is making the change in light of the new goods and services tax (GST) regulations being introduced in Australia. The country has a new GST collection law that is set to force overseas online retailers like Amazon to apply 10% GST on goods that are shipped to Australia. The news comes roughly half a year after the retail giant opened its first warehouse in the country back in December of last year. The international block for shoppers will come into effect July 1st, at which time all Amazon websites will redirect Australian visitors to amazon.com.au. You can get more information and read the full story at ABC Australia. Less than a week after reports of the sale of the New England Confectionery Co. to an Ohio candy giant, the Metropoulos family announced the formation of Sweetheart Candy in Greenwich to take over the bankrupt Necco. Necco, the Revere, Mass.-based maker of Necco wafers and heart-shaped Sweetheart candies inscribed with sweet nothings, had been up for auction in federal bankruptcy court in Massachusetts. Spangler Candy had emerged last week as the winning bidder but did not conclude the deal, with the family of billionaire Dean Metropoulos declaring Friday its $17.3 million bid had landed it the Necco brand and operations. Dean Metropoulos led the acquisition and initial public offering of Hostess Brands, bringing the bankrupt maker of Twinkies and Ding Dongs back from the dead. He had previously reinvigorated brands like Pabst Blue Ribbon, Bumble Bee, Ghirardelli, Chef Boyardee, Vlasic and Perrier Jouet, among 80 entities in which he and his family have invested. Spangler had bid $18.8 million for Necco, with the Bryan, Ohio-based company having several well-known brands including Dum Dums and Saf-T-Pops lollipops and Smarties hard candy. A Spangler spokesperson told Hearst Connecticut Media its deal fell apart after Necco was unable to meet multiple unspecified conditions Spangler had sought in its original purchase agreement. In an email response to a query, Necco CEO Mike McGee said the Metropoulos family could acquire other sweets brands to add to Necco as they build the company back up, having submitted their bid through the Round Hill Investments firm that lists its main office in Greenwich. Its unclear why Spangler chose not to close, but I know we are very thrilled to be partnering with the Metropoulos team given their strong track record and commitment to supporting customers, McGee stated. I know Dean, Evan and Daren Metropoulos are extremely excited by the opportunity to revive (Necco) and its amazing brands which had not received the investment they deserved over recent years. Plenty of work lies ahead for Necco under Metropoulos ownership the Food and Drug Administration recently reprimanded the company for sanitary conditions at its huge plant in Revere. Necco was formed in 1901 through the roll-up of several Boston-area candy makers, with its brands today including Candy Buttons; Clark Bar, Sky Bar and Haviland Thin Mints chocolates; Mary Jane and Squirrel Nut Zippers chews; and Slap Stix caramel pops. Other companies that had filed or explored bids for portions or all of Necco included Reading, Pa.-based Stichler Products, maker of Mega Buttons candy and Royal Icing among other lines; Philadelphia-based Frankford Candy, which sells lines of Valentines Day and Easter bunny chocolates; and lollipop maker Melville Candy of Randolph, Mass. More Business FDA scolds NECCO for rodent problem, unsanitary conditions I dont think there was anyone in the candy business who didnt look at those assets over the last five years, said Henk Hartong III, CEO of the Greenwich-based private equity investor Brynwood Partners, whose brands include the Pearsons Candy maker of Bit-O-Honey and Pearsons Mint Patties among other candies. It was no secret that Necco has been looking for a buyer for a long time. Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Friday vetoed legislation that would have prevented he and future governors from cutting municipal grants, despite whatever future financial stress Connecticut might find itself . It was the first veto of the year for Malloy, whose term is up in early January. It is understandable that legislators wish to provide more certainty to the municipalities and school districts that they represent, said Malloys veto message, which was released after 5 p.m. This bill, however, takes a misguided approach. If the legislature wishes to provide additional stability and predictability to cities and towns in formulating their budgets, the best way to do so is to pass a state budget that identifies specific savings or additional revenue to pay for the level of assistance it wishes to provide. The bill, which passed in veto-proof margins of 36-0 in the Senate and 117-32 in the House, was the result of a battle last year when lawmakers failed to reach a budget deal well into fall and Malloy ordered sharp cuts in municipal aid to the states wealthier communities including Greenwich, New Canaan, Milford, Fairfield and Ridgefield. It is indisputable that our current distribution methods for state aid to local governments favor our most affluent communities, Malloy wrote. This is even more egregiously true if we consider the more than $1 billion in state support for local teacher pensions that is provided with no consideration of ability to pay. In recent years the governor has proposed forcing local towns and cities to pay more of the employers share of teacher-pension contributions. Adam Joseph, spokesman for Senate Democrats, said Friday that leaders are reviewing the governors veto message and will discuss the possibility of overriding the veto. Thus far this year, Malloy has signed 71 bills into law, let another become law without his signature, and issued the lone veto. Staff writer Emilie Munson contributed to this report BRIDGEPORT - A taxi driver warned a judge Friday of dire consequences if he was sent to prison for sexually assaulting a neighbors teenaged daughter. Claiming to have invented the prototypes of the iPhone and Uber, Robert Toussaint warned Superior Court Judge Robert Devlin that a prison term and subsequent deportation to his native Haiti could put his development of a solar battery, that could power a city as well as the judges mansion, in jeopardy. Everything I touch turns to gold, its unfortunate I will be giving Haiti my battery, Toussaint warned. But Devlin decided to ignore the mans prediction and instead sentenced him to 15 years, suspended after he serves eight years in prison and followed by 10 years of probation. This is not about your inventions or your financial acumen, this is about you sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl put in your care, the judge told Toussaint. This kind of abuse hurts these girls lives. The 61-year-old Toussaint previously pleaded guilty to second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a child. Police said Toussaint sexually assaulting the 15-year-old daughter of a neighbor at apartments in the city and in Stratford while the girls mother was working nights. Police said the girl told her mother what Toussaint had been doing to her. They said the mother then confronted Toussaint with the allegations and recorded his answers on her cell phone which she later turned over to police. Robert, you are a grandfather. How could you feel something for my daughter? the mother asked Toussaint, according to a transcript of their conversation released by police. I am a grandpa, yes but Im a man you know, Toussaint responded, the transcript states. T he future of House of Fraser was hanging in the balance on Friday as some of its major lenders threatened to rebel ahead of the department store chains rescue plan, which needs some of the banks nod to go through. A handful of creditors to the embattled retailer, advised by accountancy giant EY, have demanded more details on House of Frasers finances, just days before its company voluntary arrangement (CVA) vote a deal with creditors and landlords to prevent struggling businesses from going bust. House of Fraser plans to shut stores and negotiate lower rents to keep the business afloat. The pushback from lenders, which includes HSBC and Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, comes a month after C. banner, the Chinese owner of Hamleys, gobbled up a 51% stake in House of Fraser in return for 70 million from its then owner Sanpower, which is now a minority shareholder. The discontent arose after C. banner yesterday said that a shareholder circular, which explains the terms of the deal and was due by May 31, was delayed. C. banner said: As additional time is required to finalise the contents of the circular, the company now expects to dispatch the circular no later than July 26. However, insiders said the delays in such a process were not unusual. Its not surprising that anyone backing something like this would want to see the prospectus and the current owners should put their money where their mouth is. If [the owners] dont have confidence [in the business], why would the shareholder? said retail analyst Richard Hyman. House of Fraser, which has 59 stores, said a constructive dialogue continued between all parties, including landlords and suppliers. T his year, 2018, was supposed to be the year Brexit Britain was sealing its new trade deal with the US. Thats what the leading Brexiteers told us back during the referendum. The negotiations would be easy, they would take two years, and the tumbling tariffs on our exports to America would more than make good any loss of trade with those surly Europeans. Oh dear. In Brussels and in Ottawa they are preparing to retaliate. In London our Brexiteer leaders look on from the sidelines, unlistened to in the other capitals, as their promise of a free-trading global Britain evaporates in front of their eyes. It was always a delusion. The Brexit they sought was a huge act of protectionism, wrenching Britain out of the largest free-trade customs union and single market on the globe. Ah, but surely the jewel in the crown of leaving the EU is being able to negotiate our own trade deals with the rest of the world? as one of the leading Tory Brexiteers put it only weeks ago. Never mind that the internal government analysis showed that no amount of trade deals with the rest of the world could begin to compensate for the loss of exports to Europe. Never mind that the content of these mythical trade deals remained a complete mystery: if it wasnt going to be chlorinated chicken from American farmers, or hormone beef from Australia, then what exactly were we prepared to let in? Never mind that the 17 million Brexit voters in places like Port Talbot and Scunthorpe were hardly voting for a Chinese free trade deal in order to import more of their steel. Delusion There remained a blind faith among the tiny elite of global Britain Brexiteers that the rest of the world would want to cut deals with us, and the first in the queue would be the United States. It is our national good fortune, wrote Jacob Rees-Mogg, that Brexit Britain finds itself with dealing with a President like Donald Trump who takes the same approach to politics that also inspires the Brexiteers. Now, as President Trump ignores the pleas of Britain and other allies and imposes tariffs, perhaps the truth is starting to dawn. The United States is retreating from the free trading system it helped to create after the Second World War. Its protectionist Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says that, as a surplus country that sells to America more than it buys, Britain will have to pay a high price for any future trade arrangement. Meanwhile, the other countries that were supposed to be lining up for trade deals, like Australia and India, look far more likely to do a bilateral trade agreement with the EU first and then invite Brexit Britain to copy and paste whatever they sign. No wonder an increasing number in our Parliament can see now what a mistake it was for the Government to equate Brexit with leaving a European customs union and the single market; no wonder more and more Conservatives are asking whether we shouldnt at least remain in EFTA. In domestic politics, as in global trading blocs, there is a growing strength in numbers. Londons pride This Sunday marks a year since the London Bridge attack, a horrific act of terrorism in which eight were killed. The city mourned, but was defiant too. When CNN reported the streets were eerily quiet the following morning, Londoners responded that they were simply having a lie-in. But now the city is truly starting to heal. Wayne Marques, the heroic police officer who continued to swing at terrorists even as he was stabbed in the head, says he will soon return to work. The only reminder of last years events in Borough Market is a few more police officers patrolling the area, as the Evening Standards Kate Wills reported yesterday. Londoners will gather at a memorial service on Sunday to mark the anniversary of the attack. I relands referendum on abortion last week was not, according to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, a cause for celebration but an occasion for national self-congratulation about the process that led up to it. The vote was the product of an exercise in deliberative democracy that started with a citizens assembly composed of a representative sample from across society and included lengthy parliamentary committee hearings that heard from a range of experts, including women who had travelled to Britain for abortions. Crucially, the government published a draft bill so voters knew what legislation would follow if they chose to repeal the constitutional ban on abortion. The contrast with the UKs EU referendum could not have been starker, and it has reinforced the prevailing view in Ireland of Brexit as a foolish exercise entered into with little prior consideration and no proper planning. The abortion vote, which showed overwhelming support for change across all age groups, among men and women and in the countryside as well as in towns and cities, revealed an Ireland that has changed too fast for even our closest neighbours to keep up. Its not just that the country is less religious, more liberal and prosperous, it is much more confident in its identity as a modern, independent state within the EU. Varadkars approach to Brexit, which is sometimes perceived in Britain as uncompromising or even obstructionist, is an expression of this confidence and seen in Ireland as an unsentimental pursuit of the states interests. And viewed from Dublin, Londons exasperation with the Irish approach looks like a refusal to recognise the right of the Irish state and its political system to take care of its own interests. Ireland votes Yes to repeal strict abortion laws in referendum The current impasse over the Irish border and the backstop arrangement to guarantee it will remain open after Brexit threatens to derail the negotiations between the UK and the EU ahead of a summit in Brussels on June 28. Failure is more likely if Theresa Mays government and Brexiteers on the Conservative backbenches misunderstand Irelands objectives or underestimate its determination in pursuit of them. Above all, Dublin wants to limit the damage of Brexit to the Irish economy and to the constitutional settlement in Northern Ireland that has brought two decades of peace. The ideal solution for Ireland would be for the UK to remain in the customs union and the single market, or to seek as close a relationship with the EU as Norway or Switzerland. Brexit latest- David Davis insists Northern Ireland border issue will be 'much easier' to resolve after trade deal Failing that, the backstop would see Northern Ireland remain aligned with the customs union and parts of the single market, an option described by EU officials as cherry-picking, which they are unwilling to extend to the entire UK. For Brussels, a UK-wide backstop looks more like a back door into the single market that would give the UK many of the advantages of full membership without responsibilities such as the free movement of people. Until now, Ireland has been able to depend on the full support of the European Commission and its member states over the border, and Dublin will not break with them over their refusal to extend the Northern Ireland backstop to the rest of the UK. The Prime Minister has ruled out any new barriers between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK after Brexit and her allies in the DUP have said that anything that looks like a border in the Irish Sea would lead to a withdrawal of their support for her government. Northern Ireland already diverges from the rest of the UK in areas such as animal health and energy, however, where it is part of an all-Ireland economy. And the Prime Minister made clear this week that she is content to see women in Northern Ireland deprived of abortion rights until the devolved institutions there are restored, just as same-sex couples there are unable to marry. The DUP not only supports such exceptionalism in Northern Ireland but is responsible for it, and the party has shown a greater capacity for flexibility in negotiations in the past than its reputation suggests. "The abortion vote revealed an Ireland that has changed too fast for even our closest neighbours to keep up" British negotiators are expected to present a proposal to Brussels in the next week or two and the EU side insists that it must include progress on the Northern Ireland issue. Some Brexiteers believe that Brussels is leading Ireland a merry dance and is simply using the issue of the border to extract more concessions from London in the broader negotiations. There is no evidence to support this theory, however, and other EU capitals explain their solid support for Dublin on the simple basis that Ireland is a member state while the UK will soon not be. For its part, Ireland understands very clearly its position as a small country within the EU and it has been careful to Europeanise the Northern Ireland issue and to show the appropriate humility in seeking support from its allies. Another hope that remains alive in London is that the Brexit negotiations will end in an old-fashioned, four-day summit with late-night brinkmanship ending in a compromise bulldozed through the European Council by France and Germany. There is no appetite elsewhere in Europe for such a scenario and it is more likely that the negotiations will end quietly without a deal than that they will produce an 11th-hour drama. While the Government has made little preparation for a no-deal Brexit, businesses are making their own plans and officials in Brussels point out that the more such plans are made, the lower the cost will be to the EU of the UK leaving without a deal. For its part, Ireland hopes to resume its place as the UKs closest friend in Europe once the Northern Ireland issue is resolved, and Dublin is likely to argue for the best possible trade deal for the UK after Brexit. But if no deal is possible, Ireland has made its choice and its loyalty, like its future, will be with Europe. Posh residences of Teknaf drug lords raided, none held Staff Reporter : Members of law-enforcement agencies have raided posh residences of listed drug lords in Teknaf, the place through which most of the illicit narcotics, specially "yaba," find their way into the country. But their raids failed to yield any result as the suspected drug lords are absconding from homes since beginning of the government's anti-narcotics crackdown. A police team led by Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Teknaf Model Police Station Ranjit Kumar Barua conducted the raids in between Thursday night and early hours of Friday. "We have raided homes of almost all the listed drug dealers and peddlers but failed to nab any of them as they have gone into hiding," the OC told The New Nation. He said, "We're trying to nab them. No one will be spared." The Ministry of Home Affairs has recently identified 60 top drug dealers and 1,151 drug peddlers. Most of them are from border town Teknaf of Cox's Bazar district. Cox's Bazar police claim none of the suspects can be arrested as most of the listed drug dealers and peddlers have fled the area and are in hiding. Afzarul Haque Tutul, additional superintendent of Cox's Bazar police, however, admitted that many of drug traders had crossed over to Myanmar to avoid arrest. Some of the local drug lords are reportedly living in Dhaka. He said the intensified campaign against illegal drugs by the security agencies has forced drug lords operating in Teknaf to leave their homes and go into hiding. "We are trying to trace them and they will not be spared," he added. Security agencies said over 100 suspected drug dealers have been killed and 10,000 more detained since the launch of the nation-wide crackdown on narcotics. The deaths of alleged drug dealers by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and the police have invited criticism from the rights groups and foreign diplomats. Terming those deaths as "extrajudicial killings," they urged the Bangladesh government to immediately stop excessive use of force by state actors during anti-narcotics drive. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on May 15 announced the launch of an aggressive war on drugs to smash the surging trade of yaba, a pill combining methamphetamine and caffeine, making its way into Bangladesh trough Teknaf border from Myanmar. I f you're struggling for a Father's Day gift idea, treat your dad to one of these great events taking place in the capital Whether your old man is thrill seeker or a theatre lover, there's something to suit everyone. Here's a round up of the best events taking place on Father's Day: Zip Now London Flying high: Zip Now London / Zip Now London Zip Now London arrived in the capital in May, boasting the worlds fastest inner city zip line. Thrill seekers who brave the 223 metre zip wire in Archbishop's park can take in views of the Palace of Westminster and the London Eye and reach speeds of over 30mph. It's the perfect way to spend the day if your Dad fancies himself a bit of a daredevil. Carlisle Ln, SE1 7LE, zip-now.co West End Live Exclusive offers and competitions weekly Email Sign up Sign up I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice {{message}} {{permutiveUid}} {{message}} Theatre stars unite: West End Live West End Live is returning to Trafalgar Square to celebrate Londons vibrant theatre offering. The casts of long-running and newer theatre shows will take to the stage to perform a selection of numbers. Popular productions taking part include The Lion King, Motown The Musical, Les Miserables, Kinky Boots and Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. If your old Pa loves a good sing song, West End live is the perfect opportunity for a sing-a-long. Trafalgar Square, WC2N 5DN, westendlive.co.uk Phobiarama An interactive installation exploring fear will launch in Kings Cross on June 8 and run until June 18. With its political ghost train, Phobiarama will quite literally take you for a ride exploring societys biggest fears. This theatrical haunted house promises to bring you face to face with threats and paranoia. 1 Wharf Rd, N1C 4BZ, liftfestival.com/events/phobiarama/ London Festival of Architecture Trashed: At Hoxton Square / Ali Tollervey The London Festival of Architecture runs from the 1-30 June, hosting over 400 events across the city and this year the theme is identity. Walk around City and perch on one of the specially-designed benches or head to Hoxton Square to see Richard Woods latest installation at Skip gallery; a house thats been trashed in a skip. Live At Chelsea Happy 70th birthday: Live at Chelsea / Happy 70th birthday: Live at Chelsea To celebrate its 70th birthday, Live at Chelsea is hosting an evening dedicated to Andrew Lloyd Webber on its last night at Royal Chelsea Hospital. The event will celebrate the famous music producer and feature performances of his work by West End stars and recording artists including the likes of Alfie Boe and Beverley Knight. Royal Hospital Chelsea, SW3 4SR, liveatchelsea.com Gillray's Steakhouse Tasty: Gillray's roast Gillrays Steakhouse in Londons County Hall is putting on a whisky tasting and meaty carvery on 17 June. At 3pm the Bourbon Bar will be hosting an exclusive tasting sampling a number of whiskies including Auchentoshan, The Macallan 12, Highland Park 12 and Laphroaig 10. To accompany the beverages its also offering guests a traditional British Sunday Roast. For more steak suggestions, read out pick of the best steak restaurants in London. London County Hall, SE1 7PB, gillrays.com Meltdown at Southbank Centre The Cures frontman Robert Smith is curating Meltdown festival at Southbank Centre. 2018 marks the 25th year of the festival and each year a different iconic artist curates their own personal event, revealing their influences and interests. Southbank Centre, SE1 8XX, southbankcentre.co.uk/ Underbelly Festival Celebrating: Underbelly festival is 10 this year / Underbelly Take a trip to Southbank where Underbelly festival is celebrating its 10th birthday. Grab a drink from the bar or some street food from one of the vans and relax in the colourful outdoor space packed full of benches and deck chairs. 30 The Queen's Walk, SE1 8XX, underbellyfestival.com Best of the best: Truefitt & Hill Truefitt & Hill Get Dad looking his absolute best at Truefitt & Hill. Given it's the world's oldest barbershop, it's little surprise the place does things the traditional way, and it's a taste of old world luxury. On the Saturday before the day itself, they're offering a particularly special father and son experience, which includes a hot towel wet shave, a haircut and a beard trim or facial. We've been and frankly, they're a cut above (pun fully intended). If you're really treating Pops, don't skimp on their colognes as a lingering reminder of the day; our favourite is Apsley, which is all cedar wood and musk and citrus. Gorgeous stuff. T&H are also teaming up with nearby Dukes; pop in afterwards for one of their infamous Martinis. Y azmin Lacey never set out to be a singer. Shed always sung, but for herself, or for friends, whod remark on the beauty of her blissed-out voice, the way it animates the life-skewering prose she likes to jot down on a napkin, a Rizla, the back of a cigarette packet whenever the mood takes her. The Nottingham-based Lacey, 29, would just shrug and smile and return to her day job as a youth worker. Until, bit by bit, the call of the muse grew too loud. There was an open mic night; a clutch of low-key local gigs; a place on Future Bubblers, the year-long talent development scheme founded by Gilles Petersons Brownswood label. A 2017 EP, Black Moon, recorded in her living room, showcased Laceys blend of soul-jazz grooves, laidback beats and oh-so-sultry vocals. Total original. Love what shes doing, enthused Radio 2s Jamie Cullum. Great new name for the UK, declared Peterson, vindicated, on BBC 6 Music, duly making Black Moon his Record of the Week. Its been pretty mad, says the straight-talking Lacey, an east Londoner who has invited comparisons with divas including her idol, Erykah Badu, with whom shes sharing a bill at Field Day this afternoon. A second EP, When The Sun Dips 90 Degrees, is out later this month. Im trying not to overthink it. Music Festivals in 2018: The best UK events to book tickets for now 1 /10 Music Festivals in 2018: The best UK events to book tickets for now Latitude As well as boasting one of the most eclectic lineups of the year (The Killers, Alt J and Solange, The Vaccines, Rag N Bone Man, Mogwai and John Hopkins all perform in 2018), Latitude also boasts a diverse arts lineup. Fans can expect strong comedy, theatre, poetry and literature and street food offerings across the weekend in and amongst the bands. Its the UKs biggest boutique festival and one of the best of the entire year. July 12 - 15. Suffolk Reading & Leeds Attending Reading festival and its naughty little brother Leeds has become something of a right of passage for young music fans across the country, and 2018 promises to be no different. Theyre two of the biggest, booziest and most bonkers festival experiences to bad in the UK this year. The lineup sees Kendrick Lamar, Kings of Leon and Fall Out Boy top the bill at the twin events this year and there's always plenty to discover across the festivals nine stages too. August 24 - 26. Reading & Leeds PA Archive/PA Images Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight festival is one of the most established events on the UK summer circuit, with an illustrious history to boot. Three huge events took place on the Isle of Wight between 1968 and 1970 before the festival was revived in 2002. A huge selection of acts are taking part in 2018, with Chase & Status, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Manic Street Preachers, Depeche Mode, The Killers, Kasabian, Van Morrison and Liam Gallagher all performing over the weekend. June 21 - 24. Isle of Wight Isle of Wight festival Bestival Bestival relocated from the Isle of Wight to Dorset last year, and organisers are looking to see in the second year at the new festival site in style. There's a promising line up already confirmed, with M.I.A, Jorja Smith, London Grammar, Grace Jones, Plan B and Chaka Khan all perform in 2018. Bestival is known for being one of the most colourful experiences of the summer calendar, and if you like dressing up and letting your hair down, theres no better festival in the country. August 2 - 5. Dorset Getty Images Download UK metal institution Download takes place at Derby's Donington Park this summer, with Guns n' Roses, Avenged Sevenfold and Ozzy Osbourne set to headline. The festival has entertained UK metal fans ever since launching back in 2003 and all the early signs are suggesting this year will be the biggest celebration yet. June 8 - 10. Leicestershire Creamfields The ever-popular Creamfields is the UKs biggest dance music festival, celebrating house, drum & bass and techno over August bank holiday weekend. The festival will welcome 40,000 people a day to its site in Daresbury, Cheshire this year, with legendary DJ Carl Cox set to headline. He follows the likes of deadmau5, The Chainsmokers Tiesto, Martin Garrix, Hardwell, Armin van Buuren and Eric Prydz who performed in 2017. August 23 - 26. Cheshire Green Man Festival The Green Man Festival site, nestled in amongst the beautiful Brecon Beacons, is one of the most picturesque anywhere in the UK and the setting for one of the best artisan festivals of the year. Its a boutique festival experience on a big scale, with arts events, strong comedy lineups and fantastic food on offer over the weekend. Fleet Foxes, the War On Drugs and Grizzly Bear have all been confirmed for the 2018 event. August 16 - 19. Brecon Beacons End of the Road Festival End of the Road is a gem of a festival tucked away in South Wiltshere. Discerning music lovers are drawn to the boutique event every year to see a diverse lineup of critically acclaimed and hotly-tipped artists. This year Vampire Weekend, St Vincent and Feist will headline the festival, while the likes of Yo La Tengo, Ezra Furman, Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, John Cale and Fat White Family also perform. August 31 - September 3. South Wiltshere End of the Road festival TRNSMT Arctic Monkeys mark their only confirmed UK date of 2018 with a performance at Glasgows TRNSMT, four years after their last headline slot at Reading & Leeds festival. Liam Gallagher, Stereophonics, Courteeners and Interpol also perform at this, one of the UKs biggest musical events of the summer. June 29 - 30. Glasgow TRNSMT Festival No. 6 Franz Ferdinand and Friendly Fires headline this diverse and multifaceted event, which all takes place in a stunning Portmeirion setting. Jessie Ware, Everything Everything, The Charlatans, Django Django, Ride and Anna Calvi also perform, but the family-friendly festival also celebrates arts, theatre and comedy across the course of the weekend. September 6 - 9. Portmeirion Festival No.6 Nerves used to be a problem. Getting drunk and impressing new friends with your God-given pipes was one thing. Getting on stage was another. This was 2014. Having spotted her name on a flyer It was real! a petrified Lacey kept her promise. Clutching a glass of wine, accompanied by a guitarist, she sang three of her beautifully melodic tunes with her eyes on the floor. If someone gives you a chance youve got to step up, says Lacey, sitting in a bar behind Oxford Street. This was stuff I hadnt meant for people to hear. I was so scared Id freeze up. The first few gigs I did, Id be sick afterwards. With practice, and the backing of a five-piece band led by classically trained keyboardist and soundscaper, Pete Beardsworth, a fellow Future Bubbler alumni, Lacey found her stage legs and refined her lovely, floating sound. Tracks such as Heaven, A Mother Lost and Something My Heart Trusts came daubed with vocals that feel intimate, filtered through gauze, lending sweetness to such punchy lyrics as You wont shut the f**k up / and I wont let you in, or teetering on Cockney-flat vowels before gliding silkily away. The title track of 90 Degrees is about that time of the day or night when you lock off from the outside world and create your own atmosphere, give thanks for whats breathing love into your life and smoke off the f**keries. Its a tune inspired by her shared household in Nottingham, to where Lacey moved in 2010 after studying drama and education in Leicester, working for and then running a charity programme for young people. Music was her release: shed to and fro ideas in her kitchen, a popular hangout for musicians, MCs and other creatives. If it wasnt for music I dont think I could have done that job. The best London music festivals of 2018 1 /11 The best London music festivals of 2018 South West Four Clapham Common plays host to one of Londons biggest dance music festivals over August bank holiday weekend, as South West Four celebrates its 15th anniversary. The first acts have just been announced for the festival, with the likes of Stefflon Don, Dizzee Rascal, Bugzy Malone and Craig David set to join headliners Chase and Status on the bill. Standard weekend tickets begin at 115 and go on presale on Wednesday, January 17. Wireless One of the blockbuster London events of the summer comes in the form of Finsbury Parks Wireless Festival, which opens its doors for the weekend of July 6-8. Stormzy will headline this year's event, alongside J Cole and DJ Khaled. The festival is great chance to see some of the biggest acts in dance, rock and pop in north London this summer, even if the male-dominated lineup caused a backlash on social media after being announced. Weekend tickets come in at 160, but individual day tickets begin at 55. We Are FSTVL We Are FSTVL celebrating its sixth year in 2018, and offers up one of the strongest dance, bass and grime offerings of the summer. Its Upminster location means its a little out of town, but well worth travelling to for fans of dance, bass and grime. DJs Charlie Sloth, Andy C, Carl Cox, DJ Ez, Eric Prydz and Marco Carola are all performing this year, but while the main stage is a great draw, the house tent also puts on great acts during the day. Field Day Field Day first came to Victoria Park ten years ago, and quickly developed a reputation for being a great celebration of alternative music in London. Electronica royalty Aphex Twin performed alongside King Gizzard & the Lizzard Wizard and Run The Jewels at the festival in 2017, and 2018 could prove to be the biggest year yet for the festival. However, the festival is moving to Brockwell Park this year, and the change of location has stirred up controversy. Guardians of Brockwell park have launched a petition to pull the plug on the festival, which could potentially prove a problem for festival organisers. However, Field Day has been a major London event for over a decade, and almost certainly will be a big player for years to come. GALA In an amongst the woods of Peckham Rye Park on May 27 youll find GALA festival, celebrating independent and alternative music in South London. The event moved from Brockwell Park last year, where it welcomed the likes of Crazy P and Horse Meat Disco, along with loads of great food and drink options. Tickets are priced from just 20-40, so if youre looking for somewhere new this summer, GALA could be a great place to try. British Summer Time The Cure, Michael Buble, Eric Clapton, Bruno Mars and Pink Floyds Roger Waters are all performing in Hyde Park as part of British Summer Time this July, which promises to be the biggest series of shows the capital has on offer this year. Even better, each headliner is backed by a fantastic roster of support acts, with the likes of Interpol, Santana and Goldfrapp also performing across the course of the festival series. Community Indie fans from all over the city will be descending on Finsbury Park on July 1 for Community, a one-day celebration of alternative rock music in north London. The event champions up and coming bands, as well as established names like Circa Waves, The Vaccines and headliners Two Door Cinema Club. Its great value too, at just 40 plus booking fee for a ticket, making this one of the best options for music fans on a budget. Hampton Court Palace festival The Hampton Court Palace festival series is a chance for pop fans to take in a wide selection of widely-loved artists in one of the most impressive settings in the entire city. 2018 sees Gary Barlow and The Beach Boys play two nights a piece, with Jools Holland and guitarist Joe Bonamassa also performing on separate nights. Its one of the more sophisticated music events of the summer, with tickets ranging from 49 to 149. All Points East Its the newest new music festival series in London, and its already shaping up to be one of the best... This year, for the first time, Victoria Park is playing host to All Points East, a shiny new celebration of alternative music in east London, welcoming a host of brilliant acts across May 25-27. LCD Soundsystem, The xx and Bjork headline the three days, while the likes of Beck, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Phoenix, Lorde and Father John Misty are also set to perform. All Points East is single-handedly making it an exciting time to be a music fan in east London. Getty Images Citadel Citadel is one of the newest names on Londons summer festival lineup, having launched in 2015, and finds a middle ground between boutique and mainstream events. Theres an alternative, but accessible feel to past lineups with likes of Foals, Laura Marling, Ben Howard and Bombay Bicycle Club headlining Citadel over the last few years. Were still waiting for the first line-up announcement for this years event. However, the festival is in the process of moving from Victoria Park to south east Londons Brockwell Park this summer and organisers will be looking to see in the new surroundings in style. Lovebox Lovebox festival, formed by DJs Groove Armada, has been bringing some of the most eclectic mix of acts to London for over a decade. After welcoming Frank Ocean, Jamie XX and Solange to headline their biggest year to date in 2017, Lovebox has relocated to Brockwell Park, near Brixton. Its a huge move for the festival, and much like Field Day, guardians of Brockwell park have launched a petition to pull the plug on the festival. However, all being well, Lovebox will remain an institution for Londons music fans in 2018 and prove to be a must-attend event this summer. There has always been music. The youngest of four, Lacey grew up on a council estate in Manor Park, E12, the daughter of Caribbean immigrants, a driving instructor and a dinner lady (My mum would always dress so glamorously for work, like Diana Ross). Her early years were soundtracked by reggae, soca and dancehall, by the American rap and new jack swing pulsing through her brothers bedroom doors and, later, the grime, garage and broken beat that ricocheted around the estate. The estate was vibes, with lots of kids around. A smile. Youre exposed to a lot when you grow up in places like this, but you learn common sense quickly. She tells of summer holidays playing in the school next door, via a hole dug under a fence, of putting on a talent show in an estate alleyway, aged nine, with an older girl whod been to stage school, of her decision to attend the acclaimed youth theatre programme at nearby Theatre Royal Stratford East. Acting came easily. There were small roles on stage and more on TV. But as the castings rolled in they became predictable: Teenage girl with attitude, teenage girl robbing a shop, teenage girl pregnant Lacey pauses. I knew I wasnt comfortable with how I was being represented. So I decided to express myself on my own. She wrote radio plays, ran drama class warm-ups, wrote down thoughts sparked by conversations, observations, life. She started turning them into songs, into the original material that has become her trademark. Its her need to speak the truth, she says, that aligned her with the young British jazz scene, where creative risk-taking is a given: That unapologetic minute in the middle of a track where the vibe feels right so they go for it. When I first heard it I was, like, Okay, this is rebellion music. For me its about owning your vulnerability, she continues. Realising that no matter who you are, shit happens. There are always lessons to be learnt. And having learnt to enjoy the journey, Lacey is casting her net wide. Ive just started DJ-ing. Im working on a project with [Nottingham electronic duo] Congi. I want to do female collaborations; I meet loads of women who say its so nice to see someone who looks like me, saying things that connect. Lacey flashes a grin. Connection, for me, is what its all about. T heres a star-studded month of theatre coming up this June, both onstage and behind the scenes. From the long awaited transfer of Alison Bechdel's Fun Home to the end of an 11 year absence for Orlando Bloom, it's a feast for culture vultures. Here's our guide to what you need to see at the theatre in London this month. Killer Joe Marc Brenner Orlando Bloom makes his return to the stage after an 11 year absence, in the starring role of Joe Cooper, a cop moonlighting as a hitman. In Tracy Letts darkly comic thriller directed by Simon Evans, a family plan to murder their estranged matriarch to get her insurance money. When he meets their innocent daughter, played by Sophie Cookson, the plan goes awry. Adam Gillen, Neve McIntosh and Steffan Rhodri complete the cast. Until August 18, Trafalgar Studios, atgtickets.com Leave Taking Helen Murray In this revival of Winsome Pinnocks award-winning play, a family negotiate different generational attitudes and frictions. When single mother Enid takes her two daughters, Del and Viv, to see an obeah woman for a bit of traditional Caribbean soul healing, a little more is revealed than intended. Bush Theatre artistic director Madani Younis directs this production three decades after it debuted. Until June 30, Bush Theatre bushtheatre.co.uk Translations Catherine Ashmore Colin Morgan and Ciaran Hinds star in Brian Friels study of language, identity and nationhood. Owen returns to his hometown in rural Donegal from Dublin accompanied by two British army officers. They want to replace the Gaelic names on the map with English. While the script is written entirely in English, the characters speak different languages and cant, or wont, understand each other. Ian Rickson directs the play, looking at Irish history, cultural imperialism and the power of language. Until August 11, Olivier National Theatre, nationaltheatre.org.uk Notes From the Field Joan Marcus Pioneer of verbatim theatre Anna Deavere Smith brings her Obie Award winning performance to the Royal Court for LIFT festival, shining a light on a broken justice system that pushes youth of colour out of the classroom and straight into prison. She interviewed more than 250 students, parents, teachers and staff who have found themselves helpless in Americas poverty to prison pipeline. This is Smiths first London appearance in more than 25 years. June 13-23, Royal Court Theatre, royalcourttheatre.com My Name is Lucy Barton (Jason Bell) Lucy Barton awakes from an operation to find her mother, who she hasnt seen in years, at the end of her hospital bed. This dramatisation of Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strouts best-selling novel sees Laura Linney take on the role of Lucy in this monologue as she finds herself as a writer and comes to terms with family estrangement and her desperate escape from a traumatic rural childhood to New York. June 2-24, Bridge Theatre, bridgetheatre.co.uk The Turn of the Screw Feast Creative Wrap up warm - this one will give you the shivers. Benjamin Britten and Myfanwy Pipers operatic reimagining of Henry James horror novella gets a chilling staging under then open sky. Timothy Sheader directs and Toby Purser conducts members of the English National Opera revealing the unearthly encounters at a remote country home as a young governess desperately tries to protect her children. June 22-30, Regents Park Open Air Theatre, openairtheatre.com Consent Johan Persson Fresh from a sold out season at the National Theatre last year, Consent transfers to the Harold Pinter Theatre, starring Stephen Campbell Moore, Claudie Blakley, Sian Clifford and Adam James. Nina Raines play begins with two barrister friends on opposite sides of a rape trial, and continues as their own lives unravel with each further investigation of the truth. Until August 11, Harold Pinter Theatre, nationaltheatre.org.uk Machinal Clara Giaminardi From machine to Machinal - Humans star Emily Berrington leaves behind the robot to play a woman who murders her husband. Journalist Sophie Treadwells little-known play gets a breath of new life at the Almeida in Natalie Abrahamis production of Machinal. Based on a real-life murder case from 1928, Berrington plays a young woman who marries a repulsive man and finds herself slowly suffocating. June 4 - July 21, Almeida Theatre, almeida.co.uk Fun Home Finally reaching London from an uproarious reception on Broadway (five Tony Awards worth), this musical is based on Alison Bechdels autobiographical graphic novel. Jenna Russell is among the cast, telling the story of Bechdels upbringing in her fathers funeral home, and her exploration of her sexuality at college. June 18 - September 2, Young Vic, youngvic.org The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie David Stewart Miss Jean Brodie teaches at Marcia Blaine School for Girls, but she doesnt stick to the curriculum. Preferring romanticism over facts, she handpicks a select group of girls to impart her knowledge, in return for absolute devotion. As the girls grow older and less impressionable, Miss Brodies manipulation over her favourite students only intensifies. With Lia Williams in the title role, Muriel Sparks iconic novel gets a new adaptation by David Harrower. N o good food in Cuba? Think again. As food writer Imogene Tondre proves, theres many a culinary delight to be found in the capital... WHAT TO DRINK While the most important cocktails in Cuba are the Mojito (below) and Daiquiri, another authentic drink is the Canchanchara (rum with honey and a touch of lime), which can be found at Cafe Madrigal on Calle 17 in Vedado, run by a former Cuban film-maker Rafael Rosales and ensconced in an old colonial house. Of course, cocktails are always enjoyable but the citys No 1 beverage recommendation is La Juguera del 6, a small juice stand in the Vedado neighbourhood (Calle 6 between Primera and Tercera). It serves more than 100 delicious combinations of natural fruit and vegetable juices, as well as gazpacho, fruit salads and more. WHERE TO STAY There are casas particulares Cubas version of B&Bs all around the city. For those who want to be close to the tourist centre, Old Havana is the place to go with its narrow streets and colourful (if somewhat crumbling, below) facades. If you are looking for a calmer, more residential feel, the neighbourhoods of Vedado, with its grand reclaimed mansions and lively Saturday night scene, or Miramar are good options. Off the beaten path you can stay in Cerro, La Vibora or Santo Suarez. WHAT TO EAT If youre in Vedado, dont miss out on the excellent, eco-friendly vegetarian food served at Camino al Sol. In Old Havana, check out San Juan Bar & Grill for authentic Cuban food. Venture out to the fishing village Cojimar and stop by Ajiaco Cafe for the most traditional of Cuban dishes: the thick, succulent stew known as ajiaco. And if you are in or near La Vibora municipality, you can find delicious traditional tostones (twice-fried and pounded plantain slices) at La Fondita Heredia. WHERE TO VISIT For food-related excursions, visit the organic farm in Alamar (organoponico Alamar), east of the city centre. If you go in the morning, you can buy some fresh produce and enjoy a refreshing guarapo (juice squeezed from sugar cane on the spot). And then there are the bustling farmers markets in Vedado. If youre more than a little curious about where Cubans buy their food, go by the corners of 19 and B or 17 and K, stocked with mountains of rainbow coloured fruit and veg from local co-operatives. WHERE TO SHOP A young man was fighting for life in hospital today after being shot multiple times in north west London. The victim, believed to be in his 20s, was found with bullet wounds in Lawrence Avenue, Stonebridge, shortly after 8.30pm yesterday. He was treated at the scene before being taken to hospital in a critical condition. Another man in his 20s was also critically injured after being stabbed just over a mile away about two hours later, police said. The road where the shooting happened was sealed off last night as forensic officers examined a silver car that appeared to be peppered with bullet holes. Police at the scene of the shooting in north-west London / Lucy Young One woman, who asked not to be named, said the victim had been shot with a machine gun as he arrived at his family home to break fast for Ramadan. She told the Standard: Apparently a car pulled up alongside him while he was sitting in his car and he was shot eight times. We think it was a machine gun as it happened quickly. Someone saw him holding his neck. A car at the scene of the shooting in north-west London / Lucy Young Hes a good lad, I just dont understand why this has happened. Hes so polite and hes not a horrible guy. It was a bit of a shock when I was told who it was. George Nayinda, 50, spoke of his fear after hearing a hail of gunfire ring out in the quiet residential street. He told the Standard: I heard it from my bedroom and came downstairs to check on my kids and make sure no bullets had come through the windows. I then pulled the curtains back and I saw the police and someone said they [the victim] had been shot in the neck. Ive been telling my wife its not safe to bring kids up here. Guns are rampant. You never know whats going to happen tomorrow. My son was really scared he was crying. A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: Police were called by the London Ambulance Service at approximately 8.34pm to reports of a man with gunshot injuries on Lawrence Avenue, Brent. Officers attended. A man, believed to be aged in his 20s, has been taken to a central London hospital with injuries that are believed to be life-threatening. A crime scene is in place and no arrests have been made at this stage. :: Two men were fighting for their lives in hospital last night after separate attacks in south London. A man, 23, was found with stab injuries in Creek Road, Greenwich, at about 8.10pm yesterday. Another man was found with head injuries in Albert Square, Stockwell, after police received reports of a fight just after 5.50pm. T he father of a 16-year-old boy fatally shot outside a leisure centre issued a heartfelt plea today for more stop and search to end the horrendous killings on Londons streets. It came as Scotland Yard renewed an appeal for help to catch the killer of the teenage victim, Amaan Shakoor, who was gunned down at the Walthamstow centre two months ago. Amaans father Mohammed Shakoor, 48, said his death had devastated their family. He told how his son had just popped out to meet friends after a meal on the evening of April 2, saying he would be back soon. Mr Shakoor, a welfare reform officer for Waltham Forest council, said: I will never forget hearing those words Amaan has been shot for as long as I live. I find it hard to remember a lot after that, it all seemed to happen so quickly. Going to the scene, being at the hospital, talking to the doctors... being told there was no hope, being told that my beautiful son was surely going to die. He added: You are never prepared for something like this, we still cannot believe that it has happened. His mother is particularly bad. You hear about these things on TV but you dont think it will happen to you. Amaan, a pupil at Kelmscott School and the youngest of four siblings, was standing outside the centre in Markhouse Road at about 10pm when he was approached by two hooded youths and shot in the face. He died the next day in hospital. He was the tenth teenager to be murdered in London this year. He was killed on the same night as 17-year-old Tanesha Melbourne who was shot dead in Tottenham. Police say there is no link between the two murders. Mr Shakoor said: Amaan was a quiet boy, kind-hearted. He was just a normal teenager who liked films and meeting his friends. As far as I am concerned he was not involved in gangs or drugs. As a parent you make sure your children have everything they need so they do not have to look elsewhere. I did my best to do that. We have seen a real increase in crimes in this area this year. With the postcode wars you can be a regular teenager in the wrong area and suddenly you are a target, that is what is happening. I think the police should do more stop and search because these individuals are carrying weapons. If we can put the fear into them to stop carrying weapons maybe we can reduce these horrendous crimes. They are happening literally every day. The family said in a statement that we have been handed a life sentence due to the senseless murder of our beloved child. Detective Chief Inspector Gary Holmes, leading the investigation, said: Somebody out there has the information we need to complete the puzzle for the sake of Amaans family, tell us what you know so that we can bring the offenders to justice. T wo teenagers were rushed to hospital after a suspected acid attack near an east London Tube station. Witnesses poured water on the faces of the young victims, aged 17 and 18, after they became involved in an "altercation" shortly before midnight on Thursday, police said. Emergency services rushed to the scene in London Road, close to Plaistow station, at 11.47pm. Scotland Yard said an 18-year-old man received burns to his face from a corrosive substance and cuts to his head. A 17-year-old boy also received burns to his face as well as minor cuts to his knee. Paramedics rushed both victims to an east London hospital. A Met Police spokesman said: Their injuries are not life threatening or life changing. A woman was stabbed to death and a young man was left fighting for his life in a machine gun attack as London was hit by a night of shocking violence. Three other men were stabbed in separate incidents that occurred in the capital within hours of each other, prompting concerns that violence was rampant in parts of the capital. Police asked for anyone who witnessed the violence to come forward and share any evidence they may have. Three of the incidents, including the fatal stabbing and the shooting, happened in Brent, prompting police to reassure residents that it is a "safe and vibrant borough". Police at the scene of the shooting in north-west London / Lucy Young The young man who was shot is believed to have been the victim of a machine gun attack after witnesses described hearing semi-automatic gunfire. The victim, aged in his twenties, was found with gunshot wounds on the Stonebridge estate in Harlesden shortly after 8.30pm on Thursday. He was treated at the scene and rushed to hospital where he is critical. The road remained sealed off today and a silver car that appeared to be peppered with bullet holes was covered with a tent. A witness said: I was walking up Shakespeare Road when I heard about 15 shots. They were in quick succession. The victim was slumped in the front seat and his brother ran outside too. He said a car sped off up the road past him. Shooting: A nearby car appeared to be covered in bullet holes / Lucy Young One woman said the victim was shot with a machine gun as he arrived at his home. She said: Apparently a car pulled up alongside him while he was sitting in his car. Hes a good lad, I dont understand why this has happened. Geoff Lamp, 35, a father of one, said: It sounded like a semi-automatic. Another resident, George Nayinda, 50, said: I came downstairs to check on my kids and make sure no bullets had come through the windows. Its not safe to bring kids up here. Guns are rampant. At around 10.30pm, a man was stabbed in Rainborough Close just over a mile away from the shooting. The scene of the shooting in Stonebridge, Brent The victim, believed to be in his twenties, was in a life-threatening condition and the attack prompted police to issue a Section 60 order to give the extra powers to carry out stop and searches on the Stonebridge estate amid fears of tit-for-tat gang attacks. Hours later, at around 2.30am, a woman was attacked in a flat in Neasden Lane, also in Brent. Police and ambulance crews were called at 2.32am and treated her at the scene but she died shortly afterwards. A 43-year-old man, who is known to the victim, was arrested on suspicion of murder. Brent Superintendent Tim Alexander said: "Overnight we found ourselves in the unusual position of having to deal with three violent incidents in our borough of Brent. Stonebridge shooting: Young man in hospital after 'machine gun' attack in North-West London "I understand the communitys concerns regarding last nights events, but I would like to reassure the people who live and work in Brent that we remain a safe and vibrant "The community can expect to see extra officers on the streets of Brent over the coming days and I would urge anyone who has any concerns to feel free to approach them." Also during the night a 23-year-old man was found with stab injuries in Creek Road, Deptford while a man aged 28 was knifed on the Old Kent Road in the early hours. Police were unable to say what condition they were in this morning. Meanwhile detectives investigating the murder of a man, 42, in Chelsea on Wednesday night said one line of inquiry is he had been attacked in a robbery. The victim, said to be a father of three, was found in Cathcart Road but is thought to have been attacked nearby. T wo London scientists have each won a prestigious 15,000 award designed to help them continue with their vital research. Dr Yanlan Mao from University College London and Dr Lucia Prieto-Godino from the Francis Crick Institute were among five winners of the highly contested LOreal Unesco For Women In Science award. The award aims to provide women with practical financial support to help keep them in the scientific community. Winners can spend the cash on scientific equipment, childcare costs, travel costs or whatever they need to continue their research. Dr Mao won the award for her work exploring cell and tissue repair after injury, which could ultimately help scar reduction and advanced wound healing. The mother of one, who was born in China, currently spends half her salary on nursery fees, and her lab is funded by grants, which has until now restricted her research capabilities. Winner: Dr Yanlan Mao encourages girls in China to pursue careers in science (Lucinda Marland ) / Lucinda Marland She will spend the money on her childcare costs, and also to fund an outreach programme in schools in China to encourage more girls to pursue careers in science. Dr Prieto-Godino is a neuroscientist who is researching the development of the brain. She also runs a not-for-profit organisation to promote scientific research in Africa. The money will help her to continue this outreach work. She will use it to pay for a part-time secretary for her organisation, allowing her to spend more time on research as well as her outreach. Dr Beth Taylor, chair of the UK National Commission for Unesco, said: The LOreal-Unesco awards champion female scientists and it is important that we bring the achievements of these women into the lives of those who could be the next generation of scientists. Dr Steve Shiel, a LOreal director, said: These fellowships are designed to encourage, but also showcase, the amazing contribution female scientists are making. A family-run barber shop that became a Square Mile institution is closing down after 114 years. Chris Christodoulou, owner of the F Flittner barbershop at 86 Moorgate, bid an emotional farewell to scores of loyal customers yesterday after running the shop for five decades. The store has the original wood carved Edwardian fixtures, mirrors and glasswork and remains popular with City workers who want a traditional haircut or shave during their lunch hour. The closure is the culmination of three years of battling the City of London Corporation, which almost doubled his rent until finally backing down. Chris Christodoulou has been running F Flittner to a loyal customer base since 1970 / Alex Lentati The shop is listed as part of the Bridge House Estates Charitable Trust and City of London has a legal obligation to achieve market rent on behalf of the trust. Three months ago City of London agreed Mr Christodoulou could remain at the same rent, but he said that by that point he had had enough and feared getting into further debt if he continued to run the business. He said he was devastated to make the decision and has been visited by scores of wellwishers. Mr Christodoulou said: We are the last of the old shops left, the barber shops have disappeared one by one. We are the only one left and a bit of a Moorgate institution. It was only on Bank Holiday Monday I told people I was closing and Ive spent the last few days explaining to loyal customers I have to shut. He added: I decided three months ago I couldnt take any more. The expense of staying afloat was draining me, so I decided to hand the lease back to the landlords. Its just not sustainable, shops are dropping like flies around here because of high rents. The shop opened in 1904 and Mr Christodoulous father took over in 1970 until his death three years later. Mr Christodoulou has run it ever since. "We are the last of the old shops. The barbers have disappeared one by one. We are a bit of an institution" He added: I am passionate about this shop and wanted to carry on and then hand it over to someone else when I retire but I cant do that now. My plans are to spend time with my wife of 48 years and my five grandchildren. A spokesman for the City of London Corporation said any future alterations to the Edwardian interior would need listed building consent. A pioneering public referendum on proposed curbs on construction of huge residential towers in Docklands could be given the go-ahead next week. Isle of Dogs residents want to make it illegal for developers to build large schemes unless they guarantee that infrastructure, such as schools, utilities and transport links are put in place. The demand for a public vote follows a Tower Hamlets council report that concluded over-development had left the area which includes the Canary Wharf district with an infrastructure funding gap of almost 1 billion. Tower Hamlets has the fastest growing population in Britain and it is projected to soar by more than a quarter to 355,400 by 2024. Over-development has put extreme pressure on gas and water mains and Thames Water has warned that sewers will not be able to cope. The Isle of Dogs Neighbourhood Planning Forum spent three years drafting a plan to force the council and City Hall to consider the existing populations needs before approving huge new developments. An independent examiner is expected to decide next week if it can go to a public vote this year. Six neighbourhood plans have been put in place in the capital since they were introduced under 2011 legislation. If approved, the Isle of Dogs plan would be the first in east London. B usinesses caught up in the London Bridge attack today sent out a message of defiance as they prepared to mark the anniversary. The area around Borough Market was turned into a scene of carnage when the terrorists struck on June 3 last year. On the night of the attack Esther Zea, 22, manager of the German beer hall Katzenjammer, walked upstairs to look out of her pubs doors. She saw a man covered in blood and another person whose cheek was cut open. One year on, she said: We shouldnt be scared of these cowards. Terrorism wont stop me from going to a pub or to the market or seeing my friends and having a drink. Between us and everyone at Borough Market there is a stronger bond. Londoners flee in the aftermath of the terror attack in Borough Market / PA Jack Applebee, from Applebees fish restaurant, said the whole public would not be cowed by the terrorists. The 25-year-old from Woodford said watching the Manchester Arena attack coverage two weeks earlier helped me come up with a plan for what he would do in a similar emergency. Scenes in Borough Market after it reopened for the first time following the attack / PA Mr Applebee was given a 20-second head start thanks to the warning shouts of student nurse Rhiannon Owen, who alerted people that the knifemen were charging around the corner. He said: I knew if something happened I would get everyone inside and close the shutters, get them out back and maybe escape on to the roof. The advice to help everyone stay calm also helped. We were pouring wine for everyone locked up with us and trying to keep spirits high. We thought there was bloody war going on outside but everyone dealt with it in their own way. In the days after the atrocity, many traders could not access their businesses because of a police cordon stretching from London Bridge to the bottom of Borough High Street. Richard Martin, owner of Wokit noodle bar on Stoney Street, called the terrorists rampage an attack on our culture. Two of his staff, one of whom nearly had their throat slit, were unable to return to work due to the trauma. But the 28-year-old from Notting Hill said the market pulled together and showed a British spirit of a stiff upper lip, adding: Everyone was pitching and helping each other and sharing. There was a feeling of screw you, were back. There was a mentality not to let it affect us and to keep going. Eleven days after the attack, Borough Markets bell rang out to declare Londons oldest fruit and veg market back open. The clean-up at Wokit took three days after the cordon came down. Mr Martin said: When we returned everything was as we had left it. People had left food out. There were still plates everywhere. People even left taps on so our kitchen was flooded. It was a chefs nightmare. Joana Soares, 23, a waitress at Elliots Cafe in Stoney Street, where a colleague was stabbed, said: After the attack we all felt stronger. There was this sense of supporting the market and businesses that had been through this calamity. A ll change for the Proms, the beloved BBC staple. Production of the annual event has been put out to competitive tender, sparking fears by classical music fans of decline in quality. It is the latest title to be put out to tender, whereby various companies can bid to run the service, as part of the corporations attempt to open up more of the BBCs TV programmes to competition. This means that independent TV crews will film the Proms, presented by Katie Derham, far left, in the Royal Albert Hall. The Proms in the Park, the last night of which will be hosted by Michael Ball, left, will not be affected. Fans were quick to criticise the decision, announced yesterday. The BBCs technical coverage of the Proms has been superb, wrote Norman Lebrecht on his music blog, Is there a huge saving to be made by contracting this out at the same professional level? Or is this a prelude to letting it slide down the hill? In their statement the Corporation noted, The BBC will retain all intellectual property rights for the programmes, adding The management of the BBC Proms will remain in BBC Radio Commissioning, and the Proms coverage on Radio 3 will not be impacted by the tender. This wasnt enough for some. Another slippery slope for BBC, one aficionado grumbles. Its their Proms why would they think that anyone else would do a better, cheaper, job? says another. A Question of Sport, Holby City, Doctors and Songs of Praise all went through the same process, although only Songs of Praise was awarded to two independent producers. Richard Dawkins, chief operating officer of BBC Content, said: We are continuing to make good progress towards opening up the production of more of the BBCs programming to competition. One online commenter summed up the frustration: Why BBC? If it aint broke? New man recruited for Night Manager 2 A spy-like tap on the shoulder for Charles Cumming, who has been enlisted to help write the second series of The Night Manager. Cumming, author of new book The Man Between, is well qualified: not only has he written reams of spy fiction, he was also approached by MI6 back in 1995. He joins writer Matthew Orton on script duties. Its uncertain whether John le Carre, whose book inspired series one, will provide new material for its sequel, but Tom Hiddleston fans may hope for a repeat of one cheeky scene. --- Congrats to chefs Angela Hartnett and Neil Borthwick, who married on May 19. They met when Borthwick joined the kitchen at the Connaught where Hartnett a protegee of Gordon Ramsay was head chef. The nuptials were on the same day as the royal wedding. Food writer Tom Parker Bowles, son of The Duchess of Cornwall, attended both. --- Laurence Fox is playing Lord Palmerston in the new series of Victoria on ITV. But his big arm tattoos take a lot of time to hide under make-up. He posted a photo of his make-up artist this morning. She tells me that covering them up is the highlight of her day, he says,with tongue in cheek. An expectant mum? Now thats a swell reason to join the party Model Chanel Iman is making the most of the London party scene before giving in to a different kind of sleepless night. The former Victorias Secret Angel recently announced that she and her husband, gridiron star Sterling Shepard, are expecting a child. Last night she was out in Piccadilly for an event billed as an LA Party in London. Fellow model Winnie Harlow, who hosted the party, was excited to celebrate the news, kneeling to kiss Imans bump. Harlow rose to fame on reality show Americas Next Top Model but has since claimed that the format did not help her find work. That really didnt do anything for my career, she said. It doesnt do anything for any models career, realistically. Other guests at the party, held at Cafe Hotel Royal, included Harlows model friends Nickayla Rivera and Olivia Culpo, rapper BlocBoy JB and American actress Victoria Justice. The evening toasted the London launch of Revolve, an American online retailer. SW1A Kate Hoey, pictured, the Labour MP for Vauxhall who went on a boat with Nigel Farage as part of a Brexit stunt, accuses a Lib-Dem MEP of treacherous behaviour. Catherine Bearder complained of emails, tweets and comments she gets from trolls calling her a traitor for her anti-Brexit stance. But Hoey doesnt disagree with them. To work closely with EU officials against UK interests is treacherous, she insists. --- Culture Secretary Matt Hancock is pounding the pavement: this week he backed Good Gym, which encourages people to exercise. Hancock, along with founder Ivo Gormley, went for a run that ended with helping a local woman move some boxes in her home. --- Labour Lives struggles continue: party staffers are being told they must attend the event, and some parliamentary assistants may even have to work, says the New European. Labour by name. Today listeners are kept on their metal Apologetic: Nick Robinson (Photo by Jeff Overs/BBC News & Current Affairs via Getty Images) / BBC News & Current Affairs via G THE Today programme has crossed a line: this morning Nick Robinson used the American pronunciation of aluminum. The backlash was immediate, and Robinson quickly reacted. An apology, he tweeted mere minutes after coming off air. I deeply regret the distress and outrage sparked by my use of the US pronunciation aloominum in an interview with, well, an American. I will be more steely in future. Bedtime Bill: Bill Nighy (Paul Dav ey/SWNS) H eathrow bosses face a battle to convince Labour that a third runway can be operated within air pollution limits. Labour has set four tests on whether to back expansion of the airport relating to noise, air quality, climate change and economic growth. Party chiefs are demanding the plans take into account recommendations made in an authoritative report by the Commons transport committee. The committee backed a third runway but demanded safeguards before approval is granted, including on air quality, surface access, connectivity, costs and charges, noise, community impact, and waste management. Heathrow Airport through the years - In pictures 1 /25 Heathrow Airport through the years - In pictures 1978 Welcome to Heathrow Evening Standard 1936 The entrance to the Great West Aerodrome now Heathrow Airport Daily Mail 1946 A wartime bomber waits on a runway at what was London Airport, where workmen are laying cinders on a waterlogged section of the airfield. The first plane to take off was a converted Lancaster bomber Getty Images 1946 Traffic clerk Doreen Haines walking French children along the runway to their plane home Getty Image 1965 The Queen's Building (left) and the No.1 Building Europa Getty Images 1962 The scene after Britain had been hit by the worst blizzard since 1947 1962 The BEA West London Air Terminal on Cromwell Road. The site served as a check-in facility for travellers Getty Images 1965 Tourists waiting at during the luggage porters' strike Getty Images 1966 The Beatles just before they set out for America for their 1966 tour Getty Images 1966 Muhammad Ali waves as he boards his plane Evening Standard 1969 The Queen, accopanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, views a window shopping display whilst touring the opening of Terminal One at what had been renamed as Heathrow Daily Mail 1970 A Pan Am Boeing 747 is seen just after landing after its first commercial flight AFP/Getty Images 1973 Farewell waves from the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh as they board an Air Canada aircraft for their tour of Canada Daily Mail 1975 Thirty-five winners wave good-bye before departing on Concorde's first public passenger flight Getty Images 1978 An aerial view of Heathrow Airport, terminus and runway, and the surrounding area Evening Standard 1994 Police officers search for clues on the runway area after a mortar attack by the IRA AFP/Getty Images The check-in area for Concorde flights at Heathrow Airport A Concorde airplane takes off in 2003 from Heathrow AFP/Getty Images 2003 Army soldiers on board an armoured personnel carrier (APC) stand guard outside Terminal 2 Getty Images 2006 Terminal 5 under construction Glenn Copus 2008 The interior of Terminal 5 just before it opened to passengers Jeremy Selwyn 2008 And the outside view of T5 Getty Images 2013 Workers gather for a safety briefing in the new departures area of Terminal 2 Heathrow Airport in 2016 Hannah McKay/PA 2019 Air Traffic Control Engineers use screens displaying real-time panoramic views of the runways and docking gates during the trial AFP/Getty Images Shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald warned Transport Secretary Chris Grayling to properly take into account the reports findings when he publishes a revised national policy statement on airports, possibly as early as next week, before a vote by MPs which is expected within weeks. He said: The Government cant simply ignore the committees recommendations its critical to the integrity of the process. Labour is deeply split on a third runway, with Jeremy Corbyn and shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, who represents local constituency Hayes and Harlington, opposed but many MPs outside London and unions supportive. Government announces plans to reduce number of people living in unsafe pollution areas The Labour leadership could find that the tests have not been met but then allow a free vote in Parliament to avoid a large-scale backbench revolt. Such a scenario would allow Mr Corbyn to pull the plug on a third runway if he won power. The party is still to reach a conclusion on its tests but a senior Labour source stressed it was ready to find they have not all been passed, with air quality seen as a particular issue. We will follow the evidence, said the source. If its wrong, its wrong. The four tests require noise issues to be addressed, air quality to be protected, the UKs climate change obligations met and growth across the country supported. John Stewart, chairman of anti-expansion group HACAN, said: Support among Labour MPs for a third runway looks more shaky than six months ago. A Heathrow spokeswoman said: Expanding is not a choice between the environment and the economy it can deliver for both. T wo Cabinet ministers are joining forces to persuade Theresa May to ease the visa cap for doctors coming from outside the EU, the Standard has learned. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Home Secretary Sajid Javid are understood to favour a temporary measure exempting doctors and nurses from the quota until more medical professionals can be trained in the UK, sources said. Chancellor Philip Hammond and Business Secretary Greg Clark are expected to weigh in if, as intended, it means more visas for companies that are desperate to recruit experts from abroad to fill skills shortages. The Standard revealed last month that the Prime Minister had absolutely refused to budge when pleas for a relaxation in visa rules were made by Mr Javids predecessor Amber Rudd, Mr Hunt and Mr Clark. However, the new Home Secretary is understood to be determined to make another attempt to solve an issue that has frustrated health chiefs and businesses. Pressure for a rethink increased yesterday when NHS trusts warned of 93,000 vacancies, and the Royal College of Physicians said serious consequences included waiting lists getting longer and money wasted on temporary staff. A senior Government source said Mr Hunt was in favour of exempting all doctors and nurses from the cap until the Governments planned 25 per cent increase in training places starts to feed through, resulting in British-trained doctors and nurses working in the NHS. At present, the cap means that giving visas to health staff results in business recruits being pushed on to a waiting list. Thats the issue now one group is traded off against another which is why it should change, the source said. I think Sajid Javid understands it, but it is not clear yet how he plans to solve it. The chairwoman of the Commons health committee, Dr Sarah Wollaston, said change was desperately needed to avoid staff shortages in the NHS. The visa cap for doctors makes no sense at all and it acts against the best interests of patients, the Conservative MP, a former GP, said. It should be lifted immediately and in a way that does not disadvantage other skilled groups such as scientists. Our immigration policy should be designed to benefit the UK, not leave science, healthcare and industry with a shortfall of vital skilled workforce. Jasmine Whitbread, chief executive of the 250-member business group London First, said: We rely on immigrants to plug the skills gap. And we will need a route into the UK for exceptional talent the entrepreneurs and innovators that start businesses and create jobs. Delivering a fair system that works for the whole of the UK should be the governments next immigration goal. The Prime Minister faces a backbench revolt on the issue after dozens of Conservative MPs signed a letter urging a relaxation of the rules. The letter written by backbencher Heidi Allen said the cap was forcing the country to make a binary choice between professionals needed to grow the economy and professionals needed to staff our health system. There is currently an annual quota of 20,700 Tier 2 visas for people from outside the EU for posts than cannot be filled from people already in the UK. The problem has come because the monthly limit was hit for five months in a row, leaving thousands of posts unfilled. Andrew Foster, chief executive of Wrightington, Wigan & Leigh NHS trust, has dismissed the current cap as bonkers and barmy. A recruitment scheme, which his trust organises, had seen nearly all of 120 Indian doctors refused visas three times. Mrs May has reportedly offered privately to give doctors higher priority in the queue for visas, but not to exclude them from the cap. D onald Trump's decision to hit EU steel and aluminium imports to the US with tariffs is "unjustified", Theresa May has said. The Prime Minister said she was "disappointed" at the decision to impose a 25 per cent duty on European steel and a 10% duty on European aluminium, which both came into effect on Friday. She added her voice to calls for British and European products to be exempt from the charges, saying they contributed to US national security projects. It came after the EU said it would introduce retaliatory tariffs after Mr Trump's "illegal" and "dangerous" decision. Donald Trump grapples with umbrella 1 /9 Donald Trump grapples with umbrella President Donald Trump grappled with his umbrella as he stepped off Air Force One AFP/Getty Images As he disembarked the plane, he put his umbrella up to shield himself from the rain. AFP/Getty Images But he got into difficulty due to the adverse weather conditions. AFP/Getty Images The President, who had touched down after attending a rally in Michigan, struggled to contain the umbrella. REUTERS He pulled a series of faces as he attempted to put it down AFP/Getty Images But nothing appeared to work, despite his efforts. AP Eventually, the President gave up. AFP/Getty Images He descended the steps of the plane, holding the upside-down umbrella aloft. AFP/Getty Images The airman greeting him saluted his arrival - neither of them cracking a smile. AFP/Getty Images Mrs May said: "I am deeply disappointed at the unjustified decision by the US to apply tariffs to EU steel and aluminium imports. "The US, EU and UK are close allies and have always promoted values of open and fair trade across the world. "Our steel and aluminium industries are hugely important to the UK, but they also contribute to US industry including in defence projects which bolster US national security. "The EU and UK should be permanently exempted from tariffs and we will continue to work together to protect and safeguard our workers and industries." Kim Kardashian West meets Trump at White House in pardon plea Mr Trump originally imposed the tariffs in March, saying a reliance on imported metals threatened national security. But he exempted Canada, Mexico and the European Union to buy time for negotiations - a reprieve that expired at midnight on Thursday. Cecilia Malmstrom, the EU trade commissioner, announced the EU would be seeking to implement a number of retaliatory tariffs on American products by June 20. Ms Malmstrom accused Mr Trump of "playing a dangerous game" as she confirmed the EU would be taking "proportionate and measured" action against the US. Key Brexit Players - In pictures 1 /6 Key Brexit Players - In pictures David Davis Reuters Michel Barnier AP Tim Barrow AFP/Getty Images Oliver Robbins Sabine Weyand Didier Seeuws AFP/Getty Images The commissioner refused to say Mr Trump had started a trade war, but said he had created a "very worrying situation". She added: "This is further weakening the transatlantic relations and it also increases the risk of severe turbulences in the markets globally." Ms Malmstrom said a final decision on what products would be hit with tariffs had not yet been made, but added that they would be from an already published list which includes the likes of Levi's jeans, bourbon whiskey, cranberries and peanut butter. She said: "We are not seeking to escalate any situation but we need to respond and we'll do so in a measured manner, but not responding would be the same as accepting these tariffs which we consider are illegal." Brexit: Article 50 Triggered - In pictures 1 /20 Brexit: Article 50 Triggered - In pictures Britain's ambassador to the EU Tim Barrow delivers British Prime Minister Theresa May's formal notice of the UK's intention to leave the bloc under Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty to European Council President Donald Tusk in Brussels AFP/Getty Images Prime Minister Theresa May speaks during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Common PA Britain's ambassador to the EU Tim Barrow delivers British Prime Minister Theresa May's formal notice of the UK's intention to leave the bloc under Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty to European Council President Donald Tusk in Brussels AFP/Getty Images European Council President Donald Tusk holds a news conference after receiving British Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit letter in notice of the UK's intention to leave the bloc under Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty to EU Council President Donald Tusk in Brussels, Belgium Yves Herman/Reuters Prime Minister Theresa May takes her seat after announcing in the House of Commons PA The time 12:20pm shows on Big Ben on March 29, 2017 in London, England. The British Prime Minister Theresa May addresses the Houses of Parliament as Article 50 is triggered and the process that will take the United Kingdom out of the European Union begins Carl Court/Getty Images D-day: pro-EU protesters outside of the Houses of Parliament today as Theresa May prepares to trigger Article 50 AFP/Getty Images EU Council President Donald Tusk holds British Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit letter which was delivered by Britain's permanent representative to the European Union Tim Barrow (not pictured) that gives notice of the UK's intention to leave the bloc under Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty in Brussels, Belgium Yves Herman/Reuters PMQ's in The House of Commons PA Jeremy Corbyn speaking at PMQ's in The House of Commons Sky News Theresa May leaving for the House of Commons Jeremy Selwyn Mayor of London Sadiq Khan at the headquarters of Vivendi in Paris where he took part in TV interviews to discuss the imminent triggering of Article 50 by the UK to leave the EU Stefan Rousseau/PA Britain's permanent representative to the European Union Tim Barrow arrives at the EU Council headquarters for as meeting before hand delivering British Prime Minister Theresa May's notice of the UK's intention to leave the bloc under Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty to EU Council President Donald Tusk in Brussels, Belgium Yves Herman/Reuters Britain's ambassador to the EU Tim Barrow arrives at the British representation of the European Union in Brussels Aurore Belot/AFP/Getty Images A giant headed Theresa May in Parliament Square, London during a protest by Avaaz after PM signed a letter to trigger Article 50 that starts the formal exit process by the UK from the European Union David Mirzoeff/PA British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson walks down Whitehall Jack Taylor/Getty Images Britain's PM Theresa May signs the official letter to European Council President Donald Tusk, invoking Article 50. AFP/Getty Images International Trade Secretary Liam Fox previously said in a statement that the UK would support any EU appeal to the WTO. Gareth Stace, director of trade body UK Steel, said he was "very, very worried" about the potential impact of a "double whammy" on British producers from the Trump administration's decision. UK steel producers could be shut out of an American market where they sold around 350 million of exports last year, while also facing increased competition from a "tsunami" of as much as 25 million tonnes of cheap steel diverted away from the US, he told BBC Radio 4's World At One. He added that it was too early to speculate on the likely impact on jobs, but said: "At worst, we could fall straight back into the crisis we suffered in 2015/16, which was the worst steel crisis in a generation. "We are heading for a trade war, which is going to be all losers - there will be no winners. The US economy will suffer as much as any other economy." Labour's shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner earlier warned the UK Government to "strongly respond" to the move. He told Radio 4's Today programme: "The president has said that he believes he could win a trade war, we think that a trade war is in nobody's interests." He added: "We believe in a rules-based system, a multilateral system, President Trump doesn't and we must understand that. He wants to break up that system. "We have to respond strongly to it and make it clear to him that we're not susceptible to the intimidation and the threats and the bullying that he's putting in place." Former White House press secretary Anthony Scaramucci, also speaking to Radio 4, said that with Mr Trump there was "always room for negotiation". He said: "I am sure that there are chips on both sides that can get traded to make the problem go away." C osmetics giant Lush has been slammed over a bizarre new campaign which accuses police officers of being paid to lie. The high street chain, popular for luxurious soaps and bath products, launched the campaign yesterday in a bid to raise awareness of undercover police spying. The store said it is aiming to expose intrusive, abusive, political policing including officers who have allegedly been secretly investigating activists in the UK. Shops have been adorned with fake police tape along with slogans such as police have crossed the line and police spies out of lives. The Lush Twitter account has been taken over by the campaign / Twitter The campaign, launched in partnership with two activist groups, references a public inquiry into undercover policing in the UK which was launched three years ago. Lush is calling on its customers to sign an online petition, wear a badge and pass on the message about so-called spycops. But police officers across the country have reacted with outrage, with scores vowing to boycott the store over what they believe is an anti-police campaign. Che Donald, vice-chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said he would never use Lush products again. He tweeted: "This is very poorly thought out campaign @LushLtd & damaging to the overwhelmingly large majority of police who have nothing to do with this undercover enquiry. "I will now clear my house of any of your products and my family and friends will never use them again." Calum Macleod, Chair of the Police Federation, added: The Lush advertising campaign is offensive, disgusting and an insult to the hard work, professionalism and dedication of police officers throughout the UK. I cannot believe that someone, somewhere, actually thought this campaign was a good idea. All it serves to do is to criticise police officers and encourage an anti-police sentiment. Police officers already face enough abuse from those who break the law and are a menace to society, without the need for a cosmetic company to start putting the boot in too." Lush is calling on customers to support its campaign against undercover police spying / PA Archive/PA Images The Director General of the National Crime Agency Lynne Owens also said: "Undercover policing is a highly specialised & regulated tactic undertaken by brave officers to protect the public from the most serious offenders. Id encourage @LushLtd to visit @NCA_UK to receive a contemporary briefing." Former police officer Peter Kirkham wrote: "Your anti police advertising campaign is an utter disgrace. "It stereotypes ALL police officers as corrupt & includes some fundamental misrepresentations of the facts. I trust that you will never again seek police assistance if you are the victims of crime." Some Twitter users started a #FlushLush hashtag as the backlash to the campaign escalated on Friday morning. The campaign, which is set to run until June 18, was launched with an article on the firms website. It told the story of how one female activist was in a five-year relationship with a man who suddenly disappeared before she found out he was an undercover police officer. Defending the campaign, Lush said on Twitter: "These posters are part of the campaign we're supporting which looks at the ongoing undercover policing scandal, in which some police officers are infiltrating the homes and lives of non-criminals, and the aftermath of these actions! "We understand that there are many people, including police personnel, who support what these campaigns stand for, we just want to help spread the message." A think tank should lose its charitable status if it continues to breach rules by publishing pro-Brexit material, a senior Tory MP said today. The Legatum Institute was rapped by the charity watchdog for a report on Brexit and free trade by its research body, the Special Trade Commission. The Charity Commission found that while the trustees recognised the need for balance and neutrality, they crossed a clear line with this publication. Former business minister Anna Soubry, a campaigner against a hard Brexit, said: All charities have got to abide by the rules and if they cant abide by the rules, they must lose their charitable status. Alan McCormick, the institutes chairman of trustees, said: We acknowledge the commissions conclusion that the Brexit Inflection report crossed a line from the Institutes perspective, this was wholly unintentional. A proposal to break the deadlock in Brexit talks that would introduce a double regulation system for Northern Ireland was dismissed today as a mad cap idea by a senior DUP MP. T orrential rain and thunderstorms are expected to cause travel chaos during the morning rush hour in parts of the UK, amid warnings that more severe weather is on the way. A yellow weather warning is in force across the south of England until 9am. Another is in force for Scotland, Northern Ireland and the west of England between 9am and 10pm. Flooding has resulted in delays and cancellations to trains across swathes of the country while roads have also been closed. After an overnight amber weather warning for the south-west of England and south Wales, Great Western Railway is running emergency speed restrictions, while severe disruption is being reported on parts of the Northern rail network. Train passengers in the Midlands could find their journeys affected after lightning strikes damaged equipment between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton. Didcot Parkway railway station floods as torrential rain hits the UK Network Rail said disruption there was expected until about 9am. It comes after storms and heavy downpours caused problems in some parts on Thursday afternoon and overnight. Flights from Gatwick Airport were cancelled due to the severe weather conditions, with 48 easyJet services affected. Ryanair cancelled a "small number" of flights. Delays and cancellations were also reported at Heathrow. Rosemary Powell, 58, said her journey from Heathrow to Newcastle was delayed by seven hours after her flight was cancelled. She told the Standard: "I arrived at the airport to find that the plane was cancelled. "I never had an email to say it was cancelled or to explain. I was put on a flight seven hours later. "I had to queue again to ask about compensation and was given a desultory 10 voucher for food and drink." Passengers have reported being left stranded at airports across Europe because of the extreme weather. On Thursday evening, Didcot Parkway railway station in Oxfordshire flooded, leaving passengers to wade through deep waters or be helped by firefighters. Travellers posted to social media to report raw sewage flowing from drains, while one commuter said she had been given a piggy back through a flooded underpass. Met Office meteorologist John West said a "lively" day was in store on Friday, despite a bright start for some. He said: "It will be a warm and humid day, with some decent spells of sunshine. But with the temperatures rising and an awful lot of moisture in the air, we'll see more heavy showers and thunderstorms returning by early afternoon. "This will affect Northern Ireland, Scotland and western parts of England and Wales. "With some torrential downpours, it is likely that we will see some localised flooding." 'Mother of all thunderstorms' 1 /11 'Mother of all thunderstorms' Lightning over the Suleymaniye Mosque in Dalston as the mother of all thunderstorms swept over London Andrew Lanxon Hoyle/@Batteryhq/P The thunderstorm illuminates the night sky over the Thames in this picture from Tower RNLI TowerRNLI/PA A lightning bolt arcs over London's skyscrapers Reuters The display of lightning in a Twitter picture that passed near Reigate @robinpeyton Lightning in south-west London @NitaiLevi/Twitter This time-lapse image shows lightning striking behind Big Ben in central London James Brewin/PA Lightning above Wembley Stadium REUTERS Londoners run for cover as a lightning bolt darts across the sky over Kings Cross @pamelsaurusrex/PA Lightning over the Shard @samueltwilkinson /PA Lightning seen from a bedroom window as it strikes above a street in south London REUTERS There were between 15,000 and 20,000 lightning strikes over the UK last night REUTERS Forecasters predict up to 1.8 inches of rain could fall in the space of an hour in some parts, rising to 3.6 inches over three hours. South-west parts of England were worst-affected overnight, with Gloucestershire County Council reporting multiple calls to the fire service over flash flooding. The Environment Agency has urged people to check their flood risk and warned people not to drive through flood water. Kate Marks, Environment Agency flood duty manager, said teams would work "24/7" to operate flood defences, clear blockages in rivers and streams and support partners at any incidents of surface water flooding. "With heavy rain forecast during rush hour, drivers should stay up to date with the latest weather forecast and travel information before making their journey," she said. C NNs lawyers have told Morgan Freeman they are willing to go to court after the actor demanded the network retract its report alleging the actor was guilty of sexual misconduct. Last week the news network published a story claiming the Hollywood legend was guilty of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour towards women. Freeman, who is 81 today, initially apologised but in a second statement insisted he did not assault women before his lawyers demanded the story was retracted. A letter from the stars lawyer Robert Schwartz targeted Chloe Melas, one of the CNN reporters who wrote the original story and who spoke about her experiences with the actor. CNN responded with a letter to Schwartz, with senior vice-president of legal David Vigilante saying the demand for a retraction was rife with empty speculation and plainly false assertions. It added: The overheated protestations in your letter do not cast any shadow on the central gravamen of CNNs story that Morgan Freeman engaged in a pattern of behaviour that demeaned and sexualised women. A spokesman for Freeman said: CNNs letter is long on sabre-rattling but short on substance. It fails to address the compelling evidence we provided that the story was tarnished by manipulation of the facts and conflict of interest. It was flawed from its inception and still is. A n international edition of fashion magazine Vogue plunged the publication into the centre of a women's rights debate by putting a Saudi princess on its cover behind the wheel of a convertible. Princess Hayfa bint Abdullah al-Saud was featured on the cover of Vogue Arabia wearing leather gloves and high heels in the car's driving seat. In recent weeks several women have been arrested in the country for driving. Some criticised the magazine for not making an obvious reference to activists campaiging for the right for women to drive. Saudi Arabia is set to lift its ban on women driving on June 24. A line on the cover reads: "A celebration of the trailblazing women of Saudi Arabia." The princess told Vogue Arabia that she supports these changes with great enthusiasm. In May, 13 activists connected to womens rights were detained in the country, according to Human Rights Watch. They are all high profile campaigners against the countrys male guardianship system which means that a male relative has control over a womans life. Some of these activists had also driven cars to try and force the authorities to lift the ban on driving for women. According to the Independent, several of the women, who have since been detained, had been warned not to comment on the driving ban being lifted. It is thought this was to ensure the government received credit for the appeal. D onald Trump has announced that the June 12 summit with Kim Jong Un is back on, a week after he called it off. Speaking after an Oval Office meeting with North Korea's Kim Yong Chol, Mr Trump said he would be making a mistake not to go forward with the on-again, off-again nuclear summit in Singapore. Mr Trump made the announcement, just a week after he cancelled the summit, after an hour-long meeting with a top North Korean official who delivered a letter from the North Korean leader. The president said his meeting with the most senior North Korean to visit the White House in 18 years lasted longer than expected and "went very well". "We're going to deal," Mr Trump told reporters moments after the meeting ended. He also said it was likely that more than one meeting would be necessary. He concluded, "I think you're going to have a very positive result in the end. We will see what we will see." Trump told reporters he hadn't read the letter yet and added with a smile, "I may be in for a big surprise, folks." Plans for the high-stakes sit-down have been cast in doubt ever since Mr Trump withdrew from the meeting last week, only to announce a day later that it could still get back on track. White House officials cast the roller-coaster public statements as reflective of the hard-nosed negotiation by the two nations. Three teams of officials in the US, Singapore, and the Korean demilitarised zone have been meeting this week on preparations for the summit. Kim Jong Un - In pictures 1 /39 Kim Jong Un - In pictures REUTERS North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects the defence detachment on Jangjae Islet and the Hero Defence Detachment on Mu Islet located in the southernmost part of the waters off the southwest fron Reuters North Korean leader Kim Jong UN has been pressuring US President Donald Trump for new concessions in a bid to salvage stalled nuclear talks AP North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (front L) and former NBA star Dennis Rodman speaking at a basketball game in Pyongyang, North Korea KCNA/AFP/Getty Images North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in shake hands over the military demarcation line upon meeting for the Inter-Korean Summit on April 27, 2018 in Panmunjom, South Korea Korea Summit Press Pool/Getty Images North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) looks through a periscope of a submarine during his inspection of the Korean People's Army (KPA) Naval Unit 167 Reuters North Korean leader Kim Jong Un guides the 3rd Meeting of Activists of the Korean People's Army (KPA) in the Movement for Winning the Title of O Jung Hup-led 7th Regiment KCNA/Reuters Pegagus creates unveils his new street art of North Korean leader Kim Jong @pegasusart North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watching the ground jet test of a Korean-style high-thrust engine newly developed by the Academy of the National Defence Science KCNA/Reuters North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gives field guidance to Pyongyang Orphans' Primary School Reuters Schoolchildren stand beside North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as he arrives to attend "We Are the Happiest in the World", a performance of schoolchildren to celebrate the 70th founding anniversary of the Korean Children's Union (KCU) KCNA/Reuters A balloon thrown by a North Korean defector containing a colored liquid bursts on a portrait of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a rally protesting North Korea Ahn Young-joon/AP North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sits in an airplane as he guides a flight drill for the inspection of airmen of the Korean People's Army (KPA) Air and Anti-Air Force KCNA/Reuters North Korean leader Kim Jong Un smiles during a visit to the Chonji Lubricant Factory Reuters North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sits on a ski lift during a visit to a newly built ski resort in the Masik Pass region Reuters North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un meeting with children at a baby home and orphanage as he visits the Taesongsan General Hospital in Pyongyang AFP/Getty Images North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un inspecting a flight drill of pursuit airwomen of the KPA Air and Anti-Air Force at an undisclosed location in North Korea AFP/Getty Images North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) surrounded by fighter pilots during a visit to Unit 447 of the Korean People's Army Air and Anti-Air Force in Pyongyang, North Korea EPA North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gives field guidance to the Jangchon Vegetable Co-op Farm in Sadong District, Pyongyang City Reuters North Korean leader Kim Jong Un provides field guidance to the newly built Pyongyang Corn Processing Factory Reuters North Korean leader Kim Jong Un looks at a rocket warhead tip after a simulated test of atmospheric re-entry of a ballistic missile at an unidentified location Reuters North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gives guidance during his visit to Samjiyon County Reuters Kim Jong Un visits Samjiyon County Reuters North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects a sub-unit under KPA Unit 233 Reuters North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (L) visiting a pig farm at Taechon Air Base of the Korean People's Arm AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-Un inspecting the newly-built Pyongyang bag factory AFP/Getty Images North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un inspecting tree nursery No. 122 of the Korean People's Army AFP/Getty Images North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gives field guidance to Farm No. 1116 under the Korean People's Army (KPA) Unit 810 Reuters Kim Jong-un visiting the November 2 Factory of the North Korean People's Army at an undisclosed location in North Korea EPA North Korean leader Kim Jong-un surrounded by soldiers of a women's artillery unit in North Korea's southeastern province of Kangwon EPA North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and his wife Ri Sol-Ju attend the opening ceremony of the Rungna People's Pleasure Ground on Rungna Islet along the Taedong River in Pyongyang Reuters North Korean leader Kim Jong-un learning to fly an airplane at the North Korean Air Force unit 447 EPA Leader Kim Jong-un aboard submarine No.748 during an inspection of one of his nations naval units AFP/Getty Images North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un inspecting the Ryugyong Kimchi Factory, a model and icon of the nation's kimchi factories in Pyongyang AFP/Getty Images North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) aboard a newly manufactured subway train at Kaeson Station in Pyongyang, North Korea EPA North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un riding a horse as he inspects the training ground of a horse riding company under the Korean People's Army (KPA) Unit 534 at undisclosed place in North Korea AFP/Getty Images North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, with his wife Ri Sol Ju, right, riding on white horse during his visit to Mount Paektu, North Korea AP Kim Jong Un waving before boarding his train at Vietnam's Dong Dang railway station in 2019 Vietnam News Agency/AFP via Getty Images Kim Jong-un AP Mr Trump's announcement comes after top North Korean official Kim Yong Chol visited the White House Friday to deliver the letter. Mr Trump had withdrawn from the summit on May 24 with a strongly worded letter of his own, citing "tremendous anger and open hostility" by Pyongyang but also urged Kim to call him. By the next day, he was signalling the event could be back on after a conciliatory response from North Korea. Kim Yong Chol was greeted at the White House by chief of staff John Kelly and then whisked into the Oval Office. He is the most senior North Korean to visit the White House in 18 years, a highly symbolic sign of easing tensions after fears of war escalated amid North Korean nuclear and missile tests last year. Donald Trump calls off North Korea summit Questions remain about what a deal on the North's nuclear weapons would look like though Trump said Friday he believed that Kim would agree to denuclearisation. Despite Kim's apparent eagerness for a summit with Trump, there are lingering doubts about whether he will fully relinquish his nuclear weapons, which he may see as his only guarantee of survival. U.S. defence and intelligence officials have repeatedly assessed the North to be on the threshold of having the capability to strike anywhere in the continental U.S. with a nuclear-tipped missile - a capacity that Trump and other U.S. officials have said they would not tolerate. Kim Yong Chol left his hotel in New York City early Friday for the trip to Washington in a convoy of SUVs. Pompeo, the former CIA chief who has travelled to North Korea and met with Kim Jong Un twice in the past two months, said he believed the country's leaders are "contemplating a path forward where they can make a strategic shift, one that their country has not been prepared to make before." Donald Trump welcomes freed North Korea prisoners home to America Yet he also said a news conference that difficult work remains including hurdles that may appear to be insurmountable as negotiations progress on the U.S. demand for North Korea's complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation. "We will push forward to test the proposition that we can achieve that outcome," he said. Despite the upbeat messaging in the United States, Kim Jong Un, in a meeting with Russia's foreign minister on Thursday, complained about the U.S. trying to spread its influence in the region, a comment that may complicate the summit. "As we move to adjust to the political situation in the face of U.S. hegemonism, I am willing to exchange detailed and in-depth opinions with your leadership and hope to do so moving forward," Kim told Sergey Lavrov. North Korea's flurry of diplomatic activity following an increase in nuclear weapons and missile tests in 2017 suggests that Kim is eager for sanctions relief to build his economy and for the international legitimacy a summit with Trump would provide. But there are lingering doubts on whether he will ever fully relinquish his nuclear arsenal, which he may see as his only guarantee of survival in a region surrounded by enemies. Trump views a summit as a legacy-defining opportunity to make a nuclear deal, but he has left the world guessing since cancelling the meeting last week in an open letter to Kim that complained of the North's "tremendous anger and open hostility." North Korea's conciliatory response to that letter appears to have put the summit back on track. Kim Yong Chol is the most senior North Korean visitor to the United States since Vice Marshal Jo Myong Rok visited Washington in 2000 to meet President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. That was the last time the two sides, which are technically at war, attempted to arrange a leadership summit. It was an effort that ultimately failed as Clinton's time in office ran out, and relations turned sour again after George W. Bush took office in early 2001 with a tough policy on the North. Kim Yong Chol, vice chairman of the North Korean ruling party's central committee, was allowed into the United States despite being on a U.S. sanctions list. And North Korean officials are not normally allowed to travel outside the New York area. Mr Trump said his June 12 meeting will be "a beginning". He added: "The process will begin on June 12 in Singapore." A man who claimed he was an expert on the royals and spoke in a British accent has been revealed as a New Yorker named Tommy. Mr Mace-Archer-Mills claimed he was an expert on the royal family and appeared on multiple international programmes giving his opinion on the monarchy. In the lead up to the royal wedding, he made numerous appearances on international media. He told a Norwegian film crew that the wedding should make "sure that the traditions and heritage that we have as British people remain at the forefront." However the Wall Street Journal claim that he told the newspaper that he is a 38-year-old Italian-American who identifies as British and works as an estate agent. He told them that he picked up the British accent in a variety of ways including visiting the UK. Mr Mace-Archer-Mills said he identified as British more than American, saying: I found where I am supposed to be and who I am supposed to be. He said that he joined the names of friends and distant relations to come up with his name and asked two unrelated elderly British people if he could call them his grandparents. The 38-year-old who is also head of the British Monarchist Society, has shared his knowledge on all things Britain with many news organisations from the BBC to the Economist. He was even interviewed by German website Zeitblatt who called him the "most interviewed man of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex royal wedding". According to his website, he was appointed a Special Consultant to the Serbian Royal Household by Crown Alexander II. S pain's Prime Minister has been ousted after more than six years in power following a political corruption scandal that plagued his party. Mariano Rajoy was forced from office in a no confidence vote on Friday, marking the first time a leader has been pushed out in 40 years of Spanish democracy. He lost the vote by a slim majority, with 180 people voting yes, 169 no votes and one abstainer. Ahead of the landmark vote, Mr Rajoy made an impassioned speech saying he was proud of his record as leader of the conservative People's Party. Ousted: Minister Mariano Rajoy (bottom R) acknowledges applause from Popular Party's members / AFP/Getty Images He also congratulated Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez, who will assume his position as Prime Minister. Following the vote, Mr Rajoy crossed the chamber to shake Mr Sanchez's hand. Mr Sanchez had, on Thursday, secured the backing of six smaller parties for the motion giving him absolute majority to rule. Rajoy embraces a party deputy at Parliament / REUTERS "It has been an honour to leave Spain better than I found it. Thank you to all Spaniards and good luck, Mr Rajoy told lawmakers, before bidding farewell. His removal follows a long-running corruption trial involving members of his conservative PP. Several people linked the party were sentenced to decades in jail last week. Mr Rajoy's position had become weak by his status as head of the corrupt minority government as well as the divisive independence drive in the wealthy region of Catalonia. Successor: Socialist (PSOE) leader Pedro Sanchez / REUTERS The Basque Nationalist Party, whose five seats were key to Sanchez securing enough parliamentary backing, withdrew support from after the conviction. Two Catalan pro-independence parties as well as leftist Podemos also said they would back Mr Sanchez. Market-friendly Ciudadanos, leading in the national opinion polls, was the only major party that said it would support Mr Rajoy. Mr Sanchez said on Thursday he would stick to the budget put forward by Rajoy and approved by parliament last month if voted into power. He has promised to start talks with the Catalans but said he will not give them an independence referendum. A novice hotel valet had to be cut out of an 80,000 Porsche after accidentally parking it underneath another vehicle. The driver reportedly selected the wrong gear and sped forward while trying to park outside the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Sydney, Australia. The accident took place in front of a crowd of witnesses, including the shocked owner of the black Porsche Carrera. Matthew Talbot, the hotel's director of sales and marketing, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation the valet was "embarrassed and a little bit shocked" but uninjured. He had only just started in the job. The valet had reportedly just started working at the upmarket Sydney hotel / AP Police managed to separate the cars by propping up the orange Subaru. The Porsche, with its hood and front bumper crunched and dented, was then backed onto a tow truck. Witness Jonathan Bayle said he thought a television show or movie was being shot when he saw the cars. K anye West has released his new album, Ye, and he's already making waves with his controversial lyrics. The American rapper first teased fans with snaps from his official listening party on Thursday evening in Wyoming. A select number of celebrities including Jonah Hill and Chris Rock were invited for the first listen alongside a campfire setting. On Friday, West dropped the album in the early hours of the morning in America, featuring an image of the Wyoming mountains that he took on Thursday night. His tell-all new record exposes more than a few names and holds nothing back. Heres everything weve learnt from the new album... New: The album is a tell-all record about West's life / Getty Images 1. Kim Kardashian lost it after Kanye's slavery is a choice comments West recently came under fire for comments made during an interview with TMZ in which he claimed that 400 years of slavery is a choice. Causing mass uproar, West has now revealed that his other half was equally unimpressed, with the comments sending her into a frenzy. Rapping about Kardashians reaction on Wouldnt Leave he said: Wife calling screaming saying were about to lose it all I had to calm her down cos she couldnt breathe. I told her she could leave me now but she wouldnt leave. This is what they mean for better or for worse huh? 2. He wasn't impressed with Tristan Thompson after reports he cheated on Khloe Kardashian Tristan Thompson, landed himself in hot water after he was reportedly spotted kissing another woman just days before the birth of his daughter True with Khloe Kardashian. It later emerged that he had reportedly been with a string of other women whilst with Kardashian. Rapping about his sister-in-laws boyfriend, he said: All these thots on Christian Mingle/Thats what almost got Tristan single/ If you dont ball like him or Kobe-Guarantee that b**** gon' leave you." Khloe Kardashian names baby girl 'True' 3. Kanye has struggled with mental health issues and drugs Sticking to his promise of being open, West also revealed his experiences with drugs alongside his mental health struggles. Thats why I f*** with Ye / Thats my third person / Thats my bipolar s***, n**** what / Thats my superpower / N**** aint no disability / Im a superhero, Im a superhero. The cover image of the album also touches on his mental health featuring the words: I hate being Bi-Polar its awesome. 4. Hes hopeful that North will get his body and not his wifes Track Violent Crimes touches on how his daughter North West has changed his view of women and taught him to respect them. He also adds that he is optimistic about her not inherit Kardashians iconic curvy figure because he is fearful of people looking at her. Cause now I see women as somethin to nurture / Not somethin to conquer. I pray that you dont get it all at once / Curves under your dress / I know its all pervs on the net. 5. He's got some thoughts on Russell Simmons and #MeToo West also divulges his thoughts on American entrepreneur Russell Simmons who said he wanted to pray for West surrounding concerns over his mental health. West goes on to reference Simmons in the wake of him facing allegations of sexual assault amid the #MeToo campaign. I t's tempting while watching Hugh Grants charismatic performance in A Very English Scandal to view the Jeremy Thorpe affair as an absurd thing, a comedy of errors in which nobody, apart from poor old Rinka the dog, gets hurt. The passing of time softens the cruelty, and Thorpe, these days, is a political footnote. So why does the story continue to fascinate? Well, heres an odd thing. In 1979, Panoramas Tom Mangold led an investigation into the Thorpe affair. A programme was readied for broadcast, based on the assumption that the former Liberal leader would be found guilty of conspiracy to murder his former lover, Norman Scott. But when the jury returned its verdict, the programme was scrapped. The master copy was locked in a vault. Thorpes reputation was left in limbo. He was innocent, yet guilty. Or vice versa. The fictional retelling, now approaching the final act with Thorpe on trial, has a contemporary frame, with strange echoes of the present. Thorpe was Liberal leader at a time of political deadlock, and was taken seriously by Downing Street. He was almost in the Cabinet, his preferred post being that of Home Secretary, which as Mangold observes would have put him in charge of both MI5 and the police, two organisations which apparently had extensive files on him. The thing A Very English Scandal doesnt quite nail is the nature of the scandal in which Thorpe ensnared himself. The exhumed Panorama though it has been edited and given an updated ending which deepens the intrigue allows some of that context to re-emerge. A Very British Scandal - BBC One Lets start at the end, and what seems now to be the accepted version of events. Thorpe hired Andrew Newton usefully characterised by Mangold as the unprofessional hitman to knock off Scott. Newton, apparently, was prepared to do anything for a laugh, but wasnt expecting Scott to turn up with a dog when he arranged a rendezvous, supposedly to warn the former stable boy that he was in danger of being assassinated, but actually to assassinate him. Hugh Grant shares memory of Jeremy Thorpe trial ahead of A Very English Scandal How did it come to that? The context, which doesnt excuse conspiracy to murder but may explain Thorpes despair, and a portion of his desire to make the problem go away, is the homophobia of the time, and the fact that being known to indulge in what Mangold calls short, clandestine affairs made a public figure susceptible to blackmail at a time when being gay was illegal. In Russell T Daviess reworking of events, the historical approach to homosexuality comes across as a kind of hysteria. Both Thorpe and Scott are presented as muddled, unreliable individuals. Thorpe, though, has the power and, in that sense, the conclusion underlines contemporary attitudes about the Establishment, the old school tie, the hidden forces in the land. As the real Scott notes in Mangolds documentary: He [Thorpe] was just a person above me in every way. Justice isnt really served by the outcome in real life or in the fictionalised version, though Davies does allow Scott (Ben Whishaw) a moment of pride in court. I was rude, he says, I was vile, I was queer. I was myself. Did he really say that? He did now. Earlier in the fiction, Thorpe was caught musing about the future. Clement Freud, he muttered, Cyril Smith exciting times. We all know how that worked out. Pick of the day Game of Thrones S1-7- Sky Box Sets Fans of the fantasy drama have been tantalised by recent reports that the shows final season is nearing the end of production. Emilia Clarke (now branching into the Star Wars universe as one of the stars of Solo) has filmed her final scene as Daenerys Targaryen, the fiercely feminine character who has been described as a cross between Joan of Arc, Lawrence of Arabia, and Napoleon. The final season is yet to be scheduled, but is unlikely to appear before 2019. In which case, there is still plenty of time to catch up with the first seven seasons of the show, and discover or re-evaluate the qualities which have made it a broadcasting phenomenon and a worldwide cult. It has won 38 Emmys, making it the most garlanded scripted series in the history of the US television awards. In the wings: Emilia Clarke as Daenerys / HBO Adapted from George RR Martins bestselling epic series of novels A Song Of Ice And Fire, Game Of Thrones has also spawned an entire sub-genre of fantasy drama. But its hard, if not impossible, to recapture the strange chemistry of the show, which mixes Machiavellian plotting with humour, sex, and war. And dragons. Screen time Tracey Breaks the News - BBC1, 9.30pm Youd think, with the world of politics blurring into showbusiness and fantasy fiction, the time would be ripe for a satire by a top impressionist. How did Mike Yarwood manage it in the 1970s or were audiences just more naive? Tracey Ullman certainly has a go, and is capable of some pretty remarkable feats of make-up. Her Angela Merkel is bang on (though doubts remain about how familiar a figure she is in British living rooms) and she may yet find a way to make Theresa May seem funny. The scripts are often the problem, but as far as likenesses go, Ullmans Jeremy Corbyn and Michael Gove are unsettling. They are joined by Jacob Rees-Mogg (Liam Hourican) and his nanny. What to Watch - Sunday, London Live, 5pm This years Sundance Film Festival London and its celebration of independent cinema ends this Sunday, the four days of screenings showcasing some of the most exciting films of the year. Directors and screenwriters from this years festival discuss their films, including Ari Aster, whos behind Hereditary, starring Toni Collette. W1A - London Live, 9pm Nobody watches television anymore. Get over it. Thats not an overstatement thats an uberstatement. Not my words, but the words of PR supremo Siobhan Sharpe. Fold up your Brompton, grab a bran muffin with Tony and yes, very good, because W1A begins tonight. So thats all good. Vacuous corporate jargon and meetings where nothing is decided beyond that it has started are skewered by the scripts familiarity with verbal deserts a modern failing far from restricted to the BBC. Before your next day at work, draw up a bingo card with the superficial half-phrases guffed by these chancers, and marvel at how accurately the writers and performers have nailed this daily exhalation of nonsense. Serial box Queen of the South - Netflix The second season of the crime drama based on the telenovela La Reina Del Sur by Arturo Perez-Reverte. It follows Teresa Mendoza (Alice Braga, below) who flees from Mexico to the US when her drug-dealer boyfriend is killed and tries to rebuild her empire. The themes of survival and vengeance dominate, but Bragas character makes it interesting. Set the box Imagine Margaret Atwood: You Have Been Warned! - BBC One, Sunday, 10.35pm 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 Barbara Stamm, President of the Landtag of Bavaria was presented on Friday with the Star of Romania National Order in the rank of Commodore, by Romania's President Klaus Iohannis, for her attachment to Romania, a country that she visited for over 100 times. The event that took place at Romania's general Consulate in Munich was an occasion of expressing the high appreciation and recognition for the friendship shown to Romania and the special contribution Barbara Stamm has had to the Romanian-German relations' development on multiple levels. "I'm very pleased to be here again, in the very core of Bavaria, next to you, for a special moment. Today I have the pleasant occasion to honour the activity unfolded by Mrs. Barbara Stamm, President of the Landtag of Bavaria. Esteemed Mrs. Barbara Stamm, your attachment to Romania is witnessed by the over 100 visits you have paid to our country and the numerous humanitarian actions and projects promoted in all Romania's corners, in particular in the counties of Bihor, Botosani, Iasi, Ilfov, Neamt, Timis and Tulcea," president Iohannis said."You, personally have declared in 2000, that you <>. In 1990, when you have put step for the first timed in our country and contacted the not tat gladdening social reality in Romania, you have chosen to not stay indifferent. On the contrary, you have gotten involved more and more actively, both through the very constructive dialogue you constantly had at all political levels and at the central and local administration's levels, as well as through the projects unfolded by the "Bayerische Kinderhilfe Rumanien e.V" association fathered at your initiative in 1991. Moreover, you have proven yourself as a long-term partner of Romania from the position of Empowered of the Bavaria Gov't for the relationship with Romania, as well as Chairman of the Romania-Bavaria Foundation for Social Assistance. The outstanding merits you've got in this ceaseless activity were being recognised by the Romanian authorities ever since the year 2000, when you were bestowed the Star of Romania National Order in the rank of Officer," said Klaus Iohannis.The president also emphasised that Barbara Stamm holds a strong political career, built up with her own efforts and backed in the almost 50 years since she decided to get involved in the political life, thus becoming a member of the Christian Social Union (CSU) in 1969."Being one of the most popular Bavarian politicians, Mrs. Stamm marked decisively the land's policy, being surnamed "Bavarian Landtag's mother." Today's ceremony is the more relevant as it takes place in the context of a triple anniversary: modern Romania's Centennial, the Bavarian republic's centennial and the bicentennial of the Bavarian constitutional state, since the adoption of the Bavarian Constitution back in 1818, which gives me the opportunity to remind that Mrs. Barbara Stamm is the first woman president in the Parliament of Bavaria's 200-year history. The impressive political activity of Mrs. Stamm has constantly and harmoniously bound with the social one, thus fathering the very essence of the political activity, that is to serve the citizen and in particular the vulnerable ones. Her self-denial in all her social activities in Germany and abroad, her perseverance alongside her consistency she observed and promoted the Christian-social principles and values in the actions unfolded in the numerous official positions she held, do qualify her undoubtedly as a source of inspiration for the young generations of politicians and not only," Klaus Iohannis said in his address.In her turn, the President of the Landtag of Bavaria asserted that Romania and its peoples will remain in her soul.I'm deeply impressed and I wish to thank from the bottom of my soul Mr. President for this high distinction. I visited Romania in the past decades for many, many times.(...) What I do remember very well are the images, the impressions I leave Romania with, beautiful images, a wonderful country, these are heartbreaking images of the meetings with the peoples, of course some painful experiences, in particular in the period immediately after the collapse of communism. In the past years, we made it that together to pass through better and not that good moments (...) An Indian erudite used to say: "Those who have real friends are rich". In this respect, considering your awesome country and especially given your country's peoples, I thank from my heart for this wonderful distinction. (...) Of course, this is mobilizing to go on the way you were doing. We know the huge challenges we've got inside Europe and you personally enjoy a high appreciation at European level. I wish and hope that it will now make it easier your work full of responsibility back in Romania, knowing that the European high officials in charge are not only next to you, but proud and grateful because you are the President of Romania. Loyalty is maintained, friendship is maintained and we are glad for it! Barbara Stamm stressed. Currently, the United States of America is not in the situation to deploy a significant fleet to the Black Sea, and Romania should firstly enhance its own military response capacities in this area, on Friday said the US analyst George Friedman, president of the Geopolitical Futures, at a specialised conference in central Sibiu. The security situation at the Black Sea has not climbed at a very high level on the US's interest scale so to deploy here significant forces, and then the Americans will not challenge the Russians, said Friedman. We are now in a situation in which all kinds of policies could be talked for the Black Sea, but for the Americans this topic is not ranked as major and they do not wish this, because they don't want to engage against the Russians. The Russians are not ready to engage in a Black Sea naval operation that would crowd the Americans in the area, they will do whatever they could to not challenge the Americans. The Russians don't want to open a conflict with Turkey for the Black Sea area, because they hope for a miracle, a Russian-Turkish agreement to happen. And the Turks understand very well one thing in this area: if the Russians are at home, the Americans are at home, too, said George Friedman in the "US perspective upon NATO and the Black Sea" lecture he delivered at the "Emerging Importance o Wider Black Sea Area Security" conference organised by the Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu. The American analyst stressed that Russia, Turkey and the United States of America are the main security actors in the Black Sea region.From Romania's viewpoint, said Friedman, the situation is pretty uncomfortable. Romania wishes that the US has a very solid policy for the Black Sea. It won't be. Or perhaps we shall have something on paper, but we are not in the position to deploy a large fleet to the Black Sea, considering the Montreux Convention and because we don't want to alienate the Turks. And under no circumstances we could concentrate in the Black Sea area naval forces or naval-air combined forces of a high level, this is out of the question. The Russians look very offensive, and yet they'll do nothing to kick off a response of a high level on behalf of the Americans, they still regret that additional forces have been deployed in Romania and Poland following their behaviour. So, they'll be very careful. This is the time Romania has a maneuver space, said George Friedman.He emphasised that Romania has the occasion to develop their own fleet and naval and air response capacities in the Black Sea region, an effort in which it could be helped, financially included, by the USA.At the same time, he added that none of the three significant forces in the Black Sea wants a conflict in the region, being more preoccupied with other areas of interest. In this context, he stressed that the US did not react in what regarded Ukraine in 2014 the way some Ukrainian leaders would have wished for.He went on, saying that the Turks are way too preoccupied with the Iranians, the Russian are paying attention to Belarus, so that nothing unpleasant for them happens there, and the Americans are more focused on their economic relation with China, on the Korean Peninsula and many other priority things. So, to understand the Black Sea area, said Friedman, one must understand there is no final solution, because we don't have a very clear problem. Romania benefits from all the friendship on behalf of the US, added the analyst, as a strong nation placed in a very strategic region, but if the Romanians are expecting for the others to make the move, well, the Romanians should remember that in August 2008 (as regards the war in Georgia, ed. n.) nobody reacted. And then do not forget how the crisis in Ukraine ended, Friedman argued.He pointed out that given these elements, Romania must have in mind to have an independent policy, too, a policy in which it would not count that much on the others to intervene, to come help in case of a conflict. There will be more summits in Brussels, but in order to be part of a military alliance and count on it, firstly you must have a proper army. If you want to count on political alliances, then you could send your politicians fight on the battle field, said George Friedman. The Black Sea region has a special significance for the building of the European and Euroatlantic security, said President Klaus Iohannis in a message sent on Friday to a specialised conference on this sea's security, organised by the Lucian Blaga University (ULB) in central Sibiu. "I hail the initiative of the ULB to stage with the involvement of the NATO Public Diplomacy Division, a conference on a currently important geopolitically and geostrategically topic.The Black Sea region has a special significance for the building of the European and Euroatlantic security. It is commendable the increasing attention given lately by the academic and scientific research community, by the NGOs, the civil society, the media and the public opinion to the global, European and national security problematic. In the current context, the security concept has developed new features, such as complexity and interdependence. At the same time, the threats' cross-border character claims an approach based on cooperation among the states, based on the international law norms," the president says in his message to the conference. President Iohannis reminded that assuming an active and constructive role in the Black Sea region's problems is one of the fundamental pillars of Romania's foreign and security policy."The enhancement of the Strategic Partnership with the USA, of our country's profile in the NATO and the European Union, as well as the assuming of an active and constructive role in the Black Sea region's problems are some of the fundamental pillars of Romania's foreign and security policy. Transparency, predictability, tolerance and co-operation must become not only values of the participative democracies, such as our country, but also imperatives of the current international policy," president Iohannis said in his message.The "Emerging Importance of Wider Black Sea Area Security" conference, attended June 1-2, by security, defence and diplomacy experts, alongside professors specialised in strategies from six countries, is addressing a possible security strategy at the Black Sea, in the perspective of the NATO Summit due this July in Brussels. It is unfolding under the Aegis of the President of Romania, through the Foreign Policy Department, with support from the Embassy of Romania in the USA, based on the academic partnership with the "Nicolae Balcescu" Land Forces Academy of Sibiu.George Friedman, president of Geopolitical Futures and James Carafano, Vice President of Heritage Foundation, are the conference's guests of honour.Organizer of the conference is the Global Studies Centre with the ULB of Sibiu, which is determined to draft a Policy Paper, namely a strategic document, for the Foreign Policy Department of the Romanian Presidency, after the conference. The faking of an assassination of a journalist in Kiev this week has crossed multiple ethical boundaries. The participation of Ukrainian state security forces and the highest levels of government in Kiev including President Poroshenko in fabricating a murder scenario which was broadcast around the world was a macabre manipulation on so many levels. How low can these people go? No-one, least of all Russia, can take any satisfaction from this reprehensible fiasco. It is far too grave. If this stunt had gone further, the implications for international relations and security are abhorrent. Was it a provocation to unleash further violence in eastern Ukraine by the US-armed Kiev regime? Or for more Western sanctions and NATO aggression against Russia? The willful participation in the stunt to deceive the international public by the journalist in question a so-called Russian dissident evokes even more disdain. What has emerged most clearly is how Ukrainian state security forces and media have colluded in what was meant to be a deliberate psychological operation to incriminate Russia. The immediate reaction from Western news media was to jump to accusations against Russia for having assassinated a journalist in Kiev. Arkady Babchenko was hailed as another reporter who had been slain by the Kremlins murder machine. Within hours of the alleged assassination, it transpired that Babchenko was not shot dead. He dramatically appeared in a set-piece press conference along with smiling Kiev security chiefs. The world was told that it was all part of a sting operation to flush out alleged Russian assassins. The Kiev authorities in typically unmoored fashion initially claimed the ruse as a brilliant success to foil a Russian state terror plot. But that self-congratulatory display soon backfired. There was broad consternation around the world at the unethical conduct by the Kiev regime. The playing around with reality and facts not to mention peoples emotions including apparently the wife of Babchenko who believed he had been killed caused deep dismay and utter disbelief. The whole affair has turned into a contemptible shambles. The Kiev regime which the US and European Union have backed unswervingly since it grabbed power in a coup detat in 2014 has exposed itself as unhinged and unscrupulous. Many independent observers around the world knew that already. But after this weeks reprehensible stunt violating multiple ethical standards, the corrupt nature of the Kiev regime is all the more apparent. The official Western response to the macabre charade is as instructive as it is absurd. Instead of unequivocal condemnation of the Kiev authorities, the main commentary in Western news media sought to twist the event to, perversely, further smear Russia. This will only serve Moscows narrative that it is the victim of fake news and provocations, was how many commentators framed the reaction. How crass is that? The Kiev regime was caught out spectacularly in a murder fabrication which Western media initially all too quickly indulged with their usual rush to accuse Russia and yet when the stunt became apparent, the conclusion is that Moscow would only benefit. The unspoken but pertinent priority concern among Western media seemed to be: how can anyone believe us now on a range of other events and claims? However, that is precisely the question that the international public should be asking. In the past four years, since the Western governments and media fomented the illegal coup in Ukraine, Russia has been the target for numerous smear campaigns. From the downing of the Malaysian airliner in July 2014 over eastern Ukraine, to alleged drug abuse in Olympic sports, to alleged atrocities in Syria, to alleged interference in Western elections, to the alleged poisoning of a former double agent in England the media campaigns to incriminate Russia have been non-stop. All of these psychological operations dressed up as news have been highly questionable if not preposterous for the lack of evidence. The incredibility has not stopped Western governments and media from persisting in their anti-Russia mania, resulting in economic sanctions against Moscow and a dangerous deterioration in international relations to the point where a world war is recklessly being risked. This week, the Kiev regime has gone too far in its relentless anti-Russian machinations. Perhaps it has been so pandered to by Western states that the Kiev junta has completely stretched the boundaries of ethics and reason to breaking point beyond which it can even be possibly aware of. The horrific Malaysian airliner crash re-emerged in recent weeks after a Dutch-led official inquiry sensationally pinned the blame on Russia for shooting down the aircraft. The inquiry has relied heavily on Ukrainian secret services to formulate their accusations. The same secret services that this week engaged in a disgraceful stunt over the shooting of a journalist with a view to incriminate Russia. Urgent and proper questions need to be asked about the Kiev regime. Not just over the assassination charade this week, but over numerous other claims about Russian aggression and the downing of the Malaysian airliner in which 298 people were killed. Urgent questions need to be asked too about Western governments and their news media over what they have been claiming with regard to Russia during the past four years. The credibility of the Kiev regime imploded emphatically this week. But so too has the credibility of Western governments and news media imploded. To twist this shameful expose as somehow benefiting Russia is to miss the gravity of the issue completely and what has been Western criminal complicity in systematic deception over a host of international events. Western propaganda as peddled by governments, their secret services and dutiful corporate media should be in the spotlight of world scrutiny. Not further perverse allegations against Russia. The US does not shy away from openly threatening its allies and friends into submission. Americas major defense partners could face tough sanctions for purchases of Russian military equipment. Since January 29, the US has been imposing punitive measures under the CAATSA on foreign entities and individuals who cooperate with Russia in the field of defense or intelligence gathering. Congress is not inclined to give the administration the right of waiver to make an exception from the rule for some close allies. Despite that, many of them remain adamant in their intent to purchase the weapons they need from Russia. Washington is exerting pressure on Turkey to make it abandon the plans to purchase Russia S-400 Triumf state-of-the-art air defense systems. So far, Ankara stood tall refusing to bow. US Congress is already considering the proposals on halting US arms sales to that country. Unlike Turkey, India is not a NATO ally but its desire to acquire the Triumf triggers a negative reaction in the US. American lawmakers not only express concern over the planned deal but also issue warnings that sensitive American military technology may be banned from being shared with India in future. According to House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry, There is a lot of concern in the US administration and Congress with the S-400. Indias decision will be made final before the October Russia-India summit. During the informal talks in Sochi in May 2018, President Putin and Prime Minister Modi discussed the ways to get around the US potential sanctions when the deal goes through. Both countries have pledged to jointly create a plan to keep it out of CAATSA. New Delhi has just concluded price talks on the S-400 deal with Moscow, saying it will go ahead, no matter what the US says or does. Those who follow the news on arms trade know well that India is interested in purchasing 22 American Predator Guardian drones for its Navy. Its also willing to acquire the weapon the US has not sold anyone so far: 80-100 Avenger (Predator C) armed drones for the Air Force. The price may be as high as $8 billion. The F-16 production on Indian soil is also in doubt. All these projects are questioned as the US sticks to its guns implementing the do it or else policy. But it will hardly work with India, a nation known for its independent foreign policy. It has never bowed to any pressure from outside since its independence. Iraq, Egypt, the UAE, Qatar, Morocco, Indonesia and Vietnam are among the countries threatened by sanctions if they go on with the plans to purchase Russian weapons. Many of them are particularly interested in the S-400. There is a catch here. If you make an exemption, others will feel humiliated and demand waivers too, but if you punish nobody then what is CAATSA for? Perhaps, the entire policy of punishing others in case of non-compliance with US laws is fundamentally wrong. It may not push Russia out of the international arms market but rather make its products a commercial success. After all, its an open secret that the S-400 is much more capable than the US Patriot air-defense system. Turkey is told that if it buys Russia arms, the US wont sell it F-35 aircraft. India may not get drones in case it purchases the S-400s. The essence is the same: sovereign countries are to be deprived of their right to have the best. Theyd better be satisfied with what the US imposes or face punitive measures for daring not to comply. But many of them will not. For instance, there is little doubt that the pressure will make US-Indian relations hit a rough patch. Defense Secretary James Mattis sought waivers for allies buying Russian weapons but failed to persuade Congress to give the administration this right. Besides, State Secretary Mike Pompeo holds a different view on the issue. The arms twisting approach is prevalent in US foreign policy and even NATO allies are no exception. According to The Times, President Trump is expected to scale back Americas commitments or even issue an ultimatum over further American involvement in Europe. No world leaders taking part in the St. Petersburgs economic forum (SPIEF-2018) in May were happy about the US ultimatums as well as the sanctions against Russia, especially at a time it is leaving recession behind and oil prices are going up. The complains were made heard and concerns voiced at the conference held in the country, which is the prime target of American attacks. Nobody admired the trade wars the US has unleashed. May was the month the US stepped up its attacks on the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline the project Germany, Austria and some other European countries want to go through so much. Israel was the only country to greet the US withdrawal from the Iran deal. Nobody endorsed the President Trumps decision to cancel the meeting in Singapore with the North Korean leader (it may still take place, the talks are underway). The US and its European allies appear to go separate ways on defense. On May 27, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz called for a European operation in North Africa to stem the immigrants flows. Austria will take over the EU Presidency for six months starting in July. The idea has been being floated since a long time ago. Europes main security concern is the protection of its borders, not taking part in US ventures in faraway places or provoking Russia by deploying forces near its borders. The EU is gradually moving to its own deterrence and defense posture, which may not necessarily meet US interests. The US policy of diktat will backlash, bringing together those who are threatened by US sanctions. The EU is about to fight back, Turkey sticks to its guns, India has refused to bow. American allies will have to work out their own approaches to international problems, using quite different instruments to achieve the desired goals. The US global standing will be weakened. By trying to isolate others America will isolate itself. But the addiction to teach, dictate and bark orders is too great to get easily rid of. It takes time to realize that the times have changed. What worked well yesterday has become counterproductive today. Housing Minister Phil Twyford has announced a major review into the meth contamination saga and now says he is not ruling out the possibility of compensation. Hundreds of state houses were left empty and more than 130 tenants evicted because of methamphetamine contamination in homes. A report from Sir Peter Gluckman - released this week - revealed the country has been gripped by a moral panic and meth residue posed no risk to health at all. Phil had earlier said no compensation would be paid to the victims, but told Morning Report today he was not totally ruling out the possibility. "If this government wanted to compensate for every mistake the former government made, we'd go broke tomorrow. "I'll look at the facts, then we can have that conversation. I'm not ruling it out, I'm not ruling it in." He says he did have confidence in the governance of Housing New Zealand under the leadership of chief executive Andrew McKenzie, but there would be a major review of the whole "sorry chapter". He says the information available so far had been very broad and he wanted details about how many houses were tested, the levels found, who was either barred from applying for houses or evicted, and who had to pay for remediation work. "I want all those details and I'll make that information public." Phil says after the review he would also consider whether an apology needed to be made. But he did apologise on behalf of the last National government, "because they're too gutless to do it". One minute hes a bleary-eyed flightless bird with hairy feathers making a precarious life transition from hatchery to creche to the wild. The next minute, hes in the public gaze - tens of thousands of corporate dollars are being thrust at him and his like, and theres a worldwide quest for an appropriate name. After 150 suggestions he will be known as Koura the Maori word for gold. But even before the spotlight had focused, before the stardom had registered, Koura, the 17-month-old male Kiwi had shuffled forth into the Otanewainuku Forest undergrowth to multiply to procreate and perpetuate. Theres so much work to be done for these birds, says Otanewainuku Kiwi Trusts David Brown. And we just want to crack on with it. Now they can crack on, and the at-risk apteryx mantelli, Koura, will have a much-improved chance at survival because of a lifeline from big business and kiwifruit gold kiwifruit, hence Koura. Zespri is donating $50,000 a year for the next three years to assist the Trusts work. Its a godsend, says David, a substantial and significant boost for us a fair chunk of our budget. Now, we can plan ahead and focus our energies on increasing survival rates rather than worrying about funding applications. The Trust is a community volunteer group assisting the kiwi population just beyond the kiwifruit heartland of Te Puke. It recovers eggs from the forests, hatches them at Rainbow Springs, raises them at a creche so they are a bit older and smarter and releases them into a pest-controlled section of Otanewainuku Forest. Its fantastic to be able to support these sterling locals whove been quietly working to save kiwi for decades now, says Zespri Chief Grower and Alliances Officer Dave Courtney. Sterling locals and sterling work But its still not a good picture, says David Brown. The numbers tell the story. The Trust has released around 55 birds into the forest since 2007. There were dark days to start, when 14 birds were released and just two survived. The experts audited us we had done everything right, and they put it down to bad luck. The trust changed things, releasing a few adult birds to help establish the young population, before putting chicks through a creche to give them street smarts before hitting the forest. 11-year-old Eva Lynch up close and personal with Koura whos being held by the Kiwi Trusts David Brown. Of the 55 released overall, 21 survive. Fiddle with the numbers a bit, take the original 14 out of the equation, and it leaves 40. So roughly 50 percent of the birds we have released into the forest have survived. Compare that with 14.29 per cent during the dark days and the trust is making cautious strides. Yes, its looking brighter, says David Brown, because if the birds werent touched, and without the trusts work and support systems, the survival rate would be about five per cent in an unprotected area. The $150,000 three-year commitment will fund transmitting gear for tracking Kiwis, pay for helicopters on egg recovery ops in inaccessible parts of the forest and cover the cost of egg hatching at Rainbow Springs. The eggs are lifted from the nest while the father is tending the nest. Thats a tough call, because if we leave them, we know theres a very high chance that chick will not survive. The stoats will be prowling very early, and take the chicks out before they get too old. If the chicks grow to over 1,000 grams, which in the wild is about three-to-six months, they have a fair chance of knocking a stoat around and surviving. If ferrets are on the scene, adult birds will be taken out too. An adult ferret will kill an adult kiwi straight away, says David. No win for the kiwi. The kiwifruit marketing companys involvement wont stop at writing cheques. Were very keen to find practical ways to help the trust, says Zespris Dave Courtney. Were developing several projects that will mean real, hands-on involvement of Zespri people. David Brown, the Kiwi trust team leader, has been very hands on. Its two or three days in the forest every week on average, but six days in the last week-and-a-half. I hate to think of the hours volunteers put it. But its a commitment made easier by an emotional connection. You sense it when we lose a bird. Everyone tries to be like a farmer and say its just another animal to process, but its tough - they are difficult and hard times when we lose a bird, theres no doubt about it. Then theres the moment you see a Kiwi for the first time, when you hold one for the first time, and appreciate they are a highly at-risk species. Its one of the special moments in your life, he says. I cant remember the birds name, but I can remember having to sit down and eat and drink something because the adrenaline was pumping through me. I had to stop and take time to get myself back on track. Yeah, theyre pretty special. And when David Brown is handling at-risk species, when he thinks about his contribution to improving its chances of survival, then its a good feeling. Its definitely a good feeling to be involved in that process, he says. And it is definitely a good fit for Zespri, because Otanewainuku sits just behind the kiwifruit capital of the world, Te Puke, and enjoys a strong and loyal support from the kiwifruit locals. And theres gold, theres Koura, in them thar hills. Happy National Doughnut Day! It doesn't matter whether you spell it "donut" or "doughnut," as long as we all agree that free food is the best. Companies across the U.S. are celebrating the pseudo holiday on Friday, June 1, by offering freebies and special deals on doughnuts today. Here's a breakdown of some of the best specials: Camerons Bakery: The Auburn, N.Y., bakeshop is donating to The Salvation Army through supply sales today, and 10 percent of all sales on Doughnut Day will go to The Fisher House, which provides military and veteran families with free housing while a loved one is in the hospital. Dunkin' Donuts: Get a free classic doughnut with the purchase of any beverage. You know, because you're supposed to dunk the donut in your drink... Edible Arrangements: Get a free "Edible Donut," or a doughnut-shaped Granny Smith apple dipped in chocolate, at participating locations. Its #NationalDonutDay! Try our new Edible Donut for FREE when you visit one of our 1,200 stores. And dont forget to post a picture with #TreatYourselfSweepstakes for a chance to win $2,500! #edibledonuts pic.twitter.com/cktCwQIaz7 Edible Arrangements (@edible) June 1, 2018 Entenmann's: ABC7 reports the baked goods company is holding a contest to find its next "Chief Donut Officer." The winner gets $5,000 and a one-year supply of donuts, but it's unclear how much work a CDO has to actually do. Krispy Kreme: Get one free doughnut at participating stores in the United States and Canada. No purchase necessary. Papa John's: Pizza on donut day? The chain says it's selling caramel creme-filled, cinnamon sugar-coated donut hole dessert at participating locations for a limited time. Any online pizza purchase Friday comes with a free order of the new sweet treats. For #NationalDonutDay weve got something big in the works. Well, technically small, but also big. And sweet. pic.twitter.com/km74ekyiWv Papa John's Pizza (@PapaJohns) May 30, 2018 Paula's Donuts: The shop is offering a free donut with purchase of any beverage at its three Western New York locations. Ried's Food Barn: For every dozen doughnuts bought from the WNY shop's self-serve display today, they'll give $1 to Olean's Salvation Army. Walmart: The retail giant says it's giving away as much as 1.2 million free doughnuts to customers at all stores nationwide today. And even Burger King is attempting to get in on the fun by selling a "Whopper Donut" at five locations (New York, L.A, Miami, Boston and Salt Lake City) today only. It's basically a Whopper burger with a hole cut in the middle, but the fast food chain is making up for the missing piece by giving a free mini slider with the purchase. Happy National Donut Day. Lets celebrate with our Magic Unicorn . Cotton candy crunch. Available at the Taste or the shop all weekend long. #glazedsyr #donuts #donutfun #syracuseny Posted by Glazed & Confused Syracuse on Friday, June 1, 2018 SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- After a six month investigation, Syracuse police found 15 grams of marijuana, 34 pills and four guns, according to Syracuse police. Courtney T. Sawyer, 24, and Kamar L. Boatman, 33, were arrested after Syracuse police stopped a car leaving 124 Melbourne Drive, police said. Sawyer was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, police said. Boatman was charged in federal court with weapons possession by a convicted felon, police said. Officers stopped a car with Sawyer and Boatman in it at 8:15 a.m. Thursday, police said. Sawyer had five grams of marijuana and 34 Alprazolam pills -- Xanax is a brand-name form of Alprazolam -- police said. Police then obtained a search warrant for 124 Melbourne Drive and found 10 more grams of marijuana, the four guns and ammunition for the guns, police said. The guns were a Hi-Point .45-caliber rifle, a DPMS AR-15-style .223-caliber rifle, a Smith and Wesson M&P .223-caliber rifle and a Ruger 9mm handgun, police said. The DPMS rifle was previously reported stolen in Philadelphia, police said. Sawyer is being held at the Onondaga County Justice Center, police said. Syracuse police's special investigations unit was assisted by the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office Air 1 helicopter unit and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, police said. Selena Hidalgo-Calderon and her son, Owen Hidalgo-Calderon The man accused of burying his girlfriend's body last month in a Wayne County apple orchard is now facing federal immigration-related charges. Everardo Donoteo-Reyes, also known as Alberto Ebarado Gutierrez-Reyes, has been charged in federal court with illegally reentering the United States for the third time. The Mexican man has also been charged with possessing a fake social security card and a phony alien registration card. Donoteo-Reyes, 26, is a suspect in the death of his teenage girlfriend, Selena Hidalgo-Calderon. His girlfriend's 14-month-old son, Owen Hidalgo-Calderon, remains missing. Deputies discovered Donoteo-Reyes' immigration status while investigating the disappearance of his girlfriend and her child. Hidalgo-Calderon, of Guatemala, and Owen went missing May 16 in Sodus, Wayne County. The 18-year-old mother and her boy were last seen at the Joy Road farm where they lived with Donoteo-Reyes. One week later, Hidalgo-Calderon's body was found on the farm buried in a bag between two stumps. Her boyfriend was accused of hiding her body and charged with evidence tampering. After arresting Donoteo-Reyes, the Wayne County Sheriff's Office sent his fingerprints to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said U.S. Attorney James Kennedy Jr.'s office in a news release. Deputies also seized an alien registration card with Donoteo-Reyes' photo and the name "Alberto Gutierrez" on it, officials said. ICE reported the defendant had again illegally slipped into the country. Donoteo-Reyes illegally entered the country in 2016 and 2017, officials said. He has been charged in federal court with possession of a counterfeit social security card and an alien registration card along with illegal reentry after deportation -- both punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Deputies have called Hidalgo-Calderon's death a homicide but have not said how she died. Owen, Hidalgo-Calderon's toddler son, has still not been found. For the 10th day in a row, deputies are searching the Joy Road orchard for the missing boy. Former Syracuse reporter Jeff Glor's days may be numbered at "CBS Evening News," according to a new report. Page Six sources say CBS executives are already thinking about replacing Glor as anchor of their evening newscast, just six months after he took over. CBS News president David Rhodes even reportedly called a meeting on Tuesday telling Glor and his producers that they need to turn things around -- and fast. "He unleashed on the team," an insider told the publication. "He said how disappointed and frustrated he is with how things have gone." Glor, a Syracuse University alumnus and a Western New York native, drew a 1.1 rating among viewers in the target demo (ages 25-54) and 7.1 million total viewers for his debut week in December. That's up from the 6.4 million viewers CBS had been averaging, but the show has stayed in third place behind ABC and NBC and dropped in viewership over the past few months. Syracuse native David Muir, anchor of ABC's "World News Tonight," won the May 2018 sweeps period with 7.928 million total viewers, ahead of NBC's Lester Holt by 354,000 and ahead of Glor by more than 2.2 million. "NBC Nightly News" still beat ABC by just over 40,000 viewers in the target demographic with an average of 1.632 million viewers ages 25 to 54, compared to 1.591 million for Muir and 1.170 million for Glor. MAY 2018 SWEEPS RATINGS ABC World News Tonight: 7.928 million total viewers (1.3/7; 1.591 million adults 25-54) NBC Nightly News: 7.574 million total viewers (1.4/7; 1.632 million adults 25-54) CBS Evening News: 5.684 million total viewers (1.0/5; 1.170 million adults 25-54) "CBS Evening News" has been a distant third for years, which is a big reason why previous anchor Scott Pelley was axed. But Glor thus far has failed to narrow the ratings gap while in the seat once held by Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather and Katie Couric. In fact, TVNewser reports Glor's ratings for the week of May 21 were down 9 percent from the same week on "CBS Evening News" in 2017. Page Six reports some network staffers are especially concerned with new "CBS Evening News" executive producer Mosheh Oinounou, who replaced Steve Capus in January. Oinounou previously worked on "CBS This Morning" and helped launch CBSN, the network's new digital streaming channel. However, a CBS News spokesperson downplayed any concerns about the future of Glor, a former reporter at WSTM-3 (CNY Central), and Oinounou. "CBS News couldn't be more excited about the direction that Jeff and Mosheh are taking the 'Evening News.' The meeting as described never happened. What did happen was a discussion centered on editorial and production, not ratings, which is not unusual," the spokesperson said in a statement. A lifetime of poetry Professor of English and Dean's Professor of the Humanities at Syracuse University, Silvio Torres-Saillant recently co-authored a book with Nancy Kang, an assistant professor of multicultural and diaspora literatures at the University of Baltimore that shines a light on Dominican-born American poet Rhina P. Espaillat. Espaillat was the youngest poet ever inducted into the Poetry Society of America who went through a period of obscurity as she focused her attention on familial responsibilities, before returning to poetry and producing award-winning poetry collections. Torres-Saillant and Kang have chosen to use a "life and works" approach to introduce readers to the "literary trajectory, salient themes, aesthetic accomplishments, and critical reception of a major American poet whose work conveys a compelling message to our troubled world." Hoping to interest both academic and non-academic readers of the general public, the book includes explanations about poetic forms, styles, schools, social movements, literary histories, political events, and cultural debates relevant to the study of the poet. The authors contend that Espaillat's staying power and current relevance can be rooted in the growth and success of American writers for whom English is a second language. "Her eighty-six years of age at the time of this writing notwithstanding, we argue that Espaillat is a new American poet by dint of the vision discernable in her wok, a vision that presages the future of the country's literary demographics." "The Once and Future Muse: The Poetry and Poetics of Rhina P. Espaillat" is available on Amazon and from University of Pittsburgh Press. Book events The Glenn H. Curtiss Museum will be hosting author Theasa Tuohy for a signing of her book "Flying Jenny." The fictional book highlights the very real aspects of women's aviation history, as inspired by Tuohy's mother who was a pioneering pilot in the early 1930s. "Two grand ladies of the flying machines inspired my book, one was my mother and the other Elinor Smith," says Tuohy. The book features two female protagonists who are each trying to break through limits in their male-dominated fields. Debutante stunt pilot Jenny Flynn from the Southwest, and New York tabloid reporter Laura Bailey, who grew up in Greenwich Village. Jenny catches Laura's attention after she flies under Manhattan's four East River bridges, and soon Laura is pursuit of a story about the tenacious pilot. Tuohy mentions many early planes in the book, including products from the former Curtiss factory in Hammondsport, N.Y., making the museum that celebrates the life and accomplishments of Glenn Curtiss, the father of naval aviation, the perfect location to share "Flying Jenny." Tuohy will be at the museum on June 23 at 2 p.m. to sign copies of her book and to meet the public. Copies of the book will be available for purchase. For more information visit the museum's website. The Syracuse James Joyce Club will be hosting its 25th annual Bloomsday Celebration on Saturday June 16. Readings from "Ulysses" will be taking place from 2:30 to 10 pm primarily at Nibsy's in Syracuse, with additional locations selected to enhance the mood of the reading. Telemachus, set at the Martello Tower in Dublin Harbor, will be at the Water Tower in Thornden Park at 3 pm, and the second, Proteus, set at Sandymount Shore on Dublin Bay, will be at Willow Bay on Onondaga Lake in Liverpool at 4:30. Carpooling will be available from the Nibsy's parking lot. The bar will be offering a special menu for the event starting at 6 pm. The Syracuse James Joyce Club currently has eighty-eight members, and is one of the most active James Joyce clubs among 55 globally. For more information about the SJJC, or the event you can visit the club's Facebook page. The Colgate Bookstore will be hosting a costume contest in honor of the 20th anniversary of the publication of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" on Tuesday, June 26, beginning at 4:30 pm. Attendees can dress as their favorite character, magical creature, or theme from the Harry Potter books. Judging begins at 4:45, and prizes will be awarded to both adults and children. The event is free and open to the public. Have a book to share? Are you a local author or have you come across a book set in Central New York? Tell us about it. Send a brief description of the book and the author and we'll add it as a candidate for coverage. Write us at features@syracuse.com. Alberto E. Rodriguez | Getty Images Roseanne Barr 'begged' for job back Roseanne Barr attends the premiere of ABC's "Roseanne" at Walt Disney Studio Lot on March 23, 2018 in Burbank, California. Don't Edit Roseanne Barr 'begged' for job back Roseanne Barr says she "begged" bosses at Disney and ABC for her job back in a since-deleted tweet Thursday. "I begged Ben Sherwood at ABC 2 let me apologize & make amends," she wrote on Twitter. "I begged them not to cancel the show. I told them I was willing to do anything & asked 4 help in making things right. I'd worked doing publicity4 them 4free for weeks, traveling, thru bronchitis. I begged4 ppls jobs." ABC canceled the show following Barr's racist comments about former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett earlier this week. She's apologized repeatedly and blamed her rants, which often include right-wing conspiracy theories, on Ambien. On Thursday, she added an apology to Jayden Rey, a black actress who appeared on the "Roseanne" revival series. "The saddest part of all is 4 Jayden Rey on the show whom I grew2 love so much & am so ashamed of myself that she would ever think I do not love her bc she is African American," Barr tweeted. "It's the most gawd awful painful thing. I can't let myself cave in tho." Don't Edit Don't Edit New music TGIF: New music this week includes Kanye West's new album (a 7-song EP that he flew dozens of journalists out to Wyoming for a listening party), Kesha celebrating Dreamers in her "Hymn" video, Jim James' 'Throwback,' Hayley Kiyoko and Kehlani's romantic 'What I Need' video, MNEK and Hailee Steinfeld singing about 'Colours,' Future's 'Superfly' reboot soundtrack, The 1975's return to pop on 'Give Yourself a Try,' Charli XCX's '5 in the Morning' and a brand-new Gorillaz video featuring Jack Black. Note: Songs may contain explicit content not suitable for younger audiences. Don't Edit The new Kanye West album is here. Listen to ye now https://t.co/xj58KGClif pic.twitter.com/LCoOxWp4OQ Spotify (@Spotify) June 1, 2018 Don't Edit Don't Edit Don't Edit Don't Edit Don't Edit Don't Edit NOFX apologizes Punk rock band NOFX has apologized for an "insensitive" joke at a Las Vegas concert on Sunday, when frontman Fat Mike brought up the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival that left 58 people in October. "I guess you're only getting shot in Vegas if you're a country band," he said. "I mean, that sucked. At least they were country fans and not punk rock fans." The band lost a beer endorsement and faced backlash from fans before admitting on their official Facebook page that "what we said in Vegas was sh---y and insensitive and we are all embarrassed by our remarks. So we decided we will all get together to discuss and write an in depth, sincere, and honest apology because that's what the people we offended and hurt deserve." Don't Edit Don't Edit Don't Edit 'Peppermint' trailer Jennifer Garner is back in action with the new trailer for "Peppermint." Directed by Pierre Morel ("Taken"), the film follows a woman who seeks justice when she wakes up from a coma to discover her family has been murdered. "Peppermint," also starring John Gallagher Jr. and Method Man, opens Sept. 7. Don't Edit Don't Edit Jimmy Kimmel basketball Jimmy Kimmel is having fun with the NBA Finals on ABC this week. He shared a new "Mean Tweets" video featuring NBA stars, recruited Snoop Dogg for a video about the "Hizzistory of Bizzasketball" and accepted Ted Cruz's challenge to a one-on-one game of basketball. Yes, that last one's especially strange -- but true. The winner will donate $5,000 to a charity of the loser's choice. Don't Edit Don't Edit Don't Edit Don't Edit Don't Edit More Buzz: 'Tangled' TV series returned for season 3 with new name ( BB Erika Christensen pregnant with baby No. 2 ( ET Montel Williams hospitalized after overdoing workout ( NYDN Jason Momoa exits 'The Crow' remake ( SF Bobby Brown, New Edition members going on tour as RBRM ( RS Lil Dicky to star in FX comedy series ( BB Nikki Bella, John Cena working on relationship together ( ET 'Bachelorette' contestant Garrett apologizes for Instagram posts ( DN Hailee Steinfeld to play Emily Dickinson in new Apple series ( SF 'Bachelor in Paradise' star Amanda Stanton gets breast implants ( ET SYRACUSE, N.Y. - New York state is poised to give Onondaga County the Central New York Film Hub, a $14 million facility that has thus far failed to deliver promised jobs and will be featured in an upcoming corruption trial. Board members of the nonprofit Fort Schuyler Management Corp., the state-affiliated owner of the DeWitt facility, are scheduled to vote today on a proposal to transfer the property to the county, according to a source with knowledge of the transaction. The county would pay $1 if the measure is approved. Onondaga County officials have been the de facto managers of the film hub for the past two years. The transfer would give local officials greater control over the facility. County officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Several film productions have rented the film hub's soundstage since the building was completed in 2015. But the facility has produced no permanent jobs, and the films produced there thus far have not been enough to support a local film industry as planned. When Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced plans to build the facility in March 2014, he said it would create 350 high-tech jobs. It's not clear how many temporary jobs have been supported by film-making since then. County officials have enthusiastically supported efforts to build a local film industry, and say the film hub presents an economic opportunity.They say that a new association of would-be film workers, the Central New York Film Professionals, is establishing a pool of available employees. Around the time the film hub was announced, the county hired a film commissioner, Eric Vinal. The county rents a $1,000-a-month office for him at the film hub. State officials have not taken an active hand in running the facility since it became mired in a corruption scandal in 2016. In the wake of the scandal, SUNY Polytechnic Institute ceded management of the film hub and other facilities to Empire State Development, the state economic development arm. ESD chief Howard Zemsky said in January 2017 that state officials would seek out a "strategic partner'' to take over the film hub's operation. The film hub, which sits on 7.6 acres at Collamer Crossings Business Park, will play a key part in the June corruption trial of a former state official and two Cor Development Co. executives. Steven Aiello and Joseph Gerardi of Cor are accused of colluding with Alain Kaloyeros, the former head of SUNY Polytechnic Institute, to rig a request for proposals that led to Cor building the film hub. All three deny the charge. The trial is scheduled to begin June 11. The Fort Schuyler Management Corp. board meets at 3:45 p.m. today. County Executive Joanie Mahoney established a special-purpose local development corporation to take possession of the film hub, Legislature Chairman Ryan McMahon said. The entity will not be funded by county taxpayers unless it requests bonding or other assistance and the Legislature approves, he said. State records show that the county established the Greater Syracuse Soundstage Development Corp. this week. Contact reporter Tim Knauss | email | Twitter | 315-470-3023 Why isn't Samantha Bee's show canceled, too? To the Editor: The media double standard continues to prevail. Roseanne Barr makes a tasteless joke about Valerie Jarrett, apologizes for it, but is fired on the spot, along with canceling her conservative view show. Samantha Bee makes a disgusting comment about Ivanka Trump, apologizes for it, and continues to "entertain" the liberal audience with her show. Assuredly, the majority of the American public will recognize the inherent bias of the media broadcasting industry and will vote accordingly in the upcoming midterm elections. Richard B. Abbott Fulton Speech is free, but it is not free of consequences To the Editor: Free speech is a double-edged sword and is only considered acceptable when people agree with what's been said. There are so many hot-button topics that people tend to pick and choose which ones are OK and which ones aren't. The fact is, they are all OK, according to the First Amendment of the American Constitution. Like it or not. Roseanne is the hot topic of the day. A private company (Disney) has decided to cancel her show because of racist tweets. People argue that she has the freedom to do so. The fact is, she does. However, there are consequences for our actions. If we backtalked our boss, we could be fired. If we even joked about a bomb at the airport, we could be arrested. If we slandered someone, we could end up in court. For every action, there is a reaction. People argued that she apologized, forgetting her past actions. Picture her as Hitler-esque taking people-cookies out of the oven or her horrible rendition of the national anthem, finishing it off by grabbing her crotch and spitting on the ground. I believe her racist comments were the straw that broke the camel's back. The same people arguing for Roseanne's right to free speech are the same people who condemned a certain presidential candidate for calling an entire group of people "deplorable," even though she apologized, or a comedian who created something viewed as completely distasteful was uninvited for scheduled appearances even though she apologized. Apologies don't fix everything. I love America and I love our Constitution. However, we live in a world where hate will not be tolerated. Good for us. Tamara K. Caruso Phoenix Roseanne Barr reaped what she sowed To the Editor: Good for ABC for cancelling "Roseanne." But shame on them for hiring this vile individual in the first place. There are plenty of actresses who could have filled that role and expressed whatever point of view the show was representing. In my opinion, Barr played a huge role in what has become an American crisis: a total lack of respect. Who can forget her abhorrent 1990 crotch-grabbing, finger-giving to the fans' rendition of our national anthem at a San Diego Padres game. Talk about disrespecting our flag! And now Colin Kaepernick is vilified for kneeling during the anthem because that is disrespectful? You've got to be kidding me! The original "Rosanne," which ran from 1988 to 1997, was a trashy "comedy" which made being disrespectful cool. And now that lack of respect has reached crisis level. You reap what you sow. But it is poetic justice that her vicious, loud-mouthed, bigoted personality got her show canceled and is going to cost her a lot of money. Unfortunately, a lot of innocent people who were part of the show will be hurt because of her outrageous behavior. She can't blame it on Ambien. She is just a creep and proved it again to the whole world. Good riddance. Neil Falcone Syracuse If you're not registered to vote in New York state, the deadline is Friday to apply and still be eligible to vote in the federal primary elections for Congress on June 26. Political parties will hold primary elections in seven of New York's 27 congressional districts. The largest field of candidates will be in New York's 19th Congressional District, where seven Democrats are competing to challenge Rep. John Faso, R-Kinderhook, in November. In Central New York's 24th Congressional District, Dana Balter and Juanita Perez Williams will face each other in a Democratic primary. The winner will face Rep. John Katko, R-Camillus, in November. Here's what you need to know about voter registration deadlines and eligibility requirements: What's the last day to register? If you're not a registered voter, the deadline is Friday, June 1. You can sign up in person at your county Board of Elections or at certain state agencies such as the Department of Health. Mailed applications must be postmarked by June 1. The Onondaga County Board of Elections in Syracuse and all county election offices will be open until 5 p.m. June 1 to accept applications. How do I apply for an absentee ballot? Absentee ballots are available to registered voters who are physically unable, or will not be in their home county to vote on Election Day. To apply for an absentee ballot by mail, applications must be postmarked by June 19. You can also apply for an absentee ballot in person at your local board of elections by 5 p.m. June 25. How do I register to vote? In New York, there are four ways: * Register online through the state Department of Motor Vehicles. You'll need a Social Security number and driver's license, permit or non-driver ID number to proceed. * Register by mail: Voter registration forms are available at some libraries, post offices and town and village offices. The form is online at the state Board of Elections website. Print out the form, fill it out and mail it in to your county Board of Elections. Find your county Board of Elections. Or, the state Board of Elections will mail a form to you; request one by calling 1-800-FOR-VOTE. * Register in person at your county Board of Elections. Find yours. * Register in person at any number of state agencies, such as the Department of Health, the Department of Labor and Department of Social Services. Am I eligible to register to vote? * You must be a U.S. citizen. * You must be 18 years old by Dec. 31 of the year in which you file the voter registration form, and you must be 18 years old by the date of the general, primary or other election in which you want to vote. * You must live at your current address for at least 30 days before an election. * You can't be in prison or on parole for a felony conviction. * You can't have been ruled mentally incompetent by a court. * You can't claim the right to vote somewhere else. What if I'm registered, but I've moved or changed my name? You should use the voter registration form as a change of address form. According to the state Board of Elections, "notices of change of address from registered voters received at least 20 days before a special, primary or general election by a county board of elections must be processed and entered in the records in time for that election.'' What if I'm registered and want to change my party affiliation? If you're registered to vote in New York, it's too late to change your party affiliation in time for the federal or state primaries this year. The deadline to change affiliation was Oct. 13, 2017. Any changes submitted now will become effective in 2019. What if I attend college in New York state? Should I vote from home or school? College students have the option of determining where they want to vote. Students who want to vote in their school community must file a voter registration form with that county. Students who want to vote from their permanent home must request an absentee ballot. Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751 A $29.9 million state fine filed against North Syracuse for late or missing cost reports on various projects is the largest in New York state, according to data from the state. Out of more than 650 school districts in the state, only 14 districts face fines for late or missing reports on state-aided capital projects, the state Department of Education data shows. The state uses the final cost reports to determine a district's building aid on capital projects. "This is an administrative error from the past that warrants a penalty - but not one this severe,'' said Donald Keegan, North Syracuse's associate superintendent for business services. North Syracuse district officials have said they have gotten the state to drop the penalty to $20 million and they hope the state will reduce it more. North Syracuse plans to make its first payment in June. While the district will use capital reserve funds for the next couple of years, it will eventually mean program cuts and/or layoffs, Keegan said. He said he didn't believe residents would support raising taxes to pay the penalty. Keegan said the district didn't find out about the penalty until 2015. The initial letter from the state cited 23 projects which had late or missing final cost reports. By submitting documentation, the district got that whittled down to six projects between 1996 to 2010. Keegan said confusion about these cost reports led to a change in the law, which now says districts can't get state aid until the paperwork is complete and filed. Before, districts could get aid before all the paperwork was in and then faced a loss of all building aid if the reports were late. The district has asked Gov. Andrew Cuomo to intervene to forgive the penalty. The other CNY district Liverpool Central School District is the only other district in Central New York facing a penalty for late paperwork. In 2012, Liverpool learned the district owed about $6.5 million for final cost reports that were late or missing dating back to 1999-2000, said Liverpool Superintendent Mark Potter. The district has been paying on that penalty for the past three years and has two years left, Potter said. Payments of $1.3 million are deducted off the state aid the district receives each year, Potter said. Districts fined School District Total Penalty Recovered Annual recovery amount Estimated Forgiven Amount North Syracuse $29,896,894 $0 $1,885,059 $10,696,072 Chester $25,663,634 $0 $336,977 $21,086,897 Newburgh $12,747,495 $2,549,499 $3,305,562 $0 Spackenkill $9,603,719 $0 $566,757 $3,936,152 Liverpool $6,624,260 $2,649,704 $1,324,852 $0 Panama $4,918,411 $1,475,523 $159,242 $0 Mount Morris $2,653,121 $0 $180,570 $822,980 Tonawanda $1,455,736 $291,147 $0 $0 Roscoe $1,413,325 $0 $110,541 $288,555 Mattituck-Cutchogue $1,009,823 $201,965 $201,965 $0 Lackawanna $839,524 $518,376 $80,287 $0 Islip $401,816 $80,363 $80,363 $0 Source: NYS Education Department The state of Vermont plans start paying $10,000 to people who move there to work from home. Gov. Phil Scott signed the policy into law this week. Current residents aren't eligible, according to the Burlington Free Press. State officials hope Vermont's high quality of life will entice out-of-state workers to swap their offices for a Vermont co-working space or home office, the Free Press said. The policy is designed to address Vermont's rapidly aging population, according to CNBC. Its median age is one of the highest in the nation. The state's tax base is also shrinking. "The one thing we need more of in Vermont is people," said Adam Grinold, executive director of the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation, according to CNBC. "We need more visitors, we need more employees, we need more business owners. We need more people." The law Scott signed this week also includes a program designed to convert some of the state's 13 million annual tourists into permanent residents. The program will connect visitors with local employers, entrepreneurs, community leaders and potential neighbors, CNBC said. "We have about 16,000 fewer workers than we did in 2009," Scott said in a statement, according to CNBC. "That's why expanding our workforce is one of the top priorities of my administration." Scott said the state needs to think creatively to attract young professionals. Funds for the remote worker program will go out on first come, first served basis, according to CNN. The program is capped at $125,000 in 2019. The cap rises to $250,000 in 2020 and then drops back down to $125,000 in 2021. Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Google + | 315-454-2112 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. Hi Mark! I'd like to ask which malls in the Philippines already have a Nokia Concept Store that's being run by HMD Global NCR: Luzon: Visayas: Mindanao: More than the promise to bring quality and innovative mobile communication technology, we are dedicated to making Nokia phones more accessible to the market. Ron, if you're open to skipping your personal hands-on of the product before deciding if you want to get it, you may also want to just visit argomall website to make your purchase. Last night - May 31, 2018, I received this question from TP Friendon Facebook Messenger:. I'm interested in buying the Nokia 7 Plus 2018 Android smartphone but. I hope you can give a complete list for the benefit of other hardcore Filipino Nokia Fans. Thanks!"Well, here's my answer:Ron, as of today - June 1, 2018, HMD Global has Nokia Stores and Kiosks in these 13 malls located in NCR, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.Robinsons ManilaSM City TarlacSM City BaguioSM City OlongapoSM City Sta. RosaSM City DasmarinasSM City BacoorSM City San PabloSM City RosalesSM City BatangasSM City UrdanetaSM City IloIloGaisano Mall of DavaoNeedless to say, 'Nokia Brand' is fairly new in our country and it has a lot of room to grow in terms of marketing reach and product distribution. Nonetheless, I'd like to believe that HMD Global Philippines is doing the best it can to make new Nokia handsets more accessible to Filipinos across the country.In fact, according to our good friend - Mr. Shannon Mead, HMD Global Philippines Country Manager:Clearly, things can only get better for Nokia Brand in our country. And I can confidently say that if HMD Global continues to churn out great products, it won't be long before we see Nokia back in the Top 5 list of best-selling handset brands here in the Philippines.Oh, and on a slightly separate note:That online gadget store, which is an authorized retail channel of Nokia, will deliver the unit right to your doorstep for free and with 1-year parts and service warranty from HMD Global. Highly anticipated: It feels like speculation over Nvidias next GeForce graphics cards has gone on forever, but it appears that the company will reveal all on August 20 at the Hot Chips Symposium. A program for the event lists a talk by Nvidia's Stuart Oberman, Vice-President of ASIC engineering, called 'NVIDIAs Next Generation Mainstream GPU.' Nvidia has obviously kept the title of the presentation vague, so we still dont know if the new GPU will be called the GTX 1180 or GTX 2080, or what architecture it will use. Back in May, it was reported that Nvidia would launch the Founders Edition of its upcoming GPU in July, with the third-party cards arriving in August or September. This might still be the case, with Obermans talk possibly revolving around the already released cards and perhaps some upcoming next-gen GPUs. A press release sent out by Hot Chips reads: We will hear from the CPU and GPU giants: AMD featuring their next-gen client chip, NVIDIA with their next-gen GPU, and Intel with an interesting die-stacked CPU with iGPU plus stacked dGPU. In addition to Nvidias presentation, AMD will give a talk called "Delivering a new level of Visual Performance in an SoC - AMD Raven Ridge APU." Intel, meanwhile, will present Intel's High Performance Graphics solutions in thin and light mobile form factors" and "Next Generation Intel Xeon(R) Scalable processor: Cascade Lake," among others. The Hot Chips Symposium takes place from August 19 to August 21 at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts in Cupertino, California. The accusation is in connection with the Pandora Papers revelations about the corrupt acts of President Sebastian Pinera. | Read More What they hadnt counted on was the ferocity of the public reaction to Regans evidence. The heat started rising for Brenner when the questioning began to home in on an investigation which AMP had asked law firm Clayton Utz to carry out in 2017, probing the history of the fee for no service issue. The final report of that investigation had been searing. But attachments to Regans witness statement showed numerous emails about drafts of the report bouncing back and forth between Clayton Utz and AMPs top in-house lawyer, Brian Salter. The email trail linked Brenner to some of the changes Salter had sought. Brenner suddenly saw herself painted as having tried to influence the independent and external report in a way that shored up the position of her chief executive, Craig Meller. Loading Regan was not well versed in this area. The company would later protest that he was not involved in any material way in the preparation of the report. He floundered in questioning. Yet he agreed with a proposition put to him by the royal commissions QC that he felt discomfort about assurances to ASIC that the Clayton Utz report was independent of AMP. In the companys response some days later, AMP insisted that the report had never been portrayed to ASIC as completely independent rather it had been independent of the advice business unit within AMP. And it completely rejected wrongdoing by Brenner, who, the argument ran, was just being diligent by ensuring the role of her chief executive was clarified. But by then it was too late. The public travails of Catherine Brenner - one of the most senior women in the Australian business community - had begun. The firestorm From Japan, Brenner spoke to senior AMP executives the night that Regans evidence concluded. It was clear she would have to fly back to Sydney. Another director, Holly Kramer, was also overseas, on a trip to Israel. Frantic calls between board members bounced across the globe. Brenner arrived back in Sydney on Thursday morning after an overnight flight. Loading The dominoes began to fall in quick succession. By Thursday, Salter had stepped aside from his general counsel duties. By Friday, chief executive Craig Meller had fallen on his sword. The following weekend a crisis board meeting saw Brenner hand in her resignation. Soon afterwards it was announced that two other female directors ( Kramer was one) would step down before the annual general meeting due on May 10. Salter learned that he was to be terminated permanently, despite vehemently denying wrongdoing. At the senior levels of AMP, there was shell-shock, according to well-placed sources. We were not expecting the firestorm that suddenly broke out inside the media, our investors and also within the government, one told Fairfax Media. It took everybody by surprise. And its one of the reasons Catherine was in Japan, because she didnt expect it either. So then there was a gap of a couple of days, where there was a vital lack of leadership about how to manage the fallout. You end up with half your board gone, you lose your CEO, and chairman, and general counsel; and there are now five class actions pending. In terms of crisis management it was a complete disaster. The episode became a lightning rod for other concerns some had about Brenner's chairmanship. "Normally you have a much more seasoned executive as your chair, who is older and more experienced than your CEO. The situation was reversed here," said one observer. Brenner had established herself at a relatively young age at the very top tier of the corporate world. She sat on the boards of major listed companies Coca-Cola Amatil and Boral as well as her prestigious AMP chairmanship. She also sat on the board of trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales (from which she has since stepped aside) and the board of SCEGGS Darlinghurst, the top private girls school attended by her daughters. Now what she had worked towards all her life was hanging by a thread. Catherine Brenner at the Coca Cola Amatil annual general meeting in May, after the AMP scandal broke. Credit:Janie Barrett As Brenner went to ground, the media pack closed in. Photographers camped outside the family home at Centennial Park. In the financial press, unnamed sources poured scorn on her fitness for the chair, questioned her past business record, lampooned the emphasis the slender blonde placed on her (always immaculately) groomed appearance, and queried the amount of family time she had sacrificed to pursue her corporate ambitions. Her husbands past was raked over (he had been a senior urologist but lost his authority to possess or issue prescriptions for addictive drugs in 2015). Further commentary painted Brenner as a jumped-up creation of corporate guru David Gonski the chairman of everything as he is sometimes known a man with more reach into more corporate boardrooms and government ears than anyone else in the country, who had championed a number of women, including Brenner. She had never run anything, never been a CEO, had come out of nowhere as a mid-level investment banker and taken up plum corporate positions that she was not ready for. Or so the arguments ran. Union-busting businessman Chris Corrigan was one of the few to put his name to such criticisms. It was demonstrably the case that she had only got the AMP job because she was a woman, he told The Australian newspaper. Can you imagine that a man with moderate investment banking experience at a second-rate investment bank would have got to be chair of the AMP? Her supporters were horrified. Some - senior figures in the business community are now rallying publicly in her defence (although keen-eyed observers note Gonski thus far has not been among them). Prominent in Brenners support is Ilana Atlas, chair of Coca-Cola Amatil, where Brenner still holds a seat on the board. Atlas and her fellow directors held the line when the shareholders' association demanded Brenners head at the companys annual general meeting two weeks ago, with camera crews hanging outside the doors. Atlas said Brenner would stay on until her term reached its natural expiry date next year, and would remain in charge of the boards risk and sustainability committee. Atlas told Fairfax: I have found some of the commentary on Catherine quite extraordinary. Its obviously coming from people who have not worked with her. As a professional colleague, I would say that she is an excellent director: highly committed, very hardworking, very diligent, always across every issue. She went about getting a deep understanding of the business and the people in it. Pushing back against comments like Corrigans, she said, you hear some of the blokes complaining - but we are in the midst of a social revolution; now they have to compete against 100 per cent of the population, not 50 per cent. Prominent businesswoman Yasmin Allen. Prominent businesswoman Yasmin Allen, who sits on the boards of Santos, Cochlear and the ASX, was in London soon after the storm broke over Brenner. She says the view from Britain has been one of astonishment. To be criticised for a business judgement or decision is absolutely fine. No-one has a problem with that. But to move into that kind of personal attack? I feel like I have stepped back 50 years. People are saying 'Wow, if you put your head up and take a high-profile position and something goes wrong this is what is going to happen to you if you are a woman'. As a company chair, she said, Brenner's job was not to direct the business but act as sounding board for the CEO. "These are high-level, evolved skills that not everyone has. She has a high level of integrity and was very generous with her time when I sent people to her for advice." Bob Cameron, who founded and then chaired Centennial Coal, where Brenner was a director for five years, told Fairfax: She was a major contributor around the board table. We all held her, and I still do, in very high regard. Based on my experience I would happily serve on another board with her. Others speaking up for Brenner include Kim Williams, with whom she served on the Opera House board, former investment banker John Wylie, and businesswoman Belinda Hutchinson, chancellor of the University of Sydney, and former head of Chief Executive Women. I have been distressed and saddened about some of the things written about her, says Hutchinson. Her family life has nothing to do with her professional life, you don't hear men being written about in that way. To have your children put through what they have been put through, not being able to go to school without the press waiting at the door, I think is incredibly cruel. Angus James, her former boss at ABN Amro, said: Shes become the get-squared for every white Anglo-Saxon male who feels aggrieved about not getting any board posts, supposedly because women of less calibre are getting them. It's complete tripe. The rise of Catherine Brenner In some ways, Brenners rise is the classic tale of the small-town girl made good. Brenner herself did not wish to be interviewed. Those who know her well speak of a softly-spoken woman, not an out-sized personality but charming and highly intelligent, with a marked drive to succeed. Unlike many of the those she now mixes with, Brenner did not go to one of the best private schools or best university colleges. The eldest of four children, she was born in Gundagai, to Mike and Diana Hogan, both teachers who moved frequently to take up rural postings around the state. When she was in primary school they moved to Canberra so her father could fill a headmasters position, and they upped sticks again when Brenner was in year 8, to the lush mid-north coast. There Hogan became the first lay head of the Catholic school, St Augustines, while Brenner attended Coffs Harbour High, known locally as Jetty High. She seems to have found school a breeze: winning prizes, debating, public speaking, and still finding time to get to the top of the local Girl Guides. She told one friend she tried to get every badge you could get in the book. She worked in local stores to earn extra cash, and was anointed Lions Youth of the Year in one of her final high school years. Goal-setting, determination and pursuing opportunity at every turn were early hallmarks. An influential high school economics teacher and the work experience she landed with a Coffs Harbour solicitor nudged her towards law and economics at Macquarie University. Throughout most of her five-year degree, she supported herself by working as the in-house boarding mistress at Sydney girls school, Loreto Normanhurst, a role which often meant sacrificing evenings and Saturday nights. After graduation and a six-month backpacking tour overseas, Brenner took up a position at leading law firm Phillips Fox. She discovered an appetite for corporate law and the more entrepreneurial side of legal practice. Two years later, she left the law to join investment bank BZW, which later acquired ABN AMRO. Those years gave her a seat at the table through one of the biggest corporate transactions Australia had seen the privatisation of Telstra, through tranches 1, 2 and 3. Her boss at ABN AMRO, Angus James, says he had huge confidence in Brenner. We handled Telstra 1 through 3 and she was a core part of those teams, he told Fairfax. When UBS tried to poach Brenner, he fended them off by agreeing to support her longer-term plan. Catherine is a very meticulous person, he said. She had a plan about what she wanted do with her career, and she consulted widely on that. She made it very clear that she would continue in investment banking, but only for a short period and then look at board positions, because that's where she thought she could progress herself and add some value. James told her: Look it's early, [she was still in her early thirties] but there is nothing wrong with that if you can achieve it. He smoothed the path, as she sought out mentors, among them the late Ken Moss, with whom she used to catch up every few weeks. Gonski became another key supporter. Catherine Brenner with mentor Ken Moss in 2008. Credit:Louie Douvis In 1998, in the middle of pitching for the Telstra 2 float, Brenner met her husband to be, Phillip, then an up-and-coming urologist, and the brother of Maxine Brenner, who went on to marry OneTel founder Jodee Rich. Now Brenner entered a world which overlapped with that of some of Sydneys wealthiest families, including the Packers. Phillip Brenner had once dated James Packers sister, Gretel, and his uncle, property tycoon Robert Whyte, was a mate of billionaire Kerry Packer. The wedding of Catherine and Phillip took place on Observatory Hill in 1999, in a ceremony which incorporated elements of both her Catholic and his Jewish background. Friends say she had to fit the wedding date around a corporate deal. The family connection opened the door to her first non-executive directors position, on the board of Whytes private company Trafalgar, in 2003. Other board appointments soon followed: Centennial Coal in 2005, biotech company Cryosite in 2006, and in 2007, membership of the federal governments Takeovers Panel. In 2008 she finally broke through to the top echelon, joining the Coca-Cola board, then chaired by Gonski. Her status as a non-executive director was further enhanced when she joined the AMP board in 2009, followed by Boral in 2010. Loading Tam did four-unit maths, as it was then known, as well as science, English, and German. She doesnt recall making her subject decisions based on how the subject would be scaled. I dont think there was a big deal made of it then, she says. But there was one key difference: universities not only required a TER, they also insisted prospective students passed certain subjects. To be accepted into medicine, they needed to study maths. Most universities no longer have prerequisites, although the University of Sydney is re-introducing them for some courses next year and there are calls for more institutions to follow suit. After her HSC, Tam studied psychology and went on to do a PhD in cognitive research, before moving to the Office for National Statistics in the United Kingdom and, most recently, to UAC where, put simply, she is in charge of data. Last year, she translated the ATAR algorithm from Fortran to Java script. She has equations scrawled on her office windows. She is one of the few people Finkel included who understands the minutiae in the ATAR process. She is the person charged with preparing for the ATAR weekends. By December, she will have a file with the students ID numbers and subject choices, and will have checked, multiple times, that the subject choices meet ATAR rules (for example, there must be eight units of category A subjects). NESA [NSW Education Standards Authority] does this [checking] as well, she says. We are checking in parallel, to make sure we flag the same things. HSC markers at a marking centre at Homebush in November 2017. Credit:Christopher Pearce Early in December, the freshly marked HSC results will begin to arrive from NESA. On the first weekend, the professors will process the data for the first time, in a kind of dress rehearsal. Updates will drip in over the following week, until the final results arrive - last year, it popped up on Tams computer at 2.30am. Tam arrives at her office early the next morning to upload the file and prepare. At about 10am, the four maths professors, all from the official group that calculates ATARs, the Technical Committee on Scaling, begin to arrive. They oversee whats being done, she says. The first few hours are spent checking the raw data, which includes the students moderated assessment mark for each subject (the mark is moderated by NESA so students arent advantaged by generous school markers, or penalised by harsh ones) and their raw final exam mark. When the professors are happy with the data, the simultaneous equations begin. Loading To the less mathematically inclined, this means Tam presses a button, the maths professors wander off to make a cup of tea, and the computer runs an algorithm for a few minutes. It seems like a quick process for such a weighty decision. Yes, but do you know how long it took us to work on it to make it this quick? asks Tam. It used to take months, with a room full of computers. Now you dont need 20 different servers. One laptop will do it. The scaling process calculates the academic strength of the students in each subject based on how they did in their other subjects. For example, it works out whether the students that did, say, economics, were particularly strong performers this year by looking at how well they did in everything else. The algorithm works out the scaled average of a course by calculating the average academic achievement of the people taking that course across all their other subjects. Because there are so many different subject choices in the HSC, there are tens of thousands of possible subject combinations. Last year, the 57,000 students eligible for an ATAR took 27,000 different subject combinations, and some 20,000 of those were chosen by only one student. In another algorithm another button for Tam, another cup of tea for the maths professors each students raw mark is turned into a scaled mark, based on the scaled average. When the scaled average is lower than the raw one, the scaled marks will be lower, too. So if a student chooses an easier course for scaling purposes, they would need to make sure they blitzed the exam to maintain a high mark. Loading In these calculations lie the answers to much of the confusion about the ATAR. A student cannot predict the academic ability of the people wholl take a particular subject alongside them; there might be patterns based on the past, but there is no certainty. So they cant know how a subject will scale. That's why ATAR calculators and ATAR predictors are a bit fraught, says Kim Paino, the director of information services at UAC. They use old data - that's all they can use. They obviously don't know what the data is going to be for the year ahead - nobody knows that. Also, kids have to input what they think might be their marks in order to get their prediction. That is fraught as well. It's not sensible to use that as a basis for decision making when it's so unreliable. Most subjects are taken by hundreds of students, so the algorithms calculations are statistically sound. But for the smaller subjects, usually languages, where there are fewer than 40 candidates sometimes fewer than 10 - Tam and the maths professors check the fairness of results themselves, subject by subject; it's a process that can take hours. They look at whether they are academically capable students, said Tam. If they are towards the bottom of the class, is that their poorest mark, or are they poor in all subjects? Sometimes it feels quite personal. We say, 'Oh my goodness, why did he choose that subject? The rest of his subjects are quite good'. When the scaled marks are decided, the students top 10 units including at least two of English - are added into an aggregate of 500. They use a curve to work out how many students they should put in each band between 99.95 and zero (little known fact: every student that began Year 7 in that cohort is put on the curve, but those that do not complete the HSC populate the lowest rankings, meaning most of the ATARs requested by students will be higher than 50), then various checks are done by the computer and the maths professors to ensure the data is accurate and the process is fair. When, finally, after two days of numbers, patterns, calculations, and relentless checking, the final product is displayed on a screen in front of them, Tan and the maths professors take a moment to look at the results. They look at the gender split, the top performers, the comparisons with the past. And they always take a moment to look at one particular graph. The ATAR is simply the universities way of choosing students most likely to succeed in higher education. Credit:Louise Kennerley They are all mathematicians, and maths is close to their hearts, says Tam. Theres been a trend going on with more people going for general maths or even no maths, so it really breaks their hearts. They are getting a bit excited now that maths has perhaps turned the tide a bit. Tam will be doing it all this again in December. And she has a message for those Year 10 students choosing their subjects, and the Year 12 students fretting about their rank: focus on your HSC, not your ATAR. The HSC is the qualification, she says. The ATAR is simply the universities way of choosing students most likely to succeed in higher education. It is nothing more than a reflection of a students rank in their own year group, and even then, she says, universities will not look at an ATAR that is more than a few years old - they are more likely to look at what youve done after school. Forget about scaling, she says. Just concentrate on doing your best, and concentrate on learning when you have the opportunity and the time to do so. The ATAR expert answers students' questions Five prospective HSC students sent in questions to Dr Helen Tam, the research, statistics and development manager for the Universities Admissions Centre. How can I easily find out which subjects scale higher and how will that impact my ATAR? What is the best combination of subjects to do and why? Sussana Zaman, Year 10, Rooty Hill High School You can see how the subjects scaled last year by looking at the 2017 Scaling Report on UACs website. But and its a big but - the way a subject is scaled depends entirely on the average academic performance of the students doing that subject in that year and it can change from year to year. And just because a subject scales higher that year doesnt mean it will increase your own ATAR. Similarly, there is no best combination of subjects that is suitable for every student, simply because everyone is different in their interests and strengths. There are ATAR predictors. Is it possible to accurately predict your ATAR? Georgia Terry, Year 12, Heathcote High School Not really because most ATAR predictors rely on historical data from previous years and each years pattern of marks will be different, as students performance vary from year to year. Your ATAR will depend on your performance compared to other students, and we wont know that until all the exams have been sat and marks have been given. So its best not to rely too much on what an ATAR predictor tells you. Internal school examinations, including the trial HSC, are set by the schools themselves. This leads to a discrepancy in the level of difficulty. How are marks scaled to account for this, and is it really fair to compare these marks? Abhishek Vignesh Murthy, Year 12, Concord High School The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) is responsible for adjusting this discrepancy through a process called moderation. For each subject, students have a school assessment mark (submitted by the school) and an exam mark (from the exam sat by all students in the state doing that subject). NESA uses the exam marks to adjust the school assessment marks, producing moderated school assessment marks. Through moderation, the average of the moderated school assessment marks for a class (eg, Physics at School A) is made to equal to the average of the exam marks achieved by the same class in the exam. Importantly, moderation will preserve the ranking and the relative gaps in the school assessment marks between students. You can find more information about moderation on NESAs website. NESA provides the raw exam marks and the moderated school assessment marks to UAC. These two marks for each student in each subject are the raw ingredients going into the calculation of the ATAR. Why is the ATAR for the same course different for different universities? Isabella Catena, St Francis de Sales Regional College, Leeton Universities set their ATAR and admission requirements for each course. This is driven by demand for the course and quotas set by universities. If the demand for a course is high (eg, lots of applicants have put that course as one of their preferences), or if there are only limited number of places in the course, the lowest ATAR needed for admission would be set high by the university. While courses may have the same name at different universities, the content can be different. President Donald Trump's election set off a mad scramble among high-profile journalists, book authors and filmmakers who compete to tell the story of American history and experience. Overnight, they all needed an exclusive yet meaningful vantage point. Some, like author Michael Wolff, looked for a way to slither into a ringside seat. Others headed for the great flyover to spend time with the forgotten citizens who connect to the new President's bombast. Liz Garbus, one of the finest documentary filmmakers working today, followed another instinct altogether, asking to embed a film crew in the white hot centre of the most elite and most maligned spot in mainstream media: the newsroom of The New York Times. The company's executives agreed to give Garbus broad access, but mostly steered her away from their Eighth Avenue headquarters in Manhattan, and instead pointed her to the real action, in the paper's impressively staffed Washington bureau at D.C.'s Farragut Square. There, Garbus trailed Times reporters and editors from Inauguration Day, as they began a frantic process to accurately convey and comprehend the first year of an administration intent on making up the rules as it goes along. The documentary takes you inside the newsroom of The New York Times. The result, premiering on SBS in June, is an engrossing four-part documentary called The Fourth Estate. Although it is filled with the sort of pulse-quickening journalistic jujitsu one expects the deadlines, the doggedness, the scoops, the backlash it is also refreshingly human in scope, stopping more than once to observe the emotional toll on these journalists who are working themselves to the bone. An investigations editor looks at the time and realises that Valentine's Day dinner is shot. One reporter works out his angst late at night hitting balls at the driving range. Another reporter, a divorced dad, rouses his sleepy kids to get them ready for school as he prepares to face whatever fresh hell the White House beat will deliver today. Phillipa McGuinness is too wise, too experienced to offer a simple answer. A well-versed writer and publisher, she has read too much, knows intimately the work of too many historians and journalists, government and military personnel, politicians, lawyers and foreign correspondents to be persuaded by the ideological binaries that still clog our understanding of 9/11 and its consequences. "It's the Clash of Civilisations, we're told. We need a Coalition of the Willing. It happened because of the secular emptiness of the West. They hate our values You're with us or against us An eye for an eye. On it goes. If only we could have taken more time to remember nobody deserves to die like this, anywhere. Pause. That the paths that lead to this horror are infinitely complex." Did everything change? The question has been asked ever since that bright, terrible morning when two planes rammed the Twin Towers, a third ploughed into the Pentagon and the last went down, in an act of voluntary heroism, in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The Year Everything Changed: 2001 by Phillipa McGuinness. In 12 chapters, one for each month of 2001 (the publisher in her understood the practical virtue of 12 chapters), plus a preface and conclusion, McGuinness takes us along those infinitely complex paths, in Australia, the US, Afghanistan, Europe, the Middle East and worldwide, that led "to this horror" and to its ongoing ramifications. Her writing is brisk, more vernacular and informal than some readers will appreciate, often wry, and disarmingly honest about her personal experience of the year she examines. In December of 2001, McGuinness lost the child she had been carrying for nine months. "My personal history collided with world events, an intersection that shaped me and shapes this book," she writes. It is a movingly direct admission neither a sympathy plea nor a claim that her story "represents a universal truth". It is simply a truth, one that adds gravitas to her understanding of a tumultuous time. "Plural in all things, I am a writer greedily appropriating elements and approaches from wherever and whomever she can, to tell the story she wants to tell," McGuinness writes. It's an accurate description of a hunter-gatherer technique, an unusual one uninhibited, even avid, in its range, and riveting in its detail. Even as she veers from Australia's somewhat lacklustre celebrations of its January 1 anniversary of Federation to George W. Bush's inauguration as president on January 20, she provides snatches that fix events in your mind and make you want to go to a library and research further. What else did Paul Keating say about Federation apart from this: "It was put together by lawyers and businessman, mostly old forelock-tuggers people who set us up as a British satellite"; and what was it about Kim Beazley's anniversary speech that was so "forward looking"? Did the two men confer, or conflict? And what happened to the Democrat pranksters who removed the letter "W" from all the White House's computer keyboards before the incoming President had finished reciting the oath of office? More soberly, who took heed when Alan Greenspan, speaking as chairman of the Federal Reserve, forecast zero growth in the US economy for 2001? In her June chapter, "Free money", McGuinness outlines some of the stages in what Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman was to subsequently call "the great unravelling" of the American economy. Bush, McGuinness writes, inherited from Clinton "a beautiful set of numbers": a federal budget running a surplus with the national debt at a generational low and unemployment at 4 per cent. When Bush left office, unemployment and military spending had doubled and the national debt was out of control. McGuinness quotes the imperturbable Greenspan as "coolly" observing, in his autobiography, that in the Bush White House "Little value was placed on rigorous economic policy debate". By the end of 2001, Paul Krugman (McGuinness notes) was asking, "Whatever happened to Alan Greenspan, the high priest of fiscal responsibility?" What indeed. Bush (and his trillion-dollar tax cuts) was not solely responsible for "the great unravelling". McGuinness' chapter makes that clear. There were other symptomatic villains, the most spectacular being Enron, which collapsed in December 2001, leaving 20,000 employees bereft. There were many Pontius PIlates washing their hands of responsibility for the impact of corruption and financial shenanigans on ordinary people, in America and elsewhere. The inequality that now dogs many democracies across the world was evident in 2001; it had been increasing in the US since the 1980s. World trade, capitalism and democracy had become the focus of intense scrutiny, and protest movements internationally. After the planes hit the World Trade Centre towers there was a wrenching of focus, away from economic and social policy to national security. Fear entered the political calculus. But the ground of inequality, financial insecurity and political unrest was already laid down. The mini prawn cocktail at Miss Katie's Crab Shack. Credit:Darrian Traynor His show The Cane Toad Effect, in which he mined his childhood for laughs (one of the worst abuses he faced, he says, was being taken to the Tamworth Country Music Festival), won the Best Newcomer award at both the 2015 Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the Sydney Comedy Festival. On the back of that, he was approached by the ABC first to be a subject for Australian Story, then to front Corey White's Roadmap To Paradise, screening now. Blue swimmer crab boil at Miss Katie's Crab Shack. Credit:Darrian Traynor While he wrung laughs from his childhood for his stand-up, his Australian Story profile was shatteringly sober. He and Rebecca, the one sister he remains on good terms with, detailed a childhood filled with unimaginable horror, from their hustling, criminal dad, to ongoing abuse in care and White's descent into ice addiction, before comedy became his salvation. It's hard to stand on ceremony while wearing a plastic bib for lunch. Credit:Darrian Traynor The most striking thing about White is his disarming optimism. The Cane Toad Effect was inspired by a Plato quote, "no man does what is evil to him"; White believes people don't set out with evil intentions. "I think people do what they think is right, or they justify it. I don't think people are evil, they just have bad ideas," he says. "My mother was a drug addict; I know that she loathed herself. My father was mentally ill and at what point does free will come into it? Can you really speak of free will when a man stabs his partner with scissors and says 'I'm god, you're the slave' is that the product of a rational mind?" White even finds virtue in his year-long ice addiction. "I appreciate that I did it not just for the enormous waterfalls of neurochemicals but it allowed me to gain a real sense of compassion for my mother," he says. And there's part of him that hopes for "some kind of reconciliation" with his dad, from whom he is estranged. "When Australian Story aired, he went off his bipolar medication and they found him in the bush three days later, dehydrated," he says. "I'd asked him to appear on the program but he said no. It's disappointing because you want someone to face up to the truth. I know that he's slowly dying kidney stuff, liver illness from years of drug and alcohol abuse but I still wait for that moment of truth. Where he's a man." White bring this sense of hope to Roadmap, in which he offers solutions to Australia's most politicised hot-button issues, from housing, terrorism and democracy, to subjects he has an intimate knowledge of: foster care, the war on drugs and domestic violence. The premise seems at once audacious (who is this guy?) and obvious (someone who knows better than the usual "experts"). "I like to think that it's unbounded by the political spectrum," White says. "And it is backed up with research. In my head I say that I'm a more rigorous, solution-oriented version of Louis Theroux." And while he discloses confronting, deeply personal anecdotes, such as his father's violence and details of his abuse inside the foster care system, he was determined it remain positive. "Political comedy [and] political critique is intensely pessimistic, and negative and cynical and destructive," he says. "I don't want to be a part of that I don't want to be part of the sarcasm and the irony and the uselessness." He'd rather offer ideas, even if they're controversial or naive. "I don't think these are necessarily solutions," he says, "and throughout the series I draw attention to the fact that I am an idiot but I think what I have, which few other people do, is sincerity." He was reluctant to do Australian Story wary of sentimentality and losing control of his own narrative but his reasons for participating were political. "I thought, 'I won those two awards, they're going to do this thing on me, this could be a good opportunity to shine a light on the foster care system,'" he says. "The system isn't talked about enough, and if it is, the solutions are so protean, so nebulous it's always more money or stronger controls.That may help, but it's one of those difficult areas of public policy because those who have a personal stake in it are so tiny. They're not a voting base anyone has any incentive to try and win over." During his time in care, White was starved, emotionally and physically abused, and, in one home he lived in for four years, repeatedly raped and beaten by the carer's son. "I was there when my mum died and I just stayed there after that," he says. "Up to that point, like a lot of foster kids, I was incredibly violent; I had massive anger problems, I would throw things." But when his mum died, White says he "went into myself". "It's this weird paradox that I would probably be in jail now if I hadn't gone to [that house]. I had to suffer. It made that anger go inwards. It cowed me." He talks about the system the young, overworked social workers, the lax screening of carers, that it's a class issue that "nobody gives a f--- about". "Foster kids are our country's refugees," he says. "But you'll never see a protest for foster kids. It's really depressing." By the time our crab arrives, followed by fried chicken and waffles ("I am in heaven here," White says, before disclosing he's "on a weight loss regime" ahead of his wedding), we've discussed Millennial outrage culture ("I think we've given up all hope on the future, we have precarious jobs, we don't think we'll ever own a home the only thing we can control is to tear people down"), politics ("I was approached by some people in Adelaide to run for the Child Protection Party. Maybe one day ") and the memoir he's releasing next year. "It did bring up a lot of memories and things that I had repressed, triggered a lot of things but I'm glad I went through that. That was part of my last psych visit, a year-and-a-half ago," he says of his month-long stay in a psych ward during pre-production of Roadmap. "It was a difficult period; the machinery of my mind had been dismantled. I think human beings, in our subconscious mind, have great ways to prevent catastrophe when many people bring things up, they have a complete collapse. I'm very conscious of steering clear of tragedy porn though. The rise of confessional culture everything is a Sylvia Plath poem now. I want to step aside from that." As well as depression, White, like many abuse survivors, suffers from complex post-traumatic stress disorder, but has learnt to manage it. "It's the way my brain is like, I had to sit here, with my back to the wall, so I could monitor the restaurant," he says. "I also startle very easily. When I take a shower, for example, I have to sit down, in case I get a fright and slip and hit my head." He's learnt to manage his depressive bouts through therapy, yoga and meditation. "Loving, healthy relationships and feeling part of a community are a big part of healing for me too," he says. "And it sounds goofy, but talking to my 'inner child' is also very healing. As a comedian I'm like, 'ugh, that's cheesy' but it's very healing." As well as more comedy he has plans to write books for kids in foster care, and is working in advocacy: he recently gave a keynote speech to NSW Family and Community Service workers and a did stand-up gig at the launch of Home Stretch, a body campaigning for Victorian foster kids to be supported until the age of 21. He is, he says, "in a good place", and again, reflects on how fortunate he's been. "Reparations," he says, "from the universe." Corey White's Roadmap To Paradise is on ABC, Wednesdays at 9.40pm, and iview. Artist Dan Goods, a guest speaker this Sunday as part of Vivid Sydney, spends most of his workdays gazing into space as the visual strategist for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in southern California. Goods will appear at the City Recital Hall today along with a fishtank-sized cloud chamber, which he describes as a "magic box" that lets the viewer see invisible particles that have travelled to Earth from exploded stars. He hopes his audience will be not only awed by the city's light display this weekend, but will leave his talk with a new view of the universe. NASA's Dan Goods at the Orbit Pavilion in the Huntington Gardens, California. Credit:Juan Posada "When people peek into the cloud chamber, some get get goose bumps, some tears, some people just go away with a sense of awe thinking life is good again," says Goods, who is also the director of the Museum of Awe, which combines art, science, and theatre. He will give his keynote address as part of Vivid Ideas program. At NASA's space science research facility in southern California, he's constantly seeking easier ways to explain big scientific concepts like how jets travel in space or what the difference is between a comet and an asteroid. "I was driving him to the event," he recalls in the BBC documentary, Tubular Bells: the Mike Oldfield Story, "and suddenly he turned to me and said, 'I just can't do it I'm not going on stage'." Damaged by a family history of alcoholism and reeling from a dalliance with LSD, the teenaged musician had barely survived the ordeal of recording. Reconstruction under the scrutiny of a sold-out classical music hall was understandably daunting. "If I give you the keys to this car and you can drive it off after the concert," Branson said, "do you think you can overcome whatever's bothering you?" The old Bentley may have been the soundest investment he ever made. Tubular Bells enjoyed the kind of success that only a few score albums have since equalled. Certainly none of Oldfield's later works sold 16 million, nor any of the Virgin albums it bankrolled, from the Sex Pistols to Culture Club or Phil Collins. In a rare recent interview, Oldfield claimed he'd only left his home in the Bahamas once in the last decade, to perform a heroic Bells excerpt at the opening of the London Olympics. Meanwhile, he's watched from afar as the album enjoys a life of its own. Daniel Holdsworth is one half of the Australian touring duo Tubular Bells for Two. First with his friend Aidan Roberts, now with understudy Thomas Bamford, he's clocked up more than 500 performances around the world since 2009. "This seems to be a very significant album for a lot of people," he muses. His surprise perhaps stems from the fact he came in so late, as a Blue Mountains teenager scouring second-hand record bins in the 1990s. "We've met so many fanatical and emotional people over the years doing this show. People can tell me exact details of when they first heard this record, where they were, the smell of the room " They appear in droves, he says, from the Edinburgh Fringe to English folk and German heavy metal festivals. These must be the people who rave online about aspects of compositional genius, the best known being the alternating bars of 7/8 and 8/8 in that opening piano figure: a subliminal uneasiness that made it so right for The Exorcist. At the Mike Oldfield convention in Reading a few years ago, some hardcore devotees demanded the duo turn their attention to other Oldfield albums, such as Tubular Bells II, III or 2003, or the one that many agree to be superior, 1975's Ommadawn. "Not interested," Holdsworth replies bluntly. More an admirer than a fanatic, he sees the original album's degree of difficulty as essential to its success in performance. "There's a tension that drives our show because the task is almost impossible," he says. "It sits on this knife edge where it could completely fall apart at any moment. I think that's why it's been such a big hit. "There's this respect for the music, of course, but then there's this kind of hilarity in the shows because of the situation of two people having to perform it, leaping madly between all these instruments." This comedic aspect is a neat foil to a common criticism of the progressive rock genre, as stated by one visitor to that aforementioned Facebook thread: "Much of what went wrong when rock musicians started to take themselves too seriously can be summed up by this record." "I think there is a humorous aspect to the album," Holdsworth counters. "Even though it comes across as quite serious music, it doesn't take itself too seriously. There's that growling caveman passage on side two and then it finishes off with [traditional seafaring tune] The Sailor's Hornpipe " And let's not forget the hidden message on the back cover: "This stereo record cannot be played on old tin boxes no matter what they are fitted with. If you are in possession of such equipment please hand it into the nearest police station." Who knows how many bucket bongs were coughed up when that little zinger was found in the fine print? So far, it's been up to European audiences to decide how seriously to take the full brass band ensemble Tubular Brass, whose lumbering arrangement of the album is now streaming on Spotify. "There was a Tubular Bells for four pianos doing concert halls a couple of years ago too," Holdsworth adds, with a more-the-merrier tone. "I don't consider it our turf or anything. A lot of people want to perform this piece of music." Yes, they do, even if they can't play a 7/8 glockenspiel to save their lives. Back on that seemingly endless Facebook thread, one particularly visionary fan reveals a longstanding dream: "Have always wanted to do air-band on stage playing the instruments as they are introduced," he writes. "Each air musician enters stage and begins to airplay." The stunned silence is momentary. Channel Nine doubled an offer from arch-rival Seven to secure an exclusive interview with Barnaby Joyce and Vikki Campion, sources have told Fairfax Media. Insiders at both networks claim Nine's 60 Minutes tried to woo Campion - who gave birth to Joyce's son, Sebastian, in April - with an estimated $250,000 to $300,000. Yet Seven's Sunday Night had already bagged the exclusive for a smaller sum - a reported $150,000, to be set aside for expenses such as school fees. "It was too little, too late from Nine," says one person close to the negotiations. "Seven had been chipping away at this for months. It wasn't just about the money; it was about the fact Seven started negotiating first and built up trust [with Joyce and Campion]." GAMES DETROIT: BECOME HUMAN, PS4 Telling a story set 20 years in our future, where artificial humans make up a new slave class, Detroit's cinematic narrative sees androids awaken to their own potential as self-aware beings, demanding freedom. Players take on the roles of three different androids, with each bite-sized scene filled with branching possibilities and various endings depending on your actions, choices and capabilities. A smart "flow chart" shows your path through each scene as well as all the branches and connections you didn't take, proving just how important some of your calls can be (any of the three characters can even be killed at multiple points). There are a lot of problems with Detroit, from its clumsy invoking of real-world examples of oppression to its overdone writing, meaning it comes off more as a fun but ephemeral B-movie than an Oscar contender. But I loved it anyway. The outstanding visuals and legitimately impressive interwoven narrative, paired with the duty of care you feel for the characters whose fate is in your hands, makes for a successful experiment in interactive cinema. TB Jeanne Moreau stars in Diary of A Chambermaid. FREE-TO-AIR MYSTERY ROAD, JUNE 3, ABC, 8.30PM A much-anticipated spin-off from Ivan Sen's acclaimed Mystery Road and Goldstone films, this six-part miniseries features an impressive cast (even minor roles feature major stars: Colin Friels, John Waters and Deborah Mailman among them) with equally big names behind the scenes it's directed by Rachel Perkins, with Sen as executive producers, and it's extraordinarily cinematic for TV. Filmed in WA's East Kimberley region, and at once beautiful and forbidding, the landscape plays an integral part of the story. The series is a new instalment in the life of loner detective Jay Swan (Aaron Pedersen), and set within the same "universe", in between the events of the two films. Swan is dispatched to an outback town to investigate the disappearance of Indigenous teenager Marley (Aaron McGrath), and a mysterious white backpacker (Connor Van Vuuren) who worked with him at a local cattle station. Swan teams up with local hard-arsed cop Emma James (Judy Davis), who hails from the white pastoral family who own the station; Emma, like the town, has secrets. As the search continues, the town's secrets are revealed, some of which reach back for a century. Jay, meanwhile, must deal with the arrival of his runaway daughter Crystal (Madeleine Madden) and wife Mary (Tasma Walton), looking to save the pair's marriage. KN Retirement income has for too long been part of class and political warfare in Australia. The responses to the Productivity Commission's damning indictment of the $2.6 trillion (and growing) industry suggest it is still alive and well. Before 1983, professionals, public servants and people in senior positions in the corporate world generally had superannuation. In the private sector there was no compulsion and the employer's contribution was often contingent on the employee not leaving. The unskilled, the semi-skills and the trades tended not to have superannuation and faced usually a short retirement in semi-poverty on the aged pension. The Hawke-Keating Government changed all that. It wanted to replace a class-based, grace-and-favour system with one that would in the long-term provide decent retirement incomes for all. It was one of the best pieces of public policy in Australian history, along with Medicare, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and the National Disability Insurance Scheme, but it has it faults. Large sums of money are available on a national scale for the provision of services in these schemes. And wherever large sums of money are at stake, the cheats, the unscrupulous and the rent seekers are attracted like iron filings to a magnet, often forming patterns of egregious misbehaviour: over-charging, over-servicing, conflicts of interest, outright fraud and so on. There's no magic wand, there's no charismatic leader whos somehow going to transform everything, he says. It it would be nice if politicians would talk a bit more about our quality of life rather than just the quality of the economy and a bit more about the kind of society we want, but really it is up to us. Thats what I'm hoping, with this new book, that people will gradually get the idea that we can all wring our hands and grumble about the state of the nation and whats happening to society but we can actually address it, do something about it, exert an influence in the places where we live and work. I tell him that my grandmother used to say all good things start at the back door. She was a wise woman, he says. Social revolutions always start small. Its always just a few people who are possessed by the idea that we have to do something about the state of the neighbourhood or the state of the world but it always begins with a handful of people taking action. He mentions a study he found, unfortunately only after Id written the book, which looked at the Compassionate Frome Project, where a town in Somerset, England, embarked on a campaign where basically the gist of it was look out for each other, he says. Initiated in 2013 by a local GP, Helen Kingston, the town rallied together to connect individuals with the help they needed, to connect with each other. She realised that many of her patients with illnesses were also suffering from social isolation, he says. It was all about creating a more compassionate community. He says social fragmentation is one of the biggest problems facing society today. Thanks to our rate of relationship breakdown, our shrinking households, our busy lives, our increasing income inequality and our ever-increasing reliance on information technology, we are a more fragmented society than ever before, he writes. Its an issue that has really taken me by surprise, he says, in the past 10 years Ive had to analyse it much more closely whereas I didn't really think of it as an emerging big issue 25 years ago. Hugh Mackay in 1992: much has changed since he wrote his first book, Reinventing Australia. Credit:Michael Mossop He says the epidemic of anxiety is closely linked. More than 2 million Australians suffer from an anxiety disorder. We're social animals, when we become more socially fragmented, we become anxious. When more people in our history than ever before are living alone, when relationships are failing, 35-40 per cent of marriages are ending and we're more mobile than we used to be all of these things tend to isolate us from each other and we end up paying a very high price for that. How much has changed in 25 years? Its been 25 years since he wrote Reinventing Australia: The mind and mood of Australia in the 90s, the book which first brought him into the public eye. Monumental changes in the Australian way of life are making the present into one of the most challenging periods in our history, the blurb read. Such issues as the new woman, a record divorce rate, multiculturalism, the highest level of unemployment in 60 years, the onrush of technology, the rise of the swinging voter, a rapidly shrinking middle class, all contribute. Because we are all living through an age of redefinition, many of us are suffering from anxiety, stress and insecurity that are the inevitable consequences of having to adjust to such radical social, cultural and economical upheaval. How will we cope? Are things really that different in 2018? There have been some huge changes, he says. While recognising there is still a long way to go, he says the gender wars have undergone a huge development and were learning to focus on the person, not the gender. He says information technology has transformed our way of life to an extent he could never have predicted 25 years ago. That our lives would be dominated by personal computers and smartphones is something we weren't even fantasising about. Mackay says one thing that does worry him is a dramatic loss of trust. Trust in the major institutions, politics, the church, the banks, big business, the media, trade unions, professional sport we are more cynical and more sceptical than we were 25 years ago, there's a lot of disillusionment, a lot of disappointment about that. Mackay left school at 16. His father lined him up a lowly paid clerkship with a public opinion research company. Were talking 1955 when research of this kind barely existed, this was pre computers, pre television but as soon as I got into it I realised it could be a dream job. 'I've always been a curious person' He says he was an introspective, rather introverted, child, an enthusiastic reader but one who enjoyed playing with his friends in the street and just mucking about. And I think I've always enjoyed observing, trying to figure out what was going on. I've always been a curious person. When I look back at my life, I think thats what my career has been about: trying to explain why we do the things we do. Has he figured that out yet? I think I have but with the proviso that I think of humans as essentially non-rational beings and so when I'm explaining what we do it doesn't always mean giving a rational explanation. A lot of the things we do seem to be wildly irrational and we're driven by all sorts of things. I wrote a book a few years ago, What Makes Us Tick?, in which I made the point there are lots of competing desires, the desire to be taken seriously, the desire to belong, the desire to be loved, the desire for something to happen all these sorts of things which, taken all together, I can use to explain most of our behaviour but always with the proviso its never neat or simple or rational. When I read some other research reports, I've occasionally thought I can't believe this because its too neat and tidy. Where are the loose ends, where are the contradictions, because there always are. I visit Regal on a Friday lunchtime as part of my quest to find Canberra's best potato scallop . Customers of the takeaway - which glows with bright yellow menu boards and branding, and is manned by a team of men who literally never stop smiling - add a scallop to every single thing they order. Spend an hour or so at Regal Charcoal Chicken in Charnwood and you'll learn a critical life lesson: potato scallops go with absolutely everything. A tradie comes in and orders a hamburger with the lot. And a scallop. An elderly lady orders a chicko roll. And a scallop. And then a mum with two young kids orders two tubs of Greek salad. And six scallops. I'm jealous of those kids. Could there be a better Friday night dinner? Regal owners Angelo and Mary Galanopoulos have been cooking Friday night dinners - and all meals of the week, really - for the people of West Belconnen for 15 years. The takeaway's menu ranges from salads and pizzas to dim sims, but their potato scallops are legendary. A couple of weeks ago when I put the call out on social media for the capital's best potato scallops, the resounding answer was 'Regal'. Angelo's secret weapon is his batter, but he won't divulge the details. Credit:Karleen Minney It's little wonder the couple makes unbelievable potato scallops. Angelo and Mary have been standing at the deep friers in one way or another for almost 50 years. When Mary was a girl, dad Con Galaktidis opened one of the north side's first takeaways, Macgregor Takeaway, in 1976 (where Kingswim Macgregor now stands). Barilaro's NSW horse bill is not about heritage horses, it is about destroying Kosciuszko National Park. The bill allows the recognition of huge horse paddocks, probably tens of thousands of hectares in size, and will transfer the management direction of these paddocks from the ecological guardians of the park, the rangers, to a Community Advisory Panel and an all-powerful chairperson. All protective provisions of the Kosciuszko Plan of Management will be removed. Stock (wild horse) grazing will be permitted along with ever increasing numbers of these animals. Catchment impacts and erosion will increase. Australian endangered alpine and subalpine animal species will be killed. Barilaro's bill will turn one of Australia's iconic national parks with its wilderness areas and protected Australian nature to an unprotected and eroding horse paddock. The bill is the National Party dismantling Liberal Party legislation and its protection of a National Heritage Listed national park. It is one of the greatest acts of environmental vandalism in Australia's recent history. Dr Graeme L. Worboys, Honorary Associate Professor, Fenner School, Australian National University Endure ordeal of ordure In answer to Peter Cochran ("Icons or Pests? Brumbies fuel a great divide", June 1, p6), I suggest that he get out of his car and take an overnight walk in Kosciuszko National Park from Dead Horse Gap to Cascade Hut. He will have difficulty finding a dung-free patch of grass or leaf litter on which to erect his tent. When he goes to fetch water from the nearby river or one of its many side creeks, he will be unable to find clean water unpolluted by horse dung. He will see river banks broken down and eroding from horses' hooves, criss-crossing horse tracks, numerous dust wallows cutting holes in the vegetation, and huge piles of horse dung. Other states and territories, such as Queensland and the Northern Territory, have feral animal control policies which include keeping the feral horse numbers in National Parks to a minimum by aerial shooting. As soon as numbers start to build up, they are culled before they become an out-of-control environmental disaster. Meg McKone, Holt Transported to nightmare Brisbane's exorbitantly priced public transport leaves a lot to be desired, as does Canberra's. After again being forced to catch a later bus because the one scheduled earlier never arrived, the only seat left was occupied by a schoolgirl's bag. She insolently placed it on the floor after I informed her her bag would find the same level of comfort there. I was then assailed by the deafening volume of a chatty commercial radio station that the driver played for his solitary and merry singalong amusement. I feared for passengers' safety as he negotiated gridlocked traffic while fielding three calls from Control Central for free drivers to backfill routes that were not able to be staffed. Someone was allowed on gratis because there was no spare change for the $50 note that was offered in a deliberate ploy to get afree ride. The last bus home for the evening had to be asked to return to Queen Street in the city from its premature departure after having travelled half way outbound to Wynnum on the Moreton Bay. I finally arrived home two hours late in the night. My horror day holds shades of Brisbane Transport offering shambolic cattle class for ever steeper premium prices, a situation that Canberra has been mired in for some time. Joseph Ting, Brisbane, Qld An ill wind blowing Readers enjoying watching various bank officials squirm when questioned by the royal commission should support Alan Barron's call for a royal commission (Letters, June 1) into climate and energy policy. The banking misdeeds would pale into insignificance if various politicians and academics, past and present, were forced to explain their views and decisions. Weeks of entertaining viewing would be assured as embarrassing, squirm-provoking issues were addressed. For instance, why were claims of impending climate Armageddon from rising carbon dioxide production accepted without full and proper scrutiny by Parliament? Why was the vast history of natural climate change unassociated with CO2 levels ignored? Why was wind and solar seen as the best way to reduce CO2 emissions instead of alternatives like nuclear? Why were international climate agreements signed without agreed success criteria based on cost-effectiveness criteria. Why were the large, planned increases in CO2 emissions from big emitters China and India, that rendered any action by Australia pointless, not taken into account? Why are we not joining much of the world to build modern nuclear and coal-fired power plants? Doug Hurst, Chapman The perils of Pauline So Hanson has been out-Hansoned! Good one, Burston. M. Moore, Bonython End doesn't justify means in staged assassination of journalist If you search online, you can find it: the gruesome official photo of dissident journalist Arkady Babchenko face down in a pool of blood. Ukrainian police and ambulance services raced to his home. Flashing lights, sirens and a crime scene; it headlined news bulletins both at home and around the world. Those closely following the news learned of the "cowardly" act of a presumably Russian assassin firing three bullets into Babchenko's back. And just days before, the journalist had filed a piece that now seemed poignantly prescient ... But it was state-run theatre, and two months in the planning. We might argue that it was 'all in a good cause', but the fact of a state actor recruiting emergency services, photographing a forensically correct murder victim, weaving clues into his 'last days', and then pushing all that out into the public domain is jarring. Jarring not only because we know it happened, but perhaps much more so because we might never have known. Ross Kelly, Monash Deane out of line The sarcastic response by Bill Deane to criticism of the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation (Letters, June 1) ill befits someone defending the values of "logic, objectivity and truth". Deane's claim that the ANU and other universities are "taking pride" in holding back these values is evidence-free and deeply insulting to the work of researchers and to this researcher at least. While Western civilisation is a valid course of study for which funding is to be welcomed, any objective analysis of the criticisms of the centre would surely recognise that they were not based on the promotion and financing of one particular field, but on the risk of having outside political interests dictating staff and curriculum decisions. Such external control would violate "core values". David Roth, Kambah Keeping good company Have you noticed how the names of many of the great writers contain the three vowels a, e and i and no others except the occasional y? Dante Alighieri, William Shakespeare, Jean Racine, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Charles Dickens, William Makepeace Thackeray, David Herbert Lawrence, Cecil Day Lewis, Ernest Hemingway, Agatha Christie, Patrick White, Hilary Mantle ... and Bill Deane. Michael McCarthy, Deakin Israel defending itself Avner Gvaryahu, the executive director of Breaking the Silence, describes the Gaza border riots as an "unarmed protest" ("A former Israeli soldier's account of Gaza", canberratimes.com.au, May31). In fact, many of the protesters were armed, including with guns, knives and explosives, Israel only shot those attempting to breach the border to let what amounts to terrorist killing squads through, and the vast majority of those killed were from terror groups. Breaking the Silence has been heavily criticised because this is typical of the one-sided, factually flawed nature of its claims and because it refuses to divulge the sources of its allegations, or where they are alleged to have occurred, making it impossible for Israel to investigate and, if necessary, prosecute. Instead, it prefers to circulate the allegations internationally, to advance its avowed aim of "ending the Occupation". Criticising the Israeli decision to deploy snipers at the Gaza border as immoral, Gvaryahu says that if you walk around with a hammer "everything begins to look like a nail". Perhaps when you make a comfortable living and are feted all over the world for harshly criticising your country and its army, everything it does begins to look immoral. Jamie Hyams, senior policy analyst, Australia/Israel Jewish Affairs Council, Melbourne, Vic Joyce quite correct Barnaby Joyce's decentralisation push is quite correct and sensible simply because a public sector presence in regional towns and cities creates local economic activity work. Housing would be cheaper for public servants too. I recall in the mid '70s a relative in Victoria set out to create a vineyard and approached the local state agriculture office (long gone) and asked for advice. They returned to him with a drawing of his land with a vineyard laid out a free service. The dream sketched, the vineyard went ahead and thrived, and one day a local publican came up to me and said the town had a high regard for my relative because he'd created a lot of work; but it started with a local government department office providing a service. Push, Mr Joyce. John Dobinson, Herston, Qld A real move on, please It is a pity that the great derailer does not take his own advice and "move on" and out of federal Parliament. ("Barnaby Joyce can no longer complain about privacy, says colleague", canberratimes.com.au, May28). Joyce and his in-house media adviser still appear to believe that he is a hard-done-by victim who is entitled to do whatever he wishes and thinks he can get away with for the umpteenth time, despite being well paid as a full-time politician. Neither appears to pay heed to common sense or courtesy to the public at large, let alone the conventions that dictate the behaviour of most federal politicians. Yes, it's time to move right on, Barnaby. Feel free to seek out additional income and conduct lucrative media antics on a regular basis, but only from another workplace. Sue Dyer, Downer PM's poor judgment It is a matter of public record that Malcolm Turnbull claimed that he had "full confidence" the High Court would reinstate Barnaby Joyce to Parliament. After the byelection which resulted from Turnbull's misplaced "full confidence" we then had Turnbull and Barnaby "getting the band back together". We had Barnaby leaving the deputy prime ministership and now standing down from Parliament for "personal leave". It is disappointing no one questions Turnbull's capacity for judgment on a personal level, let alone political and economic matters. We should all remember the Onetel and Godwin Grech affairs, in which our PM was also "fully" involved and both of which also reflected a very poor capacity for judgment. E. R. Moffat, Weston Stop super gravy train We now know too many super funds hit clients by high fees, have unqualified directors and don't disclose their directors' remuneration. They're sponging off forced acquisition of capital from other businesses who are trying to invest in themselves and provide for staff. It's discriminatory. Super funds should be tossed off the gravy train. Linda Vij, Mascot, NSW TO THE POINT BELL TOLLS FOR SCHOOLING Alarm bells should be ringing loud and clear for everyone in the ACT who believes in quality public education. Trevor Cobbold notes that the ACT government has cut funding to public schools, while overall funding for private schools has increased, ("Claim deal fails public schools", May 29, p2) Segregating children and young people into separate categories according to the private schools they attend undermines democracy and increases social and economic inequality. Pamela Collett, Narrabundah WILD HORSES KEEP ME AWAY The Brumbies are pleading for fans to attend their next home game on June 3. Their solution: donate $15,000 shared by three deserving local charities if 15,000 spectators come. Average attendance in 2018 is 8500 spectators. If an additional 6500 come (average entry price $30 minimum), extra revenue is at least $200,000. What a rort! John Mungoven, Stirling PIRATES OF THE CANBERRAN Why is nobody apologising to the Somali airports authority? ("Industry group says sorry to Kenyans", May 31, p6). Ian Douglas, Jerrabomberra DOUBLETHINK DOLLARS On May 13, a commemorative service was held in Canberra to mark the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Coral-Balmoral in South Vietnam. A reception was held afterwards for more than 1000 veterans and next of kin. As it concluded, the Repatriation Commissioner, Major-General Mark Kelly, announced the sad news that Brigadier Jim Shelton had just died in hospital. Shelton was a much admired commanding officer of the Third Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, in those battles. He had dearly wanted to be with his troops for the commemoration. He did, however, manage to watch a live-stream of the ceremony an hour before he died. US military commander General William Westmoreland, left, speaks with 3RAR's Lieutenant-Colonel Jim Shelton in Vietnam's Bien Hoa province in 1968. Credit:Australian War Memorial Jeffrey James ("Jim") Shelton was born on June 29, 1926. His schooling was mainly at Bendigo High School, with a short period at Scotch College and Melbourne University. He entered Royal Military College, Duntroon, in 1944 as a 17-year-old staff cadet and completed the three-year wartime course. He was commissioned into the Australian Imperial Force in December 1946. Within a few months, he was in Japan as a member of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force, in the 66th Australian Infantry Battalion (later renamed Second Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment). There, as a 20-year-old subaltern, he had his first command, setting course for an outstanding professional career. And last month, Le had his pharmacy licence stripped for 18 months for failing to tell pharmacy regulators of his conviction. The case is the latest in a string of incidents involving suburban pharmacists convicted or professionally reprimanded for offences including supply, possession and dealing with proceeds of crime. The revelations are at odds with community perceptions of pharmacists who rate as the third most trusted profession in Australia, ranked only behind doctors and nurses. Trent Nguyen was jailed in 2017. Credit:Facebook Now a Herald investigation can reveal: NSW Health authorities have referred 35 pharmacists to regulators in NSW since June 2016 to protect the public following complaints of professional misconduct linked to improper restricted drug supply. 24 NSW pharmacists have had their drug dispensing authorities of prescription only drugs and drugs of addiction withdrawn in the same time frame. There currently are 15 banned pharmacists in Australia, but the national health professionals' regulator AHPRA could not say how many have dispensing restrictions. Stolen or lost prescription pads have been bought and used by rogue chemists. Authorities are troubled by private prescribing and dispensing of restricted drugs outside the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, making them harder to track. Bruce Battye, the director of NSW Healths Pharmaceutical Regulatory Unit, told the Herald that the levels of inappropriate dispensing by pharmacists or illegal dispensing we detect appears to have escalated a bit over the years''. Bruce Battye from NSW Health. "Its a reflection of the increase in trafficking in these drugs in the community where prescription opioids have now overtaken heroin as a drug of abuse, he said. The restricted prescription drugs coming to his offices attention include benzodiazepines, anabolic steroids, other performance and image-enhancement drugs and weight-loss drugs, as well as drugs of addiction fentanyl, oxycodone, morphine, hydromorphone and methadone. The money to be made along the supply chain on the black market is significant: a single patch of fentanyl, a synthetic opiate drug that is a powerful painkiller and tranquilliser, could cost a patient on a concession card as little as $3.80 under the taxpayer-sponsored Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. But on the black market a patch could fetch $100 and a packet up to $800, Mr Battye said. Financial pressures for pharmacists play a huge part, he said. Some succumb to that pressure. He is quick to add that there are many thousands of honest, hard-working chemists around Australia. AHPRA says there were 373 complaints or concerns made about pharmacists in 2016-17, representing less than 2 per cent of the profession. "The overwhelming majority of registered health practitioners provide safe, high-quality care," AHPRA said in a statement. The heavy regulation around restricted prescription drugs makes it difficult for organised crime to infiltrate, authorities say. NSW Drug and Firearm Squad Commander Peter McErlain told the Herald: "Often these pharmacists pop up in other drug jobs that we're doing and while we're not investigating them per se they do pop up in other illicit drug investigations. "The majority of pharmacists are law-abiding people, but there's always a small percentage that want to profit from what they can give to organised crime." Volume of drugs The volume of drugs that can be moved by rogue pharmacists before they are detected is staggering. Shortly before Christmas, Guildford pharmacist Anthony Sadek was found to have engaged in unsatisfactory professional conduct for oversupplying opioids. Ethan Le, who has had his registration suspended. Credit:Facebook Evidence tendered to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal show that in just a year the number of OxyContin tablets dispensed in his pharmacy jumped by more than 100 times. Most came from a prescriptions signed by a doctor named only as Dr BW and were filled by a single patient. Records compiled by the Pharmaceutical Regulatory Unit of the NSW Ministry of Health show the growth in the numbers of drugs dispensed at his pharmacy, from just 120 tablets of OxyContin in 2008, to 840 tablets in 2009. During 2010 a single patient collected 14,000 OxyContin tablets on scripts issued in the name of Dr BW. In 2011, the amount dispensed doubled to 31,000, before jumping to almost 52,000 in 2013. In the first 11 weeks of 2014, prior to regulatory intervention, 13,000 OxyContin tablets were dispensed by the pharmacy on scripts issued in the name of Dr BW. It amounted to 143,884 OxyContin 80mg tablets prescribed by one doctor, the bulk of which were dispensed by Mr Sadek personally over a four-year period to a single person, who was presenting multiple scripts, multiple times per week, and paying cash amounts of up to $2000 at a time. Looking at the massive quantities of opioid involved, and the fact that the prescribed strength was an unvarying maximum strength on every occasion, it is apparent that, whatever view Mr Sadek had of Dr BWs bona fides as a doctor, the possibility of misuse of these drugs was very significant, and increased exponentially over time, the tribunal found. The tribunal heard that the manner of prescription made them more difficult to detect. An expert witness detailed how using private scripts for opioids is a well-known method of avoiding detection as the dispensings are therefore not monitored by the PBS. Mr Sadek said he saw nothing unusual in all of the scripts being private scripts because the quantities were higher than that supported by the PBS, which only funds scripts of 28 pills. The tribunal found: Taken together with the fact that there were never directions for use on the relevant scripts, and the practitioner never met with any of the purported patients to advise or question them about their usage, leads us to conclude that Mr Sadek had actual or constructive knowledge of the likely misuse of these drugs over a long period. Mr Battye from the NSW regulator said his office maintained a database that collected intelligence from the medical and pharmacy communities, and had inter-agency relationships with law enforcement. If they got a tip then the regulator inquired into the prescribing of a particular doctor or dispensing of a pharmacist, Mr Battye said. "We obtain their purchase records. People who want to abuse or traffic, they go for highest strengths, they won't muck around with low strength, so well go looking for the highest and if we find a large volume we will go to the pharmacy and find out where the drugs are going to." Pharmacy in his car Just last month, the courts handed an experienced pharmacist in the NSW Hunter Valley, Phillip Lawrence Slater, an 18-month good behaviour bond for supplying steroids to an Australian representative body builder in 2016. The experienced chemist who had a stake in five pharmacies emerged as the subject of a strike force investigation that found a pharmacy in his car, while a raid at his home uncovered 70 different medications that he had taken from his pharmacies for personal use. He was helping himself to discarded drugs for recreational use, the sentencing magistrate said. Pharmacist Phillip Slater was sentenced after admitting to supplying drugs and failing to comply with the conditions of his licence. When Slater negotiated the sale of steroids and medications associated with bodybuilding to a professional bodybuilder, police were listening. And when they stopped Slaters car in April 2016, they found 16 boxes containing 48 syringes of testosterone, 60 capsules of Phentermine, used for weight loss, drugs that block the growth of oestrogen and Melatonin. Im just transporting some stock between my shops, Slater told police. Im a pharmacist. Slater pleaded guilty to two counts of supplying a prohibited drug and one of failing to comply with the conditions of his licence. In a case from March, a Queanbeyan pharmacist was banned from practising for 12 months for supplying friends with steroids and drugs of addiction after pleading guilty and being convicted of five charges of supply. The NSW Civil and Administrative tribunal heard Nicholas James Fearon supplied himself and a number of other friends and associates drugs including steroids, weight-loss drugs, Xanax and sleeping pills. He was arrested at Blooms the Chemist in Queanbeyan in November 2014 and subsequently pleaded guilty to supplying prescription drugs and possessing a prohibited drug. The Health Care Complaints Commission alleged that on multiple occasions Fearon supplied patients with prescribed medication without a written prescription. Many of the drugs alleged to have been supplied by Fearon were anabolic steroids. Most of the drugs alleged to have been supplied were restricted substances or drugs of addiction. Camouflaging illicit activities Fearons modus operandi again highlighted loopholes that took time to detect. He created patient records and a common characteristic was that rather than recording the name of a prescribing practitioner, the prescriber was listed as a local hospital in most cases. He would record a hospitals name rather than the name of a medical practitioner as regulations require, suggesting that Fearon was creating a sort of alibi for himself. The HCCC alleged he might be able to claim plausibly to the proprietors or any investigator that this was a clerical error but that, unfortunately, he was unable to recall the name of the prescribing doctor. Unless a cross-check with the physical prescriptions kept at the pharmacy or the copy held by the alleged issuing practitioner was conducted, it would be impossible to contradict such a claim, they said. The tribunal heard that Fearons plea of guilty to the criminal offences implied he had concocted this modus operandi to camouflage his illicit activities, raising questions in relation to other transactions in which Fearon is listed as the dispensing pharmacist and the prescriber is listed as a hospital rather than a doctor identified by name. Stjepan Puric, pictured being arrested, was jailed for seven years. Credit:NSW Police In the case of the Abbotsford Point pharmacist, Ethan Le purchased a prescription pad and used it to forge scripts. He knew Ngueyn through family connections and they occasionally attended the same gym and he supplied Nguyen with precription drugs every couple of weeks, sometimes weekly. In order to avoid detection, he kept account of the orders and worked on Wednesdays the day deliveries were made. He said he would put the wholesale amount of the drugs purchased for Nguyen through the pharmacys account and charge Nguyen a surplus in order to turn a profit. He had no idea what Nguyen did with the drugs and he didnt want to know. He suspected that Nguyen would sell the drugs to men attending his gym to treat pain. He used the money he earned to buy things and spend on stupid stuff. He estimated he made around $40,000 from the illegal trades over the two years. The revelation of breathtaking bad behaviour by police who have faked more than a quarter of a million roadside blood alcohol tests has further undermined already battered public faith in public institutions. This scandalous practice compromises data on drink-driving and brings into question the ability to police and diminish the road toll. Breathtaking breath test scandal hurts our faith in power. Credit:Aaron Sawall This is corruption, even if no bribery or personal financial incentive is involved, as it meant lying about statistics to serve personal interests, rather than the public interest. The police deny this, and claim instead that the dishonesty is a response to demands to meet unrealistic quotas. An internal audit found the practice had been going on for at last five years, but The Age has found it has probably has been going on for far longer. A series of scandals has damaged public trust in those who have extraordinary powers. A mountain of evidence, much of it revealed during the royal commission into child sexual abuse, has shredded the credibility of many religious and charitable institutions. Another royal commission, this one into the financial sector, is exposing staggering malfeasance. Multiple examples of misuse of public funds, branch stacking and dubious financial donations to parties and candidates has eroded our faith in our political leaders. Conservation groups say the expansion of an $896 million coal mine on the Darling Downs is unnecessarily close to homes and digging up roads used by the community. The conservationists argue New Hope Group has begun to mine in areas that are in Stage 3 of the New Acland mine, which has not yet been approved. However the coal company says it is doing nothing illegal and says the concerns are exaggerated. New Hope's New Acland coal mine, west of Toowoomba. Credit:Glenn Hunt The Queensland Department of Environment and Science is investigating the claims. Tears, frayed tempers and plot twists: the Supreme Court battle over the estate of Australian author Colleen McCullough has proved as dramatic as the works of fiction that made her fortune. In a bitter dispute characterised by extraordinary claims of falsehoods and "decoy" documents, McCullough's strained marriage has been scrutinised and her widower Ric Robinson accused of pressuring her to change her will in the months before her death in January 2015. Author Colleen McCullough in 2008. Credit:Danielle Smith Justice Nigel Rein, who reserved his decision on Thursday after eight days of evidence, faces the unenviable task of wading through two wildly different accounts to arrive at a decision about McCullough's intentions. At stake is a multimillion-dollar estate ranging from McCullough's art collection and royalties from her 1977 hit The Thorn Birds and other books, plus an estimated $2.1 million in real estate and cash. A Nepalese chef found guilty of murdering his drunk and abusive Pakistani customer has been sentenced to 23 years in jail. Hari Prasad Dhakal was sentenced at the Supreme Court in Melbourne on Friday, with Justice Lex Lasry describing his offending as catastrophic. Abdullah Siddiqi was stabbed to death in a Ballarat restaurant. He said the murder was one that was spontaneous and caused by the deceased mans abusiveness. Dhakal, 51, had been found guilty of stabbing Pakistani-born IT worker Abdullah Siddiqi to death at the Ballarat Curry House on October 25, 2016. Victoria's new Metropolitan Fire Brigade chief has extended an olive branch to the hostile firefighters' union and vowed to raise the minimum number of firefighters travelling on each truck. British import Dan Stephens wrapped up his first week as the MFB's new chief officer on Friday, saying he looks forward to developing an excellent relationship with the union. "Just to be very clear, I am not anti-union," he said. New Metropolitan Fire Brigade chief Dan Stephens Credit:AAP The United Firefighters Union has previously blasted Mr Stephens' appointment. A UFU bulletin released last month attacked Mr Stephens leadership in the UK, saying his "catch cry is flexibility". A book that spruiks decades of military cooperation between Australia and China and funded by controversial Chinese-Australian businessman Chau Chak Wing is stocked in the War Memorial's gift shop. The book Quiet and Loyal Spirit: Commemorating Chinese Australian Military Service is edited by Dr Sheng Fei, and published in association with the Australia China Friendship and Exchange Association, of which Mr Chau is president. Chinese-Australian businessman Chau Chak Wing, Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop and Australian War Memorial director Brendan Nelson holding the cover imagery of the book stocked in the War Memorial gift shop. Credit:Kingold Holdings website Mr Chau's influence on the War Memorial has been in the spotlight after it was revealed that he had donated $560,000 to the memorial after being approached by memorial director Brendan Nelson. In Senate estimates this week Dr Nelson said that he had also suggested the amounts to be donated and what projects they would fund to Mr Chau. The book includes prefaces in both Chinese and English, with themes focusing on how Chinese Australians have contributed to Australia since the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, which it calls the founding of Australia as a nation, and the contributions of Chinese-Australian soldiers. The five ineligible MPs sent packing from Parliament last month racked up $1 million of taxpayer-funded expenses in just six months despite being under a citizenship cloud for all or most of that time. Some of the Labor backbenchers who resigned in May were also among the highest spenders on office administration, splurging more on printing than most cabinet ministers and frontbenchers, according to the latest reports published by the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority. Former Labor MP Justine Keay, who had been under citizenship suspicion since July, accumulated $244,862 in expenses between October and March, including $76,050 on office administration - more than any other Tasmanian politician. Clockwise from top left: Josh Wilson, Katy Gallagher, Rebekha Sharkie, Susan Lamb and Justine Keay. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Josh Wilson, who also quit last month, totted up $244,018 in expenses between October and March, including $73,937.87 on office admin in the first three months of this year - the third highest of any Western Australian politician. To say that Pauline Hansons One Nation is the drama queen of Australian political parties is to be unfair to drama queens. One Nation is a bodice-ripping, shirt-rending, stiletto throwing, screaming, tear-jerking hot mess of a thing. Its in a state of permanent separation within itself, forever circling the divorce courts and misplacing members of its dysfunctional family. Pauline Hansons latest bout of tears on TV and the follow-up demand for the resignation of one of her dwindling little Senate brood, this time Brian Burston, is merely further proof of her partys maladjusted nature. One Nation senator Pauline Hanson Credit:Alex Ellinghausen It's always been teetering on the edge of the precipice, of course, attracted to the depths where darkness lurks. Tuesdays report is a draft. The Productivity Commission cant be certain when it will deliver the final report partly because the banking royal commission is taking up so much of bank executives time that it would be unfair to ask them to deal with the super report until the banking inquiry is out of the way. But the commission is keen to hear from the rest of us immediately. On Friday it added a new Brief Comments section to its website. Ordinary Australians will be able to upload up to 200 words without the need to make a formal submission. Their names wont be published but, if they agree, their comments will be. When Chester did this before in an earlier superannuation inquiry, she was able to put the lived experience of Australians to fund representatives in public hearings and get them to concede that things werent as rosy as they had been suggesting. Without putting too fine a point on it, their members would have been better off paying them to do nothing. Their investment performance is disheartening. Super funds are made up of asset classes; things such as property, shares, international shares and government bonds, assembled in certain proportions. Loading By examining the average performance of each of the underlying asset classes and assembling them in the same proportions as each of the regulated funds - in what it thinks is a world first - the commission has been able to compare what the funds performance would have been if no special skill had been added with the results they actually delivered over more than a decade, taking account of fees and tax. Shockingly, it found that the 228 funds taken together (accounting for 93 per cent of all accounts and 61 per cent of all superannuation assets) did worse than if the managers had just set the proportions and then done nothing. Their attempts to pick stocks consistently cost their members money. Without putting too fine a point on it, their members would have been better off paying them to do nothing. Illustration: Simon Letch Credit: The retail funds, mostly run by the banks, are the worst. Instead of producing the 6 per cent per year they would have if they had just set their asset allocation and sacked their stock pickers, they produced 5 per cent. (Stock pickers in the union and employer-controlled industry funds did add value, but not much, boosting annual returns by 0.2 percentage points.) The commission says its at a loss to understand how the retail stock pickers can be so bad. On the face of it it would take a rare and perverse skill to consistently produce worse results than leaving things alone. Keen readers of the Productivity Commission website will find a clue in one of the submissions, from Kevin Liu and Elizabeth Ooi at the School of Risk and Actuarial Studies at the University of NSW. Despite their complaints about how the directors of industry funds arent independent (most are employer and union representatives), most of the directors of retail funds arent independent either. Four out of five are affiliated to the bank or larger entity that owns the fund, often by working for another part of it. Liu and Ooi find that the more affiliated directors a retail fund had, the worse it performed. And the more related-party service providers it used, the worse it performed. The effect was both statistically and economically significant, and consistent across different measures of investment performance. The implication is that affiliated directors put the interests of the bank or larger entity first, perhaps by loading up super funds with products it wanted to shift. Looked at this way, the superior performance of the industry funds isnt so much the result of superior skill as it is the result of doing a job well in a straightforward way without a conflict of interest. Its also the result of scale. Many of the retail funds are deliberately small. There are around 40,000 of them, a number so big as to almost certainly be designed to confuse and beguile the customer rather than help. Its no accident that Australias biggest industry fund, AustralianSuper, is always one of the top performers. Loading But some of the industry funds are also small, and are shockers when it comes to performance, sitting alongside the worst of the bank-run funds. Appallingly, new employees and people switching jobs continue to get funneled into them because of the provisions of industrial awards. For as long as that happens their directors will be tempted to keep them open, pocketing board fees for running an organisation that stays subscale but open as the trickle of members leaving is replaced by a stream coming in. Its why the commission wants super to follow the person, not the job, with every new labour market entrant (and everyone changing jobs) presented with a list of the top 10 funds and invited to pick and stick for as long as they like, without accumulating multiples. Labor and the Coalition have cautiously welcomed the idea. It is competing with another model, proposed by Future Fund chair Peter Costello, in which the government would run the only default fund, freezing the top 10 out. It says a lot about how bad the performance of the bank-owned funds has been that some in the Coalition are prepared to countenance it - and also a lot about how much they despise the top-performing union and employer-controlled industry funds. Australias superannuation system is 25 years old. The pool of super savings has climbed to $2.6 trillion. By 2030 itll be $5 trillion. Its important to get it right. Peter Martin is economics editor of The Age. The message to Labor's branches in Cabramatta was very clear: find a woman. Instead, the suggestion the state seat may be up for grabs has opened the floodgates and at least 12 people all men, bar one or two have told Labor head office they want to run if incumbent Nick Lalich retires. Nick Lalich campaigning ahead of the 2011 state election. Credit:Fairfax Media Mr Lalich, 73, is on leave while undergoing medical treatment and is still weighing up his options. But while he recovers, Labor members are circling, preparing to make a move to seize one of Labor's heartland seats. It is understood senior party officials are not happy that members are "walking all over" Mr Lalich while he is unwell and have agreed not to call a preselection until Mr Lalich makes his decision. Dhaka: A Bangladeshi anti-drugs campaign in which more than 100 people have died has raised international concerns but the government has dismissed any suggestion of extra-judicial killings and said the crackdown had popular support. A suspected drug dealer is arrested by Bangladesh's Rapid Action Battalion soldiers during a raid on drug dealers at Mohammadpur Geneva Camp in Dhaka, Bangladesh last Saturday. Credit:AP The Bangladesh government launched the drive against trafficking this month, and police have arrested more than 10,000 people across the country as alarm grows about drugs, in particular the spread of the stimulant methamphetamine. But the campaign has raised fears among rights activists of a Philippine-style war on drugs and the US ambassador to Bangladesh, Marcia Bernicat, voiced concern about the bloodshed. "Of course I express concern about the number of people dying," Bernicat told reporters after talks with Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan in which the campaign was discussed. After a bitter two-day debate in parliament, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Friday lost a no-confidence vote and was ousted from office. He will be replaced by a leader of the opposition Socialist Party. The votes was 180 to 169 with one abstention. Rajoy appeared in parliament Friday morning and in a brief speech said, "I will accept the decision." He added, "it has been an honour to be the leader of Spain and to leave it in a better state than the one I found. I believe I have satisfied my responsibility, which is to improve the lives of Spaniards. If I have offended someone in my role I ask forgiveness". Florida: A woman in Florida was sentenced to seven years in prison for the forced labor of a Mexican woman she hired as a pregnancy surrogate. Esthela Clark also faces deportation to Mexico after serving the sentence she received on Thursday in federal court in Jacksonville. She is a legal permanent resident. Clark pleaded guilty last year. Federal prosecutors say she travelled to Guadalajara, Mexico where she met the victim in 2012, promising her thousands of dollars once a baby was born. The woman was smuggled into the United States, and after she arrived in Jacksonville, Clark repeatedly tried to inseminate her with sperm retrieved from her boyfriend's condoms with a syringe. Prosecutors say when that method failed, Clark forced the woman to have unprotected sex with strangers. She never became pregnant. President Donald Trump said he will meet Kim Jong-un on June 12 in Singapore, after he sat down with a senior adviser to the North Korean leader in the White House to continue the groundwork for the historic meeting. "We are going to deal and we are really going to start a process," Trump told reporters on Friday. "Remember what I say, we will see what we will see." Trump added that he spoke with the North Korean envoy about sanctions on the reclusive regime. The two sides do not expect to sign any agreement on June 12, he said. "I look forward to the day I can take the sanctions off North Korea," Trump said. The setup for Samuel Beckett's existential classic Waiting for Godot couldn't be simpler. A stage, almost bare, holds a tree, a stone, and two men. The men, Vladimir (Marty Rea) and Estragon (Aaron Monaghan), are a pair of vagrants who wait for a man named Godot. If they ever knew why they were waiting, they've forgotten. Nevertheless, they keep on waiting, filling the time by philosophizing, soliloquizing, and playing word games. The 1953 play, one of the most studied and parodied works of the 20th century, has seen its fair share of notable revivals in recent years. The Galway-based Druid Theatre Company's touring production, now playing at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, is a superb addition to the Godot canon. Director Garry Hynes hasn't wasted a single word of the iconic play. In her steady hands, the bleak poetry of every line is apparent. Each silence is exactly measured. Hynes understands the fusion of comedy and tragedy in Beckett's work, and she has cast a quartet of actors who take to the challenging language like they were born to it. As Estragon, Monaghan channels a long line of clowns who eke comedy out of slumped shoulders and a hangdog look, while Rea's philosophical Vladimir is as snappy as a rubber band. Whether they're contemplating suicide or merely trading hats, the two share a keen sense of timing, finishing one another's thoughts with a rhythm straight out of the vaudeville circuit. Their absurd, cyclical conversations are punctuated with occasional acrobatics that are every bit as precise as their patter. Vladimir and Estragon's antics are certainly ludicrous, but they seem downright sensible compared to the behavior of Pozzo (Rory Nolan) and his much-abused manservant, Lucky (Garrett Lombard), the travelers they encounter on the dusty road. Nolan's imposing size and razor-sharp smile imbue Pozzo's officious courtesy with a hint of danger. When Lucky lets loose with a long diatribe, Lombard reveals a wonderfully clear and cool newscaster's voice that laughably contrasts with his fire-and-brimstone barrage. Just when you think he can't possibly go on, on he goes. Francis O'Connor's set is packed with imagery, despite its minimalism. The stone that Estragon perches on is large and smooth, like an egg that will never hatch. The tree that invites thoughts of suicide looks less like a living plant than a gnarl of rusted metal, worn down by time. The palette is generally limited to grays, tans, and dark clay reds, with occasional glorious bursts of dusky blue sky, courtesy of James F. Ingalls's lighting design. The effect is almost relaxing, a perfect complement to this rich production. C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien are the creators of Narnia and Middle Earth, inventors of mythologies and languages, conjurers of adventures and fabulations. But playwright David Payne author and costar of Lewis and Tolkien: Of Wardrobes and Rings, now running in the Sheen Center's Black Box Theater would like us to remember these men as much for their legendary friendship as their legendary fantasies. "Where would we be without friends?" opens Tolkien (played by Gordon Tett with mincing British austerity). "Some make a modest impact on one's life and some an impact so profound that you know you would not be the person you are now without that friendship." It's a speech that anticipates a love to rival Glinda and Elphaba, but like the actors re-creating the images of Lewis and Tolkien, those lofty expectations sink into a pair of well-upholstered armchairs and never rise again. Marc Whitmore stagnantly directs what is framed as the very last meeting between Lewis and Tolkien, though the authors don't know this will be their final visit to Oxford's Eagle and Child pub, or their last chance to be greeted by their favorite ditsy American barmaid, Hattie (Audrey Ney doing her best Miss Adelaide as the clumsily crafted and insignificant third character). Lewis (Payne balancing Tett's over-the-top performance with a less affected version of "Jack," as Tolkien calls him) has recently resigned his post at Cambridge University following a heart attack, and we're led to believe that he and Tolkien (or "Tollers") haven't spoken much of late an almost-regret that Tolkien rectifies with this eleventh-hour reunion. The following two acts (divided by an offstage lunch, which has no business dividing the 95-minute play into two parts) consist of reminiscences that fill in biographical blanks far more than they develop character. As the literary giants sit in their adjacent chairs (surrounded by Gregory Brown's untouched scenic elements), we hear Tolkien's thoughts on the "True Myth" of Christ (the argument that famously helped solidify Lewis's Christian beliefs); Lewis's summary of his marriage to Joy Davidman and her tragic death, his reflections on which are poignantly captured in his book A Grief Observed; and the inspirations for both The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings, including vows that neither would ever be made into films (wink, wink). We leave with an informative synopsis of key facts and a list of suggested further reading, but a spoken Wikipedia article does not a play make. Even without a traditional plot to unfold, we need an emotional arc to follow especially when the stated premise is a portrayal of one of the most profound friendships in literary history. The men spend some time unemotionally working through their disagreement over Lewis's marriage, which Tolkien believed was not valid in the eyes of God (Davidman had been married before), and they end with an analytical discussion on male friendship. "Indeed, I think it's sad that these days that some people look at strong male friendship in a rather jaundiced way as though there's something unhealthy about a man expressing love for another man," says Lewis. Perhaps these are not men who would ever set aside intellect to make room for pure emotion, but it would be nice to at least sense that something as mythical as their stories forged this holy bromance. Fuel-Cell Madness...SLAP!...Thanks I Needed That! Fuel-cell cars commercial failure EDITOR'S NOTE: This opinion piece was originally published on January 21 2016. With the recent announcement of an actual lease offering for the 2017 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell Vehicle, I thought it important to bring some reality to America's growing "fuel-cell-is-the answer" fever. As you will read below, we do believe that fuel-cell ev's are the answer but not for another 40-50 years or so, until then we believe that ETHANOL IS THE ANSWER! By Bob Gordon President and Co-founder The Auto Channel AUTO CENTRAL - January 21, 2016: Today, after experiencing a euphoria caused by the recent news stories posted on The Auto Channel proclaiming that Fuel-cell EV's are really happening and will save the day and free America from the grubby clutches of Big Oil and gasoline, I began to find myself buying into those glowing H2 stories so much so that I began to consider a need for a reevaluation of The Auto Channel's long-time fervent editorial and emotional support of ethanol as America's alt fuel solution, and if a smart guy like me was experiencing "Fuel-Cell Madness" so was most everybody else As a reality check I decided I needed a healthy dose of "alt fuel truth" that I found in The Auto Channel's archive, and the truth came like a SLAP! waking me from my euphoric dreamlike state which found me buying into the fairy tale that caused my "Fuel-Cell Madness". I recognized that if I was being flamboozled, then I had to share some sobering "Fuel-Cell Madness" and alt fuel thoughts with you: Hmm, Big Oil wins again...because no actual alternative fuel means 50 more years of gasoline use and bad guy profits from American's using gasoline. By the time (if ever) H2 fuel cell vehicles replace enough ICE vehicles to make a dent in the ecological and political problems caused by 200 years of gasoline it may be too late to save our country and our planet. Ethanol is today's and tomorrow's only alt fuel solution, fuel cell EV's might be, Hydrogen ICE could be, Bio-this and Bio that may be but the result of the "wait and see" is way too onerous for our country. So here we go again... Warning! There is growing Big Oil paid for propaganda and claque-ish media momentum building, this time not just for EV's but for hydrogen Fuel-Cell EV's as the replacement for our gasoline powered vehicles. But media reports never reveal that EV's were rejected and that fuel-cell flavored EV's will take at least 50-100 years to become economically competitive, and infrastructurally realistic. This new version of the EV "Tulip Frenzy" is energizing the diversion of America's share of mind away from the practical drop-in alternative fuel by the obfuscation of the truth with EV fairy tales. As an example, after 3 days and 30 press conferences at the Detroit Auto Show there was absolutely no mention of Flex-Fuel by any manufacturer, none. I can't understand why car makers instead of championing flex-fuel ethanol, the existing domestically produced and uber-scalable alternative fuel, they continue to facilitate Big Oil 's status-quo vision of the future by offering an unrealistic impossible rocket science solution for our ecological, political and economic horror that gasoline has caused these past 100+ years. Don't get me wrong the owner's of The Auto Channel LOVE H2 fuel cells, in-fact we were/are the ONLY automotive publication to seriously cover the fuel cell world starting in the 70's, 80's,90's and continuing to this day. You can see what we have had to say in our 21 year old Hydrogen Fuel-Cell News Archive. During the majority of the past 20 years only The Auto Channel seriously covered the fuel-cell evolution and continue so to this day. The Auto Channel management believes that we must all help get America off gasoline and to that end will continue to support any quickly implementable, realistically ubiquitous, fuel alternative. But let us understand what is going on here. No matter the hype and media bla-bla, hydrogen will not become a meaningful alternative to gasoline for at least 50-100 years or ever, remember that there are 2-300 million cars on American roads today and NONE, ZERO, NADA of which can ever use hydrogen fuel cells for their power NONE. So what kind of alternative will motorists who can't afford or choose not to get rid of their trusty steed and replace it with an electric car...none, no alternative, meaning that virtually all of us will continue to have no choice but to use gasoline and all of the evils that come with it...until and if America wises up and demands the substitution of gasoline by flex-fuel. I can imagine the execs at Big Oil this morning, smirking every time they read a headline about the soon to be here "hydrogen revolution"...because folks, all of the the noise coming from the car makers and their media sycophants about the bright H2 future will never actually happen, not in my lifetime or my children's or grand-children's or in the lifetime of any person alive today...NEVER. So unless we collectively demand that our nation's politicians and bureaucrats honestly and forthrightly support an increased use of Ethanol, which we believe is the only immediate, practical drop-in alternative to gasoline, America will continue its slavery to monopolistic Big Oil. For the past 100 years highly subsidized Big Oil has been in control...is in control...and is doing everything it can do to make sure it stays in control, forever. When the boys in OPEC's back room want the price of oil to go up, it goes up, when they want to drop its price in order to delay or destroy any alternative fuel, or cripple America's domestic oil industry, the price goes way down...remember the cost for OPEC nations to pump a barrel of oil is less that 5 bucks, so even at $20 a barrel there are still massive profits, some of which are used to support the Islamic Radicals, the sworn enemies of modernity, democracy and America. As much as The Auto Channel LOVES and supports the evolution of H2 Fuel-Cell as the key that can make the EV's viable, we sadly recognize that this new round of obfuscation is just the latest offering in a series of "never gonna happen" gasoline alternatives that have no actual chance to ubiquitously replace gasoline...too bad, but it sure seems that way to us. FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., May 31, 2018 -- Hyundai Hope On Wheels (HHOW), a 501c3 nonprofit organization, celebrates its 20th year in the fight against pediatric cancer. For 2018, HHOW announced fifty-seven (57) Children's Oncology Group (COG) institutions to receive a combined $145 million in grants for pediatric cancer research in the U.S. The organization also announced that it selected four (4) institutions to receive the largest grant categories offered by HHOW The Hyundai Quantum and The Hyundai Quantum Collaboration Award. This is the second time in the 20-year history of the non-profit organization that it has made available its Quantum Award category. Hyundai $2.5 Million Quantum Collaboration Grant Winner: Dr. Julia Glade Bender of Columbia University Medical Center (New York, NY) Hyundai $1 Million Quantum Grant Winners: Dr. Joshua Schiffman of Primary Children's Hospital (Salt Lake City, UT) Dr. Richard Vile of Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN) Dr. Todd Druley of St. Louis Children's Hospital (St. Louis, MO) The Quantum Award (QA) and Quantum Collaboration Award (QC) are aimed at funding research focused on childhood cancers with a poor prognosis. Each is focused on funding transformational pediatric cancer research. The Quantum Award is a $1,000,000 award to a single institution, to be paid in 4 equal installments of $250,000 each over 4 years. The Quantum Collaboration Award is a $2,500,000 award to two or more institution, in 5 equal installments of $500,000 each over 5 years. The pediatric cancers considered for funding with the 2018 QA and QC were: pediatric CNS tumors, metastatic pediatric solid tumors, pediatric myeloid leukemia, and Osteosarcomas. Grant winners were selected from a peer reviewed competitive process, on the basis of quality of science, innovative approach, institutional commitment, translational in nature, and potential impact on the field. Our ultimate long-term goal is to increase the survival rates for pediatric cancers, which have historically shown low cure rates. We look forward to the day when no child ever dies from cancer again. "For 20 years, Hyundai and its dealers have dedicated their mission to saving lives and creating hope through Hyundai Hope On Wheels. We are proud of the research work that has been done and the lives that have been saved by the dedicated research community," says Scott Fink, Board Chair and Hyundai dealer owner, Hyundai of New Port Richey. "We know that for too many pediatric cancers there remain little progress and few good treatment options for children. That's why we provided these large multi-year awards to some of the finest research-scientists, who are finding new treatment approaches and better ideas to finding more cures for the disease. We believe this is a fight we can win, and we are committed to doing whatever it takes to achieve that goal." Quantum Collaboration And Quantum Award projects selected Dr. Julia Glade-Bender, was selected to receive the QC Award for Osteosarcoma, and to lead a team of researchers from Columbia University Medical Center (New York, NY), Memorial-Sloan Kettering (New York, NY), University of San Francisco Children's (San Francisco, CA), and Dana-Farber Cancer Center (Boston, MA). Osteosarcoma is the most commonly diagnosed bone tumor in children and adolescents, yet no new treatment approaches have successfully been introduced in nearly 40 years. The Hyundai Quantum Collaboration Grant will enable Dr. Glade-Bender to lead a bi-coastal team of researchers who aim to identify treatments that can neutralize the cancer's growth and metastasis. Patients with osteosarcoma have not benefited from recent breakthroughs like immunotherapy or DNA sequencing and require a shift in the understanding and approach to therapy. To do this, the team will leverage novel cancer systems biology approaches that model the cellular logic of cancer cells, using supercomputers to identify optimal treatment options for each patient. Dr. Joshua Schiffman was selected to receive a QA Award and his team recently discovered that elephants have 20 copies of the tumor-fighting gene that may help explain their natural ability to avoid cancer. Dr. Schiffman will now use the Quantum study elephant-based medicine treatment options based on the TP53 gene in elephants to determine its potential in future treatment of children and teenagers with osteosarcoma. Dr. Richard Vile was selected to receive a QA Award and will focus on improving treatment for pediatric brain tumors, specifically those that develop rapidly and are fatal to the children affected by them. The research will use immunotherapy, a type of treatment that signals a patient's own immune system to detect and fight tumor cells. Dr. Vile and team have identified interactions between immune cells and tumor cells that could lead to a treatment for these previously untreatable diseases. The team is eager move forward with the research and development of a clinical product that will give hope to future patients and their families. Dr. Todd Druley was selected to receive a QA Award and will focus on Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), a cancer of the bone marrow that results in 50% of pediatric cancer deaths. One reason for poor outcomes in children is the inability to precisely judge genetic differences in the disease both before and after treatment. This HHOW Quantum Award will leverage a multi-disciplinary team of pediatric leukemia experts to study very rare AML mutations in order to tailor therapies to the unique biology of childrenimproving treatments and increasing survival rates. More information on each of these researchers and other grant winners can be found on our website. Approximately 15,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year in the U.S. Hyundai Hope On Wheels's goal is to help kids survive, and thrive in their lives after the disease. With Federal funding for pediatric cancer remaining below 4% of NIH funding for all cancers, the HHOW grants provide an important source of funding to assist local children's hospitals with life-saving research efforts. There are three other HHOW grant categories: Impact Grant ($100,000), Young Investigator Grant ($200,000), and Hyundai Scholar Hope Grant ($300,000). Applications are graded by a panel of scientific reviewers, for their innovation and potential to increase discovery. Each grant winning hospital will be visited by HHOW in 2018, at which our signature handprint ceremony will be held with brave pediatric cancer fighters. Supporters and followers of HHOW are invited to post photos or messages on social media using hashtag #EndChildhoodCancer. For more information about Hyundai Hope On Wheels and to view a complete list of our 2018 Hope On Wheels grant winners, please visit www.hyundaihopeonwheels.org/research. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram at facebook.com/HyundaiHopeOnWheels, twitter.com/HopeOnWheels or Instagram.com/HyundaiHopeOnWheels. ABOUT HYUNDAI HOPE ON WHEELS Hyundai Hope On Wheels is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is committed to finding a cure for childhood cancer. Launched in 1998, Hyundai Hope On Wheels provides grants to eligible institutions nationwide that are pursuing life-saving research and innovative treatments for the disease. HHOW is one of the largest non-profit funders of pediatric cancer research in the country, and primary funding for Hyundai Hope On Wheels comes from Hyundai Motor America and its more than 835 U.S. dealers. Since its inception, Hyundai Hope On Wheels has awarded more than $145 million towards childhood cancer research in pursuit of a cure. HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through 835 dealerships nationwide. All new Hyundai vehicles sold in the U.S. are covered by the Hyundai Assurance program, which includes a 5-year/60,000-mile fully-transferable new vehicle limited warranty, Hyundai's 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty and five years of complimentary Roadside Assistance. For more details on Hyundai Assurance, please visit www.HyundaiAssurance.com Please visit our media website at www.hyundainews.com Hyundai Motor America on Twitter | YouTube | Facebook SOURCE Hyundai Hope On Wheels CONTACT: Zafar Brooks, Hyundai Hope On Wheels, zbrooks@hmausa.com; Nicole Garner Scott, Public Relations, n.garner@grownowllc.com REYKJAVIK, Iceland, June 1, 2018 -- In a study published today, scientists at deCODE genetics report new findings about the founding of the Icelandic population and its subsequent evolution, based on ancient DNA. The study appears today in the online edition of Science. Iceland was settled around 1100 years ago, at the height of the Viking age. By sequencing the genomes from 25 ancient skulls dating to the first generations of settlement, and comparing them to genomes from the contemporary inhabitants of Iceland, Scandinavia and the British and Irish Isles, the deCODE team was able to demonstrate that most of the settlers were of unmixed Norse or Gaelic ancestry. Some were already admixed on arrival to Iceland and presumably originated from Viking settlements in the British and Irish Isles. Norse ancestry in Iceland increased from 57% at the time of settlement to 70% today. This change may be explained by less reproductive success of Gaelic settlers, many of whom were taken to Iceland as slaves. Another contributing factor could be later immigration from Denmark. A striking finding of the study is that, as a result of genetic drift, contemporary Icelanders have diverged from their ancestors in Scandinavia and the British and Irish Isles, while the Viking age settlers are effectively indistinguishable from modern representatives of these source populations. Finally, the new study reports the first discovery of an individual with Klinefelter syndrome based on ancient DNA. "The mixing of populations and the colonization of new lands are recurring themes in the spread of humans across the globe during the last 70 thousand years," said Agnar Helgason, an author of the paper. "Our study of DNA from the teeth of Viking age Icelanders provides the first in-depth investigation of how a new population is formed through admixture." "Repeated famines and epidemics led to a substantial loss of sequence diversity from the Icelandic gene pool, causing it to drift away from its source populations in Scandinavia and the British-Irish Isles," said Kari Stefansson, CEO of deCODE and an author on the paper. "This is a fascinating example of how a population is shaped by its environment, in this case the harsh and marginal conditions of medieval Iceland. It is also another demonstration of how our small but well characterized population can continue to make important contributions to understanding the fundamental genetic and evolutionary processes that shape our species." Based in Reykjavik, Iceland, deCODE is a global leader in analyzing and understanding the human genome. Using its unique expertise and population resources, deCODE has discovered genetic risk factors for dozens of common diseases. The purpose of understanding the genetics of disease is to use that information to create new means of diagnosing, treating and preventing disease. deCODE is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Amgen . SOURCE deCODE genetics CONTACT: Thora Kristin Asgeirsdottir, deCODE genetics thora.asgeirsdottir@decode.is, +354-894-1909 Edward Farmer, For deCODE genetics, efarmer@decode.is +1-781-775-6206 IRVINE, Calif., June 1, 2018 -- Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) today reported total May U.S. sales of 29,980 vehicles, representing an increase of 15.1 percent versus May of last year. Year-to-date (YTD) sales through May are up 14.9 percent versus last year, with 137,031 vehicles sold. With 26 selling days in May 2018, versus 25 the year prior, the company posted an increase of 10.7 percent on a Daily Selling Rate (DSR) basis. Key May sales notes: Mazda6 led the charge, posting a sales increase of 63.8 percent year-over-year (YOY), with 4,437 vehicles sold in the month of May.This increase was led by the launch of the new 2018 Mazda6, which is now available in more trim options than before, including the introduction of a Signature trim level, which had previously only been available on the CX-9. Mazda CX-5, Mazda's award-winning crossover SUV, returned to record-breaking sales, posting its best-ever May sales of 14,173 vehicles, marking an increase of 19.9 percent YOY. Sales of the Mazda CX-5 are up 43.7 percent YTD. Mazda CX-3 posted its best-ever sales this month, with 1,823 vehicles sold in May, marking an increase of 18.6 percent YOY. Sales of Mazda CX-3 are up 14.0 percent YTD. Mazda's seven-passenger crossover SUV, Mazda CX-9, had a near-record month, finishing up 26.6 percent YOY, with 2,509 vehicles sold. Sales of the Mazda CX-9 are up 18.4 percent YTD. Every model in the CX-line posted sales gains in the month of May. Total sales of the CX-line, including the CX-3, CX-5 and CX-9, where up 20.6 percent over May of last year, with 18,505 vehicles sold. Mazda reported an all-time high for Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) sales, with 4,823 CPO vehicles sold in May, marking an increase of 21.0 percent YOY. Mazda Motor de Mexico (MMdM) reported May sales of 4,308 vehicles, up 2.4 percent versus May of last year. Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, California, and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through nearly 700 dealers. Operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City. For more information on Mazda vehicles, including photography and B-roll, please visit the online Mazda media center at InsideMazda.MazdaUSA.com/Newsroom. Trucks and core products delivered major gains for Honda in May: Trucks set a new May record, Accord sales gained significant momentum, and strong performances from Civic, CR-V and Odyssey pushed all of these models to retail sales leadership in their respective segments. With Pilot and CR-V also adding record May sales, Honda brand gained a total of 4.3 percent for the month. Accord sales continued to climb strongly since its launch last fall, posting more than 28,000 sales in May, up 29.3% versus last month. With 34,349 sold in May, Civic gained 7.4% for the month. Pilot sales jumped 36.1% in setting a new May record, its 9th consecutive gain, and CR-V sales climbed 11.6% on sales of 35,905, also a May record. Best sales month ever for Toyota RAV4 hybrid, strong Prius Prime Plug-in Hybrid Electric vehicle sales TORONTO, June 1, 2018; Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) reported that hybrid vehicle sales are up 43.9% compared to May 2017, its best month ever, with a total of 2,766 units sold. TCI saw a 0.9% increase in overall sales during the month of May with 24,113 units sold. The Toyota division reported a total of 22,021 vehicles sold, up 1.9%, and the Lexus luxury division sold 2,092 units, down 8.3% compared to 2017. Rising consumer demand for electrified vehicles helped bolster Toyota Prius sales by 115% compared to 2017, which included sales of 425 Prius Prime Plug-in Hybrid Electric units. And Toyota's popular RAV4 hybrid saw its best sales month ever with 795 units sold, up 36.1% compared to last year. With a growing demand from Canadian consumers, Toyota recently announced that the RAV4 hybrid will be manufactured on Canadian soil starting in 2019, expanding the existing RAV4 production in Ontario. Additional May Highlights Toyota division truck sales of 12,490 units, up 0.2% (best month ever) Toyota RAV4 sales of 5,525 units, including RAV4 hybrid, up 36.1% Toyota Prius sales of 688 units, up 115% Includes Toyota Prius Prime sales of 425 units Toyota Prius V sales, 295 units, up 23.9% Toyota Yaris sales of 886 units, up 25.7% Toyota Camry sales of 1,610 units, up 26.9% Toyota 4Runner sales of 760 units, up 13.6% (new May record) Lexus NX sales of 683 units, up 9.3% (new May record) About Toyota Canada Inc. Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) is the exclusive Canadian distributor of Toyota and Lexus vehicles. Toyota has sold over 5 million vehicles in Canada through a national network of 287 Toyota and Lexus dealerships. Toyota is dedicated to bringing safety, quality, dependability and reliability in the vehicles Canadians drive and the service they receive. TCI's head office is located in Toronto, with regional offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Halifax and parts distribution centres in Toronto and Vancouver. Toyota operates two manufacturing facilities in Canada. Having produced more than eight million vehicles, popular Canadian models built at these facilities include Toyota RAV4, Toyota Corolla, Lexus RX 350 and RX 450h hybrid. Emergency crews responded to a collision at the intersection of Highway 52 and Provincial Road 216 north of Kleefeld on Thursday evening, shortly before 6 p.m. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 31/5/2018 (1230 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Emergency crews responded to a collision at the intersection of Highway 52 and Provincial Road 216 north of Kleefeld on Thursday evening, shortly before 6 p.m. Kleefeld deputy fire chief Armin Dueck said the crash involved two vehicles. Dueck said one occupant was transported to hospital in Winnipeg by the STARS air ambulance. A total of three people were involved in the crash. A RCMP traffic analyst was already on the scene investigating the collision around 7 p.m. Dueck said he expected the intersection to remain closed for about three hours. Traffic on Highway 52 was being detoured around the crash site using the merging lanes of the Kleefeld turnoff. Friends. Photo: Getty Images On Wednesday, Kim Kardashian West visited the White House to ask President Trump to grant clemency to Alice Johnson, a 62-year-old great-grandmother currently serving a life sentence without parole on a nonviolent drug offense. (She was also possibly delivering a secret message with her suit, but we cant be sure). After her meeting, Kardashian West stopped by Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushners house in Washington, D.C.s chic Kalorama Heights neighborhood, where the three were pictured by the Daily Mail smiling in front of a bay window. EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: Kim Kardashian goes to Ivanka and Jared's house for dinner after Oval Office meeting with Trump https://t.co/Ie5RzOyxU9 Daily Mail Celebrity (@DailyMailCeleb) May 31, 2018 Kardashian West has met the couple before. In 2014, Ivanka told People she chatted with the fellow new mom at the Met Gala, an interaction you can see in this picture (Kims dress had pockets; Jared didnt look as much like a haunted doll). Kardashian Wests husband, Kanye West, is also a big Trump supporter, and said he and the president are both dragon energy. Its unclear how long Kardashian West spent at Jared and Ivankas house, or whether Ivanka behaved fecklessly. Photo: Getty Images Today, Trump administration press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told The Wrap that she was distressed by the silence from the left in regard to the comedian Samantha Bees comments during her Full Frontal monologue on Wednesday night. In the monologue, Bee called Ivanka Trump a feckless cunt in response to the First Daughter and presidential advisers decision to post an image of herself blissfully hugging her son amid news of children being ripped from their parents by ICE. This afternoon, Bee herself apologized on Twitter to both Trump and her viewers, claiming that the use of the word cunt was inappropriate and inexcusable and that she had crossed a line and deeply regret[s] it. As a left-leaning feminist, I agree with Sarah Huckabee Sanders that silence on the matter of Bees comedic critique and its connection to ABCs recent cancellation of Roseanne is inexcusable. So even though I am on the last day of my leave from New York/the Cut and am supposed to be finishing the book Ive been writing which is not coincidentally about womens rage it is important to be clear about the dynamics at play in these situations, which are absolutely not remotely in any way equivalent to each other. Languages ability to inflict harm depends on the power of whos wielding it and against whom it is being wielded. Im not talking simply about the power of the individuals in question. For example, its not about the damage done by Samantha Bee to Ivanka Trump or Roseanne Barr to Valerie Jarrett, all of whom are individuals with various kinds of power. Its not about them. Rather, its about considering the relative degrees of power of the entities and ideas that those individuals are representing. So when Bee goes after Ivanka for her complicity with and support of a presidential administration thats doing grievous harm to the bodies, families, and lives of human beings, Bee is acting on behalf of less powerful people (the immigrants whose children, including babies, are being taken away from them) and speaking out against the grotesquely powerful and abusive (the administration that is creating and enforcing this barbaric policy). It is true that in her critique of Ivanka Trump, Bee used an expletive that is explicitly misogynistic; it is wholly reasonable to object to the word cunt for feminist reasons. It is also reasonable and worthwhile to consider why a term for female anatomy has become such a potent pejorative; why does a word that means vagina also mean very bad person? Thats a valid question, but its crucial to consider it in this context. Bee was not reinforcing or replicating the crude harm that cunt has been used to inflict historically: the patriarchal diminishment and vilification of women. In fact, Bee was using it to criticize a woman precisely because that woman is acting on behalf of that patriarchy, one that systematically diminishes women, destroys families, and hurts children. This context makes the situation fundamentally different from Roseanne Barr comparing Valerie Jarrett to an ape, as she did earlier this week. That comparison was an explicitly racist locution with explicitly racist roots, but unlike Bees deployment of cunt against a misogynistic and racist administration, Barrs racism has been deployed in support of that racist and misogynistic administration. That administration, as well as the party that has helped to build and shield it, came to power in part on explicitly racist and misogynistic rhetoric that both vilified and promised revenge against the previous, historic administration of Barack Obama, of which Jarrett was a member. That context matters, as does the fact that the Trump administration is using the power it so gained to inflict real-world racist and misogynistic harm on human beings. That means that Barrs utterance mirrored and reinforced abuses being enacted by more powerful people against less powerful people, while Bees challenged those abuses. These dynamics also apply, of course, to the faux offense taken by some Republicans and those in the political press to Michelle Wolfs scathing White House Correspondents Dinner performance, to the cowering members of the Intellectual Dark Web recently photographed by the New York Times in their native Hobbiton, and to the amply propagated idea that the #MeToo movement is a witch hunt and that its critics have been unjustly silenced. None of that is real. None of it. It is an illusion of persecution created by the powerful precisely because the powerful have the ability to fashion a public narrative that serves their own interests, while normalizing to the point of invisibility the actual harm being done, in their name or with their support, every day, to the less powerful. Look no further than the fact that Sarah Huckabee Sanders can say with a straight face that a comedian being mean to Ivanka Trump on television is vile, vicious, appalling, and disgusting, but she will never apply those apt descriptors to the administration shes fronting for: one that is led by a man who brags about grabbing women by their pussies, calls human beings animals, and enacts policies that separate children from their parents in the name of keeping asylum-seekers out of the United States. Words matter, and sometimes only the strongest ones will do the job. The album art for YE. Photo: GOOD/Def Jam As promised, Kanye West released an album last night, YE, a collection of seven songs in which he name checks Stormy Daniels, says some dumb shit about slavery, and raps about Tristian Thompson. There is not a lot of good to come out of this situation, given how much Kanyes been trying us for the past month: the music is mediocre. Its neither a train wreck nor a triumph, so the discussions it inspires will probably be just as meh a the album itself. Apparently the only good thing to come out of YE drop day is Wyoming? Congratulations, Wyoming. In advance of the album drop, West flew a number of journalists, music industry people, and celebrities out to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to listen to the album in the state where it was recorded. At some point yesterday, a few Wyoming-related tweets started cropping up mysterious for all of those who hadnt been invited but by late afternoon, as people boarded private planes and prepared to spend the evening at the Yeezy retreat located at a beautiful, enormous (thanks, Instagram) ranch called Diamond Cross, Wyoming achieved Twitter moments status. Wyoming fascination was peaking. Wyoming was all anyone could talk about! People were treating Wyoming like a Supreme drop! Wyoming! Now a synonym for exhausting. Wyoming! A synonym for spectacle. Who doesnt love a ridiculous, exhausting spectacle? Remember when Twilight came out in 2008, and all of a sudden people were so into Forks, Washington the small, foggy town where the movie was set? There were all these articles about the tourism boom in Forks thanks to Twi-hards who had to go, like, lie in the same field where Edward exposed his glitter chest. Forks was it, yall. Thanks to Yeezy, Wyoming is having its Forks moment, at least for one news cycle. The official Wyoming twitter account has yet to acknowledge all the attention is getting right now. Wyomings social-media editor must be overwhelmed. Wyoming, once known as the Equality State, is now where Chris Rock introduced Kanye Wests new album. Its where Teyana Taylor, Lil Yachty, Kim Kardashian West, and Jonah Hill all hang out together. Its where Hypebeasts went to take part in one of the most random, gassed-up cultural events of the summer (Sigh.) Does Wyoming know what Off-White is? Because Off-White could swiftly become the new official State Motto: Wyoming, the Off-White State. The mountain landscape is now immortalized on the album cover a picture Kanye snapped on his iPhone on the way to the listening. And, thanks to Kanye, Wyoming now has got its own Wes Langdesigned merch: 90s inspired T-shirts and sweatshirts, with a picture of the states beautiful snowy landscape and WYOMING in neon green writing. I do wonder: Why Wyoming, Kanye? Sure, Bon Iver went to Wisconsin pour his heartache into For, Emma; Justin Timberlake went to Montana to turn into a corny dad. Is the West still the fabled land where men go to pursue manliness? Did Ye just need to find himself in a red state and in doing so, unintentionally turn it into a hypebeast tourist destination? Maybe he just likes horses. Either way, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, now joins the list of historical sites of infamous pop-culture moments, alongside Rihanna plane and Fyre Festival. Should we go? Plan a trip? I hear people enjoy the verdant rolling hills. I hear its nice every other time of year besides these past 24 hours. Dr. George Tyndall. Photo: UCC The Los Angeles Police Department announced this week that it is launching a criminal investigation into longtime University of Southern California gynecologist Dr. George Tyndall, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by dozens, and potentially hundreds of his former patients. In mid-May, the Los Angeles Times published a lengthy report on Tyndalls decades of alleged misconduct, including asking women to strip completely nude for all full-body exams, photographing their genitals, making lewd comments about the tightness of their vaginal muscles, and inappropriately penetrating them with his fingers during pelvic examinations. Since that report was published, 401 people have contacted a special hotline set up by the university to field complaints about the doctor. As of now, the LAPD is looking into 52 complaints 39 from the hotline, and 13 who came directly to the police. In a letter to the Times, Tyndall denied any wrongdoing, and said he only knew of one patient complaint before 2016, regarding his failure to use gloves during a pelvic exam. Patients sometimes fabricate stories, his letter said. Right now, the LAPD says its investigation is centered on determining whether criminal acts were committed against the accusers, but it has not ruled out widening the scope of inquiry to include USC staff and administrators who knew about the complaints against Tyndall. According to the university, there are complaints against the gynecologist, who started working at USC in 1989, that date back to the early 2000s. Tyndall was fired in 2016, after a nurse reported him to the rape crisis center, and his co-workers found a box full of pictures of patients genitals in his office, some of which appeared to be shot at the universitys old clinic back in 1990 and 1991. USC has said its unclear why Tyndall remained in his position for as long as he did. Last week, as the number of allegations against Tyndall continued to mount, USC president C.L. Max Nikias announced he was resigning. In a statement, Rick Caruso, the chairman of the USC Board of Trustees, wrote that the board has heard the message that something is broken and that urgent and profound actions are needed. There are strong parallels between Tyndalls case and the case of Larry Nassar, the former Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics doctor who is charged with abusing hundreds of women and girls. In January, Michigan attorney general Bill Schuette promised to investigate the universitys role in allowing Nassar to continue preying on his young patients, and in May, MSU reached a $500 million settlement with 332 women. @USC is another painful example of organizations prioritizing money and reputation. Reports were made decades ago. Unacceptable & inexcusable. One person and one time is too many, Olympic gymnast and Nassar survivor Aly Raisman tweeted on Friday. The logo of the ANZ Banking Group is displayed in the window of a newly opened branch in central Sydney, Australia, April 30, 2016. (Reuters/David Gray/FIle Photo) Australia Threatens ANZ, Deutsche and Citi With Criminal Cartel Charges SYDNEYAustralia is preparing criminal cartel charges against the countrys third-biggest bank and underwriters Deutsche Bank and Citigroup over a A$2.3 billion (US$1.7 billion) share issue, in an unprecedented move with potential implications for global capital markets. The pending charges, which can carry hefty fines and 10-year prison terms, threaten to change the way institutional capital raisings are handled around the world, and do further damage to the reputation of Australian lenders already mired in scandal. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said federal prosecutors would charge Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd, its Treasurer Rick Moscati, the two investment banks and several more unnamed individuals over the 2015 stock placement. All three banks denied wrongdoing and vowed to defend the charges, with Citigroup saying the regulator was effectively criminalizing practices long seen as the norm in the financial industry. The charges will involve alleged cartel arrangements relating to trading in ANZ shares following an ANZ institutional share placement in August 2015, ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said in a statement. It will be alleged that ANZ and the individuals were knowingly concerned in some or all of the conduct. The third underwriter, JP Morgan, was not named by the regulator as a target and declined to comment. Australia has some of the toughest anti-cartel laws in the world, however the decision to pursue criminal charges surprised experts given they are harder to prosecute than civil charges. The move was almost unique in Australian corporate history and indicated prosecutors had a high level of confidence in their case, said Andrew Grant, a banking expert at the University of Sydney Business School. ANZ shares were 2 percent lower on Friday afternoon, while other banks were down less than 1 percent. The broader market was down 0.2 percent. Its probably the last thing they need, Bell Potter banking analyst TS Lim said. Rating agency Moodys said on Friday the charges were credit negative for ANZ. The Capital Raising In 2015, Australian banks were under pressure to meet new capital requirements, prompting ANZ and larger rival Commonwealth Bank of Australia to raise a combined A$8 billion (US$6.04 billion) in a single week. The lead managers did not disclose they kept about 25.5 million shares of the 80.8 million shares issued, ANZ said on Friday, a fact that is being investigated separately by the corporate regulator. As new bank equity flooded the market, ANZ shares closed 7.5 percent lower on Aug. 7, 2015, when the Melbourne-based lender announced it had completed the institutional component of the raising, according to a Reuters analysis. ANZ shares took over a year to recover to their pre-raising value of A$32.58 (US$24.62). The joint underwriters allegedly reached an understanding on the disposal of shares, prompting the cartel criminal charges, Citigroup said on Friday. Underwriting syndicates exist to provide the capacity to assume risk and to underwrite large capital raisings, and have operated successfully in Australia in this manner for decades, the New York-headquartered investment bank said. Criminal charges for share underwriters had never been considered by an Australian court and had never been addressed in guidance notes published by regulators, it added. If the ACCC believes there are matters to address, these should be clarified by law or regulation or consultation, it said. Deutsche Bank said it was cooperating with investigators and took its responsibilities extremely seriously. Caron Beaton-Wells, a professor of competition law at University of Melbourne, said the ACCC and the prosecutor would only bring criminal charges if they were satisfied they would be proven. The ACCC has long said that the most potent deterrent for cartel conduct is a potential jail term, Beaton-Wells said. I dont think its a sudden decision to ramp up, just that its taken a long time to find conduct for proceeding criminally. The development compounds a publicity nightmare for Australias biggest financial firms as they grapple with almost daily allegations of wrongdoing at a public inquiry which is scheduled to run to the end of the year. Barristers for the inquiry have raised the prospect of criminal charges against the countrys top wealth manager, AMP Ltd, over allegations it misled the corporate regulator. No. 1 lender Commonwealth Bank is also facing a separate civil lawsuit alleging thousands of breaches of anti-money laundering protocols. By Paulina Duran and Byron Kaye Watch Next: Australias China Experts Discuss Chinese Communist Party Infiltration in Australia The conflicts between two different values systems, and the conflicts between the two political systems are issues that cannot be ignored. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam attends the opening ceremony of Art Basel Hong Kong in Hong Kong on March 27, 2018. (Bobby Yip/Reuters) China Leaned on Hong Kong Not to Hand Fugitive to US, State Department Says HONG KONGThe U.S. State Department said Hong Kongs leader, Carrie Lam, rejected a request last year to surrender a fugitive into the custody of the United States, at Chinas behest. In an annual report on the Asian financial hub published this week, the State Department said last Octobers rejection was the first such instance since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Hong Kong has a formal extradition agreement with the United States but not with China, although the latter has handed over criminal suspects on an ad-hoc basis through the years. The refusal was at the behest of the (Chinese) central government, the State Department said, adding that the fugitive was later released into Chinese custody on the basis that the central government was pursuing a separate criminal action. It added, The central government has provided no information as to the disposition of its own case. Hong Kongs one country, two systems arrangement guarantees it a high degree of autonomy not enjoyed in mainland China, including an independent judicial and law enforcement system. The U.S. report did not name the fugitive, or detail the crime, but Hong Kong media reported that the individual was Iat Hong, a computer hacker and Macau resident charged by U.S. authorities with stealing confidential information from U.S. law firms and trading on it for profit. Reuters was unable to immediately trace contact details for Hong. A spokeswoman for the U.S. consulate in Hong Kong gave no further details when contacted by Reuters, and declined to confirm if the individual was Iat Hong. Hongs rejected extradition request, however, was mentioned in a U.S. Justice Department letter this year, in a separate U.S. graft case involving businessman and former senior Hong Kong official, Patrick Ho. Hongs lengthy, cumbersome extradition application was rejected after nearly 10 months of proceedings in Hong Kong, the letter said. Hong has not beenand it appears never will beextradited, it added. Ho was arrested while in New York in November 2017. The U.S. Justice Department has charged him for bribery and money laundering. Lams office, and the U.S. Justice Department, declined to make any immediate comment. Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmaker James To said the case undermined public confidence in Hong Kongs autonomy and urged the citys leader to explain the decision. In recent years, youth in Hong Kong have expressed frustration at what they perceive as the creeping influence of Beijing authorities over the citys culture and freedoms. The U.S. report also mentioned signs of overreach by mainland Chinese authorities in Hong Kong. Central government authorities issued public statements that diluted the concept of high degree of autonomy and the freedoms contemplated in the Basic Law, it said, referring to the citys constitution. For example, in November 2017, Chinas National Peoples Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) required Hong Kong to adopt a law to make abuse of Chinas flag or national anthem a criminal offense. A month later, the report pointed out, the NPCSC approved a plan for mainland Chinese security agents to be stationed at a high-speed rail station currently being constructed that will connect Hong Kong with southern Chinese cities. Mainland Chinese law would also be applied there. Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai, in an interview with Radio Free Asia, pointed out that the Chinese regime has a different approach to Hong Kong now. They [Chinese regime] used to exert control via communist-backed capital in a much more underground manner; they never laid all of their cards on the table like this before, he said. Wu referred to a particular incident: on May 28, news website Hong Kong Free Press revealed that the Chinese regimes liaison office in Hong Kong controlled Sino United Publishing, one of Hong Kongs biggest publishing conglomerates. The company also owns many bookstores in the city, including Joint Publishing. Their takeover of Joint Publishing, and their willingness to speak out it, in such an open manner clearly demonstrates that the central government doesnt even care about crossing certain lines when it comes to respecting the one country, two systems [framework] now, said Wu. By Venus Wu. Epoch Times staff member Frank Fang contributed to this report. The U.S. Supreme Court building is pictured in Washington on May 14, 2018. (REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo) Hit the Road, Son: Parents Win Court Battle to Evict 30-Year-Old NEW YORKA New York state judge has backed a couples battle to kick their 30-year-old son out of their home because he has not contributed toward household expenses or helped with chores and they wanted him to get a job. New York State Supreme Court Judge Donald Greenwood on Tuesday ordered Michael Rotondo to leave his parents home in the town of Camillus, about 200 miles(320 km) northwest of New York City, according to Anthony Adorante, an attorney for the parents, Mark and Christina Rotondo. Adorante declined further comment on the decision, which ended a four-month family battle. In court documents, Michael Rotondo referred to a common law requirement of six-month notice to quit before a tenant may be removed. I just wanted a reasonable amount of time to vacate, with consideration to the fact that I was not really prepared to support myself at the time where I was served these notices, the younger Rotondo told local CBS television affiliate WSTM. I dont see why the judge wants to throw people on the street. Rotondo told the station he was employed but declined further comment. Attempts by Reuters to reach him were unsuccessful. His parents said they have tried to get their son to leave their home in Camillus, near Syracuse, for several months, according to court filings. The documents included five written notices that the couple said they began sending him on Feb. 2. After a discussion with your mother, we have decided you must leave this house immediately, the couple wrote in one of the letters. You have 14 days to vacate. You will not be allowed to return. In another note, the parents offered him $1,100 to help look for a job and an apartment and shared advice on how to manage on his own. There are jobs available even for those with a poor work history like you. Get one you have to work! one of the letters read. In the second-to-last letter, on March 5, the parents warned they would take actions to make sure he left the home. The judge also asked for adult protective services because he is concerned about the strained relationship, according to WSTM. Michael Rotondo said he plans to appeal the ruling. By Gina Cherelus Watch Now: Father Punishes Bully Son by Forcing Him to Run to School Madeleine Albright: China Is a Bigger Threat Than Russia to the US WASHINGTONChina is a much bigger adversary to the United States than Russia, says former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. The statement is in contrast to the partisan rhetoric among many on the Democratic side, who have been pointing to Russia as the most urgent national security threat since it has interfered with the 2016 U.S. presidential election. In a public interview with The Washington Posts David Ignatius on Thursday, Albrightwho served as President Bill Clintons secretary of Statevoiced her disagreement with Pentagons new National Defense Strategy, which was published in January and listed China and Russia as the principal adversaries of the United States in the years to come. The new [National] Defense Strategy of the United States has now said that Russia and China are our major adversaries. I think that is a gift to Putin, because they are not the equivalent of China, said Albright, China is really a power that is evolving in a big way, penetrating various places. The Russians are not there. But I am sure Putin was very happy to read that. By equating Russia with China, the newly outlined U.S. defense strategy could give Putin the justification to take a more aggressive posture toward the West, Albright said. The Pentagons National Defense Strategy mirrored the views of the White House National Security Strategy, which was unveiled by President Donald Trump in December 2016 and laid out the case for preparing to confront the revisionist powers of Russia and China that are challenging the United States and its allies. By describing Chinas threat to the United States as more serious than Russias, Albright distanced herself from the common view among Democrats and major media outlets, many of whom since the 2016 election have been relentless in portraying the narrative that Trump colluded with Russia to win the presidential election. Albrights interview was meant to introduce her new book, Fascism: A Warning, a book title that many observers see as a swipe at Trump and the political movement he generated. However, Albright also appears to suggest that Trumps political momentum and his supporters are home-grown rather than the products of foreign interference from Russia. Albright also said that the United States still needs to be active in pushing back against Russias expansion in Europe. We have to know what we believe in and try to push back what the Russians are doing to undermine all those countries, she said. Retired from public service since 2001, Albright is the chair of her own Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategy and business advisory firm that has been noted for providing consulting services to United States and international companies seeking to do business in China. An aerial view of Kilauea Volcano's summit caldera and an ash plume billowing from Halema'uma'u, a crater within the caldera, May 27, 2018. (Civil Air Patrol/USGS/Handout via Reuters) Mandatory Evacuation Ordered as Hawaii Eruption Hits Four-Week Mark HONOLULU The Hawaii community hardest hit by the Kilauea Volcano was ordered to be sealed off under a strict new mandatory evacuation on Thursday, May 31, as the eruption marked its fourth week with no end in sight. The Big Islands mayor, Harry Kim, declared a roughly 17-block swath of the lava-stricken Leilani Estates subdivision off-limits indefinitely and gave any residents remaining there 24 hours to leave or face possible arrest. The mandatory evacuation zone lies within a slightly larger area that was already under a voluntary evacuation and curfew. The latest order was announced a day after police arrested a 62-year-old Leilani Estates resident who fired a handgun over the head of a younger man from the same community, apparently believing his neighbor was an intruder or looter. The confrontation on Tuesday was recorded on cell phone video that later went viral. But the mandatory evacuation was decided prior to that incident, said David Mace, a spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency currently assigned to the Hawaii County Civil Defense authority. Civil defense officials have previously said about 2,000 residents in and around Leilani Estates were displaced at the outset of the current eruption, which began on May 3. But the total number of evacuees was estimated to have risen to about 2,500 after authorities ushered residents from the nearby Kapoho area as a precaution on Wednesday, as a lava flow threatened to cut off a key access road. At least 75 homes most of them in Leilani Estates have been devoured by streams of red-hot molten rock creeping from about two dozen large volcanic vents, or fissures, that have opened in the ground since Kilauea rumbled back to life four weeks ago. Lava flows also have knocked out power and telephone lines in the region, disrupting communications. Besides spouting fountains of lava around the clock, the fissures have released high levels of toxic sulfur dioxide gas on a near constant basis, posing an ongoing health hazard. Meanwhile, the main summit crater has periodically erupted in clouds of volcanic ash that create breathing difficulties and other problems for residents living downwind. The heightened volcanic activity has been accompanied by frequent earthquakes, as magma the term for lava before it reaches the surface pushes its way up from deep inside the earth and exerts tremendous force underground. After a month of continual eruptions at Kilaueas summit and along its eastern flank, geologists say they have no idea how much longer it will last. Theres no sign were getting that anything is going to slow down at the moment, Wendy STOVL, a vulcanologist for the US Geological Survey, told reporters on a conference call on Thursday. We dont see any changes occurring. The islands mayor on Wednesday, May 30, renewed an emergency proclamation for 60 more days, allowing construction of temporary shelters and other relief projects to proceed on an expedited basis, without reviews and permits normally required. The month-old eruption of Kilauea, one of the worlds most active volcanoes, followed an eruption cycle that had continued almost nonstop for 35 years. Stovall said geologists now believe the latest upheaval should be classified as a separate volcanic event, though an official determination has yet to be made. By Jolyn Rosa Watch Next: Massive Colony of Penguins Discovered on Antarcticas Danger Islands. It Changes Everything So how did 1.5 million birds seemingly go unnoticed all this time? North Korea Talks Heading in Right Direction, US Envoy Says WASHINGTON/SEOULTalks between the United States and North Korea are headed in the right direction, a top U.S. envoy said on Friday, June 1, ahead of a rare visit to the White House by a senior North Korean official. At a planned meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, Kim Yong Chol, a close aide of Kim Jong Un, will hand over a letter from the North Korean leader as the two sides try to put a derailed summit meeting back on track. Trump hopes to meet Kim Jong Un in Singapore on June 12 and pressure him to give up his nuclear weapons, although he conceded on Thursday that might require more rounds of direct negotiations. Id like to see it done in one meeting, Trump told Reuters. But often times thats not the way deals work. Theres a very good chance that it wont be done in one meeting or two meetings or three meetings. But itll get done at some point. In Seoul, U.S. negotiators expressed optimism after meeting their North Korean counterparts for preparatory talks at Panmunjom, on the fortified border between the two Koreas. We believe that were moving in the right direction to the ongoing series of consultations, including (U.S. Secretary of State) Pompeos engagement with Vice Chairman Kim Yong Chol our discussions at Panmunjom and of course the discussions in Singapore as well, U.S Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim, a veteran diplomat and expert on North Korea, told South Koreas foreign minister, Kang Kyung-hwa. The discussions in Panmunjom have focused on possible agenda items for Trump and Kim, while meetings in Singapore are more focused on logistics, officials said. In a separate high-level meeting on Friday, officials from North and South Korea agreed to hold talks later this month on military issues and reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, they said. It was not clear what North Koreas leader wrote in his letter to Trump, and White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said late on Thursday that the details of the meeting in Washington were still being worked out. Pompeo is slated to meet Trump at the White House at 1 p.m. local time. After trading threats of war last year, the two men agreed to meet for an historic summit on June 12. But Trump cancelled last week, citing Kims tremendous anger and open hostility in a string of public statements. Even as he pulled out, though, Trump urged Kim to call me or write if he wanted to revive the meeting. Within a day, both sides were in new talks to save the summit, and Kim Yong Chol flew to New York this week to meet Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, raising hopes that the summit might be back on. Despite saying the two sides made real progress, Pompeo also cautioned that there might be no quick solution. Theyll have to choose a path that is fundamentally different than the one that their country has proceeded on for decades. It should not be to anyones surprise that there will be moments along the way, that this wont be straightforward, he said. Nuclear Threat North Koreas nuclear weapons program has made significant advances in recent years and poses a threat to the United States. Trumps main goal in any talks is to eliminate that threat. Kim has rejected previous U.S. calls for North Koreas unilateral nuclear disarmament and argued instead for a phased approach to denuclearization of the entire Korean peninsula. That in the past has also meant removal of the U.S. nuclear umbrella protecting South Korea and Japan. In Pyongyang, Kim hosted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday, while a Kremlin spokesman told reporters a summit between Russian and North Korean leaders could take place. During his meeting with Lavrov, Kim said his will to see denuclearization on the peninsula remained unchanged, consistent and fixed and hoped improved North Korea-U.S. relations would be solved on a stage-by-stage basis. The North Korean visit to the White House on Friday will be the first since 2000, when President Bill Clinton met senior figure Jo Myong Rok in an unsuccessful attempt to win the reclusive nations nuclear disarmament. They met for 45 minutes and Jo brought Clinton a letter from Kim Jong Il, the late father of North Koreas current leader. Jo wore full military uniform when he was with Clinton, then donned a business suit to meet then Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. To make his trip this week, Kim Yong Chol needed special permission for travel to the United States because he had been blacklisted. South Korea has accused him of masterminding deadly attacks on a South Korean warship and an island in 2010, and U.S intelligence linked him to a cyber attack on Sony Pictures in 2014. Watch Next: Now Free, Americans Detained By North Korea Greeted by Trump White House Chief of Staff John Kelly (C) walks with North Korean Kim Yong Chol (L) to the White House on June 1, 2018 in Washington. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) North Korean Delegates Arrive at White House, Meet Trump Senior North Korean official Kim Yong Chol arrived at the White House and is meeting with President Donald Trump at the Oval Office as of 2:10 p.m. on Friday, June 1. White House Chief of Staff John Kelly ushered the Kim Yong Chol into the Oval Office to meet the president. Kim Yong Chol carried a personal letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to Trump. Kim Yong Chol met with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in New York City on Wednesday and Thursday. Pompeo, who has twice met with Kim Jong Un, said the talks are moving in the right direction. We think that working together, the people of the United States and North Korea can create a future defined by friendship and collaboration, not by mistrust and fear and threats, Pompeo said on Thursday. We sincerely hope that Chairman Kim Jong Un shares this positive vision for the future. Pompeo was in the room as Trump and Kim Yong Chol met for at least 40 minutes. The United States is seeking a commitment to complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Trump and Pompeo have both promised North Korea a bright and prosperous future should the communist regime agree to abandon its nuclear weapons. Trump and Kim were scheduled to meet in Singapore on June 12, but the American leader walked away from the planned summit last month. Trumps cancellation was prompted by a drastic change in rhetoric my Kim and senior North Korean officials in early May. Despite the cancellation, Trump left the door open for renewing the summit. Pyongyang responded with a temperate statement indicating the desire to still hold the summit. Since then, preparations for the meeting kicked into high gear, with delegations from Washington and Pyongyang holding meetings in New York and the northern portion of the demilitarized zone. Well see what happens, Trump said on Thursday. Its a process. Its all a process. Well see. And hopefully well have a meeting on the 12th, he added. Thats going along very well, but I want it to be meaningful. It doesnt mean it gets all done at one meeting; maybe you have to have a second or a third. And maybe well have none. WATCH NEXT: Trump: My Proudest Achievement Would be Denuclearizing Korean Peninsula A photo illustration of ripple, litecoin, and ether digital tokens is seen April 25, 2018, in London. Despite their perceived potential, blockchain technologies face immense roadblocks to widespread adoption. (Jack Taylor/Getty Images) The Blockchain: Hype Versus Reality Fundamental roadblocks to adoption remain despite heavy investment NEWS ANALYSIS No discussion about the future of business is complete without mentioning blockchain. The blockchain was supposed to change everythingsave businesses money, increase transparency, and enhance security. The future of business is decentralized. It may very well still beyet, despite years of research and a ton of resources poured into blockchain development by both startups and incumbent companies, little has come to fruition to change established practices. Instead, the blockchain has mostly been changing itself, with various permutations of the technology being invented to fit into existing paradigms. Fundamentally, the blockchainwhich was introduced by the bitcoin digital currency in 2008is a type of database thats validated by a user community instead of controlled by a centralized organization, such as a bank or governmental authority. Thats the basic premise, but it gets exponentially more complicated from there. Each block stores transactional data, which is linked (or chained) together with a hash function (an encryption procedure). As new records are created, the decentralized user communityconnected by the internetconfirms and verifies the records as accurate. The entire blockchain is saved on the computers used by the community, so theres no individual that can control, erase, or tamper with the underlying data. In theory, this creates a permissionless and transparent public domain of data that could be more trustworthy than data unilaterally controlled by a person or organization. Its easy to envision practical applications of this technology. It could facilitate peer-to-peer transactions of value without the need for central authorities, such as banks. Blockchain-based business transactions eliminate time spent by counterparties to verify the accuracy and completeness of underlying terms. Health care providers can use the blockchain to securely transmit patient records. Voting systems based on the blockchain can reduce risk of fraud or hacks. Blockchain Arms Race All of this promise has led to immense investment into this space. China has been a big spender in financing blockchain research. A May 4 statement by Chinas State Councilits official cabinetsaid, We will quickly develop financial technology and accelerate the research and application of blockchain and big data technologies. In April, the eastern city of Hangzhou launched a 10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) investment fund called Xiong An Global Blockchain Innovation Fund, specifically to invest in startups researching blockchain technology. Chinas enthusiasm for blockchain technology is not surprising, given its wide adoption of fintech and cashless transactions. Mobile and peer-to-peer payment networks, such as WeChat and Alipay, are widely used there. The global financial services community is also pouring millions of dollars into developing blockchain technologies. Blythe Masters, the former JPMorgan Chase & Co. banker credited with inventing the credit default swap in the 1990s, currently leads Digital Asset Holdings, a New York-based fintech firm that researches blockchain technologies for banking and financial applications. Bank of America Corp. has applied for or received at least 43 blockchain-related patents as of January 2018, according to blockchain industry site CCN.com. Several major banks, including Japans Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. and the UKs Standard Chartered, are testing blockchain-based cross-border payments in Asia using technology developed by Ripple. Thats all just the tip of the iceberg. In a recent survey conducted by consultancy Accenture, 60 percent of financial executives believe that blockchain and smart contracts will be critical to their organizations over the next three years. At the 2018 Consensus Conference held in May, FedEx Corp.s CEO Frederick Smith stated that blockchain has the potential to revolutionize trade across countries. In many ways, the financial sectors blockchain arms race feels like a fait accompli. Companies buying into blockchain behave similarly to consumers who bought cryptocurrencies earlier this year due to FOMO, or fear of missing out. Unrealistic Expectations But there are critical roadblocks, some of which are fundamental to the existing state of competition, which must be cleared before blockchain adoption can reach its potential. A big technical hurdle is efficiency and speed. By its very nature, a decentralized database requiring a majority of constituents to agree and validate each transaction (called proof of work in blockchain jargon) is slower than a centralized one. Earlier this year, some bitcoin transactions took more than two days to settle. While improvements to the underlying network have increased the speed considerably since, it underscores the inherent speed challenges in a decentralized environment. Consultancy Opimas observed that this concern around scalability has led to some major industry playersincluding Digital Asset Holdings and R3to focus on a smaller shared ledger instead of a distributed one. In this infrastructure, market participants nodes only keep a record of the transactions to which they are a counterparty, and that they upload from a central ledger that keeps a record of all transactions, Opimas wrote in its report, according to the Financial Times. This is quite an evolution from the initial blockchain model, as the infrastructure becomes a semi-distributed environment in which a partial ledger co-exists with a central ledger. This model, which isnt very decentralized or permissionless, does not differ greatly from how data is stored today. Another major hurdle is inherent to the nature of business and competition, and it has existed for thousands of years: Different institutions simply cannot agree. This is a main reason for why the European Union has become dysfunctional and the euro currency is so maligned. The blockchain, by its very definition, is not flexible or dynamic enough to accommodate different protocols. Changes to underlying code that change its behavior make it incompatible with itself and create a whole new blockchain, known as a fork. The original bitcoin has spawned several versionsBitcoin Cash, Bitcoin Gold, and Bitcoin Private, to name the major onesbecause its miner and developer-community could not agree on a common path forward. In a research paper by the SWIFT Institute, a group of researchers pointed out that while blockchain is a good idea for the financial services industry, the ability to coordinate and agree presents the biggest challenge. Opportunities for sharing data through distributed databases have been around for years, the researchers wrote, but there is a danger of building unrealistic expectations of the extent to which this technology will, on its own, address the underlying need for coordination of business processes within and between firms. We do think that full senior management buy-in to mutual distributed ledgers will only happen after taking account of the implications for their competitive positioning and may not happen at all without addressing the incentives and cultures that drive decision making in major financial institutions. A more recent development in Europe presented another difficulty for blockchain development. The EUs General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires companies storing user data to erase such information at the request of the user. This legislation has already created some angst among internet and technology companies. Theres intrinsic tension between GDPR and the blockchain: Data on the blockchain cannot be erased due to its decentralized and tamper-proof nature. GDPR and other similar legislation require that user data should be erased or forgotten if requested, which conflicts with how the blockchain works. The conflict has led some blockchain proponents to advocate that the EU grant blockchain databases an exemption from GDPR rules. I think its safe to say that currently, most blockchains are incompatible with the GDPR, especially permissionless blockchains, University of Oxford law lecturer Michele Finck told technology website The Verge recently. There are so many points of tension way beyond the right [for personal data] to be forgotten. It could take years for blockchain to fully manifest, and, by then, the regulatory and business environment could change and new blockchain technologies could emerge. For now, companies cannot assume that blockchain systems will replace existing networks and become their cost-saving panacea. It might one day, but at what cost? Trump Calls Out Disneys ABC for Double Standards President Donald Trump has called on Bob Iger, president of The Walt Disney Company, to apologize for the plethora of slurs that his employees have hurled at Trump on air. Trumps comments come after Iger personally called to apologize to Valerie Jarrett, a close associate of former President Barack Obama, who was recently addressed in an insulting tweet by Roseanne Barr, star of the ABC show Roseanne. ABC is owned by Disney. Bob Iger of ABC called Valerie Jarrett to let her know that ABC does not tolerate comments like those made by Roseanne Barr. Gee, he never called President Donald J. Trump to apologize for the HORRIBLE statements made and said about me on ABC. Maybe I just didnt get the call? Trump wrote in a tweet on Wednesday, May 30. Bob Iger of ABC called Valerie Jarrett to let her know that ABC does not tolerate comments like those made by Roseanne Barr. Gee, he never called President Donald J. Trump to apologize for the HORRIBLE statements made and said about me on ABC. Maybe I just didnt get the call? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2018 On May 29, Barr posted a tweet that read: Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj, referring to Valerie Jarrett. The comment was picked up by the media as racist because Jarrett, despite her light complexion, is half-black, and calling black people monkeys or apes is a racial slur. Barr deleted the tweet and repeatedly apologized for the comment, saying it was indefensible, though noting she wrote it in the middle of the night under the influence of Ambien, a sedative that has been reported to cause sleep-walking, sleep-driving, and erratic, bizarre behavior. I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans. I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks. I should have known better. Forgive memy joke was in bad taste, she wrote on Twitter later that day. I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans. I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks. I should have known better. Forgive me-my joke was in bad taste. Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 29, 2018 Still, within hours, she was fired and her show cancelled. That inflamed her fans, who criticized ABC for hypocrisy since the network has given jobs and kept people with more a questionable record than Barr. Disney, for example, hired actor Brian Peck, a child sex offender convicted of performing lewd acts on a child Nickelodeon star. He struck a plea deal in 2004 that cut his 11-count indictment down to two, resulting in a 16-month jail sentence. That, however, didnt stop Disney from hiring him to work on the childrens series Yay, Me! Starring London Tipton and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody only a year after his release. Trumps comments zero in on Disneys hypocrisy too. Iger, where is my call of apology? he doubled down on Thursday. You and ABC have offended millions of people, and they demand a response. How is Brian Ross doing? He tanked the market with an ABC lie, yet no apology. Double Standard! Iger, where is my call of apology? You and ABC have offended millions of people, and they demand a response. How is Brian Ross doing? He tanked the market with an ABC lie, yet no apology. Double Standard! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2018 Ross said on air in December that Trumps former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was prepared to testify that President Trump, as a candidate, Donald Trump, ordered him, directed him to make contact with the Russians which contradicts all that Donald Trump has said to this point. The stock market nosedived 350 points in minutes. It took ABC hours to walk back the statementFlynn was asked to start talks with foreign governments, including the Russian, only after Trump was elected (not as a candidate), which is a standard practice. But Ross wasnt fired. He was only suspended for four weeks and removed from reporting on Trump. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders expounded on Trumps comments during the Wednesday press briefing. Hes simply pointing out the bias. The President is pointing to the hypocrisy in the media, she said. The media say the most horrible things about this Presidentand nobody addresses it, she said, listing several examples. Where was Bob Igers apology to the White House staff for [ESPN journalist] Jemele Hill calling the President and anyone associated with him a white supremacist; to Christians around the world for Joy Behar calling Christianity a mental illness? Where was the apology for Kathy Griffin going on a profane rant against the President on The View after a photo showed her holding President Trumps decapitated head? And where was the apology from Bob Iger for ESPN hiring Keith Olbermann after his numerous expletive-laced tweets attacking the President as a Nazi, and even expanding Olbermanns role after that attack against the Presidents family? Sanders said. Hill said on Twitter in September that Donald Trump is a white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself w/ other white supremacists. ESPN has distanced itself from Hills comments on Twitter, saying they do not represent the position of ESPN. We have addressed this with Jemele and she recognizes her actions were inappropriate, the network said in a statement. While criticizing Vice President Mike Pence, Behar suggested in February on ABCs The View that Christians are mentally ill if they believe their prayers are being answered. Its one thing to talk to Jesus, she said. Its another thing when Jesus talks back to you. Thats different. Thats called mental illness if Im not correct. Hearing voices. She later said she was joking. Comedians are in danger these days, she said. She also apologized for the comment. Griffin posed for a photo last May holding an imitation severed head depicting Trump. She has since apologized for the photo after sparking mass outrage. It wasnt funny. I get it. Ive made a lot of mistakes in my career. I will continue. I ask your forgiveness, she said in an apology, adding that she went too far. Both Democrats and Republicans criticized the photos, which were posted by photographer Tyler Shields. Olbermann posted many tweets filled with most expletive insults and slurs addressed to Trump, including a 17-word rant in August containing 13 expletives and slurs. None of the examples listed by Sanders led to the people losing their jobs or, apparently, prompted Iger to call and apologize to Trump or Pence. This is a double standard that the President is speaking about. No one is defending [Barrs] comments. Theyre inappropriate, but thats the point that he was making, Sanders said. Jarrett hasnt escaped criticism herself. Shes been dubbed a slum lord for leading a company that was supposed to manage subsidized housing projects in Chicago, but left them in such drastic state of disrepair they were deemed uninhabitable. The apartments had been built with local, state, and federal subsidies, partly thanks to a push for tax credits and subsidies by Obama, when he was the state and then U.S. Senator, according to a 2008 Boston Globe investigation. Several prominent failures of the subsidized housing were developed and managed by Obamas close friends and political supporters. Those people profited from the subsidies even as many of Obamas constituents suffered. Tenants lost their homes; surrounding neighborhoods were blighted, the extensive report states. Watch Next: Over 1,000 Gather to Form Huge Chinese Characters Across NYC Park The characters, formed by practitioners who sat and meditated over the course of a few hours, spanned 308 feet long and around 76 feet wide. Trump-Kim Meeting Revived for June 12 in Singapore President Donald Trump has announced that he will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore on June 12 as originally scheduled. The president made the announcement after meeting with senior North Korean official Kim Yong Chol for over an hour on Friday, June 1, at the oval office in the White House. Kim Yong Chol delivered a personal letter from Kim Jong Un to Trump. The president said that he has not yet read the letter. The conversation covered a number of topics, including sanctions, Trump said. Upon arrival, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly ushered the North Koreans into the Oval Office to meet the president. After the meeting, the North Korean delegates chatted with Trump on the White House lawn. The president and the North Korean delegates then posed for group photographs. Trump and Pompeo walked Kim Yong Chol to his car. Prior to Fridays meeting, Kim Yong Chol met with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in New York City on Wednesday and Thursday. Pompeo said the talks are moving in the right direction. We think that working together, the people of the United States and North Korea can create a future defined by friendship and collaboration, not by mistrust and fear and threats, Pompeo said on Thursday. We sincerely hope that Chairman Kim Jong Un shares this positive vision for the future. Pompeo was in the room as Trump and Kim Yong Chol met. The United States is seeking a commitment to complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Trump and Pompeo have both promised North Korea a bright and prosperous future should the communist regime agree to abandon nuclear weapons. Trump and Kim were scheduled to meet in Singapore on June 12, but the American leader walked away from the summit last month. Trumps cancellation was prompted by a drastic change in rhetoric my Kim and senior North Korean officials in early May. Despite the cancellation, Trump left the door open for renewing the summit. Pyongyang responded with a temperate statement indicating a desire to still hold the summit. Since then, preparations for the meeting kicked into high gear, with delegations from Washington and Pyongyang holding meetings in the demilitarized zone in North Korea and in New York. Well see what happens, Trump said on Thursday. Its a process. Its all a process. Well see. And hopefully well have a meeting on the 12th, he added. Thats going along very well, but I want it to be meaningful. It doesnt mean it gets all done at one meeting; maybe you have to have a second or a third. And maybe well have none. WATCH NEXT: Trump: My Proudest Achievement Would be Denuclearizing Korean Peninsula Chinese leader Xi Jinping (L) and US President Donald Trump attend a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Nov. 9. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty Images) US Reinstates Billions in Tariffs After China Fails to Do More on North Korea North Korea is the primary reason behind the United States decision to go ahead with proposed tariffs on China, according to China affairs experts. The joint statement between the United States and China released on May 19 put trade spats between the two countries on hold. Ten days later, however, the White House reversed course and announced that the United States, would, after all, go ahead with imposing 25 percent duties on $50 billion worth of Chinese imported tech goods. From now on, we expect trading relationships to be fair and to be reciprocal, President Donald Trump said in a statement on May 29. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, speaking at a daily press briefing on May 30, reemphasized Trumps stance. She said, What the President is concerned about is making sure he stops the unfair trade practices that China has engaged in for decades, including intellectual property theft practices, said Sanders. Frank Xie Tian, a business professor at the University of South CarolinaAiken, explained the sudden U-turn was because significantly increased purchases of U.S. goods and services alone, as written in the joint statement, could not fundamentally reduce the U.S. trade deficit with China, in an interview with The Epoch Times. America wants structural changes [from China], said Xie, explaining that the fundamental causes behind the trade imbalancegovernment interference [in the market], subsidies, export tax rebates, currency manipulationall of these [practices by China] must be changed. Another reason is the role China has played in the ongoing negotiations with North Korea on denuclearization, said Xie. He explained that North Korea toughened its rhetoric twice after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited Beijing, first in March, then for a second time in early May. Kim threatened to call off the summit with Trump, while senior North Korean official Choe Son Hui suggested a nuclear-to-nuclear showdown. Professor Xie explained, I think the White House is upset about how China has meddled in the North Korea nuclear issue. Wen Zhao, a Canada-based political commentator with New York-based broadcaster NTD, explained the connection between trade and North Korea issues to The Epoch Times: though China did not promise to reduce the trade surplus by a specified amount in the joint statement, Trump agreed to the compromise in an effort to get China on the same page regarding North Korea. But since Trump has recently gotten North Korea back on the negotiating table through his own means [including a strongly-worded letter to Kim], Trump no longer needed to abide by a trade compromise he may not have liked in the first place. China could see additional pressure from the United States as denuclearization talks continue. According to a May 22 report by news blog, The Washington Reporter, a plan is being formulated by the White House National Security Advisor John Bolton, Treasury Department, CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), and the State Department to sanction 13 Chinese bank executives for their continued business with North Korea, in violation of United Nations sanction agreements. The U.S. sanctions would freeze their assets and enact travel bans, according to the report. The U.S. Department of the Treasury did not respond to questions about the names and banks by press time. Three executives from China Construction Bank, one of the big four state-run banks in China with total assets of 12.28 trillion yuan (about $1.9 trillion) in 2011; three executives from Agricultural Bank of China, a state-run bank with total assets of 13.24trillion (about $2 trillion); and three executives from the Postal Savings Bank of China, a commercial retail bank with total assets of 8.28 trillion yuan (about $1.3 trillion) in 2016, were among the targets identified, according to Washington Reporter. Professor Xie believed that eventually, China would give in to the U.S. trade demands, given how the United States could find replacements for Chinese products from countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia. On the other hand, for the Chinese regime, losing the American market would be a devastating economic blow, said Xie. The United States is the biggest buyer of Chinese goods, so China would rather negotiate how to lower the trade surplus and earn less, rather than do no business at all, he explained. How state capitalism in hurting both the Chinese people and the communist states trade partners WATCH: Death by ChinaHow America lost its Manufacturing Base Volcano Lava Reaches Hawaii Geothermal Plant, and Thats a Bad Thing Lava from the Kilauea volcano has reached the site of a geothermal plant in Hawaii but officials said that no gas release has been detected. Officials with Civil Defense said in an alert that lava covered at least one well at the Puna Geothermal Venture on Sunday, May 27, but that the well, and another well 100 feet away, are both stable and secure. Neither well is expected to release any hydrogen sulfide, the officials added. All of the production wells nearest to the lava flow are plugged and shut in, plant spokesman Mike Kaleikini told Hawaii News Now. As long as conditions are safe, we will have personnel on site. Primary concern is sulfur dioxide from the eruption and lava coming on site. We monitor for hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide on a continuous basis. Kaleikini said that the lava movement appears to have stalled. Residents in the area were alerted around 6:15 a.m. on Sunday about lava creeping onto the plants site, noting that no hydrogen sulfide release had been detected. In preparation for the lava reaching the site, officials quenched ten of the 11 wells. That means they injected the wells with water to cool and depressurize them. An 11th well that didnt respond to quenching was plugged with clay. Officials noted that there could be other potential dangers that they arent aware of when lava interacts with the wells since lava has never engulfed a geothermal plant anywhere in the world, the head of the states emergency management agency told Reuters. The Israeli-owned plant usually provides around a quarter of the electricity on the Big Island. Plant officials removed 60,000 gallons of flammable liquid soon after the volcano erupted in preparation for contact as well as deactivating the wells that tap into steam and gas in the earths core to produce energy. Since Kilauea erupted on May 3, lava has advanced out of Kilaueas summit lava lake and flowed around 25 miles east underground, bursting out of around two dozen cracks or fissures near the plant. Dozens of houses have been destroyed by the lava and thousands of residents have been evacuated. Up to 1,000 residents who have not evacuated may have to if fissure activity cuts off Highway 130, the last exit route for the people who live on the coast, according to officials with the U.S. Marine Corps and National Guard. More residents in some parts of the Leilani Estates neighborhood were ordered to evacuate around 8 p.m. on Sunday due to lava flow from one fissure, labeled Fissure 7. According to the United States Geological Survey, the lava from Fissure 7 and Fissure 8 broke free from the fissures and advanced north through the neighborhood. Watch Next: I Was a Communist Slave A story of tragedy, faith, and resistance in the face of brutal totalitarianism, Memoir of a Communist Slave is one mans journey to uncover what he believes has held him and his people hostage for too long. It's the unofficial beginning of summer, and the rising temperatures mean your social media scroll will soon be overrun with infinity pools in Santorini, the cliff-hugging villages of Cinque Terre, and the blooming lavender fields of Provence. Or, if your friends are especially on-trend, the sunburned terracotta roofs of Croatia's Dalmatian coast. "Croatia is huge," says Andy Ross, head of product for the 40-year-old adventure travel company Exodus Travels. In recent years, he's seen the country shift from an up-and-coming destination to a "very, very well-known" quantity. It is now the company's fastest-growing European market. There's good reason for that: Croatia has more coastline than Portugal and France combined and more islands than the Maldives. Annual visitors to the country now quadruple the country's population of 4.2 million. But the surge in visitation has become controversial. Dubrovnik, Croatia's most visited city, has become so swarmed with summer sightseers, that it-like Venice and Barcelona-is considering tourism restrictions. (Thanks, Game of Thrones fans.) Says Ross: "It's [become] hard to find a time of year to have a peaceful, genuine experience in Dubrovnik." In the neighboring Balkans, the opposite is true: the same, untapped natural beauty, a fascinating melange of cultures, but few crowds. And despite the region's complicated war-torn history, the State Department now considers the Balkan states safer than much of Western Europe. Whether you start in Dubrovnik or head straight off the beaten path, here are the destinations to prioritize-no matter what your travel type. Your Mykonos-fatigued followers will thank you. - Best for families: Lake Bled, Slovenia While much of the region bakes in the summer heat, Slovenia stays more temperate, thanks to its lake-filled, forest-covered mountains. It also has relatively reliable infrastructure and high-end accommodations. According to Jonny Bealby, founder of the trailblazing travel outfit Wild Frontiers, this accessibility and maneuverability makes Slovenia a "brilliant country for family travel." How much time you'll need: Five to seven days. What to see and do: Spend a day or two roaming the charming streets of Ljubljana, then head to the fairytale-like Lake Bled. Its 17th century church-set against the mighty Julian Alps-is one of the country's most famous sites. But there's more to the area than churches and castles; nearby Triglav National Park, which is named for the nation's highest peak, has secret waterfalls, lakes, and canyons to explore. Vintgar Gorge, a mile-long ravine with family-friendly walking trails that hang onto limestone cliffs, is also a popular choice. A scenic, 30-minute drive to Lake Bohinj provides softer adventures: paddle boarding, kayaking tours, and well-marked hikes. (Prioritize the ones to the roaring Savica Waterfall.) And for small children, there's the Vogel Cable Car, offering jaw-dropping views of the mountain landscape. Then head to Tromeja, a landmark near the small Alpine village of Kranjska Gora in the north. Adults will appreciate the small-town charm, while kids will get a kick out of stepping across the three-country border at which Slovenia meets Italy and Austria. Where to stay: Book one of 31 classically styled rooms in Vila Bled, the restored 1940s lakeside summer residence of Josip Broz Tito, the late president of Yugoslavia. - Best for Road Trippers: Durmitor National Park, Montenegro This tiny country-roughly the size of Connecticut-is developing an outsized reputation for its stunning Adriatic coastline and varied national parks. Trains are limited and slow-going, so a car is required. But be warned: Many of Montenegro's guardrail-free, single-lane routes cling to the edges of cliffs. They're beautiful but not for the faint of heart. How much time you'll need: Three to five days. What to see and do: Fly into Dubrovnik and wind your way into Montenegro on roads that hug the cerulean Bay of Kotor. Located deep within the massifs of the Dinaric Alps, the fortified coastal town of Kotor has 14th century ramparts-best explored at sunset, when the golden light bounces off Romanesque churches and into the shimmering waters. Then take a day to hike either of the two looming peaks in Lovcen National Park, where the views of the craggy landscape once caused George Bernard Shaw to wonder, "Am I in paradise or on the moon?" Along the mountainous country roads that lead to the lakeside town of Pluzine, you'll find the Ostrog Monastery, a 17th century Serbian Orthodox Church that was built directly into the rosy rock face of a sheer vertical cliff. Then it's off to Durmitor National Park-the country's star attraction. The hair-raising route along highway P14 weaves along the cliffs of Piva, through agricultural foothills, and on towards Crno Jezero, the park's glacier-formed "Black Lake." Your last stop: a few relaxing nights on the near-private islet of Sveti Stefan, which was once a 15th-century fortified coastal village and is now a spectacular Aman resort. Where to stay: Wild Frontiers' Bealby recommends Poscenje Chalet, a small B&B near Durmitor whose owners double as expert adventure concierges. - Best for hikers: Accursed Mountains, Albania The Albanian Alps, located in the northwest corner of the country, seem so impenetrable, locals call them the Accursed Mountains. But insiders have found them to contain age-old cultural appeal and unspoiled natural wonders, making Albania one of Exodus Travels' most in-demand emerging destinations. How much time you'll need: Four to five days. What to see and do: Start with a taste of local life in the ancient, mosque-filled city of Shkoder, near the Montenegro border. There, old men play cards in the shade of the city's parks, and young adults sip Turkish coffees at outdoor cafes. Then hop on a boat to the quaint village of Valbone, where an eight-hour mountain trek connects secluded villages to the dense Theth forest via still-functional mule paths. At a dizzying 5,889 feet above the valley floor, you'll reach Valbone Pass. From there, it's a gentle descent through spongy pine-strewn forest paths before it ends at the historic Roman Catholic hamlet of Theth, for which the forest is named. Where to stay: A handful of quaint inns in the village of Valbone let you walk out the door and straight onto the trails. The most comfortable is the Rezidenca, a recent addition to the small, 13-year old Rilindja guesthouse, featuring oversized rooms with en-suite facilities, a rarity in this little-developed region. Best for culture vultures: Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina Nearly demolished during the decade-long Yugoslavian conflict and horrific Bosnian War, the historic city of Mostar, an hour or two's drive inland from the Dalmatian Coast, is emerging as the region's cultural capital. Today, it's a place where 16th century and 17th century mosques and contemporary street art go hand in hand. How much time you'll need: One to three days. What to see and do: The recently-rebuilt Stari Most, an important example of 16th century Islamic architecture whose name translates to "old bridge," is picturesque enough to single-handedly put this city on the map: Its arched point casts a mirror-like reflection into the green waters of the Neretva River. It serves as a beacon of the city's recovery-unlike some buildings that still have bullet holes to serve as lasting reminders of the ravages of war. Today, more than 100 murals can be found across the city. Some of the best are at "Sniper Tower," an eight-story bank building that was once used as a base by Croats and Serbs during the conflict; now it's an artistic response to the crisis, with emotionally charged graffiti lining its shelled-out interior and pockmarked exterior walls. Just a 20-minute drive away, along the Buna river, the 15th century Sufi monastery of Blagaj Tekke offers a respite from all the intensity. It's also convenient to Restoran Romanca, a traditional restaurant with picnic tables outside, white tablecloths inside, and an on-site vineyard. Where to stay: Bealby books his guests into Hotel Kapetanovina, a small boutique property in the center of Mostar, with commanding views of the famed bridge. Best for urbanites: Sofia, Bulgaria Despite being continuously inhabited since at least 7,000 B.C. (and claiming its fair share of Cold War bunkers and Communist-era buildings) Sofia has become a modern destination. With excellent restaurants and shopping, plus an impressive number of public parks, Bealby likens it to Prague, Budapest, or Berlin-only quirkier and more affordable. How much time you'll need: Two to four days. What to see and do: Sofia's wide boulevards, such as Oborishte Street and Vitosha Boulevard, are lined with cafes, art galleries, and fashionable shops-and they double as prime spots for people-watching. Most restaurants offer regional variations on classic Balkan dishes (think grilled-meat platters and oversized salads). Standouts include A:Part:Mental, set in an apartment with uniquely designed rooms and a menu of vegetarian and vegan offerings, and Rose, a light-flooded, pan-European lunchtime spot that transitions to a violet-hued cocktail bar by night. But Sofia's history is too fascinating to be ignored. Look no farther than the gold-covered domes of the Alexander Nevski Cathedral, the underground catacombs of Saint Sofia, and the ancient Roman complex of Serdica, which was restored in 2016. Now the fourth century ruins are protected by a large, glass dome through which visitors can take in the bustling urban activity above-a perfect mix of age-old culture and modern-day buzz. Where to stay: At the slick Sense Hotel Sofia, you can view the palatial National Assembly and the Alexander Nevski Cathedral through floor-to-ceiling brass shutters. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has ordered U.S. and state flags in Connecticut be lowered to half-staff in honor of a state police trooper from Norwalk who died Thursday. Trooper First Class Walter Greene died following, a courageous battle with cancer as the result of his response and service in support of New York City in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001, Malloys office said in a statement. Greene was a member of the 101st training troop and was most recently assigned to the Traffic Services Unit of Connecticut State Police. Our hearts are with the family of Trooper First Class Walter Greene a man who dedicated his lifes work to protecting the people of Connecticut and our country, Malloy said. He is a hero and passionately served our nation in the Marine Corps before joining the Connecticut State Police. Greene joined state place on June 1, 1990. He was initially assigned to Troop A in Southbury, followed by Troop G in Bridgeport. After, he moved over to the Statewide Cooperative Crime Control Task Force before serving a majority of the latter part of his career in the traffic unit. State Sen. Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, asked that people keep the trooper and his family in their prayers. A wonderful man, he was the salt of the earth, a consummate professional and a hero who was taken way too soon, Duff wrote on Facebook. A Norwalk resident who went to ground zero after the September 11th attacks, Trooper Greene was a true public servant. His sense of duty and bravery during that dangerous time ultimately cost him his life. I met him a few times with the State Police and he was just a great guy, Duff said. We wish Trooper Greene and his family peace and we are grateful for his service and the opportunity to have met such a fine person. Green lived in West Norwalk with family, and had been a longtime Pop Warner Youth Football coach. According to a February, 2017 gofundme page Walters Medical Support Fund, Greene was diagnosed on June 30, 2016, with a very rare form of cancer. He is 1 of 67 in the U.S. with this extremely rare form of cancer. There are less than 100 people in the world with Kras 1 Wild Colorectal Cancer, Stage IV, according to the gofundme page. Walter has undergone several surgeries and still requires several more chemo treatments; unfortunately, the end result is still uncertain. Since his diagnosis, Walter has not been able to work causing his medical and house bills to overwhelm him and his family. In addition to his 27 years as a state trooper, Greene spent four years in the U.S. Marines as a scout sniper. He has trained many state and local police officers to become certified police motorcycle operators, the fundraising pages states. He has always gone the extra mile to support and train any motor cop who was looking to fulfill their dreams ... He has helped organize many charity rides, assisted other agencies with their motorcycle needs, and has been an important part of Special Olympics. Walter has always stepped up to the plate. Thane Grauel and Leslie Lake contributed to this report. The marijuana industry has continued its explosive growth in 2018, and a new report has quantified just how explosive. Sales of legal marijuana in the United States could hit $10 billion this year and skyrocket to $22 billion by 2022, according to the 2018 Marijuana Business Factbook released by Marijuana Business Daily. Thats big growth year-over-year, with last years figure for both recreational and medical marijuana hitting about $6.2 billion. Here are some of the factors driving projections. California Gold Of course, California. The legal recreational marijuana market launched in the Golden State in January of this year. The massive market is expected to help drive nationwide sales of recreational marijuana alone from about $2.7 billion in 2017 to between $4 billion to $5 billion in 2018. Related: Hey, Hollywood! It's Time to Get Real Portraying Marijuana Users on Screen Nevada and Massachusetts Nevada came out of the gates fast last year. After voters approved legal recreational cannabis sales in Nevada in November 2016, the state moved faster than any other in getting a recreational marijuana market in place. Sales launched in July 2017. The state already has sold more than $304 million in adult-use marijuana, with $41 million sold in March 2018 alone. Those numbers are above the original projections. Nevada already has raked in almost $49 million in marijuana taxes. Waiting in the wings is Massachusetts, where legal adult-use marijuana sales are expected to launch in July. And voters in Michigan are expected to consider legalization on this falls ballot. Theres also a wave building to legalize adult-use in New York, and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy also supports legal adult-use marijuana there. Continued Growth in Colorado, Washington Voters in Colorado and Washington got the legal marijuana train rolling years ago, but the states continue to increase revenue. Sales in the two states - which the report said have finally come close to plateauing - will easily eclipse a combined $2 billion. Related: These Stats on Cannabis Sales Will Shock You Medical Marijuana The market for medical marijuana also continues to grow. Large population states including Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland have expanded the conditions under which medical marijuana can be used. New Mexico and Arizona also have medical marijuana markets that continue to grow, according the report. All this adds up to medical marijuana sales coming in at a projected $3.7 billion to $4.5 billion, up from between $3.1 billion to $3.7 billion in 2017. Where does all this lead? The projects from the Factbook call for the following total marijuana sales numbers over the next five years: 2019: $10.5 to $12.8 billion 2020: $12.1 to $14.9 billion 2021: $14.7 billion to $18.1 billion 2022: $18 billion to $22.1 billion Thats enough to make an entrepreneur stand up and take notice. However, there are many uncertainties about marijuana, including what future states will legalize cannabis and what actions might be taken by the federal government on legal adult-use marijuana sales. Follow dispensaries.com on Twitter to stay up to date on the latest cannabis news. Related: Will the Cannabis Industry Be the First True Gender Equalizer? New Numbers Reveal the Marijuana Industry Boom Has Only Just Begun How to Finance Your Cannabis Business Without Relying on Friends and Family Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved STAMFORD A Pennsylvania woman who fraudulently passed herself off as an autism specialist while working with Norwalk schools kids a decade ago was returned to prison by a Stamford judge Friday for failing to show up in court and pay enough restitution. Stacy Lore, 42, was sent to York Correctional Institution for women after a heated hearing at the Stamford courthouse Friday morning. It was a day after she unexpectedly turned herself over to Stamford police on an arrest warrant for failing to show up to court with $15,000 to pay back her victims on March 30. In 2010, Lore pleaded guilty to accusations she falsely claimed to be a board-certified behavior analyst with advanced degrees. She was convicted of first-degree larceny and sentenced to three years in prison. As part of her plea agreement, Lore was supposed to pay pay the parents of two autistic Norwalk children a total of $33,874 during probation, after being released from prison in 2012. But last October, her probation was violated because she only made $242 in restitution in the years since her release. As a result, Lore could be imprisoned five more years, the same time that was suspended from her prison term when she was sentenced eight years ago. Judge Gary White said Lore missed her court date in early February and he put out an order for her arrest. Her public defender, Howard Ehring, said that Lore was then scheduled to show up to court at the end of March with $15,000 with the agreement that White would vacate her arrest order, because Lore missed her February court date because of inclement weather. But Lore never showed up or offered the money. Erhing said Lore showed up Thursday with her parents and a family friend and offered to pay $9,000 in restitution in hopes of winning her release. But White said he had a very difficult time understanding how Lore could pay so little money during the time she was on probation. Since October Lore came up with another $500 or so, bringing up her total restitution payments $812. She paid a very small amount on a very large debt, White said before denying Ehrings request to release her on a promise to appear once her family paid the $9,000. White said she didnt even come up with the $15,000 that she promised after failing to appear in court in February. Supervisory Assistant States Attorney Paul Ferencek suggested she be put back in prison for three weeks to see if her family could come up with more money. Ferencek also said the two mothers who were owed money and who helped unmask Lores fraud did some social media research and found out that Lore had been bragging on her Facebook page before her arrest last October about having a new car, buying toys for her kids and joining a country club with a pool. This woman has had more than enough time to make restitution. The amount of money she paid in restitution is making a mockery out of the criminal justice system, Ferencek said. The two mothers, Kim Tromba and Margaret Kozlark, said they were satisfied that White put Lore back behind bars. After watching the hearing, the two said Lore did irreparable damage to their two sons by performing her phony therapy on them. Tromba called the restitution Lore paid a slap in the face. Tromba said she was relieved to hear Lore returned to Stamford because she had no faith that she would ever show up again. Kozlark said Lore was trying to make herself out to be the victim in this case, when she clearly knew what she was doing was wrong. She halted our kids trajectory, Kozlar said. Lore is being held in lieu of a $150,000 court appearance bond and is to return to court June 22. jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com EDWARDSVILLE Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is offering a new summer camp experience for high school-aged students interested in entrepreneurship. The SIUE Summer Entrepreneurship Academy, a five-day camp, will give ninth through 12th grade students an opportunity to work on the technical and interpersonal skills necessary to be a successful entrepreneur. The camp will end with the students pitching a business idea to a panel of local entrepreneurs. Katherine Robberson, an instructor with the SIUE Department of Management and Marketing, explained that there are other programs similar to the SIUE Summer Entrepreneurship Academy offered across the nation. "The one closest to us is at SLU," she said. Robberson also explained how the SIUE camp would operate. "Students participating would be placed in teams and challenged to find an innovative idea to build a business plan and pitch," she noted. "It's going to focus a lot on how you take this idea and turn it into a business. Whether it's a service project, a product, something that is a non-profit, or something related to a cause. It doesn't really matter what the idea is. It's more about the process of turning it into something viable." She also emphasized that the students need not come with a business idea in mind but just with an entrepreneurial spirit. The camp takes place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the SIUE campus from June 18 to June 22. During the week, the campers will spend the morning with current SIUE faculty learning about marketing, and financial planning for a business. "We'll also look at how you research your customer, how you research your marketplace, and we'll teach them business planning strategies," Robberson said. "Then in the afternoon they'll do a lot more hands on application and team building," she added. "We will be working in teams to making these ideas flourish." The students will take two field trips during the camp. One will be to Code 3 Spices, based out of Collinsville. "It's a local startup that has grown wildly. So the students will get to see kind of the production side of entrepreneurship, and they are actually going to serve students lunch," Robberson pointed out. "They are going to barbecue and show the students the process of these dry rub spices that they make and manufacturer in Collinsville." Robberson said that the second filed trip will be to T-Rex, an entrepreneurial think tank in St. Louis. "So they'll get to see what it looks like when entrepreneurs sit down, strategize and brainstorm and also what that creative side of entrepreneurship looks like," she noted. The week-long experience will end with a pitch competition to a panel of local business owners and entrepreneurship experts. "If they watch 'Shark Tank,' it's less brutal but similar in nature that by the end of the week, they will have a practice pitch and they will deliver that pitch to a panel of local entrepreneurs who will give them feedback in a much more kind way. But they will also walk away with a business plan and some understanding of what it really takes to get something like this off the ground," Robberson said. The camp is working with the Small Business Development Center which is also housed at SIUE. "We are partnering with them so they will come in and do some of the guided business planning with the students too," Robberson added. "So the students will really get to work with current local experts in the area with starting a business." The SIUE Summer Entrepreneurship Academy costs $350 for the week-long camp. Some scholarships are available via an application. Information about the scholarship application process as well as registration for the Summer Entrepreneurship Academy is online at http://www.siue.edu/summer/camps/summer-entrepreneurship-academy.shtml American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. All rights reserved. 326 E 8th St #105, Sioux Falls, SD 57103 | U.S. Based Support Team at [email protected] | (844) 978-6257 MarketBeat does not provide personalized financial advice and does not issue recommendations or offers to buy stock or sell any security. Our Accessibility Statement | Terms of Service | Do Not Sell My Information 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. 8 hours ago Is Now The Time To Pile Into Airbnb (NASDAQ: ABNB) Like many red hot tech companies that have IPOd in recent years, Airbnb (NASDAQ: ABNB) has had its fair share of turbulence already. In the immediate aftermath of their IPO in December of last year, their shares dropped 25% before the bulls stepped in and sent them up 80%. Read Article The following companies are subsidiares of Molina Healthcare: Aetna & Humana - Medicare Advantage, Affinity Health Plan, AmericanWork Inc., Better Health Network, Camelot Care Centers Inc, Children's Behavioral Health Inc., Choices Group Inc., College Community Services, Dockside Services Inc, Family Preservation Services Inc., Family Preservation Services of Florida Inc., Family Preservation Services of North Carolina Inc., Family Preservation Services of Washington D.C. Inc., Family Preservation Services of West Virginia Inc., Florida NetPASS LLC, Hclb Inc., Magellan Complete Care, Maple Star Nevada Inc., Maple Star Oregon Inc., Mercy CarePlus, Molina Clinical Services LLC, Molina Healthcare Data Center Inc., Molina Healthcare of Arizona Inc., Molina Healthcare of California, Molina Healthcare of Florida Inc., Molina Healthcare of Georgia Inc., Molina Healthcare of Illinois Inc., Molina Healthcare of Iowa Inc., Molina Healthcare of Louisiana Inc., Molina Healthcare of Maryland Inc., Molina Healthcare of Michigan Inc., Molina Healthcare of Mississippi Inc., Molina Healthcare of Nevada Inc., Molina Healthcare of New Mexico Inc., Molina Healthcare of New York Inc., Molina Healthcare of North Carolina Inc., Molina Healthcare of Ohio Inc., Molina Healthcare of Oklahoma Inc., Molina Healthcare of Pennsylvania Inc., Molina Healthcare of Puerto Rico Inc., Molina Healthcare of South Carolina LLC, Molina Healthcare of Texas Inc., Molina Healthcare of Texas Insurance Company, Molina Healthcare of Utah Inc., Molina Healthcare of Virginia Inc., Molina Healthcare of Washington Inc., Molina Healthcare of Wisconsin Inc., Molina Holdings Corporation, Molina Hospital Management LLC, Molina Information Systems LLC dba Molina Medicaid Solutions, Molina Medical Management Inc., Molina Pathways LLC, Molina Pathways of Texas Inc., Molina Youth Academy, NextLevel Health Illinois, Pathways Community Corrections Inc., Pathways Community Services LLC, Pathways Community Support of Texas Inc., Pathways Health and Community Support LLC, Pathways Human Services LLC., Pathways of Arizona Inc., Pathways of Delaware Inc., Pathways of Idaho LLC, Pathways of Maine Inc., Pathways of Massachusetts LLC, Pathways of Oklahoma Inc., Pathways of Washington Inc., Providence Community Services, Providence Human Services, Raystown Developmental Services Inc., The Game of Work LLC, The RedCo Group Inc., Total Care Medicaid plan, Transitional Family Services Inc., Unisys -Health Information Management, and YourCare Health Plan. Paris, TX (75460) Today Isolated thunderstorms during the morning becoming more widespread this afternoon. Potential for heavy rainfall. High 82F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Showers and thunderstorms likely. Potential for flooding rains. Low 66F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Skateboards and scooters come from far and wide for chance to skate On May 16, the average price of regular gasoline in Toronto was $1.375 per litre, with 40.5 cents or 30 per cent of that going to taxes. That is worrisome news for motorists because it adds an element of uncertainty to their car buying decisions. If gas prices remain high for a year or longer, it could cost motorists thousands of additional dollars for gasoline. According to Nanos Research, 83 per cent of Ontario families say the family car is essential to run their household. With the price of gasoline approaching an all-time high with no immediate relief in sight, governments should reduce taxes on gasoline to make vehicle ownership and running a business more affordable. Read more: Opinion | Susan Gubasta: Retail automobile industry is brimming with opportunities Opinion | Susan Gubasta: Key trends have influenced the retail auto industry Gasoline price hits $1.33 per litre in Canada, GasBuddy.com reports An uncomfortable fact about higher gas prices is that they have a ripple effect throughout the economy, which ultimately affects the cost of clothing, food, furniture, appliances and automobiles. For example, when you buy a new appliance for your home, the price you pay is partly determined by how much it costs to ship it to the store. When gas prices rise, that appliance will cost more to transport, and consumers end up paying for that increase. Consumers are frustrated by the apparent randomness of the increases that occur at the pumps. Studies have shown that big oil companies do not engage in collusion to raise prices, but the timing of price increases leaves consumers scratching their heads. One glaring example of the apparent randomness of gas prices has occurred in Simcoe County for the past two months. At one station, gas is $1.36+/litre during the daytime, and after 10 p.m., it drops to $1.23/litre. Next morning, less than eight hours later, prices jump back up to $1.36+/litre! What is the possible justification for such roller coaster pricing at the pumps? Oil and gas companies argue that gas prices are based on competition and on supply and demand. Industry analysts say that the issue is partly the result of the lower Canadian dollar and because many Canadian oil and gas refineries have extended their spring maintenance shutdowns, putting upward pressure on gas prices. Ive heard differing views about the price of gas in Canada: at least we dont pay as much as Europeans, todays vehicles are more fuel-efficient and gas prices go up and down all the time, and theyll do so again. Ontarians do not care how much people in other countries pay for gas; it is what Ontarians have to pay that is of greatest concern. Representing more than 1,000 new car dealers in Ontario, the Trillium Automobile Dealers Association is applauding Ontario PC Leader Doug Fords announcement to reduce gasoline taxes by 10 cents per litre. Tax relief for such an important commodity such as gasoline should be top of mind for all governments. Sadly, governments have continued to put tax after tax on gasoline. Those who purchase gasoline in Ontario pay an astonishing five separate taxes on gasoline, which include: 14.7 cents per litre for the Ontario gasoline tax 4.3 cents per litre Cap and Trade tax 10 cents per litre for federal gasoline tax 8 per cent provincial portion of the HST 5 per cent federal portion of the HST. For anyone considering a car purchase or lease, my advice is not to look at todays gas prices. Fuel economy is an important consideration, but if you need, say, a pickup, do not avoid buying one just because gas is $1.30+/litre. Review gas prices over the past four years and where they are likely to be in six months and beyond. There are many viable, gas-powered alternatives on the market. Gas-electric hybrids, plug-in hybrids, electric vehicles and biodiesel are growing more popular in all categories and are well worth your consideration. For more information about car buying and industry trends, visit carsandjobs.com. In May 2016, Lewis Christman was flying from Chicago to Rome when he suffered a bout of acute pancreatitis. He curled into a fetal position on the floor. He spent the next seven hours in agony while the plane flew on. The next three months, he spent in hospitals. This month, Christman sued, accusing United Continental Holdings Inc. of ignoring a recommendation from a doctor on board to divert the flight and failing to contact medical consultants on the ground. It was another round of bad publicity for United and one that draws scrutiny to how U.S. air carriers treat passengers in distress and the pressure to keep flights in the air. Obviously, there is a significant cost to landing the plane, said David Axelrod, Christmans lawyer. Were looking for all the information about this incident, where my poor client is doubled over in pain and hes vomiting and theyre not landing this plane. A medical emergency sets in motion a high-altitude calculation with human lives in the balance. While pilots are the ultimate decision-makers, airlines have on-ground medical consultants that help bypass on-board volunteers reducing expensive emergency landings, but with the potential of providing expert decisions in real time. Christmans suit seeks information about the incident from Phoenix-based MedAire Inc., which provides in-flight medical advice to more than 100 airlines. Company spokesperson Mandy Eddington declined to comment on the lawsuit or any relationship with United. Paulo Alves, MedAires global medical director of aviation health, said in an interview before the suit was filed that his company provides help from doctors with extensive experience. Just 1.6 per cent of flights in which MedAire is called are diverted. He said airlines see the value in bypassing medicos who happen to be aboard. If the model was not financially interesting for them, then they wouldnt hire us, Alves said. Doctors, they tend to recommend diversions more than we do, because of course they dont want to assume the long-term responsibility. A medical emergency occurs once every 604 flights and 7.3 per cent led to diversions, according to a 2013 New England Journal of Medicine study. It also found that 0.3 per cent of emergencies on planes end in deaths. Its fairly expensive to divert an aircraft, and so a captain has to take into account a whole host of issues, said Jose Nable, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Georgetown University Hospital and co-author of a 2017 paper on in-flight emergencies. Perry Flint, a spokesperson for the International Air Transport Association airline trade group, said his organization estimates that a diversion can cost as much as $200,000. Erin Benson Scharra, a United Airlines spokesperson said the company is investigating Christmans claims, but declined to speak further about medical diversions or consultants it employs. Companies like MedAire, housed in the emergency unit of the Banner-University Medical Center Phoenix, play a key role in diversion decisions. STAT-MD Inc., which offers a similar service and uses doctors from the University of Pittsburgh, works with around 20 national and international air carriers. It says it reduces landings that would otherwise be recommended by nervous and out-of-their-element doctors in the sky. Theyre going to revert to divert, said T.J. Doyle, the medical director for STAT-MD. The medical volunteer should be a data-gatherer and a procedure-doer. They should not be a decision-maker. The emergencies encountered by medical professionals on flights vary in severity. Internal medicine doctor Gina Jabbour of New York revived an elderly woman who fainted after using the bathroom. The flight continued on schedule and Jabbour was rewarded by a flight attendant with secret cookies. Scott Schoifet, an orthopedic surgeon, was dozing on a flight from Japan to New York in 2006 when he was awakened to help a fellow passenger with chest pain. Flight attendants asked Schoifet whether it was safe to continue flying. It was stressful first because theyre looking at me like, What do you want to do? Schoifet said. I cant make this decision. Theres 350 people on the plane. He checked in with the woman for the rest of the flight until the plane made an unplanned stop so she could disembark. This month, a Delta Air Lines Inc. passenger passed out before takeoff at Fort Lauderdales airport. The person was treated by U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, who was travelling from Florida to Mississippi for a discussion on the opioid epidemic. The plane was still on the tarmac, and Adams helped evaluate the traveller, who ended up going to the hospital. Medical emergencies on planes set in motion a chain reaction. Elise May, the manager of inflight safety and regulatory compliance for Southwest Airlines Co., said flight attendants first protect themselves. Then they page for a medical professional on board. Southwests flight attendants are trained in basic care, and are equipped with iPads that have manuals and headsets to contact ground-based consultants. The decision on whether to divert is ultimately made by the pilot and dispatcher, but it is dependent a lot on our medical consultant and what they feel is the danger of the situation, May said. Theres all sorts of things to take into consideration. Doctors are protected by a federal law that protects air carriers and individuals from liability while providing assistance in the air. But the Hippocratic oath remains their lodestar. Ethically, I feel like there is this responsibility for me to intervene, said Meera Shah, a New York doctor who helped revive a woman passed out on a plane this year. What if I wasnt there? I always think about that. Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger says the city is reaching out to ArcelorMittal Dofasco and Stelco to try to find ways of mitigating the effect of stiff U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs that are set to take effect at midnight. It is bad news if it is real and certainly would have a local impact, no question, he said. Its hard to know what is actually going to happen until it happens It has been a topic of conversation for a long time, but still in the category of hard to imagine, he said. Neither Stelco or ArcelorMittal Dofasco has so far commented on the announcement by U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross that the U.S. will slap tariffs on Canadian, Mexican and European Union steel and aluminum. Canada, Mexico and Europe had been exempted from import duties of 25 per cent on steel and 10 per cent on aluminum when they were first imposed in March, but those exemptions are set to expire Friday. He said he did not know how much steel Hamilton steelmakers sell in the U.S. But he said about half of the steel produced across Canada is exported into the U.S. In a recent interview with Stelco CEO Alan Kestenbaum, he said, 80 per cent of Stelcos sales are in Canada and would not be harmed by a tariff. But the companys growth strategy clearly involves making greater inroads into the American market, especially when it comes to high-grade steel in the automotive industry. Read more: Canada to hit U.S. with retaliatory tariffs in response to Trumps steel tariffs Strawberry jam? Toilet paper? Ottawa hits back at U.S. tariffs Opinion | Editorial: Donald Trumps trade war is undermining U.S. credibility McMaster University economist Atif Kubursi, an expert in international trade, said the big consideration is how long the tariff remains in force. If it is short-lived, the effect will be minimal but if it drags on it will be very serious. With tariffs, he noted, Canadian steel would be less competitive in the U.S. and products made there with it and being exported to Canada would be more expensive to buy here. So consumers will be affected as well. Perrin Beatty, the CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce said Todays decision by the U.S. Administration ignores the truth about Canadas relationship with the U.S., will do nothing to address the issue of dumping, and will ultimately hurt businesses, jobs and the economies of both countries. The Canadian Chamber calls on the federal government to respond quickly and in a manner strong enough to obtain an exclusion for Canada. We need to act vigorously to support our domestic industries, and to send a message to the U.S. Administration that their unilateral protectionist measures will not come without a serious cost to themselves. Ross told a conference call with media this morning that he is looking forward to continuing negotiations. But in the case of Canada and Mexico, he said the decision was based on making progress in the ongoing North American Free Trade Agreement talks, and there is no resolution in sight. The talks are taking longer than we had hoped. If Canada and Mexico choose to take retaliatory measures, it would not affect the ability to keep renegotiating NAFTA as a separate track, he added. On Wednesday, the Trudeau government said it would take additional steps to prevent foreign steel and aluminum from being dumped into the North American market news that appeared designed to try to head off the tariff decision. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says in response to punitive U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, Canada has no choice but to retaliate. The government says it is slapping tariffs on up to $16.6 billion in U.S. imports. (The Canadian Press) But the U.S. is pressing ahead nonetheless, a long-threatened tactic sure to cast a pall over the G7 summit Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is hosting next week in Quebec. Some observers say a G6-plus-one scenario is already shaping up, with U.S. President Donald Trump as the outlier. Trump had been widely expected to impose tariffs on European steel and aluminum imports after failing to win concessions from the European Union. Canada and its European allies have spent recent days making a concerted effort to head off the move. Trudeau spoke with Trump by phone earlier this week. Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron made their cases separately Wednesday to dissuade Trump, who is using a national-security clause in U.S. trade law to justify the move. Trudeau and Macron will meet next week in Ottawa before the G7 to talk strategy. The prime minister also spoke by phone Wednesday with the premiers of Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan. The Prime Ministers Office said they all agreed to continue to defend the Canadian steel and aluminum industry from unwarranted tariffs and to stand up for the best interests of all Canadian workers and businesses. Finance Minister Bill Morneau said in a statement late Wednesday that Canada has expanded the scope of its country of origin marking regime for steel and aluminum products to better determine where they come from. The expansion builds on new funding announced in late April of an initial outlay of more than $30 million over five years to hire 40 new officers to investigate trade-related complaints, including those linked to steel and aluminum. That announcement came about a month after the Canada Border Services Agency was granted extra powers to identify businesses that try to dodge import duties and ship cheap foreign steel and aluminum through the Canadian market. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, who pushed the steel and NAFTA issues during her meeting on Tuesday in Washington with U.S. trade czar Robert Lighthizer, has also made it clear that Canada would retaliate if the duties are imposed. President Trumps 25 per cent tariff on steel imports could be a double whammy for Hamilton steelmakers who could also face new competition from international steel firms trying to divert displaced American sales into Canada. Joseph Galimberti, the president of the Canadian Steel Producers Association, says a 25 per cent tariff is obviously a substantial commercial concern that has serious implications for the steel industry in Canada. But even if Canada is not included as part of the tariff, there is a significant concern as it relates to diversion of steel that would have been sold into the U.S. that would be looking for a market in which to go. Trump announced the steel tariff along with a 10 per cent charge on aluminum imports Thursday. He said he would provide details next week. The development has major implications for Hamiltons economy, says Huzaifa Saeed of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce. The chamber says more than 10,000 Hamilton-area people work in steelmaking with up to 30,000 more employed in related industries that could be affected. An ArcelorMittal Dofasco spokesperson said: At this time it is difficult to know the precise impact of such a tariff, other than it can increase costs with potential impacts to profitability and possibly change buying patterns across the supply chain. The producers association says 40 per cent of Canadas 13 million tons finds its way across the American border. University of Toronto steel analyst Peter Warrian estimates Hamilton steelmakers, including Lake Erie operations for Stelco, produce about 40 per cent of the countrys steel. Warrian says the tariff if it does come into play against Canadian steelmakers would be hard on ArcelorMittal Dofasco by undermining the vast automotive supply chain network it is a part of that operates on both sides of the border. In Stelcos case, it could blindside its current effort to try to recoup automotive sales lost during when U.S. Steel owned the company, he says. Alan Kestenbaum, the CEO and executive chair of Stelco, has said he sees growth opportunity for Stelco in the automotive sector. A spokesperson for the company could not be reached for comment Friday. ArcelorMittal Dofasco is a Canadian division for an international company based in Luxembourg. But it has substantial steelmaking assets in the U.S. It could conceivably move some steelmaking into operations it runs in the U.S. to avoid the tariff. Whereas Stelco, owned by the AmericanBedrock Industries, would not have that option because its only steelmaking operations are in Hamilton and Lake Erie. Kestenbaum has said Bedrock is looking to expand its steelmaking holdings, perhaps making Hamilton its headquarters. Warrian says a lot depends on the details. Not only of vital interest will be whether Canada is included in the tariff list but also how country of origin is defined. McMaster University business professor Marvin Ryder believes the tough tariff talk on Trumps part is posturing. He doubts if the tariffs do eventually come into force that Canada will be included on the list. Meanwhile, the steel producers association has launched an offensive to oppose the American move. Galimberti says the industry wants to work with the federal government in coming up with a response. Prime Minster Justin Trudeau said: We regard the implication of any new tariffs as absolutely unacceptable ... I have spoken a number of times directly with the president on this issue highlighting and reminding him of the close security co-operation we have and highlighting this is not something we want to see. On Twitter, the steel producers association argued The Canada-U. S. steel market is fully integrated, fairly traded, and evenly balanced. It noted that $6 billion in steel flows in both directions between the two countries each year. with files from Matthew Van Dongen and The Canadian Press Read more about: DetroitA fund affiliated with SoftBank Group of Japan plans to invest $2.25 billion (U.S.) in General Motors driverless-technology division to help the automaker ramp up a ride-hailing service and other new businesses. As part of the deal announced Thursday, GM said it would put an additional $1.1 billion of its own money into the unit, known as GM Cruise Holdings. SoftBanks investment will be made through its Vision Fund, which focuses on the technology sector. Our Cruise and GM teams together have made tremendous progress over the last two years, Mary T. Barra, GMs chairman and chief executive, said in a statement. Teaming up with SoftBank adds an additional strong partner as we pursue our vision of zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion. The news caused GM shares to rise. In midday trading, GM shares were up more than 10 per cent, to nearly $42. Read More: Apple signs deal with Volkswagen for self-driving car after rejection from BMW and Mercedes GM Canada president Steve Carlisle moves on to steer Cadillac in U.S. In theory, driverless cars could make Torontos roads safer, but, if so, when? Earlier this year GM sought permission from the U.S. Department of Transportation to begin operating fully autonomous cars without steering wheels or pedals in a commercial ride-hailing service in 2019. On Thursday, Barra said the agreement with SoftBank would give GM the capital it needs to introduce self-driving cars at a large scale. The investment highlights the outsized ambition and seemingly bottomless wallet of SoftBank and its founder, Masayoshi Son. It was Son who came up with the idea of raising nearly $100 billion from investors ranging from Saudi Arabia to Apple for the Vision Fund, which instantly became one of the worlds biggest and boldest investors in tech companies. In a reflection of Sons personality, SoftBank and the Vision Fund have become known for moving quickly to invest in companies whose products it sees as crucial to the future of technology. Such is that swiftness rivals have derided it as aggressiveness that SoftBank is often willing to pour huge sums into early startups at enormous valuations, crowding out other potential investors in the process. That was at play in Thursdays deal. SoftBanks investment valued the business at more than $11 billion well above the roughly $1 billion that GM paid to acquire the startup two years ago. With the GM Cruise investment, SoftBank has pressed further into the automotive field, which it has already tackled from different angles. Its last direct investment into an autonomous-driving startup was last year, when it was co-leader of a financing round for Nauto, a maker of sensors for autonomous vehicles. But it has also invested in a number of companies whose offerings touch the auto industry in other ways. Ride-hailing has been a major focus, with investments in Uber, Didi Chuxing of China, Ola of India, Grab of Singapore and 99 of Brazil. There have also been investments in Auto1, a German car-dealer service, and Mapbox, a mapping startup. And taking aim at semiconductor companies that are making chips for self-driving cars, SoftBank bought ARM and invested in Nvidia. The SoftBank investment in GM Cruise will give the fund a 19.6 per cent stake in the business. The Vision Fund fund will make an initial investment of $900 million, and a second tranche of $1.35 billion when Cruises self-driving vehicles are introduced for commercial use. We are very impressed by the advances made by the Cruise and GM teams, and are thrilled to help them lead a historic transformation of the automobile industry, Michael Ronen, managing partner of SoftBank Investment Advisors, said in a statement. Read more about: Starting three years ago, the largest U.S. banks vowed to cut back on lending to the coal industry. The bank has a responsibility to help mitigate climate change by leveraging our scale and resources to accelerate the transition from a high-carbon to a low-carbon society, Bank of America said in its coal policy in May 2015. Their pledges seemed so dramatic that Paul Argenti, a professor of corporate communication at Dartmouths Tuck School of Business, began citing them in lectures as a rare example of a corporate principle trumping profits. I read it as: They were done, he said. But the banks, it turns out, never actually promised to walk away from coal completely. And now, with coal companies enjoying a small resurgence under the Trump administration, banks are again embracing the industry. At the time of the pledges, the three biggest coal mining companies were in bankruptcy, the United States was signing a pact to reduce carbon emissions, and cheap natural gas was forcing coal-fired power plants out of business. There were few coal loans to make. But Peabody Energy, Arch Coal and Alpha Natural Resources have emerged from bankruptcy, their balance sheets scrubbed clean. U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed to support the industry. Five of the countrys biggest banks are lending tens or hundreds of millions of dollars to coal companies again, in one case eclipsing what they lent in 2014, before the industry entered a nose dive, according to an analysis by Rainforest Action Network, a liberal environmental group. JPMorgans coal lending increased to $654 million 2017 from $32 million in 2015, according to the analysis. That was more than the $570 million the bank lent to coal interests in 2014. The vast majority of JPMorgans coal loans in 2017 were to Peabody, which emerged from bankruptcy that April. Morgan Stanleys coal loans, though well below their 2014 levels, more than doubled from 2015 to 2017. And though their loans to coal companies havent quite reached earlier levels, Goldman Sachs and Bank of America each added new coal loans last year, the analysis shows. Citigroup made more such loans in 2016 and 2017 than it did in 2015, though well below its 2014 figure. Combined, the five banks issued about $1.5 billion in new coal-related loans last year, according to Rainforest Action Network. The analysis includes loans to companies like Glencore and BHP Billiton, which produce commodities like copper and oil in addition to coal. It weigh each loan based on the percentage of the companys business that comes from coal. Fifteen per cent of Glencores assets are in coal, for example, so a $229 million loan that Bank of America made to Glencore last year was given a value of $34 million. The analysis looked only at new loans, not at the banks overall exposure to the coal industry. The banks made their pledges around the time that world leaders negotiated the Paris agreement to reduce carbon emissions. Some of the banks vowed to curb lending to new coal-fired power plants in wealthy countries and to plants that did not use pollution-mitigating technology. In November 2015, for example, Morgan Stanley said it would reduce financing for projects using mountaintop removal, in which mountains are dynamited to reveal coal seams. In March 2016, JPMorgan said it would eliminate such financing, as well as stop lending to new coal mines. The promises generated a flood of publicity. Heres Another Big Sign the Coal Industry Is Burning Out, Fortune reported. Wall Street checks out of coal mines, CNBC announced. The New York Times quoted a historian who suggested that John Pierpont Morgan himself might not have lent to coal companies in the current environment. Banks used the pledges as part of a broader effort to project a green corporate image. Citigroup listed its reduced lending as the first item in the environmental section of its 2016 report on its citizenship initiatives. Bank of America and JPMorgan were lead sponsors of Climate Week NYC 2016, a gathering of world leaders and corporate executives who discussed ways to fulfil the Paris accords goals. Even experts got the impression that banks were abandoning coal. A few years ago when a lot of these major banks came out and said that they would no longer be supporting the sector, I think, a lot of people generalized in a major way, said Chiza Vitta, an analyst at Standard & Poors. The sector is in decline, but it remains a very important component of electricity generation. The banks left themselves plenty of room to respond if the coal industry recovered. Few coal mining companies still use mountaintop removal. And it is far more common for companies to expand existing mines than to break ground for new ones. Environmental groups are crying foul. It wasnt an environmental policy, said Alex Bozmoski, managing director of RepublicEn, a conservative environmental activism group. It was financial and risk management policy that was used by communications departments. Alison Kirsch, a spokeswoman for Rainforest Action Network, said the banks initial pledges had left huge loopholes, which she said JPMorgan in particular was shamelessly exploiting. We disagree with the reports conclusions, said Brian Marchiony, a JPMorgan spokesman. Over the last two years, we have declined to participate in dozens of transactions related to coal-fired power plants and coal mining, and our credit exposure to companies deriving the majority of their revenues from coal has declined by about a third. Kelly Sapp, a spokeswoman for Bank of America, said the company was adhering to its 2015 pledge. We have been reducing our credit exposure over the past several years to companies focused on coal mining while growing our financing of renewables, she said. Our policy is not changing. Representatives of Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley declined to comment. Part of the reason that coal has been resurgent is that it is used to fuel blast furnaces in which steel is made. The Rainforest Action Network analysis doesnt differentiate between loans for so-called metallurgical coal and coal used in power plants. Randall Atkins, who briefly worked as a JPMorgan investment banker specializing in the coal industry and now runs Ramaco Resources, a small coal producer based in Kentucky, said the banks rapprochement with coal companies was Banking 101. Coal producers appear financially healthier now, he said, so banks think they can make money lending to them. The banks are receptive to come back in and do normal lending in the space, he said. Not every coal company is having an easy time getting a loan. Grant Quasha, chief executive of Paringa Resources, said his company had no loans from major U.S. banks. Some of their policies prohibit loans to projects like the new Poplar Grove mine, which Paringa is developing in Kentucky. For smaller companies such as ourselves, its still very difficult to obtain financing, Quasha said. It exists, its just very expensive. Argenti, the Dartmouth professor, said he would no longer cite the banks coal pledges in his classroom lectures on corporate responsibility. A lot of what passes for sustainability is actually nothing more than public relations, he said. Read more about: SAN FRANCISCOWhile scams proliferated in the unregulated world of virtual currencies over the past year, a company in Switzerland called Envion seemed to be one of the more legitimate outfits creating its own cryptocurrency. Envion said it had collected $100 million (U.S.) from investors this year with a plan to bring clean energy to the computers that manage bitcoin. The project was reinforced by partnerships with German businesspeople and politicians and with a German academic institution, and promises of compliance with Swiss and U.S. laws. But like so many other projects that have pulled in millions of dollars through so-called initial coin offerings, or ICOs, Envion is now melting down, with the people who created it accusing one another of fraud. There is no functioning business in sight. And investors are bonding on social media about how much they figure they lost on the project. Adam Elfarouq, a 29-year-old in Morocco, said he had put $3,000 into Envion and encouraged friends and relatives to invest their money. I know most of the ICOs out there are either fraud or wont deliver on their promises, he said. Envion, he believed, was different. The Envion experience is the latest reminder of how the sudden rise of virtual currencies has allowed entrepreneurs to have direct access to investors without regulatory oversight often with financially disastrous consequences for the people who put money into the projects. Initial coin offerings came out of almost nowhere last year to become one of the most popular ways for startups to raise money. Investors threw more than $5 billion at coin offerings last year. Most projects have raised money by selling custom cryptocurrencies akin to bitcoin that are designed to be used as a method of payment on software the startups are building. The hope is that the coins will become more valuable as the software becomes more useful. But even for the people who work in the virtual currency world, the complex structure and speed of initial coin offerings make it difficult to separate the good from the bad. Seif Shieshakly, an adviser to Envion who is based in the United Arab Emirates, said that the ICO structure had cut out so many middlemen and created new investment opportunities, but that the lack of regulations, again due to the infancy of ICOs, carries risks that regulated environments would generally have far less of. Regulators around the world have scrambled to stay on top of ICOs. China banned coin offerings last year, and the Securities and Exchange Commission in the United States has done a broad sweep of the industry, sending out subpoenas to dozens of players. But so far, authorities have cracked down on only a few projects, and coin offerings have continued at a blazing pace, raising more money so far in 2018 than they did in all of 2017. Envion tried to separate itself from the flood of scam offerings that have popped up over the past year. A spokesman for Envion, Chris Pfaff, sent out emails last year saying it was closing deals with IBM and the ruler of Dubai. But Pfaff said last week that those deals never panned out. Envion said it would use the money collected from investors to build mobile rigs, filled with computers designed to mine or digitally create new bitcoin. The rigs could be moved between sources of renewable electricity, which would power the mining computers. Envion said people who bought its new tokens would have a right to a share of the new bitcoins mined. The founders of the company, about half a dozen programmers and marketers, set it up in Switzerland, and said they were compliant with all the necessary regulations. In one of their many promotional posts on Medium, the Envion team wrote: As financial regulators across the globe look to regulate ICOs and protect investors, Envion serves as a model for a compliant crowdsale that operates with the same transparency and integrity of traditional financial markets. A current spokesman for the founders, Laurent Martin, said problems had begun even before the project started fundraising late last year, because of the chief executive the founders brought in, Matthias Woestmann. According to Martin, the founders gave Woestmann what they thought was temporary control of their shares in the company. Woestmann later refused to give them back, and then diluted the shares of the other owners, providing him with control of the money that was raised. Martin said the problems that had come up since then were not caused by the ICO structure. Instead, he said, they are a result of Woestmanns tactics and his refusal to give back ownership of the company. Envion did something truly unique in the way they protected investors, Martin said. Its unfortunate that each of these bulwarks is being tested. Woestmann said he had taken control of the company because the founders created extra Envion tokens to enrich themselves a claim the founders deny. He has recently made efforts to sell the company to new owners. Most of the investors on Envions channel on the messaging service Telegram have sided with the founders against Woestmann, who they say should either begin building the product that was promised or refund investors. But large Envion investors who have organized a group online say they distrust the founders as well. They note that the founders are now led by a man named Michael Luckow, who was never mentioned during the fundraising process. They complain that the founders let investors buy tokens without providing any information about the turmoil behind the scenes. The investors have also turned up evidence that some of the founders sold their own tokens before the current mess spilled into the public. As an investor, this is a horrible situation to be in, as in my point of view both parties are to blame, said Peter Kozak, a 47-year-old in Switzerland who put $55,000 into Envion. So many questions and no answers. Martin said that the tokens had been sold to pay Envion expenses and that Luckow simply had not wanted to take on a more public role early on. It is still possible that investors will get at least some of their money back. Woestmann said he still had control of most of the money in the bank, with the founders controlling another chunk. But he said the funds added up to only $50 million at this point, not the $100 million that the founders had claimed. Woestmann said the founders had not raised as much money as they claimed. And the declining price of virtual currencies has dropped the value of the various digital tokens Envion is holding. Jessica Smith, a 21-year-old in England, said she had put $28,000 into Envion almost all of the money she had made over the last two years of trading cryptocurrencies nearly full time. She said she was now looking for new work. This has been very painful, she said. Read more about: Any trade war that emerges between the U.S. and its allies would have far-reaching consequences for consumers worldwide, according to apparel companies Levi Strauss & Co. and Abercrombie & Fitch Co. The companies expressed their concern ahead of threatened tit-for-tat tariffs from the European Union, Canada and Mexico on U.S. goods such as jeans, Harley-Davidson motorcycles and bourbon. The EU measures would be a response to U.S. duties on imported metals from the EU, Mexico and Canada starting Friday. The tariffs are one more thing to lose sleep on in this industry, Abercrombie & Fitch chief executive officer Fran Horowitz said in an interview. As tariff threats have heated up, the company has worked to reduce its dependence on China and increase the agility of its supply chain, chief operating officer Joanne Crevoiserat said. Levi Strauss called for open markets and free trade where everyone plays by the rules, the company said in an emailed statement. Unilateral tariff impositions risk retaliation and destabilizing the global economy, in which case American brands, workers and consumers will ultimately suffer. Levi Strauss pledged to work with its industry peers to bring the issue to the attention of U.S. and EU authorities on how these decisions will impact not just our business but consumers and the millions of people across our supply chain. The EU said it would take immediate steps to retaliate to the U.S. tariffs, while Mexico vowed to impose duties on everything from U.S. flat steel to cheese. Canadas government announced it will impose tariffs on as much as $16.6 billion ($12.8 billion U.S.) of U.S. steel, aluminum and other products from July 1. The apparel companies comments follow condemnations of tariffs from groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. The tariffs will hit just as Abercrombies sales are starting to improve. The teen clothing retailer reported better-than-estimated quarterly results on Friday, saying the apparel industry has been benefitting from rising consumer confidence in the U.S. Read more: How Canada could hit back at Trump by making you pay more for bourbon and jeans Fashion labels count on blue jean comeback amid battle with yoga pants Pricey jean manufacturers going bankrupt Trans Mountain Pipe Line Co. has won approval for an expansion that nearly triples its ability to carry heavy-crude oil on its westbound route from Edmonton to export facilities in Vancouver. The National Energy Board (NEB) decision means Albertas oil industry could break into new markets across the Pacific Ocean within 18 months. If a business student today were to time stamp that quote, its unlikely they would come up with a date three decades past. The story in the Toronto Star, circa August, 1988, carried the headline Pipeliner gets okay for westward expansion. Company executives had earlier noted that Canadian heavy oil had already penetrated South Korea and Japan, and by the summer of 1988 had Taiwan in its sights. Why not a corporate history lesson given that, all of a sudden, we own a pipeline. Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus $4.5-billion commitment to put Kinder Morgan out of its misery will turn the Trans Mountain pipeline and its expansion project into a Crown corporation and transform the Canadian arm of the Houston infrastructure giant into an asset-light entity with seemingly little reason to exist. (Kinder Morgan Inc. owns 70 per cent of Kinder Morgan Canada Ltd.) The oft-repeated bare bones of the Trans Mountain tale references its opening in 1953 and, maybe, the gargantuan task of driving a pipeline trench through the Rockies, triumphantly delivering oil to the Westridge marine terminal in Burnaby. Less reported has been the waxing and waning of product demand which, by the early 1980s, had Trans Mountain operating at below capacity and looking to diversify shipments beyond oil to butane, methane and propane. A coal slurry was considered at one juncture. There was corporate excitement. What this newspaper dubbed one of the longest and bloodiest corporate battles in B.C. history resulted in a reverse takeover by Inland Natural Gas, which purchased B.C. Hydros Lower Mainland gas division, which became BC Gas, which became Terasen Inc., an appropriate new moniker, according to the Daily Oil Bulletin in 2003, because the old name sounded limiting while the new name terra meaning earth and sen implying sent, as in sent from the earth, apparently delivered a message of growth and ambition. This new identity, said the CEO of the day, allows us to pursue our goal of becoming one of North Americans leading energy companies. Expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline was the companys core initiative. Read more: B.C. Building Trades hopeful federal ownership will change Trans Mountain labour practices Trans Mountain deal sets Liberals up for tough fight in 2019 election, analysts say Trans Mountain will push ahead despite opposition, Morneau tells Calgary business leaders Investors included the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan, B.C. Investment Management Corp. and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. So what the heck happened, you may well wonder. And how did the Texans get involved? Step one was the decision by the Gordon Campbell Liberals to undo ownership restrictions put in place by Bill Vander Zalms social credit government which capped single share ownership at 10 per cent and collective foreign ownership at 20 per cent. Step two was Richard Kinders realization that there were handsome profit margins waiting for him in the oil sands, one of the most magnificent crude assets certainly in North America, and I would argue the world. The summer of 2005 brought good days and bad days to Rich Kinder. July saw the company slapped with a $500,000 (U.S.) fine from the California fire marshal for failing to accurately mark a pipeline location in the state. Five workers died when the pipeline, carrying petroleum, was struck by a backhoe operator. August marked the companys successful acquisition of Terasen for $5.6 billion. In a conference call with analysts the day after the deal was finalized Kinder sounded over the moon. I can assure you we would not have done this deal unless we thought there were hellacious opportunities for the upside over the next several years. The Canadian corporate structure was initially planned as a master limited partnership, which in the U.S. allowed the partnership to be exempt from tax provided that all free cash flow was paid out to investors. Or in corporate speak, the company would be committed to returning cash to shareholders in an economic and tax-efficient manner. In the end, the master partnership disappeared and a Houston-controlled Canadian public entity was launched. In the initial public offering, Steve Kean, a long time Kinder Morgan hand who had served as chief of staff at Enron, emerged as CEO of the new entity. Kean is described thusly: No position description for the CEO of the company has been developed. (Ive never seen anything like it.) This was not, first, about crafting a great deal for Canadians. The potential for high value, direct, long-term jobs could not be realized without investment in upgrading and refineries. Instead, the Kinder Morgan gamble and that of whichever party steps in ultimately to take over was to ship the dilbit, or diluted bitumen, to tidewater and beyond by twinning a new pipeline to the legacy asset. For a primer on the black goo you can do no better than the series produced by InsideClimate News on the 2010 Enbridge spill of diluted Canadian bitumen into the Kalamazoo River. The Dilbit Disaster: Inside the Biggest Oil Spill Youve Never Heard Of, won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for national reporting. Its an eye-opening account of confusion, delays and mistruths, with the EPA not even knowing what they were dealing with: black gunk that cant be sucked off the surface of the water, as is the case with conventional oil, but sinks to the river bottom after the added chemicals that have allowed the bitumen to flow have vapourized into the atmosphere. Reading it will correct the mistake of describing the Trans Mountain pipeline as a conveyor of liquids. The diluents added to the bitumen to liquefy it can include the carcinogen benzene and the neuropathy-causing chemical hexane. Pipeline supporters are kidding themselves if they think any reassuring words from the prime minister can dispel fears of tragic outcomes. No doubt my view of this is coloured by a brief domestic sojourn in B.C. in 1990 when anti-logging activists were chaining themselves to trees. In this go-round its serious when a company like Richmond-based Natures Path Foods replaces its website with a message of opposition to the pipeline expansion. Natures Path products are recognizable to any lover of organic cereals and grainy snacks, but this week it was cautioning that the proposed pipeline expansion will result in an increase of coast-to-port tanker traffic, increasing the risk of an oil spill and disrupting sensitive animal habitat. A leak or spill could cause an environmental catastrophe whether on land or in water. Talk like that will only grow louder. As for history, what it shows is there was a time and place for pipeline talk. The prime minister is gambling on the merits of using the expansion as a bridge to a climate-conscious future. That might have worked decades ago. Today it leaves the young PM sounding very 80s. jenwells@thestar.ca EDMONTONAnother one of Alberta Premier Rachel Notleys cabinet ministers says she wont seek re-election. Stephanie McLean, the member for Calgary-Varsity, says she wants to focus on her law career. McLean, who is minister for the Status of Women and Service Alberta, says it was a tough decision. She says she is particularly proud of her work protecting vulnerable Albertans and combating sexual violence. Earlier this year Associate Health Minister Brandy Payne, the member for Calgary-Acadia, announced she wont run for re-election because she wants to spend more time with her husband and two young girls. Calgary is expected to be a key battleground in the provincial election next spring. Read more: Confusion about consent is increasing in the age of #metoo, Canadian survey shows Alberta status of women minister calls out UCP member over tweet dismissing womens marches Alberta Premier Rachel Notley adds 6 new ministers in cabinet shuffle Read more about: HALIFAXWork to replace aging utility poles on University Ave. that began earlier this week is expected to continue for three to four weeks, so people are advised to travel with care in the area. Nova Scotia Power said in a media release Friday the work is being done to ensure service reliability for the QEII Hospital, Dalhousie University and other nearby customers. The utilitys spokesperson, Tiffany Chase, said in an interview the work began Wednesday and she anticipated minimal disruptions. It shouldnt have any impact on travel because we are parking in the median there, Chase said. We didnt want to make it more challenging for people to travel in that high-traffic area. The six utility poles and their associated pole anchors are located in the median along University Avenue between Summer Street and South Park Street. Replacing utility poles in this central Halifax location is much more complex than working in a suburban or rural setting, Ashraf Abdelrahman, capital engineer with Nova Scotia Power, said in the release. Its a tight space and the power lines on these poles provide service to staff and patients at the hospital as well as students and faculty at Dalhousie University and nearby residential customers. Each phase of the project has been carefully planned to reduce the risk and impact of service interruption. Crews will position equipment in the median to reduce impacts to local traffic, pedestrian flow and on-street parking availability. Theyll also have traffic control personnel on-site at all times. However, the utility still recommends people travel with care in the area while the work is underway. Once completed, these upgrades will strengthen the overall electrical system and help reduce the risk of unplanned outages in South End Halifax, the Nova Scotia Power statement said. Read more about: EDMONTONAn alleged Edmonton jewelry store thief who is accused of trying to pawn stolen loot to fund his friends and cousins to fight with Daesh is one step closer to extradition to the United States. On Thursday, Justice John Little ordered that Abdullahi Ahmed Abdullahi, 33, be committed for extradition, meaning he will be held in custody until the federal justice minister makes a final decision. You know damn well I dont support ISIS, Abdullahi shouted, along with a series of expletives, after Little delivered his decision in court in Edmonton. Abdullahi was ordered to be committed for extradition to the U.S. to face charges of providing and conspiring to provide material support for terrorists, which would most closely correspond to a charge of facilitating terrorist activity under the Canadian Criminal Code. While an extradition hearing is not a trial and the arguments presented have not been proven, court heard how the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) obtained email drafts from an account allegedly shared by Abdullahi and his alleged co-conspirators cousins and friends who either had travelled to Syria to fight with Daesh or expressed interest in doing so where the accused described robbing a jewelry store in Edmonton to fund their efforts. A witness named only as John Doe in court files, who is said to be a cousin of Abdullahis and who pledged allegiance to Daesh in 2014 with other Somali youth in Minneapolis, Minn., is said to have identified Abdullahi from surveillance images showing three suspects robbing Vj Jewellers near 92 Street and 34 Avenue with a gun on Jan. 9, 2014. The email drafts supposedly written by Abdullahi using the nickname Phish reportedly describe how Adbullahi robbed the store so he could help pay for Hanad Mohallim, Douglas McCain and Hamsa Kariye who have since all died to travel to Syria to fight with Daesh, but was having trouble pawning the loot. He had done so after being encouraged by a co-conspirator to rob the kuffar, a word for non-Muslims, to fund their efforts. Other messages allegedly described Abdullahi sending $2,800 to Kariye using Kariyes credit card after Kariye had left to join Daesh, and how he sent $3,000 to McCain to pay for McCain and Mohallim to fly to Turkey before crossing the border into Syria, among other transactions. The FBI has allegedly obtained 50 such messages, some reported to describe killing enemies, heated battles and their skill at using firearms. These emails were also said to be verified by McCains widow. American investigators also plan to present records from Western Union that are said to show wire transfers between Abdullahi and his alleged co-conspirators, and records from Turkish Airlines that allegedly include flight itineraries for some of his supposed associates. Akram Attia argued on behalf of Abdullahi that the evidence was unreliable as John Doe faced extreme jeopardy as an alleged co-conspirator caught up in the FBIs investigation and that a statement from McCains widow amounted to something worse than hearsay and would be inadmissible under Canadian law. However, Justice Little said in his decision that for the purposes of an extradition hearing, the threshold is simply whether there is enough evidence on which a jury could convict, not whether or not a jury should convict based on the evidence. Even if the evidence of John Doe and Mrs. McCain alone could and should be rejected, I find the evidence as a whole, including the Western Union money transfer records, could be used by a properly instructed jury to conclude that the mental element of the offence had been proven, said Little, adding he believes prosecution would be justified. Little ordered Abdullahi be committed into custody to await surrender. Abdullahi, who is currently being held, will have 30 days to surrender and can appeal the decision in that time and also apply to be released from custody in the interim. The federal justice minister is responsible for implementing extradition agreements, and Abdullahi could submit further arguments to the minister before being sent to face a trial in the United States. Read more about: The way Doug Lawrance sees it, theres no riding in Ontario quite like Kiiwetinoong. First off, it is simultaneously the biggest and second-smallest electoral district in the province, a paradox it pulls off by covering almost one third of Ontarios map an expanse in its northwest corner from the Manitoba border to the shores of Hudson Bay and south about halfway to Thunder Bay while holding a population of just 32,987. Lawrence, the Liberal candidate and mayor of the ridings biggest community, Sioux Lookout, likes to point out that this means theres only one person per 10 square kilometres in Kiiwetinoong a sparseness that, in Toronto, would place just 63 lonely souls in the entire city. The riding, in other words, has very unique, unique considerations, Lawrance said. And thats kind of the point. Last summer, a non-partisan body called the Far North Electoral Boundaries Commission recommended the creation of two new ridings in northern Ontario. The idea was to strike a balance between the strictures of representation-by-population a central tenet of Canadian democracy that holds each vote should carry roughly the same influence with the goal of representation of Indigenous people. Thus, after months of consultation and consideration, Kiiwetinoong was born. The new riding was carved out of the former Kenora-Rainy River, where at least 68 per cent of the population is Indigenous. Now, local candidates predict that true local representation justification for the awarding of a single MPP to a population roughly three times smaller than the average Ontario riding will finally come to the north. Under the old structure of Kenora-Rainy River, the north was always left out, said Sol Mamakwa, a health official with the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, an umbrella group that represents 49 First Nations across northern Ontario, who is running as a New Democrat in the riding. With the new boundaries, it really gives (Ontario) an opportunity to have a voice from the north not just First Nations, but the people of the municipalities as well, he said. The Conservative candidate in Kiiwetinoong, Lac Seul First Nation Chief Clifford Bull, declined an interview for this story. Other candidates vying to become Kiiwetinoongs first MPP include Christine Penner Polle, author of a book on climate change activism who has worked for the municipality of Red Lake, and Kenneth Jones for the Northern Ontario Party. Mamakwa, who is from the Kingfisher Lake First Nation and now lives in Sioux Lookout, said improving access to health care for small northern communities is a huge priority. The morning he spoke with the Star, Mamakwa visited a 100-bed facility in Sioux Lookout, where people from many of the fly-in communities across the north have to stay when they need medical attention. He said its often overcrowded, and that day had met an elderly woman from Fort Severn who was in a wheelchair after enduring septic shock because she was unable to receive required medical attention quick enough in the remote community, which is the northernmost settlement in Ontario, on the shore of Hudson Bay. Communities in the riding have also been rocked by crises. Kiiwetinoong encompasses Grassy Narrows, the First Nation where mercury from an old paper mill has contaminated fish and sediment in the Wabigoon River and poisoned residents. Other communities have seen alarming streaks of suicides, including two 12-year-olds in Pikangikum First Nation, a 15-year-old girl in Nibinamik and a 21-year-old man from Fort Severn who died in within days of one another last July. Then there are basic infrastructure obstacles. For instance, many First Nations in Kiiwetinoong lack safe drinking water, including Neskantaga, where a boil-water advisory has been in place since 1995. People down in southern Ontario, theyre surprised at what goes on here, Mamakwa said. Thats why I want to try and be able to bring that voice for the north, for Kiiwetinoong, at Queens Park. Ive lived it. I hear the stories every day. For Lawrance, this why the creation of Kiiwetinoong which means the north in Ojibwe was so important. The particular concerns of the regions 30 First Nations and four municipalities could be overlooked by the local MPP, who also represented the urban centre of Kenora, now part of a separate riding. His hope is that he will be elected based on his work in Sioux Lookout. If he succeeds, his priorities will include pushing for more road access to the far north, where many First Nations are only accessible by expensive air travel. Were way behind in that, Lawrance said, adding that creating more infrastructure such as the $1.6-billion Wataynikaneyap Power Transmission Line that will extend the power grid to 16 First Nations currently on diesel generation is crucial to economic growth and resource development in a riding adjacent to the vaunted Ring of Fire mining area. What this riding needs, said Lawrance, is recognition of our unique needs (and) recognition of our unique opportunities. Ottawa is excluding migrant workers from participating in its ongoing consultations into the use of foreign workers on farms by making it impossible for them to attend, say advocacy groups. Under the disguise of openness, fairness and inclusiveness, the consultation process perpetuates the imbalance of power in our temporary foreign worker program, said Chris Ramsaroop of Justicia for Migrant Workers, a volunteer-run group that promotes workers rights. At issue, said advocates, is the scheduling of the meetings, which have been limited to day hours during the week, when farm workers are unable to attend. There are no migrant workers in the rooms for these conversations. Its mostly employers and their own lobbyists. How can any meaningful changes that reflect the needs of migrant workers come from this process? asked Syed Hussan of Migrant Workers Alliance for Change in Ontario. We are calling on Employment Minister Patricia Hajdu to step in and restart this process, this time with migrant worker involvement. Employment and Social Development Canada said the government is committed to an inclusive and representative consultation process and has invited advocacy groups to attend these meetings. The program is also providing other opportunities for engagement, including teleconferences, written submissions and an online survey, Amelie Maisonneuve, the departments spokesperson, told the Star. In 2016, a parliamentary committee reviewed the temporary foreign worker program and made 21 recommendations, including stronger enforcement to prevent employers from abuse of the program and offering pathways to permanent residency for workers. In April 2017, the government said more consultation was needed The cross-country meetings, co-ordinated by Hill+Knowlton, began in Ottawa on May 4 and have since travelled to Abbotsford, B.C., Kelowna, B.C., Calgary, Regina, Winnipeg, Halifax, Charlottetown and Montreal. The next two stops are in Ontario Simcoe on Monday and Chatham on Wednesday. In an information sheet sent to advocacy groups, Employment and Social Development Canada said the consultations focus on program eligibility and structure, wages and deductions, housing for workers and the approval process for employers to bring in workers. Its foreign agricultural workers whose lives are the most affected by government policies around the program since they have the least power and voice and are the ones in the most precarious situation in the scheme of things, said Joey Calugay of the Migrant Workers Association in Quebec. Instead its the competing voices of producers and the myriad entrepreneurs around the food industry who want to squabble about making the program serve their bottom line better. This is what concerns us. We dont have much faith in the consultations. CALGARYA complaint by two Muslim students who were not allowed to pray at a non-denominational private school in Calgary is headed back to the Alberta Human Rights Commission. The Court of Appeal of Alberta ruled Friday the original decision five years ago by a commission tribunal, which ordered Webber Academy to pay a $26,000 fine for discriminatory behaviour, included a number of errors. One error the tribunal made was in assessing the level of accommodation that was being asked of the school. The tribunal began its decision by determining the issue was not a request for prayer space, reads the 15-page Appeal Court decision released Friday. Clearly, the students required space to pray and Webber Academy was being asked to provide space, whether dedicated or not. The two students Sarmad Amir and Naman Siddiqui were in grades 9 and 10 in 2011 and told the tribunal that praying is mandatory in their Sunni religion. They said the school told them their praying, which requires bowing and kneeling, was too obvious and went against the non-denominational nature of the academy. The human rights tribunal ruled the schools policy was too rigid and it could have accommodated the students without going against its secular status. Read more: Calgary school fined $26K for discriminating against Muslim students, judge rules That decision was upheld by the Alberta Court of Queens Bench. The school then took the matter to the Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal said a new hearing is also required because Webber Academy has raised new issues under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms which should be examined. The schools president, Neil Webber, was happy with the ruling and said he hopes to preserve the secular nature of the school, which has about 1,000 students. We welcome students and families of all faiths and beliefs, but we think its fundamental to our families and students that this be an educational institution where no religious practices are allowed, Webber said. Webber said Friday the school has always made it clear to incoming students and their parents that there is no space in the school for praying. And in our 21 years of operations, we have had two requests for prayer space one from a Catholic family which we denied and the other from a Muslim family which we denied. Calgary Imam Syed Soharwardy, founder and president of the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada, said theres no reason the school cannot allow students to pray. They were not asking for a dedicated place. They were asking for somewhere they (would be) allowed to perform the prayer, he said Friday. And that place could be in a corridor ... maybe in a room. Soharwardy said he hopes the tribunal will once again side with the students. No date has been set for a new tribunal hearing. Read more about: OTTAWAThe federal government launched a rescue plan for the stalled Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, pledging $4.5 billion as a downpayment on its political vow to move more Alberta oil to markets. The Star answers key questions about the move: How much will it actually cost beyond the initial $4.5 billion? A lot. The $4.5 billion committed by the federal government simply buys the Trans Mountain pipeline and assets associated with the work done so far on the expansion. Some $1 billion has already been spent on work to twin the pipeline and analysts say it could take another $6 billion to $7 billion to finish. But there are other potential costs, even if Ottawa succeeds in finding another company to take on the project. The Trudeau government will extend indemnity or insurance to cover any extraordinary politically-motivated delays caused by any province or municipality, and will even promise to buy back the project if it confronts losses in the courts or cannot complete the project despite commercially reasonable efforts. Some critics argue that, in addition to actual project costs, the price tag should include the $1.5 billion over five years that Ottawa committed to a new Oceans Protection Plan, which beefs up coastal safeguards for Arctic and Atlantic waters as well as Pacific ones. It was a key demand by the former B.C. provincial Liberal government as a condition of its agreement to the project. In the event that the government does not find a buyer and gets stuck with the pipeline, is it a good investment? Federal officials hope to find another private sector company quickly, one with a greater appetite for risk than Kinder Morgan, to take on the project. If that fails, Canadian taxpayers will be the proud owners of a pipeline. Walid Hejazi, an associate professor at the Rotman School of Management, said that pipelines typically have enormous returns. The Trans Mountain pipeline now has a revenue requirement of $287 million in 2017, the amount needed to cover its operating costs and produce a 9.5-per-cent return on equity, according to the National Energy Board. But governments have many priorities, and they all cost money, so tying up $4.5 billion may not be the best use of government money over the long-term. How many jobs for Canadians will be created? The Canadian government says the project would create 15,000 new jobs during construction, and 440 permanent jobs a year during operation. And, Ottawa says, the pipeline expansion provides support to thousands of jobs in Canadas crude oil production sector and supply chain. The company struck about $300 million in mutual benefits agreements with about 43 Indigenous groups. But a 2015 study done for Metro Vancouver and B.C. said the job prospects were overstated, and construction of the pipeline would produce only around 4,000 new positions in the province. What are the benefits for getting more petrol out to the coast? About 97 per cent of Canadas proven oil reserves are located in the oilsands, and 99 per cent of Canadas oil exports go to the U.S., according to the Canadian government, which says the discounted oil equals a $15 billion a year hit to the Canadian economy. The theory is that if more Canadian oil can be shipped to coastal ports, with the possibility of being sold directly to energy-hungry Asian markets, especially China, Canada would fetch a better price. According to Natural Resources Canada, Canadian oil sells for $26 U.S. less a barrel than U.S. oil, and the price difference is costing Canadas oil sector up to $40 million a day in lost revenues, says the government, citing market studies. Moving oil by pipeline, rather than by rail, is projected to save companies $1 billion a year. Then there are royalties projected to result from the pipeline expansion, which will triple the capacity to ship heavy, light and refined petroleum products to Vancouver. These are estimated to be about $46 billion. What does this do for the already modest climate targets? According to a November 2016 report from Environment and Climate Change Canada, the total upstream greenhouse gas emissions of the expanded Trans Mountain pipeline would be between 21 megatonnes and 26 megatonnes per year. Of that, 13 to 15 MTs would come from the expanded pipelines extra carrying capacity, the report says. And while departments projections from last December show Canada is already on pace to fall short of its 2030 emissions target the projection says it will hit 583 MTs, instead of 517 MTs, that year Environment Minister Catherine McKenna has repeatedly said extra emissions from the Trans Mountain expansion fit within the governments climate action plan. Thats because Albertas NDP government is proposing a hard cap of 100 MTs of annual emissions from the provinces oilsands to meet the 2030 target. New emissions from the pipeline would have to be offset by reductions elsewhere to fit within Albertas cap. What are the environmental risks? This question lies at the heart of B.C.s opposition to the project. The expansion would increase the capacity of the pipeline to 890,000 barrels per day, up from 300,000 barrels. There is the risk of a spill along the pipeline route. There is also the risk of a tanker spill, once the oil has been delivered to port. B.C., in particular, is concerned about the possibility of a spill in coastal waters. As noted, the federal government tried to mitigate those concerns with its oceans protection plan meant to improve marine safety and respond to spills, but B.C. says that strategy doesnt go far enough. It says the effects of a bitumen spill are not well known. Once the federal government takes ownership of the project, Canadian taxpayers will be on the hook to pay for the clean-ups of any spill. What are the implications for federal-provincial relations? The project has sparked a nasty feud between Ottawa and Alberta on one side and B.C. on the other. NDP-led governments are in power in each, but B.C.s minority NDP government is propped up by three Green Party members and opposes the pipeline for environmental reasons; Alberts NDP government sees moving its oil to market as vital to its economic interests and has threatened to curtail energy exports to B.C. in retaliation for their opposition. More broadly, other provinces, notably Quebec, are closely watching the debate and its implications for federal involvement in such projects elsewhere in the country. What are the implications for reconciliation with Indigenous peoples? This will be a challenge for the Liberal government. Trans Mountain has signed 43 benefit agreements with Indigenous groups in B.C. and Alberta to share some $400 million with these communities. But other Indigenous groups remain opposed to the expansion and have vowed to keep up their protests to the project. No means no; the project does not have the consent it requires, and we will not stand down no matter who buys this ill-fated and exorbitantly priced pipeline, said Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs after Ottawas announcement. Minister of Indigenous Services Jane Philpott said that Ottawa will ensure it is fully respectful of the rights of Indigenous Peoples. What are the implications for current or anticipated legal actions? Uncertain at this time. Ottawa has always insisted that, because the pipeline crosses provincial boundaries, the project falls squarely into federal jurisdiction. B.C. is challenging that claim and has gone to court seeking clarification over the provinces powers to control substances that could potentially cause devastating environment and economic harms if they are spilled. Government officials say it is much harder for the B.C. government to make laws against a federal Crown-owned project. Who wins? Who loses? Alberta Premier Rachel Notley comes out a winner. Shes been an advocate of the pipeline and the expansion will move more oil and ultimately boost her provinces economy. B.C. Premier John Horgan may also be on the winning side. Horgan, leader of a minority government, may ultimately fail in his attempts to block the pipeline expansion, but B.C. voters may still reward his determination. Its too soon to say how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau may fare. Trudeau has tied his governments fortunes to the pipeline getting built. But the decision to take ownership of the project now puts the Liberals squarely on a collision course with their opponents and that could cost them in B.C. in the 2019 election. Read more about: OTTAWA The federal government has announced $50 million in funding for Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba to help offset the costs of housing thousands of asylum seekers. Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen pledged the money Friday in response to provincial and municipal demands for federal help to cope with a crisis that risked overwhelming local resources. Toronto Mayor John Mayor who last month had criticized the lack of assistance from Ottawa said Friday that the funding announcement was a start toward the federal government meeting its responsibilities to cities. Tory noted that the housing refugee claimants will cost Toronto alone $64.5 million by the end of the year, plus an additional $6.3 million to open emergency sites. Canadas largest city is struggling to house more than 2,600 refugee claimants in its homeless shelters, making up about 40.8 per cent of the entire system, and is now making arrangements to open up college dormitories. Our city has a long history of welcoming refugees and we continue to support that approach, but we have been clear that Toronto can no longer absorb the cost and impact of the increasing numbers of refugee claimants coming into the country at this time, Tory said in a statement. Those claimants are among a growing number of asylum seekers crossing the Canadian border from the United States outside normal border crossings, numbering some 20,593 in 2017. On Friday, Hussen praised the provinces and Montreal and Toronto in particular for their extraordinary efforts to assist the refugee claimants. Hussen acknowledged that the influx of asylum-seekers has increased pressure to provide shelter and social services. He said the initial funds are meant to provide immediate assistance for temporary housing. Quebec will receive $36 million, Ontario $11 million and Manitoba $3 million. That funding is well short of what municipal and provincial leaders were demanding. Quebec, for example, was seeking reimbursement for $146 million in costs. Hussen suggested that more funding could eventually be on the way. This is an initial help for immediate needs to meet the requirements for temporary housing shelter capacity this summer, he said. It is by no means a final payment. The discussions towards further financial assistance are ongoing. Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel said the funding was only a Band-Aid solution and warned that municipal and provincial demands for money will only rise unless Ottawa amends fix a loophole in the Safe Third Country Agreement to stem the flow of asylum seekers. The Canada-U. S. immigration treaty states that an asylum seeker must make their claim with the government of the country in which they first arrive. But the agreement only applies to official border crossings. I predict that you're going to see this government having to come out over and over and over again over the next year as municipalities and provinces have to deal with the impact of this strain on our system, Rempel said. With files from Allan Woods Read more about: Hours after an 18-year-old Chinese international student died in a fire at a Scarborough property, a landlord told tenants at other connected properties to gather their belongings and leave. Weisong Zhou and his wife, Yu Jing, own six properties near the University of Torontos Scarborough campus, according to Ontario property records. On Wednesday, tenants at two properties told the Star Zhou was evicting them without notice. He said his house had a fire and I had to move out, said Vivian Meng, 18, who lived at 27 Challenger Court, a two-minute drive from the house at 10 Haida Court, where her close friend Helen Guo died in the fire. Meng said she and her four roommates, all international students who were living in the basement, were told to leave mere hours after the fire that also injured three others. I dont understand why, Meng said. He said that it was because of some rules but I dont know what they are. Read more: I cant believe shes gone: Friend identifies Helen Guo, 18, as Chinese student killed in Scarborough fire Fire inspection companies face charges involving 3 Toronto buildings The Star visited six rental properties owned by Zhou and Jing on Wednesday and Thursday all were large, detached, single-family homes within minutes of each other and the three universities and colleges in the neighbourhood. Jing is listed as the sole owner of 10 Haida Court, and a co-owner on one other property; Zhou is listed as a sole or co-owner of five of the properties. At 3321 Ellesmere Rd. the Star entered and saw a basement apartment home to eight international students with shared facilities and apparent safety hazards, including two mould-filled bathrooms, two kitchens one of which did not have running water and at least two broken or expired smoke detectors. At 3346 Ellesmere Rd., four men were observed moving the contents of the home into a dumpster. The Star presented Zhou with a detailed list of questions outlining allegations that include apparent violations at his properties, and his decision to evict the tenants. All the information is not correct, he replied. Right now, my priority is to make sure all current tenants are safe, he said in a phone call. After that, Im not renting any more. I dont know where you are getting these rumours, he added. They are all wrong. The Star asked Zhou for more detail, but did not receive a response. The Star was unable to find contact information for Jing, who is listed as his spouse on Ontario property records. According to the City of Torontos definition, a rooming house is defined as a dwelling where more than four people separately rent out bedrooms, and share some communal spaces like a kitchen and washrooms. At least three of Zhous properties visited by the Star appeared to fit the citys definition of a rooming house such houses are illegal in Scarborough, but may be licensed in other parts of Toronto. Sixteen people lived at 3321 Ellesmere Rd. On Wednesday, Zhou told all of them to leave within 24 hours, according to a tenant. Joel, a Centennial College student who lives in the basement, said Zhou arrived at around 1 p.m. Wednesday, freaking out. The Star agreed not to publish Joels last name to not harm his future search for housing. He told the Star he did not intend to leave the basement immediately, but is looking for other accommodation. He was distraught. We have to pack up and leave now, he said, adding the owner knocked on every tenants door and told them to leave by Thursday, and also provided them with cash for the last months rent. Three other tenants in the house confirmed the verbal eviction order to the Star. They asked their names not be published to protect their search for future housing. Two of them told the Star Zhou is a good landlord, who changed light bulbs and came to help when called. It was unfortunate this happened to him, one said. In 48 hours, Zhou appeared to have visited the house three different times, and had called several of tenants personally, asking them to make other living arrangements. Joel found the property in an ad on Kijiji. It was listed for a monthly rent of $350, but he paid $300 a discount he said he received for helping around the house. There is one fire extinguisher downstairs, Joel said. On one smoke detector, the Star saw a label reading Replace in 2017. In the kitchen, another appeared visibly broken. He kept forgetting, Joel said of his landlord. Meng said she paid $350 a month for her room at 27 Challenger Court. She said she moved there after hearing a presentation from Zhous wife at her high school in China in 2016. She told us the advantages of the university in Scarborough. She was also advertising her houses, the 19-year-old said. Moving at such short notice has been stressful, she said. A May 29 rental listing on the Chinese language website 51.ca, posted by a user with the same phone number as Zhou, under the name Allen a name his tenants said he went by advertises a 150-square-foot room in a house near Military Trail and Ellesmere Rd., near three of Zhous properties. The listing is for $550 a month. Jim Hart, the councillor for the neighbourhood, said that rooming houses are a need that exists around universities. The problem is there are no bylaws that exist to help regulate or keep them up to safety standards leaving tenants, often in precarious employment and living conditions, to fend for themselves. Tenants shouldnt have to move out at such short notice, said Geordie Dent, executive director at the Federation of Metro Tenants Association. They dont have to do that, ever. No tenant should ever do that, he said. Eviction in Ontario is a process. The city has the power to order the people out for various codes, but a landlord doesnt. A landlords always going to have to go to the Landlord and Tenant Board, he said, and give tenants notice and attend hearings. The city has the power to evict tenants in the case of illegal dwellings, namely properties that are not up to code or deemed unsafe, and will issue orders to that effect, he said. Typically, these come to tenants directly from city or fire staff. Rooming houses are a major hotbed issues for tenants, Dent said. A lot of people, thats all they can afford right now so landlords are cashing out on the fact that theres no affordable housing. Before the amalgamation of the six cities to form Toronto, each area had its own bylaws about rooming houses, said Toronto housing policy expert Paul Dowling. After amalgamation, the rooming house provisions were not harmonized, he said. No one really knows how many rooming houses there are in the city. As such, existing illegal or unlicensed rooming houses cannot be regulated or inspected, but the city can press charges against property owners for violating fire codes, property standards, and zoning bylaws. Eight people have died in 18 rooming house fires between 2007 and 2016, according to a 2018 study by University of Toronto Cities Centre professor Philippa Campsie. In their initial investigation of the fire at 10 Haida Court on Wednesday, fire investigators told reporters they had found multiple violations, including a basement with only one exit what they called a clear violation of the Ontario Fire Code. There should be at least two exits from a basement apartment according to the City of Toronto website. The Star saw only one exit from the basement of 3321 Ellesmere Rd. At 49 Glenthorne Dr., another property owned by Zhou, fire investigators made a check call on May 25 because of the accidental activation of a personal alarm, according to Toronto Fire Captain David Eckerman. They didnt find any major issues. In the aftermath of the 10 Haida Court fire, investigators could be seen going door to door. On Thursday afternoon at 3346 Ellesmere Rd., another property owned by Zhou, the Star approached four men rapidly loading furniture parts, suitcases, moving boxes and several black garbage bags into a very large movable waste bin. When asked if they had been evicted, the men refused to comment, stating they didnt know anything. In a half hour, the bin was filled to the top. Of the legal, licensed rooming houses that do exist in the city, many are being demolished or gentrified, Dent said, resulting in more unlicensed, and potentially dangerous, dwellings. Not every illegal rooming house is completely a death trap, but again, we believe that all apartments in the City of Toronto should be licensed, and this is one of the reasons why. With files from Evelyn Kwong, Premila DSa. Read more about: University of Toronto student James Madhier was doing research on a barren farm in Ghana in May 2016, when the landowner, a young mother, approached him with her small child in tow. Madhier, there to study solar-powered farming, expected the woman might simply introduce herself to the researchers, or ask about sustainable water solutions they were exploring that could help her farm a cocoa farm intercropped with plantain, which had been decimated by a drought. Instead, she said: Take my daughter with you. We were really shocked, said Madhier, 29. It was the best thing she could think to do to help her child, he said, a sentiment he sympathized with. I left thinking it was not long ago that I was in a similar situation, helpless in South Sudan during the war, and now here I am. Im coming back from a developed world, Toronto, as a researcher. I cant just turn my back. On the plane back to Toronto, Madhier drew up a plan for what would become Rainmaker Enterprise a non-profit development organization that aims to bring solar-powered irrigation infrastructure to Africa to combat food insecurity caused by droughts. He founded it in 2017. Rainmaker Enterprise will host its first annual Water for Peace Cocktail Reception on Saturday, featuring keynote remarks by Romeo Dallaire, founder of the Romeo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative, which aims to end the recruitment and use of child soldiers, and South Sudanese-Canadian award-winning musician and former child soldier Emmanuel Jal. The gala will raise funds for Rainmakers upcoming pilot project in South Sudan. The initiative comes just five years after Madhier was selected as one of 129 student refugees given the opportunity to come to Canada for post-secondary education through the World University Service of Canadas (WUSC) Student Refugee Program. Madhier grew up under the abiding threat of bombings, militia groups, and famine as generations of civil war ravaged on in South Sudan. He eventually fled the country at 15, finding his way to a Kenyan refugee camp and, through WUSC, went on to attend the University of Toronto, where he is completing peace, conflict and justice studies at the Munk School of Global Affairs. Read more: From refugee to university degree: How a Canadian program is giving refugee students a way out Throughout university, Madhier has researched sustainable development solutions around the world and addressed leaders at the United Nations General Assembly high-level meeting on peace-building in April. Soon he will return to Tonj in South Sudan, a village he used to call home, with a plan to tap into the power of the sun. Solar-powered water infrastructure is enabling communities to engage in year-round agriculture, because climate change with extreme droughts and extreme flux that comes from sporadic rain has caused failure of crops, and has devastated a lot of communities, he said. His team of 10 people is working to address extreme hunger, water scarcity, and water-driven conflicts and health issues by installing solar-powered water pumps and drip-irrigation systems, starting in South Sudan and expanding to other countries. In addition to it being his home country, Madhier chose South Sudan as his pilot country because he said it is among the least prepared to deal with issues of climate change related to limited water sources. Anna Jiang, a civil engineer who specializes in water infrastructure at Rainmaker, said the team aims to locally source materials, technology and labour that will be used to get the systems in place and maintained. A bore hole will be dug into the ground and a solar-powered submersible pump will help get the water into an elevated storage tank, which then runs through a tube grid hovering over the crops, dripping out water. Drip irrigation has been found to produce up to 90 per cent water efficiency, she said, because more water gets to plant roots instead of being evaporated. The Rainmaker team plans to start installing the infrastructure during the dry season in January in Tonj, located in a central part of the country that is relatively safe compared to other regions, she said. Their pilot project will carry over two years, starting with 50 acres and growing to what she calls an ambitious 450 acres. So far, the project is funded by private donations and grants. Its inspiring. Thats the main goal. We have the potential to impact their lives in a meaningful way, said Jiang. I really like that the CEO has a personal connection (to South Sudan). Its important with the trust in the community, and thats a huge factor in any non-profit project. Its an intervention that Madhier and his team expects will help empower the community and ease tensions over limited water and food resources by making it possible to have more local produce and help reduce food prices. Having seen this problem (in Ghana), a problem that is not far removed from what I experienced personally, I came back with a lot of thoughts in my mind from my past life, and my current life in a comfortable environment, Madhier said. We all contributed to climate change, really, but not everyone is facing it equally. One male was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries after a shooting in the citys west end Thursday night, according to police. Toronto Police responded to numerous calls about shots heard in an apartment building on the corner of Weston Rd. and Sheppard Ave. W. Police arrived on scene at 10:53 p.m. and found one male victim in the hallway with an upper body gunshot wound. Toronto Police spokesperson Katrina Arrogante said the victim was not breathing when police got to him, but a pulse was found. Paramedics rushed him to a trauma centre in serious condition. No other victims were found on scene and there is no information on possible suspects yet, according to police. A command post has been set up at the scene as the investigation continues. More to come Researchers from McGill University may have discovered the key to solving the problem of stagnating ridership thats plaguing transit agencies across the continent. Its the humble public bus. After years of successive growth, cities across North America are struggling to address plateauing or even declining transit use. The TTC is no exception, and last year ridership decreased significantly for the first time since 2003, with the number of trips falling to 533.2 million in 2017, from 538 million in 2016. If (cities) are to address the issues of congestion and sustainable mobility, it is an important issue that they need to look into, said Genevieve Boisjoly, a PhD candidate and lead author of the new study, Invest in the Ride. In its own analysis, the TTC has blamed the poor numbers on slow employment growth and the increasing prevalence of part-time work, which has undermined the agencys most reliable customer base of daily commuters. But the research from McGills School of Urban Planning determined external factors like the economy and gas prices are likely less influential than internal ones relating to transit operations, like service levels and fare prices. In what the researchers say is the most comprehensive study to date of North Americas ridership problem, they looked at transit usage trends in 25 large cities in Canada and the United States from 2002 to 2015. They found the factor that had the strongest association with changes in ridership was the amount of bus service agencies deployed. Every 10 per cent increase in kilometres of bus service was associated with an 8.27-per-cent increase in ridership. From a policy perspective, this research suggests that investments in public transport operations, especially bus services, can be a key factor to mitigate the decline in transit ridership or sustain and increase it, the study asserts. Although public debates about transit often centre on grand plans for multi-billion-dollar rail lines, Boisjoly said there are a number of reasons why buses might be more effective at increasing ridership. Its easier to add service coverage with bus services, because its cheaper you dont need to add infrastructure to reach new areas of the city, she said. Because building new rail lines is expensive, most increases in rail service are achieved by increasing the frequency of trains on existing routes, which is good but may not have the same impact on attracting new users and new trips, according to Boisjoly. Buses are the workhorses of Torontos transit system. Almost half of all TTC trips are taken by bus, while about 40 per cent are taken by subway. Streetcars make up about 10 per cent, and the Scarborough RT less than 1 per cent. Bus ridership during off-peak hours is the only sector of TTC ridership that isnt flatlining, according to a December report from the agency. Bus service was reduced during the Rob Ford administration, but the TTC has been making gains in recent years, including by implementing a network of routes that offer service every 10 minutes or less all day, adding new express routes, and improving frequency on dozens of lines during peak and off-peak times. TTC spokesperson Brad Ross said the agency hasnt conducted a post-implementation analysis of all of the improvements, and cant yet conclude increased service equals increased ridership. The agency is in the midst of a major purchase of over 1,000 buses, most of which will replace older vehicles that are being retired, and is also refurbishing about 700 vehicles in its current fleet. The ridership growth strategy the TTC board approved in January included increasing service reliability and frequency as one measure to attract more customers, but set no specific targets. The strategy asserted that improving existing service would only produce modest gains however, and a more significant bump would require transformative steps like opening new rail lines and partnering with private transportation companies to provide micro-transit for last mile trips. Boisjoly said while innovations like micro-transit might help, I dont think innovations on their own can address ridership problems, without improving the volume of service. Shelagh Pizey-Allen, executive director of transit advocacy group TTCriders, said the study shows why the NDP and Green Partys plan to fairly fund the TTC is so urgent. Both parties have pledged to pick up half of the TTCs net operating costs if they win next Thursdays provincial election. Increasing transit ridership is as simple as more service and lower fares, but the TTC needs more funding to do that, Pizey-Allen said. The two other major parties arent promising to directly fund TTC operations. Instead, the Liberals plan to lower GO Transit fares within Toronto to $3, while the Ontario PCs say uploading the subway system to the province would make it easier for Toronto to fund transit projects. Comedian Mike Bullard got a reprieve from some of his legal woes Friday when two charges against him were dropped. The former TV and radio talk show host no longer faces charges of obstructing justice and criminal harassment. Bullards brush with the criminal justice system stems from criminal harassment charges laid in the fall of 2016 relating to ex-girlfriend Cynthia Mulligan, a CityNews reporter. He was also previously charged with breaching previous bail conditions. Bullard had been ordered not to have any contact with Mulligan, his previous surety and witnesses involved in the case. It was very rare and I was quite surprised, said Bullards lawyer Calvin Barry when the two charges against his client were dropped. Those were the two, by far, the most serious charges. A judge dismissed the charges Friday morning in a courtroom in the College Park Courthouse in downtown Toronto. Bullard still faces charges in connection with repeated phone calls he made and for failing to comply with bail conditions and attempting to obstruct justice. He is scheduled to appear in court June 21. Barry said he feels confident there is no reasonable prospect of conviction on the remaining charges. Were very close to resolving things, Barry said. Its not in the public interest to go ahead. Barry said Bullard has had no contact with Mulligan since Oct. 2016, and that Bullard would gladly agree to a peace bond so both parties can move on, Barry said. This should properly resolve itself. The 25 per cent tariff on Canadian steel imposed at midnight Thursday will inevitably cause U.S. border chaos for Hamilton steelmakers as American officials struggle to enforce the new rules, Hamiltons Chamber of Commerce says. I hate to be alarmist but I feel there is going to be a major backup at the border, says Keanin Loomis, the CEO of the Hamilton Chamber. Think about it. When that first truck crosses the border, is the border patrol agent going to be ready? And the effects after that are only going to be compounded. But how the trade sanctions will play out over the coming weeks is far from certain. Analysts say the Canadian steel industry as well as the aluminum sector that will be slapped with a 10 per cent tariff can manage a short-term spike in prices. But if the tariffs drag on amid stalled NAFTA talks, there could be devastating effects to steel and aluminum companies, higher prices for consumer goods and even a full-scale trade war. U.S. President Donald Trump announced Thursday morning that for national security reasons he was imposing the tariffs on Canada, Mexico and the European Union, all of which he had previously exempted. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the tariffs were totally unacceptable and retaliated with tariffs on dozens of U.S. products to go into effect July 1 if the American tariffs are still in place. Loomis says Hamilton has more than 9,000 jobs in steelmaking, with ArcelorMittal Dofasco being the largest employer with nearly 5,000. The steel sector is not as big as it used to be proportionately in Hamilton, but it is still a huge part of our economy, said Loomis. He said considering spinoff jobs, more than 40,000 people owe their paycheques to steel in the Hamilton area. An estimated 43 per cent of Canadas steel is made in Hamilton. Canada ships about $6 billion in steel products to the U.S. annually, and about the same amount flows from the U.S. to Canada. Neither Stelco or ArcelorMittal Dofasco would comment, referring questions to the Canadian Steel Producers Association. Joseph Galimberti of the steel producers association said, This will have a really significant effect on the industry. He said he did not know how much steel Hamilton steelmakers sell in the U.S. But he said about half of the steel produced across Canada is exported into the U.S. Applying a 25 per cent tariff on steel when we have had a fair and balanced relationship in trade in that product for a generation is surprising. I think the entire process has been pretty alarming, he said. A 25 per cent tariff in Canadas largest export market is a really significant competitive disadvantage and by extension that implies a pretty significant threat to investment in Canadian steel. In a recent Spectator interview with Stelco CEO Alan Kestenbaum, he said 80 per cent of Stelcos sales are in Canada. But the companys growth strategy involves making greater inroads into the American market, especially when it comes to high-grade steel in the automotive industry. A recent Stelco management and discussion report said trade actions by the U.S. are a potential risk, (but) we believe this risk may be mitigated by our continued focus on the development of additional markets for our products. In addition ... there is associated risk of steel imports traditionally destined for the United States being diverted into the Canadian market which could impact domestic demand and pricing. We continue to monitor these developments ... Gary Howe, president of Local 1005 that represents Hamilton workers at Stelco, says, were trying not to panic and he noted that most of Stelcos business is in Canada and would not be affected by the tariff. Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger said in terms of direct employment impact, nobody knows how this is going to play out. But this is bad for not only the Canadian economy but the American economy as well, he said. Canadas closest ally is the United States and I am still hopeful that saner heads will prevail. Loomis contends that American steel buyers do not have alternatives to Canadian steel, so they will simply have to pay the higher price. Its going to cause companies buying steel in the U.S. to look elsewhere but they are not going to find domestic capacity to fill the hole. So they are going to end up paying extra which they will pass on to the consumer. McMaster University economist Atif Kubursi, an expert in international trade, said the big consideration is how long the tariff remains in force. If it is short-lived, the effect will be minor, but if it drags on our ability to sell steel in the U.S. will be much less. It will also increase the cost of living, causing hardships on consumers and on the ability of the economy to adjust and remain competitive with other countries that dont have to pay the tariff. He feels the move is a tactic to try to force concessions in the stalled NAFTA talks. Kubursi describes the move as a typical Trumpian tactic that is likely to fail. It is part of the Art of the Deal that should backfire, Kubursi says. We cannot continue to reward this irrational behaviour. With files from Steve Buist and Canadian Press Read more about: The lack of regulation of rooming houses in several neighbourhoods across the city where many students attend college or university is a result of years of political inaction caused by public opposition to the dwellings, a city councillor says. Ward 14 Councillor Gordon Perks, a member of the Tenant Issues Committee, said he and several members of council have been trying unsuccessfully for more than a decade to make rooming houses in Scarborough and North York legal. Right now, they are illegal. Unfortunately, a majority of Toronto city councillors, including those from Scarborough, keep voting us down, and the human cost of that is unacceptable, said Perks. The councillor made his remarks in the wake of a fatal fire in an alleged rooming house near the University of Torontos Scarborough Campus. Emergency services were called Wednesday morning to 10 Haida Court, where 18-year-old Chinese international student Helen Guo was killed in the fire. Three other people were injured. A Toronto Star investigation found that the landlord, who owns 10 Haida Court, told tenants at other properties he owned near the U of T Scarborough campus to gather their belongings and leave, hours after the fire. According to the City of Torontos definition, a rooming house is defined as a dwelling where more than four people separately rent out bedrooms, and share some communal spaces such as a kitchen and washrooms. At least three of landlords properties visited by the Star appeared to fit the citys definition of a rooming house. Perks said many residents living in those areas oppose rooming houses. He said they believe they have the right to keep away low-income people and students from living in their neighbourhood. Some members of council bow to that public pressure, keeping rooming houses underground and illegal, and putting all the tenants at risk. It is disgusting, said Perks. Unless there is a big shake up in the council, he said he expects any attempt to regulate rooming houses to fail. Im sick in my soul that my colleagues fail so fundamentally on this issue. Jim Hart, the councillor in the neighbourhood, said rooming houses are fundamentally necessary in areas near universities and colleges. He said it has been a challenge in his ward, where Scarborough campus of U of T is located, that there is no bylaw regulating rooming houses. A bylaw needs to be enacted to protect the people inside the home and to protect the integrity of the neighbourhood, said Hart, who confirmed many residents in the community opposes rooming houses. In the wake of the fatal house fire in Scarborough, Toronto fire service is cracking down on illegal rooming houses that are putting the lives of students at risk. Mayor John Tory briefly told reporters on Friday that city needs to discuss the issue and decide the appropriate action to address the problem. Our foremost consideration must be the safety of all the people, who live in all those houses including students. And that is something that Ill be continuing to address myself to with my colleagues Tears flowed amid the laughter on Kevin Frankishs last day after 27 years as co-host of Breakfast Television. Mayor John Tory and Argos icon Mike (Pinball) Clemons were among the celebrities at the City-TV studios Friday to say goodbye to the popular morning personality. Tory joined the broadcast after Bob Segers Turn the Page played, and handed Frankish a framed certificate from city council. Youve been so important to people in this city, you made them smile, youve got them up but I also think youve done something much, much more than that, Tory said. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sent in a message via video, telling him that the last 27 years has been quite a journey. As a BT fan myself, I want to thank you for making Torontos mornings that much more special, Trudeau said. Wishing you all the best for the next chapter, youll be missed and my mom sends her best. Frankish, 54, announced he was leaving earlier this week but will remain at the station to work on special projects. Viewers tweeted out their thanks and favourite memories under the hashtag #ThanksKevin, the top trending topic on Twitter in Toronto in the morning. You have started my day for the past 23 years, since the birth of my daughter turned me into an early riser, tweeted a user named Jan (@Jan_ShinePhoto). I will miss the hell out of you but wish you continued success & much happiness. #thankskevin #sleepin @KevinFrankish @BTtoronto Dina Pugliese, co-host since 2006, told Frankish at the end of the broadcast that hell always be part of the family. Its been 12 years of just joy and laughter and love, said a teary Pugliese, before asking family and the television crew to join them. Frankish bid farewell to his long-time viewers and thanked them for watching. Its been a privilege, its been an honour, he said as tears rolled down his face. These are good people, these are my family. Ive got many families but I cannot forget my family out there watching. So many of you come up and just talk to me and say, hi Kev. And I hope you dont stop doing that. Police have arrested a man in connection with the theft of a lemur, a tortoise and a baby gibbon from the Elmvale Jungle Zoo. Between 10 p.m. Monday and 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, JC the lemur, Stanley the tortoise and Agnes the baby gibbon were taken from the Simcoe County zoo, reported the OPPs Huronia West Detachment in a news release on Tuesday. The combined value of the animals is said to be more than $20,000. Alex Perlmutter, 21, from Ottawa, was arrested in Mount Albert, Ont. Friday night, said a police news release. The stolen animals have not yet been located. Correction - June 4, 2018: This article was edited from a previous version to update a photo caption that misidentified JC the lemur as being on the right. Read more about: A Toronto woman has filed a wrongful-dismissal lawsuit against her employer, claiming her pregnancy is what motivated the credit union to terminate her. Late last year, nine months after receiving a promotion at DUCA Financial Services Credit Union, Jennifer Marrello, 38, an employee for more than four years, was let go without cause. She says her dismissal on Nov. 8 happened a day after she left work early for an appointment at her doctors office. That week her co-workers had noticed she was experiencing signs of pregnancy and suggested she make the medical appointment, her statement of claim says. Many of her co-workers were likely within earshot on Nov. 6 when she was on her work phone confirming the visit to her physician, her claim states. Omar Ha-Redeye, her lawyer, says she mentioned the word pregnancy during the phone call. Her period was a few weeks late, and she wasnt feeling well when she asked to see the doctor. The doctor ordered blood tests for a subsequent date, and those tests confirmed the pregnancy, her lawyer says. She is due to give birth later this year. Marrello received four weeks termination pay and continuation of a mortgage discount. In its statement of defence, DUCA says Marrellos release had nothing to do with pregnancy. Rather, despite ongoing training, Marrello struggled in her position and made repeated errors, the credit union says in court documents. Marrello was dismissed as a result of her significant performance issues and the liability concerns caused by them and no other reason, the credit union claims. Marrello and her lawyer say the tasks DUCA is pointing to regarding errors were not solely her responsibility and that DUCA is trying to shift the blame to her. In an interview, Marrellos lawyer said given Marrellos years of service, if it believed she wasnt a good fit in her new role, the more appropriate response should have been to give her more training or if that wasnt feasible, a warning. As a last resort a new position should have been found for her within the organization, the lawyer argues. As opposed to simply terminating her, coincidentally after finding out she is pregnant, Ha-Redeye said. He called the timing very suspicious. Marrello is seeking $250,000 in general damages in her lawsuit, filed in Ontarios Superior Court of Justice in February. In her statement of claim Marrello says she was told the termination was a business decision. In an interview, Marrello says she was told she was being let go because of changes in her department and because her role was no longer necessary. After Marrello filed her lawsuit, DUCAs statement of defence in April said the dismissal was performance-related. DUCA denies all Marrellos claims. None of the allegations in Marrellos suit or DUCAs response have been tested in court. Marrello began working there in June 2013 in a front-line role as a member services representative. The credit union provides financial products such as insurance, savings accounts and mortgages. Headquartered in North York, DUCA has 59,000 members and more than $2 billion in assets. In February 2017 Marrello was promoted to collections administrator. Duties included determining which member accounts were in arrears, preparing notices of arrears, creating delinquency reports and negotiating repayment terms. The job paid her $37,000 a year, and came with bonuses, benefits, a pension, a mortgage discount program and two weeks vacation. She was promoted by Sue Di Gironimo, an assistant vice-president. Marrello, in an interview in the Scarborough home she shares with her husband and his 6-year-old daughter, says she enjoyed her new role. I wanted to learn as much as I could. I felt that as somebody who had previous front-line experience, I might be able to utilize that to make the collections process easier for our members and be able to retain our members as a result, she says. Devi Ramlu, a collections administrator who also reported to Di Gironimo, had encouraged Marrello to apply for the job, after Marrello reached out to her, the statement of defence says. DUCA says Ramlu was Marrellos peer in her new position, while Marrello claims Ramlu was her immediate supervisor. Jennifer worked under Devi and reported to her on a daily basis, says Ha-Redeye, Marrellos lawyer. It its statement of defence, DUCA says Ramlu and Di Gironimo trained Marrello last year during the first two and a half months of her new job, and in May and June of that year participated in weekly discussions to put supports in place to help Marrello reduce her errors. The list of errors DUCA cites includes collections letters not being sent when accounts were in arrears, incorrect math on delinquency letters, sending delinquency letters to the wrong address or member, failing to correctly document when a debt was paid, and failing to file documents from the Canada Revenue Agency. Marrello had a high-level security clearance, so the mistakes were a significant concern, DUCA says in its statement of defence, which noted additional errors in October and November. In October, Ramlu went to Di Gironimo in tears regarding (Marrellos) rude behaviour and the high number of errors (Marrello) continued to commit, the statement says. The fact is Di Gironimo and DUCA no longer had any confidence in (Marrellos) ability to complete the basic tasks required of a collections administrator. The Star reached out to Di Gironimo through DUCAs office but she did not respond. The credit union says that in October, Di Gironimo approached DUCA about terminating Marrello. But Marrello and her lawyer dispute those details. Marrello says she was part of a group and most of her work was reviewed and initialled by Ramlu before being sent out. These are not tasks or issues that Jennifer was solely responsible for, Ha-Redeye says. In an emailed statement, DUCAs lawyer, Malcolm MacKillop, said we do not comment on cases that are before the court. For this story the Star also reached out to Ramlu, visited DUCAs head office, and contacted DUCA board members but did not get responses. Ha-Redeye says Ramlu spoke supportively about Marrello in the past. Three months after the promotion, in a May 2017 text exchange the lawyer provided to the Star, Ramlu tells Marrello: No I (Ramlu) was just like you when I started. You are like me. I made tons of mistakes. Marlene was not so nice. She (complained) about me a lot. Ask Gabby, I had it bad, Ramlu says, referring to two other DUCA employees. You are not a challenge, you are a perfectionist, Ramlu goes on to tell Marrello in the text exchange. Ramlu also reached out to Marrello in the spring of 2017 to join a business venture Ramlu was involved in, unconnected to DUCA. In an April email to Marrello that her lawyer provided to the Star, Ramlu writes: Hello Jennifer, Welcome to the New Financial Services Industry. Im very happy that you decided to test drive this wonderful opportunity. There is a growing need for financial services educators. I'm looking forward to our business venture in reaching individuals and families who have not planned or prepared enough for the future. Ramlu goes by the title independent insurance broker in the email. Later, in May, after encouragement from Ramlu, Marrello obtained a licence to sell mutual funds. The plan was to sell for World Financial Group, the business Ramlu was involved with, Marrello says. But soon after, Marrello says she opted not to sell the funds. At last, Joe Groia is a winner. Undoubtedly Torontos most prominent rude lawyer, Groia had suffered a considerable number of losses over the last few years as he tried to appeal a Law Society of Ontario finding of incivility being rude and disruptive in court and a penalty consisting of a one month-suspension and $200,000 in costs. The finding was upheld by a law society appeal panel. Then it was upheld in Divisional Court. And upheld yet again at the Ontario Court of Appeal in a split decision. But Groia, having invested an estimated $2 million in a legal battle closely watched by lawyers across the country, and resolute in his belief that he was simply zealously advocating for his client in court, soldiered on. On Friday, his perseverance paid off. The Supreme Court of Canada, in a 6-3 decision, overturned the professional misconduct finding after declaring it unreasonable. Though they still said he could have been nicer in court. Although the Supreme Court has said that they are critical of some, or maybe many of the things I did, at the same time theyve done something that I think is incredibly important, which is to make it very clear that defence lawyers are entitled to a considerable amount of latitude in defending their clients, Groia told the Star on Friday after reading the top courts 119-page ruling. Except in very rare circumstances and the court said this is not one of them defence lawyers dont need to be looking over their shoulders if they believe its necessary to criticize the prosecutor or accuse the prosecution of acting inappropriately. The so-called incivility stems from the first phase, in the early 2000s, of the lengthy trial of Bre-X Minerals executive John Felderhof. The minerals company vice-president had been accused by the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) of insider trading and other securities charges in one of the largest business scandals in Canadian history. He was acquitted of all charges by a judge in a 600-page decision in 2007. Groia had frequently made allegations of prosecutorial misconduct, particularly related to issues of disclosure of evidence and admissibility of documents at trial. He described the OSC prosecution as lazy and referred to it as the government, which the law society later accused him of saying sarcastically, which he denies. To be sure, Mr. Groia should not have made his allegations in the sarcastic tone that he sometimes employed, Supreme Court Justice Michael Moldaver said in Fridays decision, writing for five of the six judges in the majority. The tenor of his allegations at times descended into what can fairly be described as petulant invective. No one ever complained about his conduct to the law society, which regulates the legal profession in Ontario. The regulator began its own investigation after a newspaper report of a Court of Appeal decision in the lengthy Felderhof proceedings. Groia was convicted of professional misconduct by a law society discipline panel in 2012, and ordered to serve a two-month suspension and pay nearly $250,000 in costs. The finding was upheld, but the penalty lowered to a one-month suspension and $200,000 in costs, in 2013 by a law society appeal panel. The findings were then upheld at two different levels of court in Ontario. Writing for the Supreme Court majority, which includes now retired chief justice Beverley McLachlin, Moldaver endorsed the law society appeal panels approach to incivility, finding among other things that it allows for a proportionate balancing of lawyers expressive rights and the law societys mandate to regulate the legal profession in the public interest. However, he wrote that the appeal panels decision in the Groia case was unreasonable and was contrary to its own approach on incivility. He noted that part of the appeal panels findings were based on the fact that Groia had misinterpreted the law in his allegations of prosecutorial misconduct. Moldaver said Groias allegations were made in good faith and reasonably based on his understanding of the law. And while Groia frequently made the allegations during the first phase of the trial, Moldaver noted that the law concerning abuse of process was underdeveloped at the time, as it was unclear whether a lawyer should repeatedly raise the allegations during trial or wait until the end. The trial judge also chose not to curb Groias allegations during much of the first phase of the trial, but when the judge and higher courts did give him instructions, Groia complied, Moldaver wrote. Taking these considerations into account, the only reasonable disposition is a finding that he did not engage in professional misconduct, Moldaver wrote. The law society said in a statement that it welcomes the courts endorsement of its approach to incivility. This decision upholds the law societys jurisdiction to regulate the legal professions conduct in court, said the statement. Justice Suzanne Cote agreed with the five-judge majority that Groias appeal should be allowed, but she would have followed a different legal route to get to that result. In a stinging dissent, Supreme Court justices Andromache Karakatsanis, Clement Gascon and Malcolm Rowe accused the majority of misstat(ing) the law society appeal panels approach to incivility and of reweighing the evidence in Groias case when it should have shown deference to the appeal panel. We have a number of concerns about the implications that follow from Justice Moldavers reasons, the three dissenting judges wrote. Respectfully, we are concerned that they immunize erroneous allegations from law society sanction, validate improper conduct and threaten to undermine the administration of justice and the culture change that this court has called for in recent years. Now that Groia wont be suspended after all, hell continue his work not only as a lawyer but as a member of the law societys board of directors, to which he was elected by more than 3,000 lawyers in 2015. The regulator will also be paying his costs from his discipline proceedings and appeals, as ordered by the Supreme Court on Friday. I think its going to be an interesting decision, lots written about it, but today, for me, I go back to where this all started, which is when John (Felderhof) hired me in 1997, Groia said. And 21 years later, I guess we can finally say the final chapter in the Bre-X case has been written. A trial date has been set for a Toronto police officer and his brother accused of assaulting Black teenager Dafonte Miller. Toronto police Const. Michael Theriault and his brother, Christian, will go to trial in Oshawa Feb. 19, 2019. The date was set following a pretrial hearing Thursday, May 31. Both men were present in court when the date was set. Miller was 19 when he was involved in a confrontation with the Theriault brothers about 2:30 a.m. Dec. 28, 2016, on a residential street in Whitby. In a complaint filed with a provincial police oversight agency, Miller says he was walking with friends when the Theriaults demanded to know what they were doing in the neighbourhood. The encounter apparently quickly escalated and Miller ran away, only to be allegedly chased down by the Theriaults and punched, kicked, and beaten with a metal pipe, the complaint claims. Durham police responded to 911 calls and arrested Miller on charges including assault with a weapon. Those charges were withdrawn by the Crown in May of 2017. Although Miller sustained serious injuries during an interaction with a police officer, the Special Investigations Unit, an arms length agency that investigates such incidents, was not contacted by either Durham or Toronto police. The SIU was alerted by Julian Falconer, a lawyer retained by Millers family, in April of 2017. Last summer the SIU charged the Theriaults with aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and public mischief. Dafonte Miller and other witnesses testified at a preliminary inquiry for the accused men earlier this year in Oshawa. A publication ban prohibits reporting on evidence presented during the hearing. The Theriaults will have a trial by jury, with Superior Court Justice Laura Bird presiding. Read more about: Kneel before General Zod! Or at the very least, vote for him in the upcoming provincial election. The Kryptonian supervillain (as played by Terence Stamp in the 1978 movie Superman) appears to be moving away from dictatorship and into democracy, if a lawn sign spotted in Toronto during this springs campaign is any indication. Zods run for office, an unexpected twist in an already tumultuous race, prompted a Twitter account where the would-be premier has taken to tweeting out campaign promises. And while the Man of Steels archrival isnt actually a candidate, anyone looking to pledge their allegiance to him is encouraged by the artist Zoltan Hawryluk to print their own version of the lawn sign. Haryluk only asks that those vouching for Zod tag him in any social media posts. More trouble with travel A day after a mechanical breakdown left Andrea Horwaths NDP campaign bus stalled on the side of a highway, travel gremlins hit the Liberals. Read more: How much do political platforms influence the outcomes of elections? Ford defends his partys lack of a fully-costed platform Opinion | Thomas Walkom: Fully costed platform not necessary for a Doug Ford victory Kathleen Wynne's early morning charter flight to Ottawa was grounded by mechanical problems, forcing the Liberal leader and the media following her to hop on a Porter flight instead. But it was impossible to snare enough seats on such short notice, leaving Wynnes chief of staff and communications director among the campaign advisers left behind on an eastern Ontario swing that was scheduled to begin with a 6 a.m. departure from Queens Park. With campaign bus stops in the Ottawa suburb of Orleans, the nearby farming town of St. Albert, a shopping mall parking lot in Kingston for Global TV anchor Alan Carter to do a live hit for the suppertime news, and an evening barbecue in Belleville, the day was not slated to end until a late night arrival back in Toronto. Can elites be radical? Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford has been attacking some of Andrea Horwaths candidates as a mob of radical downtown Toronto elites. But during an appearance Thursday at an elite downtown Toronto condo building, the unrepentant New Democrat leader was having none of it. People sometimes do quote-unquote radical things to get the attention of decision-makers, Horwath said in defending her partys candidate in University-Rosedale, Jessica Bell. Bell was arrested at a 2004 environmental protest in Grassy Narrows and again in a demonstration in Seattle but has never been convicted of anything. She said shes never been ashamed of participating in peaceful civil disobedience. In Toronto, what I have done as the executive director of TTCriders (a transit advocacy non-profit group) is I have improved public transit, using my organizing skills to make life better for ordinary people, Bell said. Read more about: UKHALI, BANGLADESHWhen the rain came, as Mohammad Rafiq knew it would, there was nowhere to run. The water oozed under the tarpaulin wall of his familys makeshift shelter, turning the dirt floor to mud and soaking the sacks of rice that represented most of their food. Gusts of wind ripped the bamboo-and-plastic roof, tossing the pieces like playing cards. The brief storm last week offered a grim but probably mild preview of the dangers facing more than 900,000 Rohingya Muslims crammed into refugee camps in southern Bangladesh, the wettest region of a country regularly pulverized by cyclones, flash floods and landslides. With the annual monsoon rains forecast to begin within weeks, families like Rafiqs are racing to shore up their flimsy huts with rocks, sandbags, bamboo poles, plastic sheets and whatever they can scrounge, while humanitarian agencies warn of a looming disaster. We are very worried, said Rafiq, a 40-year-old father of five. The rains last for several days at a time, and then there are cyclones. No one is prepared. Rafiq was busily repairing his shelter on a muggy morning days after the storm, tying and retying knots of rope to hold sticks of bamboo in place. His children were spending nights in another familys hut; he and his wife were sleeping on mats under their tattered roof, praying more rain wouldnt fall. Read more: Opinion | Rohingya crisis puts our common humanity to the test Top-level UN team meets Burma leader in Rohingya probe Canada pledges $300 million in aid to help Rohingya, but stops short on resettlement Pre-monsoon showers have already damaged or destroyed scores of shelters, but Rafiqs family lost more than their home: with no money, he was forced to pawn his 9-year-old daughters gold-plated earrings to raise roughly $120 to buy new bamboo and plastic sheeting. Even this wont be enough, Rafiq said. The upcoming monsoon, which typically runs from June through September, is the first that nearly 700,000 Rohingya refugees will spend in the camps after fleeing persecution and brutal attacks by the Burma army last summer. Many who survived what human rights groups have described as ethnic cleansing now confront another potentially life-threatening situation one they cannot escape. We really fear that the monsoon and cyclone seasons will create a disaster within a disaster, said Daphnee Cook, spokeswoman for the relief agency Save the Children. The low hills along the coast of southeastern Bangladesh typically receive up to 40 inches of rainfall in a month at the peak of the monsoon almost as much as Los Angeles averages in three years. To accommodate the masses of refugees who began crossing from Burma in August, sandy knolls were flattened and more than 1,000 acres of forests were chopped down, heightening the risk of landslides. As desperate families crowded into every available space, they built fragile huts and tents at the bottoms of the hills and stacked almost atop one another along denuded slopes. The Inter Sector Coordination Group, an umbrella organization of relief agencies responding to the crisis, has said that 200,000 people need to be relocated before the rains come. On a patch of high ground in Ukhali, earthmovers are crushing hills into more flat land, but aid groups say there is only enough new space to move about 20,000 refugees. Many families have adopted a fatalistic attitude, saying they dont want to leave shelters where they are often surrounded by extended family members. After being through so much trauma, people do not want to be separated from family, said Nafeesa Shamsuddin, spokeswoman for Brac, Bangladeshs largest relief agency, which has recruited volunteers to counsel people in waterlogged areas to move. When approached with the risks they face, a common phrase they say is: It is up to God. Relief groups say the rains could also damage health facilities and make dirt roads inside the refugee camps impassable, delaying the delivery of food aid and life-saving supplies. With no plumbing, refugees rely on latrines, many of which are less than five feet deep and, if flooded, could spread sewage across the densely packed camps. Nearly one-third of latrines have been dug close to the wells that supply drinking water, creating an acute risk of contamination and outbreaks of diseases, such as cholera. Any outbreak of disease would quickly claim the lives of thousands of malnourished children given current malnutrition levels, which exceed global emergency thresholds, Cook said. Barred by authorities from receiving regular medical care in Burma, Rohingya Muslims have extremely low vaccination rates. In May, medical teams launched the second round of a cholera vaccination drive that has seen almost 900,000 people inoculated against the often fatal illness, which spreads through contaminated water. We have not seen in modern times a refugee population of this magnitude arriving with almost no vaccinations, said Sumbul Rizvi, who leads the Inter Sector Coordination Group. The United Nations has appealed to the international community for $951 million (U.S.) to meet the emergency needs of Rohingya refugees and more than 300,000 Bangladeshis living in the surrounding areas. It has received less than 20 per cent of the funding so far, officials say. For now, the most pressing worry among refugees is fortifying their shelters. In the steamy heat, grey-haired men and barefoot children hauled 20-foot-long bamboo poles to their huts, while sweat-drenched workers dug trenches and laid tarps along hillsides to guard against flooding. The camps echoed with the thwack of hammers nailing planks into place and with the grunts of men positioning sandbags on their roofs to keep them from blowing away. In the Lombashia refugee camp, after the last rain shower, Ansar Begum scooped water out of her tent with her bare hands. Begum, 22, recalled the two-story wood-frame house that her fisherman husband, Mohammad Johar, had built in Burma with their savings, even after being jailed briefly by authorities who objected to Rohingya families erecting permanent structures. That house was firm during the monsoon, she said. We are back to living like beggars. She held her children close to her: a 9-year-old boy recently struck down by severe diarrhea, and a 3-year-old who had already been hit with measles. We worry a lot about them getting sick, she said. When it starts to rain, I dont know what well do. We can only cry. MADRIDSpains government was on the brink of collapse Thursday as opponents of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy appeared to have mustered enough support to oust him in a parliamentary no-confidence vote stemming from a corruption scandal. The choice for Rajoy was increasingly stark: jump first and resign his post, or wait to be pushed out Friday when Parliament was scheduled for a vote he seemed nearly certain to lose. Either outcome would mean a change of leadership for Spain and would send the country sooner or later to new elections. The sudden turn in fortune for Rajoy, one of Europes longest-serving prime ministers, is certain to be the next test of the stability of southern Europe after financial markets were sent reeling by a bumpy political week in Italy, which is still struggling to form a new government after inconclusive elections in March. But unlike Italy, where the countrys economic stagnation under the euro has become a central issue, the issue in Spain is Rajoy himself and a long-building corruption scandal that has tainted his conservative Popular Party. Last week, Spains national court sentenced more than two dozen business people and politicians including the partys former treasurer on charges of operating a kickback scheme. Afterward, Spains main opposition Socialist Party put forward a motion asking lawmakers to vote Rajoy from office and install a Socialist administration before another national election. Read more: Madrid regional leader resigns with head held high after shoplifting video emerges Former Catalonia president arrested in Germany, sparking major protests in Barcelona If that measure succeeds Friday, it would complete a remarkable comeback for Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez and make him Spains new prime minister. If Rajoy resigns, it would allow his deputy prime minister to take over on an interim basis. By midafternoon, the Basque nationalist party said its lawmakers would support Sanchez, ensuring that a vote of no-confidence would be approved by a slim majority of the 350 lawmakers in the Spanish Parliament. The two main Catalan separatist parties were also set to vote against Rajoy. At the start of debate Thursday, Sanchez urged Rajoy to resign rather than getting voted out of office. What more needs to happen for you to understand that remaining is damaging and a burden not only for the country but also for your own party? Sanchez said in Parliament, addressing Rajoy. Sanchez also confirmed that a Socialist administration would maintain the budgetary plan recently approved by Rajoys government, which includes a generous financing deal for the Basque region, and promised to open a dialogue and rebuild the broken bridges with the Catalan separatist politicians with whom Rajoy has been at loggerheads for years. Rajoy insisted Thursday morning that he had no intention of allowing Sanchez to run Spain. How do you plan to govern? Rajoy asked Sanchez. Theres no point coming here to say only that Rajoy is the biggest of all evils. But as it became clearer that Sanchez could sway lawmakers from smaller parties, Rajoy did not attend the afternoon session of Parliament. Two years ago, Spain spent 10 months in political limbo after two inconclusive elections, a period that ended with Rajoy at the helm of a vulnerable minority government. New elections could mean a replay and extend the uncertainty that has destabilized markets and the politics of southern Europe, starting with Italy. What the two countries share are political systems that have been badly fractured by the emergence of upstart parties, by the lingering effects of the financial crisis and by waning faith in the traditional parties that have dominated politics for decades. The only bright spot for Europe, analysts say, is that none of the main parties in Spain are challenging the European single currency, as is happening in Italy. Unlike the situation in Italy, the crisis of the Rajoy government and the vote of no confidence are not about the European Union or the euro, said Bonnie N. Field, a professor of global studies at Bentley University in Massachusetts. In this way, Spain is less of a threat to the European project than Italy. The reason for that has everything to do with the divergent paths the two countries took to try to get out of the euro and debt crisis from which much of Europe is only now emerging. Italy blinked again and again at painful economic and political reforms, and its economy remains a laggard, saddled with high public debt and low growth. Rajoy on the other hand pushed through contentious austerity measures that have widened income inequality and made jobs more precarious, but have restored economic growth. Spaniards surpassed Italians as a richer people in term of gross domestic product per capita this year for the first time in the countries shared history in the European Union. On the other hand, Spain has been badly shaken by an ongoing territorial crisis over the prosperous northeastern region of Catalonia, which Rajoy blocked from seceding late last year. In fact, nationalist lawmakers from Catalonia and the Basque region could help decide his fate. Rajoy, 63, a veteran of European politics, began serving in ministerial positions in 1996. Over the past two decades, he has managed to survive election defeats as well as a Spanish banking bailout in 2012, often by cautiously waiting for bolder rivals to fail. Until Thursday, Rajoys main survival hope came from the divisions among opposition parties. His current government depends on support from a smaller, pro-business party, Ciudadanos, which was founded in Catalonia and has seen its stock rise for its strong opposition to the regions independence drive. Ciudadanos wanted to force Rajoy to either call a snap election or get Parliament to approve an interim administration of technocrats rather than a Socialist government before an election later this year. As it became clear that the Socialists could circumvent Ciudadanos and rely instead on the support of Catalan and Basque nationalist politicians, Albert Rivera, the leader of Ciudadanos, warned that the Socialists could allow separatists to destroy Spains unity. Today is a terrible day for Spain, Rivera said. A no-confidence vote needs approval not only by an absolute majority of lawmakers, but also agreement on a substitute prime minister. No party has anything close to a parliamentary majority and recent polls suggest only that Ciudadanos has an incentive to hold an election now. A snap election would come at a fragile time for the two left-wing parties of Spain, the Socialists and Podemos, which failed to form an alternative coalition government to replace Rajoy in 2016 and then suffered from internal feuding. Last year, Pedro Sanchez was unexpectedly re-elected to the leadership of his Socialist Party, seven months after being ousted in a party revolt and abandoning his parliamentary seat. Last weeks verdicts in the corruption case made Rajoys party the first Spanish political force to be convicted of operating a slush fund and ordered to pay a fine, 245,000 euros, about $370,000. The partys former treasurer, Luis Barcenas, was sentenced to 33 years in prison and fined 44 million euros, alongside 28 other businessmen and politicians who received over 300 years in combined prison sentences for benefiting from a kickbacks-for-contracts scheme. Rajoy and others from his party have acknowledged the damage since then, but they have also insisted that it did not imply fraud was committed by Spains current administration or the party as a whole. But Aitor Esteban, a Basque nationalist lawmaker, insisted Thursday that the court ruling marked a before and after for Rajoy and his party. He said his own party was not looking to destabilize Spain, but wanted to put an end to months of political tsunamis caused by repeated corruption scandals and the incapacity to reach agreements of the bigger national parties, led by Rajoys conservatives. Esteban congratulated Sanchez on making a good move, but also warned him to stay true to his pledge to resolve the crisis in Catalonia. I trust that the dialogue that you have promised will be real, Esteban told Sanchez. You will face hostilities from day one, Esteban added. Your government will be very complicated, weak and difficult. Read more about: Sejilla McDowall, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Ag. Informed the Court that the charge against Reuben Robinson had been upgraded from manslaughter to murder. Reuben Robinson, a 56-year-old former police officer here, with a history of mental illness, was reduced to tears at the High Court on Tuesday after Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Ag. Sejilla McDowall, informed the Court that the DPPs Office had indicted Robinson with murder, in connection with a matter for which he had been on bail for almost five years. Robinson, who was on bail on the lesser charge of manslaughter, was then remanded on the upgraded charge, as persons are not usually granted bail on murder charges, unless in exceptional circumstances. McDowall brought the new course of action to the Courts attention, during a case management hearing on Tuesday. In January 2013, Robinson was charged with the murder of Kemmie Hackshaw of Glen, who died after reportedly being struck in the head with a hammer during an incident at Glen around 4 a.m., January 7, 2013. At a Preliminary Inquiry (PI) heard at the Serious Offences Court between July 31 and August 8, 2013, then Chief Magistrate Sonya Young committed Robinson to stand trial in the High Court for manslaughter, in connection with Hackshaws death, and Robinson, who was also charged with wounding, was granted $25,000 bail with one surety. Robinsons attorney Grant Connell described the DPPs decision to now upgrade the charge to murder, after his client had been on bail for several years on the reduced charge of manslaughter, as "an abuse of process. Connell told the High Court on Tuesday that the defence had been holding discussions with the DPPs office, in relation to the matter, for the past four or five years, and Social Inquiry and Psychiatric reports on Robinson were already prepared. Justice Brian Cottle inquired of McDowall whether the Prosecution was ready to proceed with the matter. The acting DPP indicated that there was another matter in progress, and did not give any specific date when Robinsons case could be started. Connell said he was ready. "It is not fair to the accused to have him now remanded in prison, after being on bail for such a long time, Justice Cottle contended. He questioned why couldnt the issue have been discussed with the defence. Justice Cottle made it clear that he was not questioning the DPPs decision to indict for murder, but was only trying to see how he could have the issue dealt with in the interest of both sides. Speaking with THE VINCENTIAN later, Connell confirmed that a copy of the indictment was served on him, May 23. "It was signed by the DPP (Ag.), the most powerful pen in the land. Who is Grant Connell to question that? "I hope the matter would be brought to trial as soon as possible. This is very unfortunate. What I can say is that I hope the Office of the DPP will be filled soon, and I trust one of the qualities of the person who fills that position, will be the ability to handle power, Connell said. McDowall was appointed DPP (Ag.) earlier this year, after then DPP Colin Williams resigned the position to take up duties as High Court Judge in Belize. BRUSSELSA man arrested alongside the Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam has been formally charged in Belgium with participation in terrorist activities in a case that sheds light on the scale and ambition of the Deash, also known as ISIS or ISIL, network that killed more than 150 people in the French and Belgian capitals in recent years. The man, Sofien Ayari, a 24-year-old Tunisian, made his way to Brussels after crossing the Mediterranean in the summer of 2015, according to prosecutors, at the height of Europes refugee crisis. Prosecutors say he became part of a Brussels-based network with at least nine safe houses, including two bomb-making shops, and which was planning many further attacks. He was captured March 18, 2016, hiding with Abdeslam, believed by investigators to be the only surviving on-the-ground perpetrator of the attacks that killed 130 people in and around Paris in November 2015. Both men were sentenced last month to 20 years in prison for shooting at the police while Abdeslam was on the run. On Thursday, Belgian prosecutors formally charged Ayari with participation in the activities of a terrorist organization in relation to attacks on the Brussels airport and subway that left more than 30 people dead. Investigations are evolutionary, said Eric Van der Sijpt, a spokeperson for the Federal Prosecutors Office. It took us two years to put all the different bits and pieces together and decide that we had enough evidence to charge him in relation to the Brussels attacks. It was after the two men were arrested, investigators say, that the group was panicked into mounting those attacks. The situation is such that we cant, that we cant wait any longer, says an audio message that investigators say was made three days after the arrests by Najim Laachraoui, who was to be one of three suicide bombers in the Brussels attacks. We need to act as quickly as possible, and we have decided to act tomorrow, Tuesday, March 22, in the morning, because we dont have any safe houses anymore there is nobody left. According to police records, however, the explosives he used were made for a far larger series of attacks, with potential targets including museums, military barracks, government offices, nuclear sites, Schiphol airport in Amsterdam, a French Catholic youth group, a royalist group and a punk group. The overall investigation involves about 40 suspects, official police records show, of whom 14 are dead and 16 under arrest in France or Belgium, with several others held abroad and at least two still being sought. During the trial last month, Ayari unlike Abdeslam spoke elaborately, minimizing his role in the network and claiming not to know names put to him, while refusing to answer some questions. Ayari is expected to go on trial in Brussels again next year, in front of a jury, alongside an additional 10 people suspected of involvement in the Brussels attacks. Abdeslam is expected to be charged over that case as well. A separate trial regarding the Paris attacks will take place in the French capital, with some of the same suspects. ROMEItalys president swore in western Europes first populist government Friday, featuring a mix of anti-establishment and right-wing ministers who have promised an Italy first agenda that has alarmed Europes political establishment. The continents euroskeptic politicians cheered the birth of the new government coalition of the 5-Star Movement and the right-wing League party. Milans stock market closed up 1.5 per cent Friday after a last-minute deal Thursday averted the threat of an early election that could have turned into a referendum on whether Italy should ditch the shared euro currency. President Sergio Mattarella, who negotiated through three months of political deadlock to finally find a workable government, presided over the ceremony in the gilded Quirinale Palace. Eighteen ministers five of them women took the oath of office, pledging to observe Italys constitution and work exclusively in the interests of the nation. The ministers feature a mix of 5-Star and League loyalists and a political neophyte in the form of Premier Giuseppe Conte, who was still teaching his law classes at the University of Florence up until Thursday. The key economy ministry went to a mainstream economist, Giovanni Tria, who is close to the centre-right Forza Italia party of ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi. Mattarella had vetoed the 5-Star-Leagues first proposed candidate for the post because of his euroskeptic views. The ceremony Friday afternoon capped a roller-coaster week of political and financial turmoil that saw stock markets around the world plunge and Italys borrowing rates soar on the threat of a new election in Europes third-largest economy. Read more: Italian populist parties antagonistic to Europe form coalition to create government Europe waits for deeds, not words, from Italys new populists Can Italys populist parties rule the country as they ruled the vote? It also came on the eve of the nations Republic Day holiday, the day in 1946 when Italy abolished the monarchy and gave birth to the First Republic. The improbably fast rise of the grassroots 5-Star Movement and its alliance with the right-wing, anti-immigrant League has been dubbed the birth of Italys Third Republic, after Italys political order was largely drubbed in the March 4 national vote. Look at this spectacle! marvelled 5-Star leader Luigi Di Maio moments before the swearing-in ceremony. In a Facebook post featuring a photo of the 5-Star ministers, he said: There are a lot of us, and were ready to launch a government of change to improve the quality of life for all Italians. After the ceremony, Conte headed to the premiers office to formally take the reins and a symbolic little bell from ex-premier Paolo Gentiloni. Contes deputy premiers are his two more seasoned political masters: Di Maio and Matteo Salvini, head of the League. Di Maio, who pledged to give needy Italians a basic income, takes over as economic development minister, while Salvini heads the interior ministry, the key position to enforce his pledge to expel hundreds of thousands of migrants. After the swearing-in, Salvini told reporters his first order of business would be to reduce the arrivals and increase the expulsions of migrants, as well as the costs associated with their care. The immigration question is still hot, so I will ask all who are concerned with it how we can improve it, he said. Yet migrant arrivals to Italy actually plunged in the last year under the centre-left Democratic Party, which signed controversial deals with Libya to beef up coastal patrols and prevent migrants from setting out in smugglers boats across the Mediterranean Sea. The Cabinet also includes defence attorney Giulia Bongiorno as the new minister for public administration. A centre-right lawmaker, she is legendary for defending ex-premier Giulio Andreotti against mafia collusion charges and defending the ex-boyfriend of American student Amanda Knox against murder charges. The changing of the guard sets the stage for obligatory confidence votes in Parliament next week. Between them, the League and 5-Stars have a thin parliamentary majority, and some right-wing lawmakers outside the government have vowed to abstain rather than vote against them. Europes populists and right-wingers cheered the new government as a slap in the face to Brussels, headquarters of the 28-nation European Union. French far-right leader Marine Le Pen tweeted: Its a victory of democracy over intimidation and threats from the European Union. Le Pen shares the Leagues firm stance against immigrants. Nigel Farage, former leader of Britains UKIP party that played a key role in the Brexit campaign for Britain to leave the EU, wished good luck to the two Italian parties. Gotta stay strong or the bully boys will be after you, he warned. It was a reference to EU officials, who have made clear in recent days their concerns in occasionally undiplomatic terms about Italys euroskeptic direction. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told a conference Thursday that he loved Italy, but refused to accept the frequent pass-the-blame mantra by Italian politicians that Italys ills are the fault of the EU. Italians have to take care of the poor regions of Italy. That means more work, less corruption. Seriousness, he said. We will help them, as we always did. But dont play this game. His comments sparked outrage in Italy, with Salvini blasting them as racist in his victory speech Thursday in northern Lombardy. With the new government, well see how to make them respect the rights and dignity of 60 million Italians who want co-operation from Europe, not insults, Salvini said. By Friday, EC spokesperson Mina Andreeva said Juncker deeply regrets the comments and reaffirmed that he not only loved Italy, but that the EU executive was committed to working with its new government. We have full confidence in the capacity and willingness of the new government to engage constructively with its European partners and EU institutions to uphold Italys central role in the common European project, Andreeva said. Ex-premier Matteo Renzi, whose Democrats suffered their worst-ever results in the March vote, wished good luck to the Conte government while vowing to be the civil opposition. We are radically something other than the majority that supports this government, Renzi tweeted. Read more about: WASHINGTONAfter a week of hard-nosed negotiation, diplomatic gamesmanship and no shortage of theatrics, U.S. President Donald Trump announced Friday that the historic nuclear-weapons summit he had cancelled with North Koreas Kim Jong Un is back on. The June 12 meeting in Singapore, the first between heads of the technically still-warring nations, is meant to begin the process of ending North Koreas nuclear program, and Trump said he believes Kim is committed to that goal. The announcement puts back on track a high-risk summit that could be a legacy-defining moment for the American leader, who has matched his unconventional deal-making style with the mercurial Kim government. Despite recently envisioning Nobel laurels, Trump worked on Friday to lower expectations for a quick breakthrough. Were going to deal, and were going to really start a process, Trump said. He spoke from the South Lawn of the White House after seeing off a senior Kim deputy who spent more than an hour with him in the Oval Office. Much had been made of a letter his visitor was bringing from the North Korean leader, but Trumps comments left it unclear when he had even managed to take a look at it. The president said it was likely that more than a single meeting would be necessary to bring about his goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. He said, I think youre going to have a very positive result in the end, not from one meeting. In the latest sign of hostility cooling down but hopes kept in check, Trump said he had unilaterally put a hold on hundreds of new sanctions against the North, without Kims government even asking. Im not going to put them on until such time as the talks break down, he said. Read more: U.S. secretary of state and North Korean official conclude talks to salvage nuclear summit Trump made a mess of North Korea talks, experts say Opinion | Thomas Walkom: Korean peace process doesnt need Trump I dont even want to use the term maximum pressure anymore, Trump added, referencing his preferred term for the punishing U.S. economic sanctions imposed on North Korea in response to its nuclear and ballistic missile tests. But he said he would not remove current sanctions until the North took steps to denuclearize. Trump warmly greeted Kim Yong Chol, the vice chairman of the North Korean ruling partys central committee, in the Oval Office, where a brief encounter meant for the hand delivery of a personal letter from Kim Jong Un became a longer discussion of areas of disagreement between the two countries. After the meeting, Trump posed for photos with Kim Yong Chol outside the Oval Office, and they talked amiably at Kims black SUV before he was driven away. Trump told reporters he hadnt yet read the letter from the North Korean leader and added with a smile, I may be in for a big surprise, folks. But minutes earlier, he had described the note as a very interesting letter, and teased journalists about revealing its contents. Later Friday, deputy White House press secretary Hogan Gidley confirmed that Trump had read the letter, but he did not reveal its contents. Plans for the meeting in Singapore had been cast into doubt after Trump suddenly announced his withdrawal last week, only to announce a day later that it could still get back on track. White House officials cast the roller-coaster public statements as reflective of efforts by each leader to test the resolve of the other. Trump cited increasingly bellicose statements from the North and ignored messages about summit logistics when he announced he was backing out of the summit in a strongly worded letter. He cited tremendous anger and open hostility by Pyongyang but also urged Kim Jong Un to call him. By the next day, he was signalling the event could be back on after a conciliatory response from North Korea. Within days, three teams of officials in the U.S., Singapore and the Korean demilitarized zone began meeting on preparations for the summit. Trump has declined to publicly acknowledge whether hes spoken directly with Kim Jong Un ahead of the talks. Kim Yong Chol, whisked to the Oval Office by White House chief of staff John Kelly, is the most senior North Korean to visit in 18 years, a symbolic sign of easing tensions after fears of war escalated amid North Korean nuclear and missile tests last year. Questions remain about what a deal on the Norths nuclear weapons would look like. Trump said Friday he believed Kim Jong Un would agree to denuclearization, but the two countries have offered differing visions of what that entails. Despite Kims apparent eagerness for a summit with Trump, there are many doubts that he would fully relinquish his nuclear arsenal, which he may see as his guarantee of survival. U.S. defence and intelligence officials have repeatedly assessed the North to be on the threshold the capability to strike anywhere in the continental U.S. with a nuclear-tipped missile a capacity that Trump and other U.S. officials have said they would not tolerate. Trump has promised that he will provide protections for Kim and his government in return for giving up the nuclear program. He also indicated that South Korea, China and Japan would be prepared to invest in the North to boost its besieged economy. Kim Yong Chol left his hotel in New York City early Friday for the trip to Washington in a convoy of SUVs. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the former CIA chief who has travelled to North Korea and met with Kim Jong Un twice in the past two months, said he believed the countrys leaders are contemplating a path forward where they can make a strategic shift, one that their country has not been prepared to make before. Kim Yong Chol was allowed into the United States despite being on a U.S. sanctions list, and granted special permission to travel outside the New York area to meet with the president. Read more about: WASHINGTONAfter lashing back at Canada in response to Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus criticism of his new tariffs, U.S. President Donald Trump declared that he loves Canada but also floated the idea of killing the North American Free Trade Agreement that Canada supports and instead creating separate trade deals with Canada and Mexico. Canada and Mexico both want to stay in the three-country NAFTA that has existed since 1994. Trumps Friday comments come nine months into the negotiations, which he initiated, that are intended to make changes to that three-country pact. To be honest with you I wouldnt mind seeing NAFTA where youd go by a different name, where you make a separate deal with Canada and a separate deal with Mexico. Because youre talking about a very different two countries, Trump said outside the White House. Canada and the U.S. had their own two-country trade agreement from 1989 until the three-country NAFTA replaced it in 1994. Trump has been criticized by Canadian and Mexican leaders and numerous members of his own party for hitting such close allies with steel and aluminum tariffs. Trump responded: Theyre our allies, but they take advantage of us economically. I love Canada. I love Mexico. I love em. But Mexicos making over $100 billion a year and theyre not helping us with our border, Trump said, falsely describing a trade deficit that was $69 billion (U.S.) last year and has never been $100 billion. Read more: Opinion: Thomas Walkom | NAFTA deal to reveal how far Canada and Mexico surrendered Trudeau rejects five-year NAFTA sunset clause Trump sets out as precondition to leaders meeting Trump says Canada is very spoiled and very difficult on trade Trumps latest remarks cast further doubt on his commitment to an agreement he described again as a terrible deal for the United States. Negotiations have stalled amid several serious disagreements. Negotiators, however, have shrugged off previous musings from the president in the past and continued with the three-country negotiations. Canada has not ruled out the idea of a two-country agreement without Mexico. Trump criticized Canada on three separate occasions on Thursday and Friday after Trudeau delivered an unusually pointed rebuke of Trumps tariffs and vowed to retaliate with Canadian tariffs on more than 100 U.S. products. Trudeau taped a Friday interview with NBCs Meet the Press, which airs Sunday, to make his anti-tariff case to an American audience. The idea that we are somehow a national security threat to the United States is quite frankly insulting and unacceptable, Trudeau said, repeating his Thursday argument against the national security provision under which the tariffs were officially imposed. In a rare nighttime statement on Thursday, Trump called out Trudeau by name: The United States has been taken advantage of for many decades on trade. Those days are over. Earlier today, this message was conveyed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada: The United State (sic) will agree to a fair deal, or there will be no deal at all. In a tweet Friday morning, Trump returned to his familiar complaints about Canadian agriculture. Canada has treated our Agricultural business and Farmers very poorly for a very long period of time. Highly restrictive on Trade! he wrote. They must open their markets and take down their trade barriers! They report a really high surplus on trade with us. Do Timber & Lumber in U.S.? U.S. data has consistently shown that the U.S. has a trade surplus with Canada. Canadian data, calculated differently, has shown that Canada has the surplus. Regardless, economic analysts agree that the relationship is largely balanced and that the existence of a surplus or a deficit is not a good way to measure the quality of a trade relationship. Trump has periodically complained about Canadian agriculture policy, particularly with regard to milk. His administration is demanding changes to Canadas supply management system as part of the NAFTA talks. In his Friday remarks outside the White House, Trump falsely claimed: Canada doesnt take I mean, theyre very restrictive as to taking our agricultural product and other things. Trumps Agriculture Department reported in March that Canada bought more U.S. agricultural products in 2017 $20.5 billion (U.S) worth than any other country. Trudeau had long attempted to maintain a positive posture toward the impulsive president, responding only indirectly to Trumps jabs at Canada. The prime ministers remarks on Thursday represented his sharpest criticism to date. Read more about: HOUSTONSeeking to comfort grieving families and shaken survivors, President Donald Trump spent more than an hour privately Thursday with some of those impacted by a Texas mass school shooting that killed 10 and wounded more than a dozen on May 18. The latest spasm of violence in a year marred by assaults on the nations schools, the shooting at Santa Fe High School was the latest to test the presidents role as national comforter-in-chief. Trump met with more than two dozen people affected by the shooting, and did not publicly share his message for the grieving families and local leaders during a meeting at a Coast Guard base outside Houston. Pamela Stanich whose 17-year-old son, Jared Black, was among the eight students killed was one of the parents who met with Trump, presenting him with a family statement and a copy of her sons eulogy. Trump met with us privately and showed sincerity, compassion, and concern on making our schools safer across the nation, she wrote in a Facebook post after the meeting. He spent time talking to the survivors and asking on what happened and what would have made a difference. Changes are coming for the good. Thank you Mr. Trump. Rhonda Hart, whose 14-year-old daughter, Kimberly Vaughan, was killed at the school, told The Associated Press that Trump repeatedly used the word wacky to describe the shooter and the trench coat he wore. She said she told Trump, Maybe if everyone had access to mental health care, we wouldnt be in the situation. Hart, an Army veteran, said she also suggested employing veterans as sentinels in schools. She said Trump responded, And arm them? She replied, No, but said Trump kept mentioning arming classroom teachers. It was like talking to a toddler, Hart said. Reporters were not permitted to witness the meeting. Read more: School shooting that left 10 dead may not bring change to gun-loving Texas After Texas school shooting, Houston police chief shares Facebook message to gun rights advocates: De-friend me Trump meets Florida school shooting survivors as calls grow for tougher gun laws While the president was in Texas, Trumps school safety commission met outside Washington, part of the presidents chosen solution to combat the rising tide of bloodshed after his brief flirtation with tougher gun laws after Februarys mass killing at a high school in Parkland, Florida went nowhere. A White House spokesperson said Trump was moved by the shooting at Santa Fe High School, which left eight students and two substitute teachers dead. A student faces capital murder charges in the attack. These events are very tragic, whenever they happen. And you know, the president wants to extend his condolences and talk about the issue of school safety, spokesperson Raj Shah told Fox News Channel. Also Thursday, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, whom Trump put in charge of the school safety commission, announced a $1 million grant to the Santa Fe school district to help with post-shooting recovery efforts. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Sen. Ted Cruz, both Republicans, greeted Trump after Air Force One landed at a Houston military base. Abbott joined Trump for the short ride in the presidential limousine to a Coast Guard hangar where the meeting took place. Trump then headed to a fundraiser at a luxury hotel in downtown Houston, the first of his two big-dollar events in Texas on Thursday. A White House official did not immediately respond to requests for details about how much money was to be raised, and who was benefitting, from the fundraising events. After 17 teachers and students were killed during a February shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Trump said he would work to improve school safety, but has not called for new gun control legislation. He created the commission to review ways to make schools safer. Trump briefly strayed from gun-rights dogma after the Parkland shooting, but quickly backpedaled. Abbott, a Republican and a staunch gun-rights supporter, has called for schools to have more armed personnel and said they should put greater focus on spotting student mental health problems. Hes proposed a few small restrictions on guns since the shooting. Investigators say student Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17, carried out the attack with a shotgun and pistol that belonged to his father. Classes at Santa Fe High School resumed Tuesday for the first time since the shooting. As the Parkland students became vocal advocates for gun control, embracing their public positions as few school survivors had before, Trump quickly became a focal point for their anger. In Trumps visit to Florida after the shooting, aides kept him clear of the school, which could have been the site of protests, and he instead met with a few victims at a local hospital and paid tribute to first responders at the nearby sheriffs office. There has yet to be a similar outcry for restrictions on firearms from the students and survivors in deep-red Texas. Displaying empathy does not come naturally to Trump, who has been criticized for appearing unfeeling in times of tragedy, including when he sharply criticized a mayor in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of a deadly hurricane and fought with a Gold Star military family. But Trump has at times displayed a softer side. On Wednesday, he returned a hug from an 8-year-old boy with muscular dystrophy who attended a White House event where he signed legislation to give patients the right to try experimental treatments. Before Thursday, Trump was most recently in the Lone Star State on May 4 to attend the annual National Rifle Association convention. He pledged in his address that NRA members Second Amendment rights will never, ever be under siege as long as I am your president. He also touted the administrations aggressive strategy on community safety and mentioned armed guards, armed teachers, mental health and metal detectors, but did not mention assault rifles like the one used in Florida. Read more about: Election day in Ontario will soon be here. More than any other this particular election seems to have attracted the attention of the extreme right. Given the perceptible rise in the so-called alt-right movement it comes as no real surprise. Recently, Vice News, the Canadian Anti-Hate network and Ricochet Media exposed the works of a notorious Canadian neo-Nazi podcaster, Thomas White from Thunder Bay Ont. Whites This Hour Has 88 minutes, popular amongst the racist set, was taken down after he was exposed. However, in one of his final episodes where another uncovered Canadian neo-Nazi leader, Zeiger was a special guest, their support for Doug Ford was effusive: Hes really taken a page from the Trumpian book, even though hes claiming when media puts his feet to the fire that hes not a Trumpist, but hes really following that playbook, and hes saying the same sorts of things that invigorate the white working class. I think its only something to be excited about, even with reservations. Such endorsements need to be firmly and unequivocally rejected and indeed Ford did just that. Nonetheless, it leaves us wondering why such extremists are so taken with Ford Nation. Then there are those who have supported common themes found within right-wing extremist ideology. Folks like Progressive Conservative candidate Andrew Lawton running in London, Ont., comes to mind. Lawton, who once shilled for hard right Rebel News, gladly repeated homophobic, Islamophobic and sexist tropes. More recently we discovered that Lawton believes it is perfectly fine to openly debate whether or not the Holocaust actually occurred. Lawton has explained that he was going through mental health issues at the time and now regrets his former positions. The electorate will in the end decide if they believe him. Politicians and those running for office must show great care not to associate themselves with groups and individuals that espouse or support extremist views. For example, at a Christmas party last year, PC candidate Donna Skelley gave a shout-out to Free Bird Media an organization that gives voice to some of Canadas most reviled white supremacists. Paul Fromm, the elder statesman of white nationalism, accused Islamophobic hatemonger Kevin Johnston and recent neo-Nazi apologist and supporter Faith Goldy, herself a former Rebel host fired for her sympathy and support of neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, have all been featured on Free Bird Media. While hardly in the same league, there is also a mystery surrounding NDP candidate Tasleem Rais. An Adolf Hitler meme appeared on her social media site. She has expressed her shock, claiming she would never knowingly post such an offensive meme. Yet she has given no further explanation as to how it got there. Some supporters have claimed it was a dirty political trick by a troll from another party. Ms. Rais has received admirable support as an inter-faith advocate from the Danforth Jewish Circle. However, to this date we still await an official explanation from the party or the candidate. And what of PC Leader Doug Fords own dalliances with intolerance? From his candidates connected to the extreme right to Ford himself, who for close to two months welcomed and supported candidate Tanya Granic Allen, an anti-Muslim, anti-abortion homophobe. It was only after exposure of some ugly intolerant comments on social media which went viral that he finally fired her from the PC roster. In doing so he used the mildest of rebukes calling her hatred irresponsible instead of an outright condemnation. Ford himself has engaged in sexist behaviour, has engaged in stereotyping Jews and has denounced a home for autistic children. He is also being publicly endorsed by two divisive religious leaders, Charles McVety and Paul Melnichuk, both of whom preach anti-Muslim and homophobic teachings and in Melnichuks case antisemitic tropes. Ford has even come out very publicly in strong support of the bigoted American President Donald Trump. This is a difficult time. White supremacists and racists are boldly making their presence felt in Ontario. Anti-Muslim demonstrations in Nathan Phillips Square and Parliament Hill have become almost commonplace. Swastikas have been found scrawled on schools and playgrounds in the GTA and just recently we have seen Wells Hills Park, in midtown Toronto, leafleted with Nazi slogans and antisemitic mantras. White supremacy has always hovered on the fringes of our society but when their divisive and dark missives invade our airwaves, towns, neighbourhoods, parks, schoolyards and playgrounds, we need to take notice. Today, more than ever, we need leaders who will embrace our differences and firmly reject racists and bigots not play footsy with them and their ideas. On June 7 Ontarians have an opportunity to show moral leadership. Lets hope we do so. Bernie M. Farber is a social justice advocate and writer. He is the former CEO of Canadian Jewish Congress and the Mosaic Institute. Read more about: Donald Trump seems to be getting the trade war that he so obviously wants. Canada resisted being drawn into that kind of destructive cycle for as long as it could, but Trumps decision to slap tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum backed this country into a corner. Invoking national security as the ostensible reason for the measure only adds insult to injury. The tariffs are also being imposed on imports from the European Union and Mexico, so the Trump administration has decided to go to economic war with its closest allies and trade partners. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was right to strike a harsher tone in reacting to this pointless, punitive step. He has gone out of his way to make nice with Trump, even when the U.S. administration first waved around the threat of tariffs back in March. But at some point a line must be drawn in the face of measures that Trudeau called totally unacceptable. The national security excuse for the tariffs is transparently thin. It is, on the face of it, absurd to invoke such a reason in relation to the United States closest economic partner, especially when the two countries metal industries are intricately intertwined. As Trudeau noted on Thursday, Canadian steel and aluminum are built into U.S. fighter jets. The idea that depending on Canada for metals is a threat to American security is farcical. More to the point, the Trump administration is openly linking the new tariffs to what it sees as Canadian and Mexican foot-dragging on talks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). A week ago Trump was grumbling that Canada is very spoiled and very difficult to deal with on trade, and his commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross, publicly cited the slow NAFTA talks as the reason for slapping on the tariffs. That makes it clear that all this has zero to do with national security and everything to do with the Trump administration leaning on the United States traditional allies to get its way on bigger trade issues. The response to that has to be: get lost. Canada resisted rising to the bait when the tariff threat was first invoked, and managed to kick the can down the road. But now that the measures are real, the Trudeau government can hardly avoid replying with dollar-for-dollar tariffs of its own on an array of American goods. Its a self-destructive cycle that will hurt businesses and consumers on both sides of the border. But failing to respond would send out a message of weakness, and faced with a bully like Trump that will just invite more attacks. At this point its clear that the Trump administration has made a remarkable hash of the NAFTA talks. It has presented Canada and Mexico with a series of unacceptable demands that served only to stiffen spines in both countries. And the window for a successful renegotiation is closing quickly, with a presidential election fast approaching in Mexico and politicking in advance of U.S. midterm elections complicating matters in Washington. The Wall Street Journal describes it all as a looming fiasco that could backfire on the president by alienating groups that should be his allies, like businesses and farmers who depend heavily on trade. Ultimately some sort of trade deal may well be salvaged. In the space of a few days, remember, Trump whip-sawed from cancelling his Korean summit with Kim Jong Un back to planning the very same meeting. Who knows what reversals may be coming on NAFTA? But even if that happens, his erratic, hostile behaviour toward the United States traditional allies is undermining Washingtons credibility around the world. On that front, the damage has already been done. Read more about: For Ontario voters this has been a particularly dispiriting election campaign. After 15 straight years with one party in power its clearly time for a change, if only to promote a healthy renewal of the democratic system. But theres a good reason why so many voters are agonizing over their choice on June 7. Kathleen Wynnes Liberals have done a lot right much more than their critics give them credit for. But at this point theyve accumulated so much baggage that few voters are listening. Andrea Horwaths New Democrats have put forward a lot of good ideas and run a strong campaign. But memories of the NDPs last and only time in power in this province still linger after 23 years, and the partys team is untested and largely unknown. And then there are the Progressive Conservatives. By all rights this campaign should have been a cake-walk for the PCs, the most obvious alternative to the Liberals. Instead, theyve shown they dont deserve the confidence of Ontarians and theyve squandered their early lead in the polls. Why? In two words: Doug Ford. A PC party led by a moderate, competent conservative could have made an excellent argument to voters this year. Instead, the PCs threw themselves into the arms of a bombastic populist with a terrible track record and a platform thats long on bumper-sticker slogans and short on actual details. Everything we know about Ford from his past abetting his brother Robs disastrous tenure at Toronto city hall, to the way he has stumbled through this campaign shows that a government led by him would be a giant step back for Ontario. We know that services would be sacrificed on the altar of his pledge to find $6 billion in unidentified efficiencies in government. We just dont know which ones. We know he would cut corporate taxes even further while making sure the lowest-paid workers dont get any more. We know he would gut environmental programs like Ontarios pioneering plan to put a price on carbon, and spend more than $1 billion pandering to drivers by cutting gasoline taxes. All this without explaining in any detail how hed paid for it. Fords specific plans, or lack of them, are bad enough. Equally bad is the divisive tone that his record shows he would bring to public life. Ontario has prospered over the past few years by being an open, progressive alternative to the toxic politics south of the border. The last thing we need is to see a Trump-lite populist installed at Queens Park. The top priority at this moment for those who support forward-thinking politics is to make sure that doesnt happen. In short, its to make sure the PCs arent elected and Doug Ford doesnt become premier after next Thursday. The best way to do that is to support the candidate with the best chance of defeating the PCs in each riding. Who that is will depend a lot on where you live. Across the province as a whole the Liberals are running a poor third. But the provincial campaign isnt so much a three-party race as a series of two-party contests. In ridings where the Liberals are the main challengers to the PCs, voters should support their candidate. But given the collapse in Liberal support, the real choice in most parts of the province is between the PCs and Horwaths New Democrats. There, progressive voters should back the NDP candidate to make sure Ford doesnt reach the premiers office. The New Democrats have put together a comprehensive, ambitious policy platform that addresses many of the provinces most pressing social needs. They would spend an additional $1.2 billion on health care, including mental health, home care and dental care, a long overdue priority. They would expand support for child care, and continue the Liberal governments cap-and-trade program to fight climate change. They would impose some new taxes on higher-income earners to pay for it all, and run smaller budget deficits than the Liberals are planning. The NDP plan isnt perfect; for example, we prefer the Liberals approach to child care. But overall its a program that would maintain Ontarios progress toward a fairer and more prosperous society. If they do form government, though, the NDP will have to face up quickly to the realities of power. In particular, it would be well advised to reassure the business community that it understands they must remain competitive and that includes the taxes that business must pay. We have other concerns no matter who wins. All three parties (including the PCs) plan to keep running deficits for the next few years. The next government needs to pay greater attention to getting the provinces finances in order; we cant assume the relatively good economic times will continue indefinitely. (It was, as weve written before, a mistake for the Liberals to return to deficit financing in their last budget after struggling so hard to balance the books.) Whats at stake in Thursdays election is the future of the province. Thats more important than any strictly partisan choice and progressive voters should think beyond their loyalties to a particular party. They shouldnt risk giving Doug Ford the chance to drag this province backwards, and in the great majority of ridings that means supporting the New Democrat. Ontarians are obviously looking for change: the polls are clear on that. But the same polls show the majority of people in this province are fundamentally progressive. They want, and deserve, a government committed to openness, inclusivity and making sure our prosperity is more widely shared. On June 7 voters should support candidates who will uphold those values. Read more about: Canada pledges $300M to Rohingya, May 24 The Canadian government made a strong move of global leadership by publicly announcing a strategy on the Rohingya crisis, which included $300 million in funding over the next three years. It went further than most other countries, who have been limited to rhetoric, and largely followed special envoy Bob Raes recommendations in his harrowing report in April. One recommendation that was not addressed was the establishment of a Rohingya working group, which would monitor the ongoing crisis and recommend further steps and expenditures to ensure Canadas effective response and leadership in the crisis. It could also issue reports to Parliament and the Canadian public on what is happening in the crisis. The working group aside, there has been little shared around implementation of this strategy, which is obviously the most difficult and important step. Given the urgency of this situation with the monsoon season threatening thousands of Rohingya refugees and Burmas military now targeting other ethnic minorities the pressure needs to remain. The establishment of a Rohingya working group is one way to help push effective and informed action, and to ensure Canadas good efforts do not go to waste. Ontario mink farm charged with animal cruelty, May 13 The family that owns Millbank Fur Farm claimed, through an industry spokesperson, to have been shocked and upset by hidden-camera footage showing the conditions of their animals. For those who have never seen the inside of a fur farm, the images are shocking indeed. Perhaps the furriers are merely shocked and upset that their ugly industry has been exposed. It seems the fur industry has an incentive to make the public believe the deplorable conditions of animals at Millbank Fur Farm are an aberration. It will say, as it did in this article, that this is not normal. Yet I believe, based on our investigation at Millbank, which took place over nearly a year, these conditions are more common than the industry would like to admit. Pain and suffering are core ingredients of every product made with fur. The fur industrys public-relations operatives can try to spin this latest expose however they want, but that fact will not change. I believe only a complete ban on fur farming will stop the suffering of the three million animals killed for their fur in Canada each year. Jennifer Bluhm with the OSPCA is right: No one should be above the law when it comes to animal cruelty. The SVG Indian Heritage Foundation (SVGIHF) will commemorate the 157th arrival of Indians to SVG June 1st 1861, Indian Arrival Day, with an enactment of the arrival on Sunday, June 3, 2018. The days programme will commence with the boarding of a boat at Blue Lagoon at 8.30 a.m. The boat will leave Blue lagoon and moor at Indian Bay. Persons on board, upon disembarkation, will be handed their registration certificates with their names. The ceremony will also be addressed by Mr Junior Bacchus - President of the SVG Indian Heritage Foundation. This re-enactment of the arrival of Indians will be followed by the Foundations Annual General Meeting and Brunch at the Murrays Heights Hotel, beginning at 11am. Mr Kandhi Kangal of Trinidad and Tobago, a supporter of the Foundation since its inception in 2006, will be in SVG for the days events. In addition to Mr. Bacchus, the other members of the current executive of the SVGIHF are: Dave Baptiste Vice President; Luann Hadaway- Secretary; Anna Insanali- Asst. Secretary; Cheryl Rodriguez-Treasurer; Denzil Bacchus - Cultural Officer; Laurel Thomas PRO, and Elmore Gaymes - Past President. It takes a superhuman feat for a Black Muslim migrant to be deemed worthy, Online, May 29 The headline on Shree Paradkars column tells me all I need to know about her: that she is a right-thinking, honest and brave woman to mention that the hero is a Muslim. Most media have avoided mentioning he is a Muslim, but I am sure they would have highlighted his Muslim identity if he were alleged to be a terrorist. I am a fan of the amazing Indian writer, Arundhati Roy, and now I hold Shree Paradkar in the same high esteem. Meer Sahib, London, Ont. Shree Paradkar is right: Its not enough for a Black man, in this case a Black Muslim man, to be human. He had to be superhuman to be considered worthy of simply existing in France. Not a single media outlet that I came across has mentioned Mamoudou Gassamas faith. Muslims only get undivided attention and unlimited coverage when they are accused of creating mischief. Even when they are exonerated from the mischief, it becomes unworthy to report. But the good things they do, the lives they save, whether in hospital operating rooms or climbing buildings like Spider-Man, faith is buried in the sand. It is as if would contradict the version the media tries to promote and sell that Muslims are always prone to do bad things. Kudos to Paradkar for raising an issue that makes many media outlets uncomfortable to even mention, let alone discuss. This is why the Star and its columnists have attained the respect they deserve. There many similar stories of Muslims contributions but, unfortunately, there are few honest journalists like Paradkar with a sense of integrity to cover them. Abubakar N. Kasim, Toronto Shree Paradkar makes some valid comments, but omits others. Ideally, every country should embrace a policy that smooths the way for refugees to become full citizens. But Canada, the U.S. and other New World countries are accustomed to immigration; they were built on it. France and the old countries of Europe are not. Rightly or wrongly, they fear that immigrants will dilute their millennia-old cultures, so they tend to be more selective. So yes, Mamoudou Gassama was Black and Muslim. But that just happens to be where the refugees are coming from. Is Ms. Paradkar absolutely certain the situation would not have been the same had he been white and Christian, but still a refugee? Ronald Weir, Toronto Once, twice, three times a murder defendant. There was the stranger who was just trying to sell his pick-up truck. There was the female friend who had a crush on him. And between those two victims, each reduced to ashes in an animal incinerator, there was the death of a father, at first recorded as a self-inflicted gunshot wound, bullet lodged in his brain. Notoriously homicidal Dellen Millard, convicted of first degree murder in the killing of Tim Bosma and Laura Babcock, was back in court on Thursday, this time charged with patricide, accused of shooting his own dad in the eye and arranging the scene to look like suicide. Wayne Millard, 71, died some time overnight on Nov. 29, 2012, after spending about three hours on the phone talking to his girlfriend, a rekindled romance from their salad days decades earlier. Dellen Millard has pleaded not guilty to murder in the first degree. This time, a judge-alone trial. This time, unlike the Babcock trial, he is not representing himself. This time, hes sitting in the dock, not at the defence table, still with the tiny braid tucked behind his right ear, still with some kind of shaman pouch strung around his neck. And this time brought to judicial heel alone, minus his wingman co-murderer Mark Smich, who may be called as a witness for the prosecution. A cursory look was exchanged between Millard and his mother, Madeline Burns, when the latter was briefly brought into the courtroom yesterday morning to line up her day to testify in what is expected to be a month-long trial. The 32-year-old aviation scion he had the world by a string is already serving consecutive life sentences for the murders of Bosma and Babcock, with no parole eligibility for half a century. It was the slaying of Bosma in May, 2013, which led investigators to reopen the Wayne Millard case. The alleged discovery of Dellen Millards DNA on the grip of the .32-calibre Smith & Wesson revolver found next to his fathers bed resulted in the laying of a murder charge. Subsequently, Millard and Smich were also charged in the death of the long-missing Laura Babcock, last seen just after the Canada Day weekend in 2012. Read more: Wayne Millards state of mind to be focus in Dellen Millards next murder trial Dellen Millard appeals murder conviction for killing Laura Babcock Judge orders Dellen Millard, Mark Smich locked up for next 45 years at least Janet Campbell was the first witness called to the stand by Crown attorney Jill Cameron before Justice Maureen Forestell. It was Cameron and co-Crown Ken Lockhart who secured the Babcock convictions against Millard and Smich in February. Campbell told court that she and Wayne Millard, who were actually first-cousins, although Campbell had been adopted, had dated as teenagers in Toronto. They resumed the relationship briefly in their early 20s before going their separate ways, each marrying and having children. We didnt keep in touch. Apart from Campbell sending Wayne Millard a sympathy card upon the death of his father, family patriarch Carl, whod founded the aviation company, theyd had no contact until January, 2012. Millard phoned to wish her a happy new year and they continued to communicate by phone and email, bonding anew over the family genealogy research that Campbell was conducting. They finally got around to a face-to-face date in early November, when Millard took Campbell to see the new Millardair hangar hed built in Waterloo for his expanding aircraft Maintenance and Repair Overhaul enterprise. On that day, Millard used a scooter to show her around because he suffered from chronic back pain. After nearly 11 months of slow-go in re-establishing their relationship, Campbell and Wayne Millard suddenly picked up romantic speed. Within days, she was visiting him at his Maple Gate Court home in Etobicoke. Well, it wasnt a ladys house. It was pretty sparse. It wasnt cosy. Following a second trip to the hangar later, she invited Millard back to her home. He asked if he could stay over. I said yes. He stayed till the next afternoon. There was no doubt in her mind, Campbell told court, that Millard had strong feelings for her. I think he cared deeply for me. Adding later: He said he loved me and he adored me. It was on that occasion, Nov. 25, the last time she saw Millard alive, although they continued to talk three or four times a day, that he excitedly revealed plans hed made for her upcoming birthday: hed take the entire day off work, would have a cake ready and had already purchased her gift. They spoke by phone for the last time late on Nov. 28, a lengthy conversation that stretched into the wee hours of Nov. 29. Millard, she said, was delighted about finally obtaining the required licence for his MRO facility, was a bit concerned about the expanding costs, but sounded in otherwise good spirits. Yes, she knew that he had a drinking problem, but believed his consumption of alcohol had lessened over the previous year, although he apparently had been drinking before or during that last phone call. But he wasnt slurring his words or anything. He didnt sound upset or depressed, Campbell told court. Shed certainly never seen any evidence of clinical depression in him. I think he suffered the same depression that everyone in this courtroom has suffered from time to time. Millard told her that night about the birthday gift: Youre not going to be happy about it when you get it. But, afterward, youre going to love it. Flying lessons, turned out. He was right. Id be nervous, but then I would start to like it. Campbell chuckled. Teaching an old dog new tricks. The following day, she was unable to reach Millard by phone or email. When I couldnt contact him, I was most distressed. She managed to reach Dellen Millard. He told me Wayne was dead and it appeared by his own hand. I was totally, absolutely stunned. Campbell met Dellen for the first time a few days later, at Wayne Millards wake. I said to him, am I at all what you thought I would be? He said, I never thought about it. Under cross-examination from Ravin Pillay, Campbell insisted Wayne Millard had not been unduly depressed, either over the business or his back ailment. But Pillay played the video of a statement Campbell had given to police in May 2013, wherein she speculated about depression. To Pillay, on Thursday, Campbell said she was nervous and still distraught during that interview. I felt like I had been hit by a Mack truck. I was trying to reason why this had happened. I was grasping at straws. It was Dellen Millard who discovered his father dead on the evening of Nov. 29. According to the Crowns factum, Dellen entered his fathers bedroom, saw blood and called his mother. Burns came over immediately and they called 9-1-1. Paramedic William Smith and his partner were the first to arrive on the scene, after a dispatcher call-out for what had been described as cardiac arrest. Dellen met them at the door and led them upstairs, he testified. He said hed tried to get a hold of his father for a few days. When he couldnt get a hold of him, he came over and found him dead. What Smith saw, he told court, was a man on the bed, clearly deceased, his skin colour already turned very dark, cold to the touch. He was beyond assistance. Wayne Millard was lying on his side and Smith didnt move him as he waited for the coroner to arrive and pronounce death. He made no mention in court of the bullet wound to Millards eye. I observed no injuries. Forensic officers who took scene-of-crime photos documented a gun which had fallen onto a bag between the bed and a dresser. The trial continues. Read more about: By any measure, the past week will go down as the defining one in Justin Trudeaus current term of office. With back-to-back make-or-break decisions on the pipeline and the trade files, the prime minister is rewriting the terms of engagement on two crucial battlefronts for his government, but also for Canada. For better or for worse, he is also recasting the image he projected to voters a little more than two years ago. Back in the 2015 campaign, Trudeau offered himself to Canadians as a climate-change champion. On Tuesday, his government announced it was purchasing a pipeline in a dogged attempt to bring more Alberta bitumen oil to the Pacific coast. Then on Thursday, the prime minister traded his so-called sunny ways for fighting words vis-a-vis the United States, ordering more than $16 billion worth of tariffs on U.S. products in the process. At the time of his election victory no one, including Trudeau himself, could have predicted that there would come a week when he would nationalize a pipeline and engage in a tit-for-tat tariff battle with Canadas largest trading partner. But then it is a rare prime minister who is the master of his own circumstances. Jean Chretien, at the time of the unity crisis, and Stephen Harper, when he had to deal with a global financial meltdown, could both testify to that. One may come to look back on the past week as the moment when Trudeaus government came of age with both the baggage and the experience that attends to that. Voters will have to decide next year if they are comfortable with the grown-up version of the political leader they invested with a majority government in 2015. But whether Trudeau remains at the helm or not after the next election, the consequences of the two calls he made this week will outlast the current Parliament. The choice to take over the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline almost certainly commits the federal government to the project for the longer haul. And the events of this week mark a watershed moment in the Donald Trump-era Canada/US relationship. One has to go back more than a decade, to Chretiens refusal to join the American-led war on Iraq, for the last really big bump on the Canada/U.S. road. Chretien never saw a verbal shortcut that he was not tempted to use in either official language. But even he was not as blunt in turning down George W. Bushs calls for Canadian support in Iraq as Trudeau was in his response to Trumps latest protectionist volley. As someone who often found covering the prime ministers encounters with the media about as productive as trying to catch soap bubbles, I found the news conference he gave to expound on Canadas retaliatory moves to belong in strikingly more memorable category. Over the course of 45 minutes, Trudeau uttered some of the harshest words a prime minister has directed at an American administration in decades. It is not every day that a Canadian head of government pointedly notes that he is dealing with a U.S. administration that is short on common sense. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says in response to punitive U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, Canada has no choice but to retaliate. The government says it is slapping tariffs on up to $16.6 billion in U.S. imports. (The Canadian Press) It is also not every day that a prime minister uses a news conference to dig in his heels in a trade negotiation. By revealing that he renounced an attempt to try to settle the NAFTA file face to face with Trump last week, after the administration made the talks conditional on Canada accepting a five-year sunset clause on the tripartite trade arrangements, Trudeau did just that. This is a line that Canada had drawn in the NAFTA sand early on. With his comments on Thursday, the prime minister cemented that line in what appears to be fast solidifying concrete on both sides of the NAFTA negotiating divide. Against the backdrop of potentially polarizing Liberal decisions, one might have expected the Conservative opposition to end the week on a high. Instead, the reflexive partisan instincts that attend opposition politics ended up getting the better of Andrew Scheer and his party. By turning their guns on the Trudeau government on a day when the U.S. was turning its protectionist cannons on long-standing allies in the international community, the Conservatives missed the forest for the partisan trees. On that score, it will suffice to contrast Scheers tone-deaf contention that Trudeau is responsible for Trumps latest indiscriminate round of tariffs with the unequivocal support given to the prime ministers response by, among other leading Conservatives, Albertas Jason Kenney and former Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall. At last check, neither is a member of Trudeaus fan club. Chantal Hebert is a national affairs writer. Her column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Read more about: Here, play this quick game. Using A, B and C grades, how would you rate Ontarios three main political party platforms for their commitment to addressing racial discrimination and marginalization? Chances are you will come up with the same ranking as a coalition of more than a dozen agencies and individuals under the umbrella of Colour of Poverty Colour of Change (COP-COC) did: this week, they released a non-partisan racial justice report card, and gave the NDP an A grade, the Liberals a B and the Progressive Conservatives a C. So, no surprises there. But the report card is not about damning or feting with a single grade. It provides the context in each area, and the challenges facing racialized communities, said Avvy Go, clinic director, Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic and a steering committee member of COP-COC. The groups evaluated each party platform based on their commitments, their record, and missed opportunities. While the NDP received an A in all categories except access to justice, and the Liberals got a smattering of As and mostly Bs, the PCs got a C in all categories, which included education, jobs, health, housing, human rights, policing, poverty and newcomer settlement. Read more: Why women dont like The Dougster Doug Ford wont say if he would march in Torontos Pride parade As Ontarios election approaches, we need leaders who will firmly reject racism How non-partisan is the report if it has that glaring C grade for the Conservatives? The PC gets a C for two reasons: first of all, for many of the policy areas, they actually do not have any position. Second, in areas where they have a position, it does not take into account the challenges faced by racialized communities. If we were partisan, we could have given the PC a F, i.e. a failing grade, Go said. By the same token, an A or B grade doesnt mean that party is offering a perfect policy. The grades are given on a relative scale. For instance, none of the parties have committed to repeal the three month waiting period for OHIP, which has a serious impact on newcomers, the majority of (whom) are racialized, she said. Although about 30 per cent of Ontarios population is Indigenous and racialized, politicians havent been taken to task on tackling discrimination and marginalization, with the exception of Doug Ford being challenged on his plan to overturn police oversight rules. (And that was by a community organizer, not a reporter: Call it indifference, call it illiteracy, but this appears to afflict journalists and politicians alike.) Its one thing for parties to make promises on the party platform. Its another to see how individual candidates align with those stated promises. Nahnda Garlow is a journalist at Two Row Times, a weekly publication based in Ohsweken, a village on the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation Indian reserve near Brantford, Ont. She had a straightforward set of questions for all six provincial candidates in the Brantford-Brant riding: Name the six nations (none of them could); what is the Indigenous population in their constituency (no one got that) what are chief issues facing Indigenous people. Garlow says only the NDP and Green Party candidates had strong answers to that last question. The NDP candidate mentioned inequities of access, the Green man talked about the ability of First Nations to set their own priorities. The Liberal candidate offered headache-inducing gibberish: Reconciliation. And Im so glad the Liberal government is doing it And its so sad to hear whatever has happened but lets put that aside because its good to move forward in life. But, yikes, the Conservative candidate embarked on a saviour mission. I would say the real issue is pride How can we engender that same kind of entrepreneurial spirit in our Indigenous communities and stop holding them back? At the same time, in other constituencies, PC candidates with apparently bigoted views churn on unscathed. Merrilee Fullerton, the PC candidate for Kanata-Carleton, who was found to have Islamophobic tweets and a blog about surveilling all foreign doctors with suspicion, continues merrily, having simply shut down those accounts or pages. Doug Fords London, Ont., candidate Andrew Lawton, formerly of Rebel Media, who blamed his past homophobic, anti-Muslim and misogynistic comments on mental illness has more explaining to do. In a podcast on free speech, Press Progress found Lawton suggested Jewish groups should not shut down campus debates such as did the Holocaust actually happen? None of this appears to be straining their credulity. It may appear that the lack of outrage stems from Ontarians indifference to racism and marginalization, but lets hold out hope that everyone is planning to speak up where its heard most at the ballot box. Only deluded Liberal supporters hold out hope that Kathleen Wynne will be re-elected premier next Thursday. The rest of us know this is the end of 15 years of Liberal party rule in Ontario. Toronto, the municipality, should look back fondly on the Dalton McGuinty-Kathleen Wynne years. Its difficult to remember now, but when the Liberals took power in 2003, Toronto was a basket case the target of provincial downloading, a city put in a fiscal straight-jacket by restrictive provincial policies and the object of hostility from then-premier Mike Harris and his cabinet ministers. It mattered not that the mayor was Mel Lastman, who froze property taxes for three years, as the province wanted. Harris put the squeeze on the city in every possible way. He shut down subway plans, stopped paying for transit, dumped social service costs on the city, downloaded thousands of broken-down social housing units and showed Toronto the back of the hand all in an effort to cut city spending to meet a perceived ideal Ontario average. Just google Harris-Lastman and you get a sense of the bad blood between city hall and Queens Park before the Mike Harris government and its successors were sent packing ushering in this sustained period of relative peace and co-operation. Everything Harris touches turn to #*$^&, Lastman once told reporters in the city hall press gallery. As this period ends, uncertainty reigns. Again. The wrong choice for Toronto could plunge the city back to those tumultuous times. An NDP government under Andrea Horwath would continue much of the co-operative spirit between the two orders of government. A Doug Ford-led Ontario government is bound to create instability and upheaval; hostility, even. Would you be surprised if Ford takes away the citys right to impose a land transfer tax, the very instrument that has rescued the citys budget for years? Its the type of populist move Ford favours one that will be hailed by his base supporters and welcomed by the real estate industry, and will create almost no political fallout. Remember the vehicle registration tax? When Ford and his brother Rob arrived at city hall in 2010, it was the first thing they got rid of. Nobody cried, but more than $60 million is still missing from the citys budget and has to be filled by other instruments, such as growth in the land transfer tax. On transit, Ford has declared that subways are back, even where they are not warranted. As premier he plans to impose the following on the citys current plan: three subway stops beyond Kennedy (instead of one); and looping the line with the Sheppard subway in the McCowan and Sheppard area. The existing plan has an LRT running from McCowan to link with the Sheppard subway terminus at Don Mills Rd. Fords designs could add $3 billion to transit costs in Scarborough, without addressing rapid transit needs in Malvern, University of Toronto and Centennial College. Ford hasnt disclosed the source of such funds, but he could divert most of the $4 billion the Wynne government announced as extra transit cash for Toronto to pay a portion of the citys priority projects like the downtown relief line, the Yonge subway extension to Richmond Hill and the Waterfront LRT. In other words, Ford is most likely to disrupt the current transit planning regimen in Toronto one already too slow and too politicized and made too costly as a result. TTC chair Josh Colle describes those prospects as a sort of like throwing a grenade into the proceedings the last thing the city needs. Post Harris, McGuinty embraced Toronto as his economic engine and proceeded to give the city powers commensurate with its clout and needs. The City of Toronto Act was created, giving Toronto the most autonomy of any provincial city. Suddenly, respect and co-operation reigned where conflict had calcified. This goodwill survived three mayors of different style and substance David Miller, Rob Ford and now John Tory. Thats a signal Ford should recognize, but history shows that careful consideration is not part of his makeup. So, despite the City of Toronto Act and despite current conventions between Toronto and the province, a new premier can revert to the traditional role as boss, parent and ruler who can impose any measure on its capital city. Municipalities are still constitutional creatures of the province. On issues that most matter to me municipal relations, police oversight, transit, engagement of the provinces underclass the Liberals have maintained a superior standard. In embracing the spirit of electoral change, Fords Ontario would be a return to a failed past. Royson James is a former Star reporter who is a current freelance columnist based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @roysonjames Read more about: Its being called a change election, but when it comes to tactics, ads and strategy, the current Ontario campaign hasnt exactly been a game-changer. Exciting, yes. Interesting, too. But its not writing any big new chapters in the story of modern political campaigning in Canada. In fact, while Ontario may well get a new premier when all the votes are counted Thursday night, this election has been fought pretty conventionally more textbook than history book. It could have something to do with the stakes. Each of the main parties had reason to see this election as a long-shot chance: Liberals, to stay in power after 15 years; Conservatives, a mad-dash scramble with a new, untried leader; and New Democrats, a bid to go from third to first place. With that much riding on this campaign for all of them, can they be blamed for becoming risk-averse? True, theres still time for one of the political parties to release a particularly memorable ad or some new way of grabbing the attention of Ontario voters. But right up until this final week of the campaign, all parties have been sticking to the tried and true well, as true as things get in politics these days. Greg Lyle, head of the Innovative Research Group polling firm, has also been watching election campaigns for a few decades now, including as an adviser to several provincial Conservative campaigns over the years. The New Democrats surge in the campaign has definitely become the force to watch, says Lyle. But others have already blazed that trail from third-place party to first-place contender including Justin Trudeau and his Liberals in the 2015 federal election. And while Trudeaus 2015 campaign broke some conventional rules directly tackling the not ready attack ads against him or promising to run a budget in the red Andrea Horwath and the Ontario NDP arent similarly shaking up the political playbook in 2018, he says. The NDP campaign is better than average but they havent done anything special, Lyle says. As for Doug Ford and the Conservatives, he says: The PC campaign is actually bad. But it is more about their general failure to communicate in a compelling way led by the leader's inability to debate. The ads are OK. Not great but not awful. Anna Esselment, a political scientist with the University of Waterloo, is always on the lookout for whats new in campaign techniques and marketing in elections. Shes been watching the Ontario campaign closely and has concluded: This has not been a non-conventional election. Esselment is attending this weeks annual meeting of the Canadian Political Science Association in Regina, which often features sessions on noteworthy shifts in political campaign methods. On that score, she doubts that the 2018 Ontario election will be a big topic of discussion at future CPSA meetings. I'm not sure this election will blow open any new paths to studying how campaigns are fought in Ontario, Esselment says. Even the relatively recent innovations in campaign tools have been used in pretty standard fashion by all the parties, Esselment says. The so-called new ways of reaching out to voters, targeting, delivering key messages over digital communications channels, for instance, are no longer considered non-conventional, she says. Nowadays, those tactics are conventional. Jonathan Rose, a Queens University professor who is one of Canadas leading experts on political advertising, is also at the meetings in Regina this week. He shares the view that parties havent been all that innovative, advertising-wise, in the Ontario campaign. One thing has caught his attention, though. Rose has the impression that all parties have been making more use of automated phone-call outreach to voters the so-called robocalls many believed were a discredited relic of past campaigns. Ive not noticed that in the past and it is evidence of the competitive nature of this race, Rose says. If robocalls have turned up again as a popular tool for political campaigners, that might be an interesting throwback. Party-spending returns from the 2015 federal election campaign showed that Conservatives spent the most on phone-call outreach, while Liberals poured most of their resources into Facebook advertising. The results spoke for themselves and in retrospect, seemed kind of obvious. Why try to find voters by the old-fashioned phone, when you can find out lots more about them through Facebook? But the Ontario election is the first big one being held in Canada in the wake of the controversy over how Facebook data was misused by the Cambridge Analytica firm that helped Donald Trump win the 2016 presidential election. It could well be that this controversy made all the parties a little less enthusiastic about campaigning through Facebook in this Ontario election a strategy they may be more candid about discussing after the voting is over. Esselment says that Facebook still has been a powerful tool in this provincial election, especially for the third-party actors such as Ontario Proud, which calls itself a people-powered movement to push Kathleen Wynne out of office. In fact, Esselment says that if theres anything worth studying in the wake of this election, it will be the breadth and reach of Ontario Proud. There have been Facebook groups before, but the number of people who like or follow Ontario Proud dwarfs all the parties, the leaders, even @Fordnation on social media, she says. So in terms of analyzing the impact of what was originally a one-man show behind the scenes for Ontario Proud, that particular outfit is worthy of a closer examination. That in itself may be a noteworthy development. The big political innovation in Ontarios 2018 election, such as it is, came from outside the traditional structure and hierarchy of the main parties. It could tell us that conventional political campaigning is getting remarkably risk-averse, especially when the stakes are as high as theyve been during this fascinating Ontario election. Read more about: VANCOUVERThe Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project or any project that could increase oil sands production will make it increasingly unlikely that well meet our climate targets, says a UBC climate scientist who wants the federal government to start levelling with Canadians. The political math might look good that we can build a pipeline, support the oil sands and still meet our climate targets, said Simon Donner, a climatologist at the University of British Columbia. All Im saying, as somebody who studies this stuff for a living, is the actual math doesnt work, he said. If you put this to a climate test, it would fail. The federal government announced this week that it would buy the Trans Mountain pipeline and expansion project for $4.5 billion to ensure the new pipeline gets built. The project, according to federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau, would create thousands of construction jobs and ensure a fair price for Canadian oil. Read more: Federal governments mission to save Trans Mountain jobs divides B.C. and Alberta Trans Mountain money better spent on Canadas vulnerable peoples, say human rights advocates This changes nothing: B.C. politicians and activists to fight Trudeau governments decision to buy Trans Mountain While government modelling from December shows Canada was not on track to meet its 2030 commitments based on the initiatives in place as of September 2017, the federal government has committed to meeting its targets and said the pipeline wont prevent that. In a statement, Caroline Theriault, a spokesperson for federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna said, the project fits within our governments commitment to tackle climate change, create jobs and be a leader in the transition to a low carbon economy. Modelling shows that Canadas clean growth and climate action plan gets us on track to our target after factoring in the impacts of the Trans Mountain expansion and a growing oil and gas sector, she added. But Donner said meeting those targets would go from quite unlikely to almost impossible if the pipeline is built. He said he understands the political trade-offs at play, but he wants the government to be upfront with Canadians about the costs of the project beyond the $4.5 billion price tag. In 2016, Canada emitted 704 megatonnes of greenhouse gasses and oil and gas across the country accounted for 26 per cent. Under the Paris Agreement, the government committed to reduce overall emissions to 517 megatons or 30 per cent below 2005 levels. As part of its review of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency examined the potential emissions from increased oil sands production resulting from the additional transport capacity the pipeline would provide. The agency found that the pipeline could result in 13 to 15 megatons of greenhouse gasses from new oil production. Thats equal to two per cent of Canadas overall emissions in 2016 or between 21 and 25 per cent of B.C.s total reported emissions for the same year. At minimum, Donner said, the pipeline would lock in the current level of oil sands production and possibly lead to an increase. The industry itself is predicting a major bump in production over the 12 years. The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers forecasted a 53 per cent increase in oil sands production between 2016 and 2030, said Elisabeth Besson, a spokesperson for the organization, in a statement. But innovation can break the link between energy growth and emissions growth, she said, adding that substantial emission reductions have already and will continue to be achieved across the sector. Donner said its true the industry is acting, but theres only so much efficiency they can achieve. The Alberta government has also imposed a cap on oil sands emissions of 100 megatons. It leaves room for the industrys emissions to grow by 30 megatons. Donner said the issue isnt continued oil production, its expanding an industry thats contrary to long-term climate goals. The federal government is giving preferential treatment to one industry and making the challenge in other industries harder by building the Trans Mountain pipeline and allowing increased oil sands production, he said. Statements from spokespersons for both McKenna and Alberta Premier Rachel Notleys office pointed to a number of green initiatives their governments have brought in to reduce emissions. The federal government has invested in transit, green infrastructure, cleaner fuels and low-carbon innovation, Theriault said. Notleys government has brought in to reduce emissions, including ending pollution from coal-generated electricity, cutting emissions, and developing more renewable energy, said Shannon Greer in a statement. Still, Donner said the best-case scenario is that Canada barely meets its 2030 target. But to achieve the longer-term targets the international community is aiming for in the face of catastrophic climate change, Donner said, we need to be running past home base. Read more about: VANCOUVERHuman rights lawyers and activists are urging the public to put pressure on the federal and Saudi Arabian government to free womens rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul, out of fears she could be jailed for years. Al-Hathloul, a former University of British Columbia student, was detained by Saudi Arabian officials alongside several other prominent human rights advocates, in what many experts are calling a crackdown on activism in the country. Multiple human rights organizations and the president of UBC have released statements calling for their release. Time is not on our side, said Jackie Hansen, womens rights campaigner for Amnesty International Canada. We want to make sure theyre released because if theyre charged, it makes it that much harder to secure their release from detention. Al-Hathloul has been an outspoken womens rights advocate for years, and is known for posting videos online of herself driving, in protest of Saudi Arabias ban on driving for women. While the government has loosened their restrictions on women by overturning their driving ban, Hansen said the arrests are a message that activism will not be tolerated. But Hansen said that this is one instance where citizens can truly be effective through social media, because Saudi Arabian officials are regularly on their Twitter accounts. Sometimes people think social media actions arent effective, but in this case I can guarantee it is, she said. We are encouraging people to directly tweet at the king and the crown prince. Hansen said Canadians should also put pressure on the federal government, because it is their responsibility to fight for her release under federal foreign policy. The federal government has said they have a feminist foreign policy, with gender equality and the rights of women and girls at its core. What does it say when the womens rights activists of a country are rounded and locked up, what does that say about what our foreign policy really means? she asked. Gail Davidson, executive director of Lawyers Rights Watch Canada, which is preparing their own letter calling for Al-Hathlouls release, said that Canadas ties to Saudi Arabia, specifically a $15 billion contract to provide combat vehicles signed in 2016, could be used to her advantage. Canada had been very cozy with Saudi Arabia, so people that are wanting to lobby and appeal should put pressure on global affairs, and the prime minister, she said. In an email statement, Global Affairs Canada spokesperson Brittany Venhola-Fletcher said Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland has already alerted Saudi officials to their human rights record, and tweeted about the arrest of the womens rights activists. Minister Freeland has raised Canadas human rights concerns with her Saudi counterpart during her recent trip to Bangladesh. Canada will continue to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, both at home and abroad, Venhola-Fletcher said. But Davidson fears that al-Hathloul will face a similar fate to other people with Canadian connections detained in Saudi Arabia, such as blogger Raif Badawi, whose wife and children were granted asylum in Canada, and human rights lawyer Waleed Abu al-Khair, who was defending Badawi. Both men are still in prison, despite many calls from international organizations for their release. Davidson said that if al-Hathloul is charged, defending her case would be significantly harder and should could face the same fate as Badawi and al-Khair. She is in danger, she said. She could get convicted and sentenced, and shed be charged with something that you couldnt defend. Read more about: VANCOUVERCity of Vancouver staff say they have made headway enforcing new rules intended to crack down on short-term rentals the city believes takes apartments and homes out of the long-term rental pool. But one resident who has complained to the city for four years about illegal Airbnbs in her building said she has yet to receive any information about the status of her long-standing complaints or see the listings removed. There was a news story ... in 2014, where I spoke up about an owner-realtor in my condo building who, at that time, had turned three affordable rental suites into Airbnbs, said Ulrike Rodrigues, who also brought her concerns to city councillors and spoke in favour of the new bylaws. Its now 2018, and the same person is still running Airbnb-type hotel rooms in my building, and its increased to 11. Since the new bylaw came into effect on April 19, the city has started prosecution against commercial operators who were running 89 listings, and plans to start the enforcement process on over 400 listings. Short-term rental operators who violate the citys new bylaw can face fines of up to $1,000 a day, and the 89 listings that are headed to court could yield $890,000 in fines for the city. The new city bylaw allows people to list only their primary residence on platforms such as Airbnb for a less than 30-day rental period. If they want to list multiple rooms in their primary residence, they must get two city business licences. Kathryn Holme, chief licence inspector for the city, said she and her enforcement team have also seen around 400 listings taken off short term rental platforms like Airbnb, or changed to bookings that require a minimum 30-day stay. The purpose of the new bylaw is to increase Vancouvers long-term rental supply, and the city considers those over-30-days listings to have been converted to long-term rental. The 11 listings in Rodriguess building have all now been changed to extended stay (longer than 30 days), meaning the short-term rental bylaw limiting listings to the owners primary residence, and requiring a short-term rental business licence, no longer applies. But the owner would still have to apply for a long-term rental property business licence, according to the city. The citys licensing department is now trying to get ahead of commercial operators who appear to have been able to get a short-term rental licence from the city but have been able to enter duplicate or incorrect licence numbers for multiple listings in a new business licence field that now appears on all short-term Airbnb listings for Vancouver. Some operators have also entered the word exempt in the field, and have still been able to list their property. Airbnb did not respond to a question from StarMetro about why their platform would allow someone to list different properties with the same business licence number, or why a user would be able to enter text in a business licence field. Instead, the company sent StarMetro a statement saying they were co-operating with city staff. The city is currently focusing its current enforcement efforts on commercial operators, said Kaye Krishna, Vancouvers general manager of development, buildings and licensing, and is giving people who want to legally list their primary residence until the end of August to apply for a business licence before starting to enforce the new rules. Airbnb is giving users a similar grace period, Krishna said. (Airbnb has) already created the required (business licence) field, she said, and theyll start kicking people off the site if they see that theyre not complying with the rules by the end of the summer. Its up to the city to audit the validity of the business licence field, added Holme. Airbnb, which represents 88 per cent of short-term rental listings in Vancouver, signed a memorandum of understanding with the city in April, agreeing to share its data with the city. City staff will receive the first batch of data from Airbnb this summer, said Krishna. Until then, the city will continue to rely on scraped data (an automated way of collecting information from sites like Airbnb or Craigslist). City communications staff declined to say whether the city is investigating Rodrigues complaint, saying the city cannot comment on specific cases. I would love to see the city do something about it, because people like me whove been very patient and encouraging of the city, we need something to see that theyre going to do something fast, Rodrigues said. Read more about: Editor: Mary Van Leuven, J.D., LL.M. State and local governments have long used a variety of incentives to entice corporations to relocate or expand operations in their jurisdictions. In exchange for the expected creation of new jobs, incentive packages typically provide financial assistance in the form of tax credits, tax exemptions, cash grants, loans, land, equipment, or infrastructure development. Before the enactment of P.L. 115-97, the law known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), these incentives were not likely to be considered income for their recipients under the Internal Revenue Code. They were, instead, generally considered contributions to capital. Since the passage of the TCJA, however, states and businesses can no longer make this assumption. Some of these incentives will now likely be income to the recipient corporation, while others will be unaffected. New direction on contributions to capital Signed into law by President Donald Trump on Dec. 22, 2017, the TCJA makes sweeping changes to the Code, including an amendment to Sec. 118, which concerns contributions to the capital of a corporation. The general rule of Sec. 118, set forth in subsection (a), was kept in place: "In the case of a corporation, gross income does not include any contribution to the capital of the taxpayer." As amended by the TCJA, however, a new exception is added in subsection (b)(2): the term "contribution to the capital of the taxpayer" does not include "any contribution by any governmental entity or civic group (other than a contribution made by a shareholder as such)." This change specifically targets state and local incentives. The prior version of Sec. 118 made no mention of contributions by governmental entities and civic groups. The now-out-of-date regulation for Sec. 118 illustrated the application of the old rule: If a corporation required additional funds for conducting its business and obtained those funds from payments by its shareholders, the amounts received were excluded from gross income (Regs. Sec. 1.118-1). The exclusion also applied to "the value of land or other property contributed to a corporation by a governmental unit or by a civic group for the purpose of inducing the corporation to locate its business in a particular community, or for the purpose of enabling the corporation to expand its operating facilities" (id.). But under the amended Sec. 118, these incentives are no longer considered contributions to capital and must be included in gross income. The legislative history of the TCJA provides insight into Congress's motivation for the amendment. The House Ways and Means Committee's report for the bill explained that: treating contributions to capital by nonshareholders as income to the corporation will remove a Federal tax subsidy for State and local governments to offer incentives to businesses as a way of encouraging them to locate operations in a particular jurisdiction. If taxpayers in a particular State or locality wish to provide such financial inducements to businesses, they should be able to do so, but they should bear the cost of such financial inducements without passing on a portion of those costs to all Federal taxpayers. [H.R. Rep't No. 115-409, 115th Cong., 1st Sess., p. 256 (Nov. 13, 2017)] The House version of the bill had originally proposed to repeal Sec. 118 and replace it with a new Sec. 76. This new section would have provided that gross income includes any contribution to the capital of any entity, except for contributions in exchange for stock or any other interest in an entity other than a corporation. The committee provided a couple of examples to show how the new law would be applied: "a contribution of municipal land by a municipality that is not in exchange for stock . . . is considered a contribution to capital that is includable in gross income. By contrast, a municipal tax abatement for locating a business in a particular municipality is not considered a contribution to capital" (id.). While the bill's final version differs in particulars from the House bill, the conference committee report notes that the final version of the TCJA "follows the policy of the House bill but takes a different approach" (H.R. Conf. Rep't No. 115-466, 115th Cong., 1st Sess., p. 398 (Dec. 15, 2017)). The final version did not repeal Sec. 118 but instead provided the exception from the general rule of noninclusion for contributions by governmental entities or civic groups. The conference committee also stated that it intended for Sec. 118 to "continue to apply only to corporations," and that the amendment "applies to contributions made after the date of enactment. However, the provision shall not apply to any contribution made after the date of enactment by a governmental entity pursuant to a master development plan that has been approved prior to such date by a governmental entity" (id.). Congress was aware that the amendment to Sec. 118 would likely affect a substantial number of incentives being offered by state and local governments. The Joint Committee on Taxation estimated that from 2018 through 2027, the amendment would result in $6.5 billion in additional revenue to the federal government (Joint Committee on Taxation, Estimated Budget Effects of the Conference Agreement for H.R. 1, the "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act," (JCX-67-17), p. 6 (Dec. 18, 2017)). Despite the clarifying comments by the conference committee, several uncertainties surround the application of the revised Sec. 118. For example, the term "master development plan" is not defined in the statute, and questions may arise about the requirements for a plan to pass muster as a master development plan. This is especially important for incentive agreements that were approved before the passage of the 2017 tax law but not fully implemented. It is not unusual for these agreements to require businesses to meet specific milestones to receive their benefits, such as hiring a certain number of employees by a certain date. Businesses may also be concerned about whether a statutory incentive program can qualify as a master development plan. A state may have approved a business to receive incentives over the course of a number of years, assuming that the business meets ongoing statutory requirements, such as providing its employees with health insurance and paying them a minimum average wage. In these situations, are the incentives due to be paid in future years now subject to inclusion in income? Because Sec. 118 and its legislative history materials are silent on this question, Treasury and the IRS may need to provide some official guidance in the near future. In the meantime, at least one jurisdiction has attempted to address this uncertainty through new legislation. The District of Columbia's Master Development Plan Recognition Temporary Act of 2018 (D.C. Act 22-245 (Jan. 9, 2018)) cites numerous projects and plans that have been previously approved by the District and recognizes them as master development plans. Whether Treasury and the IRS would agree remains to be seen. Types of incentives that might be included in gross income As noted, the committee reports included two examples of the application of the amendment to incentives provided by a municipality (representing all governmental entities). A contribution of land by a municipality not in exchange for the stock of a corporation would be included in the corporation's gross income, but a tax abatement provided by a municipality to a corporation would not be included. According to the online State Business Incentives Database maintained by the Council for Community and Economic Research, the most popular incentives provided by states are tax credits, grants, loans, and tax exemptions. Of these categories, the amendment to Sec. 118 likely affects only the taxability of grants, but this category could encompass a fairly broad range of incentives. The general rule to determine whether a transfer of money or property is subject to inclusion in income comes from Sec. 61, which defines "gross income" as "all income from whatever source derived." The statute lists 14 illustrative examples, such as gross income derived from business, gains derived from dealings in property, and income from discharge of indebtedness. In addition, the U.S. Supreme Court has defined income as "instances of undeniable accessions to wealth, clearly realized, and over which the taxpayers have complete dominion" (Glenshaw Glass Co., 348 U.S. 426, 431 (1955)). Based on these definitions, loans provided by states or localities are not considered gross income and are not affected by the amendment to Sec. 118. Loan proceeds that must be repaid are not accessions to wealth because of the offsetting liability (see, e.g., Tufts, 461 U.S. 300 (1983)). Tax exemptions are also not considered "gross income" under the law. The municipal tax abatement used in the example in the committee report as a nonincludible item can also be considered a tax exemption. Regardless of the terminology used, it is well-settled that a reduction in a tax liability is not an accession to wealth and is therefore not income (Tempel, 136 T.C. 341 (2011)). Similar to tax exemptions, state tax credits should generally not be included in income, although there are a few exceptions. Some tax credits are refundable, meaning that taxpayers can receive refunds after reducing their state tax liabilities. The excess portion that remains after reducing the state tax liability must be included in gross income (Maines, 144 T.C. 123 (2015)). Another exception pertains to the sale of tax credits. When sold, credits are deemed to be capital assets, and gains on their sale are taxable at capital gain rates (Tempel, 136 T.C. at 355). Finally, under the tax benefit rule, tax credits may also be considered gross income if they offset tax previously paid for which a federal income tax deduction was claimed (Maines, 144 T.C. at 129). It should be noted that these rules existed before the amendment to Sec. 118, and it does not appear that they would be affected by the new law. On the other hand, grants provided as incentives are now likely required to be included in gross income under the amended Sec. 118. Grants can take the form of any cash, real property, or tangible personal property provided to a taxpayer without the expectation of repayment. These grants could be provided upfront, as reimbursement of documented expenses, or based on achieving specific project milestones. The committee reports used the example of a municipality's transfer of land not in exchange for stock as a transfer that would now be deemed includible. Another example of a grant would be cash the taxpayer provided to match employee training expenses the taxpayer incurred. Many states also provide cash grants as a "deal-closing incentive," particularly when there is sharp competition for a business's site selection. Under the amendment, these cash grants would be includible in income as well. A category of grants might not be includible in certain situations infrastructure improvements, such as improved access to a specific site. These incentives could arguably benefit not only the taxpayer, but also the general public. Therefore, the taxpayer may lack the "complete dominion" over the property as required by the Supreme Court's definition of "income" set forth above. This is another area of uncertainty that may need to be sorted out over time. Shifting incentive strategies State and local governments use grants widely as economic development and site location incentives. Some examples of state economic development grant programs include the Michigan Business Development Program, Florida's Quick Action Closing Fund, the Arizona Competes Fund, and the Texas Enterprise Fund. Because the amendment to Sec. 118 will require businesses to include in gross income the value of money or property received as grants, these incentives may be affected. Without a doubt, the revision to Sec. 118 will alter the use of certain types of incentives and will cause all parties to carefully tailor incentive strategies to their specific needs. These articles represent the views of the author(s) only, and do not necessarily represent the views or professional advice of KPMG LLP. The information contained herein is of a general nature and based on authorities that are subject to change. Applicability of the information to specific situations should be determined through consultation with your tax adviser. EditorNotes Mary Van Leuven is a director, Washington National Tax, at KPMG LLP in Washington. For additional information about these items, contact Ms. Van Leuven at 202-533-4750 or mvanleuven@kpmg.com. Unless otherwise noted, contributors are members of or associated with KPMG LLP. Mia Mottley led the BLP to victory and fulfilled a promise she had made to one of her teachers. that she would become Prime Minister one day. (Photo Credit: caribbeanlifenews) Barbados became the second CARICOM country this year in which one party won all the seats constitutionally up for grabs in a general election . The Barbados Labour Party (BLP) joined with the Dr. Keith Mitchell led New National Party (NNP) of Grenada in winning all seats in a general election. But while in Grenadas case this was the third time that the NNP was winning all the seats, in Barbados case, it was a crushing defeat never before inflicted on any party, this time on the incumbent Democratic Labour Party (DLP) who failed, to any appreciable degree, same and accept for very few candidates, to show any real fight. Neither party had been as bold as to predict a 30 0 victory in its favour, especially since the history of elections in Barbados had shown at least one constituency (St. John) had voted the DLP in 14 previous elections, and was not expected to change. That was not to be, and in the May 24, 2018 general election, Barbados not only saw to it that one party (BLP) won all seats, but that they had elected a female Prime Minister for the first time in their history. PM Mia Mottley a first for Barbados Mia Mottley, 52, who assumed leadership of the Party from Owen Arthur after defeat in the 2013 elections, was sworn in on Friday 25th May, becoming Barbados eighth Prime Minister and the fifth female head of government in the English speaking Caribbean, joining the likes of the late Dame Eugenia Charles of Dominica, Janet Jagan of Guyana, Portia Simpson Miller in Jamaica, and Kamla Persad Bissessar in Trinidad and Tobago. In celebrating with her BLP and its thousands of supporters outside the partys Bridgetown headquarters early on Friday, Miss Mottley told them: "This victory is the people of Barbados victory, and described the result a vote for a more inclusive and transparent kind of leadership for Barbados. "This must be our legacy to the people of Barbados: to give you back your government and your governance, said Mottley, a former minister and attorney general who was sworn in later on Friday. The result means the Barbadian House of Assembly is without an official opposition, despite the fact that an unprecedented 135 candidates ran for office across nine parties. DLP dogged by hard economic times Outgoing Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, who had served since 2010, congratulated Mottley, conceding that the DLP had suffered an "overwhelming defeat. "In campaigning, whenever there is success, success is shared by all those who succeed and by those with whom they are associated; but when there is failure, failure points to one man, he told reporters at his party headquarters, adding that he had already given notice to his party that the 2018 election was his last. The DLPs handling of the economy over its two terms in office was one of the major issues in the campaign. The Barbadian economy has struggled since a sharp contraction in 2009 after the global financial crisis. Weak growth has put strains on Barbados public debt, pressuring foreign exchange reserves and helping to spark repeated downgrades of the islands credit rating. The DLPs economic record dogged Stuart in the campaign. Many voters expressed frustration at the partys failure to reduce debt and the cost of living even as their taxes rose, but no one had predicted that the backlash would have been so severely inflicted on Freundel Stuart and the DLP. (Sources: Reuters, Telesur) BETHALTO 1st MidAmerica Credit Union recently awarded five, $1,000 scholarships to local area high school graduates Brian Formea, Paula Knaack, Gabi Ramirez, Emily Richards, and Rachael Welsh. Brian Formea is a graduate of Alton High School, who is pursuing a degree in physical therapy. He plans to attend Maryville University. Paula Knaack, a graduate of Maroa-Forsyth High School, is attending University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She plans to study aerospace engineering. Gabi Ramirez is a graduate of Civic Memorial High School. She plans to attend Lindenwood University-St. Louis, pursuing a major in biological sciences with an emphasis in cellular and molecular biology. Emily Richards, a graduate of Roxana Senior High School, is attending Southwestern Illinois College. She plans to study nursing. A graduate of Plaza Heights Christian Academy, Rachael Welsh is planning to attend Culver-Stockton College, obtaining a degree in business. With a history of serving members financial needs for over 80 years, 1st MidAmerica Credit Union is a not for profit cooperative financial institution that now serves more than 65,000 members through 12 locations in Illinois and one in Missouri. Additional information on 1st MidAmerica can be found at www.1stMidAmerica.org. SPRINGFIELD As concerns for declining pollinator species continue to buzz throughout the country, the Illinois Department of Transportation is reminding the public of a change in mowing operations designed to encourage the growth of pollinator species along state roadsides. The updated mowing routine, which began last May and was reinstituted this month, helps to re-establish plants that provide habitat for birds and that are food sources for bees and other insects native to Illinois, including the official state insect, the monarch butterfly. EDWARDSVILLE Concerns about conditions on the Madison County Sheriffs Department firing range were discussed Friday at a meeting of the County Boards Judiciary Committee. Board Member Phil Chapman, R-Highland, had circulated a memo expressing concerns about conditions on the range, located on Fruit Road east of Illinois Route 4. The range in its current state is inadequate and shows the previous administrations neglect of providing a proper training facility, the memo stated. The current range can be improved upon in major ways that will ensure a safe and professional training environment for officers. Among the recommendations were enlarging the firing range by moving and improving berms used as backstops; building a classroom facility with restrooms; and providing a real life area for training. Chapman had suggested using Highway Department personnel and equipment for some of the work on the berms. It was also asked whether other facilities, such as the shooting range at Olin Corp., could be utilized, but Chief Deputy Sheriffs Maj. Jeff Connor said no. It wouldnt be feasible because of the type of training we do, he said. As an example, he said recently officers practiced shooting through the windshield of their vehicles, using an old vehicle and windshields donated by auto salvage companies. You wouldnt be able to do that at Olin, he said. Connor agreed the facility needs improvements. Its been overlooked for years, he said. It just needs some attention. He also noted that the training they undertake is adequate, but the facilities are lacking. Connor said they have some money in this years budget for some of the improvements, and are seeking bids to have the berms improved. Detention center discussed Chapman also handed out a memo on the Madison County Detention Center. He noted that the center, according to Facilities Director Rob Schmidt, needs about $185,000 in improvements, and a total rehabilitation with a capacity of 54 units would cost approximately $950,000. Another idea being floated is to sell the building and build elsewhere. In previous discussions it was noted that adjacent grounds owned by the county could be worth as much as $3 million. However, Chapman noted in his memo that it doesnt appear cost and time effective. During discussion it was noted by Board Member Jamie Goggin, R-Edwardsville, that further discussion with all the players in one room was needed. Chairman Mike Walters, R-Godfrey, said all the options, including both renovation and possible sale, need to be closely looked at. He noted that during a tour of the building some of the facilities, specifically in the gym, were sub-human. The committee was told that those issues had been addressed. We need to get after this and solve this, Chapman said. No further action was taken. In other business the committee approved the purchase of 40 desktop computers for the Circuit Clerks Office for $23,400, and software licenses for $9,236.40. That must now go to the Finance Committee before going to the full County Board. Reach reporter Scott Cousins at 618-208-6447. EDWARDSVILLE The Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for the Metro East at Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville has helped another entrepreneur transform her dream into reality. Jamie Nixon, owner of Strait Laced Boutique, is a passionate entrepreneur who successfully launched her e-commerce womens fashion store in March 2018, with the help of the SBDC. SBDC Director and Small Business Specialist Jo Ann May offered expertise on creating a viable business plan and provided additional tools on entrepreneurship and guidance. May also provided assistance with marketing and shared information on other helpful resources. Jo Ann always has my back, Nixon said. I know I can go to her for guidance and support for anything. The SBDC aided in Strait Laced Boutiques success through Nixons participation in the Metro East Start-Up Challenge in 2017. Through the process, Nixon grew in her passion and realized her business idea could flourish. She made it to the competitions final round where mentors and judges offered comments and recommendations to enhance her business idea and elevate her confidence. With an eye for style, Nixon knew she was meant to be a fashion entrepreneur. At a young age, Nixon designed clothes for her dolls and herself. She was hesitant to go to fashion school, so she completed a bachelors of psychology and masters in healthcare administration. But, fashion remained her calling. Nixons long-term goal is to reach customers across the world. She would like to eventually open up a brick and mortar store and sees franchise potential. I have enjoyed watching Jamie blossom into a true business owner, May said. She is working hard to build brand awareness and ensure quality fashion and service. I look forward to assisting her further as Strait Laced Boutique grows. Strait Laced Boutiques fashion styles cater to women ages 18-50 and range from casual wear, special occasion looks, and business casual attire for women of any shape or size. It offers new fashion styles weekly and free shipping. Customers receive a 10 percent discount on their first order. For more information, visit https://straitlacedboutique.com/ or call 314-301-8971. For the latest social media updates, visit Facebook and Instagram. The Illinois SBDC for the Metro East assists start-up ventures like Strait Laced Boutique as well as existing businesses headquartered in the nine-county region of Calhoun, Jersey, Madison, Bond, Clinton, St. Clair, Washington, Monroe and Randolph. It is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and SIUE as a service to Illinois small businesses. Tugende is afor-profit social enterprise based in Uganda. Our mission is providing financeand support to help the self-employed own income generating assets. Our coreproduct is a lease to own model for motorcycle taxi drivers (boda bodas) whoown their own motorcycles in 19 months or less with weekly payments similar to whatthey otherwise pay to rent indefinitely from informal landlords. Ownershipsignificantly increases income, job security and road safety. Tugende currentlyserves over 6,000 active customers in Uganda through 150+ employees across 7branches, and 4,500 additional leases have already been fully repaid. With amarket for motorcycle taxis of over 800,000 drivers in East Africa alone,Tugende is expanding rapidly in our core product. We are also building aplatform with our staff, branches, data, systems, and deep knowledge of earnersin the informal sector, which will easily enable us to expand into other assetfinance and value added services offerings in the near future. The Nurse Counselor will provide continuous Counseling to clients and toprovide support to medical personnel in effectively carrying out their duties.The Nurse Counsellor will be at times called upon to support the nursingofficers in offering nursing care to clients in the clinic. As one of thecontributions to the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and to enhancenational development, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD) withsupport from UNDP and the NAMA Facility intends to implement the Green SchoolsNationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA).The UNDP NAMA on Green Schools will build onthe foundation and extensive results achieved under the LECB Project(2011-2017) and work to enhance technical and institutional capacities ofpublic and private schools to scale up mitigation actions that reduce green gasemissions. The Green Schools Project is intended to transform the school sectorby replacing inefficient cooking facilities with Institutional Improved CookStoves (IICS). 75% of the schools will be financed through support of the NAMAFacility, and for the remaining schools the Government of Uganda will providefunding. It is hoped that the project shall generate co-benefits that includethe reduction in forest degradation, increased health benefits, and improvedeconomic conditions of schools (through the reduced need to purchase firewood).The intentions of the Green schools NAMA project, objectives and expectedresults are expressed in a project document. As part of the implementationprocess, a Project Manager is being sought to supervise and oversee executionof activities and deliver objective, outcomes and outputs as stipulated in theProject Document. PM Dr. Ralph Gonsalves admitted to a delay in developments, but assured that things were back on course as far as the geo-thermal project was concerned. Civil works on the geo-thermal project are expected to begin soon. According to Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, the contract for this phase of the project was awarded to Kelectric Company Ltd and signed on May 16, 2018. This information formed part of Gonsalves response during the May 24 Sitting of the House, to a question posed by Leader of the Opposition, Dr Godwin Friday on the status of the geo-thermal project, among other things related to the project. The civil works include the construction of a water supply system with up to 1.5km of pipeline from the Rabacca river to the drill pad site, and a water intake system with a pond and pumps, within a structure that keeps aquatic organisms out, the prime minister said. It also entails the construction of the drill pad, a water and mud pond, the construction of the drilling re-injection sites, about 500 metres below the drill site, and the laying of the pipe system between the drill site and the re-injection site. All the farmers, except one, in the affect vicinity, have already been relocated and compensated for their land, Gonsalves told the Parliament. The drilling contract is expected to be signed in June, with an Icelandic drilling company, with the drilling rig expected to be mobilized by December this year and drilling set to commence in January 2019. Gonsalves admitted to delay for the commencement of commercial operation of the geo-thermal plant, apportioning reasons for this to delays in getting the drilling contract organized, and the discussions associated with the power purchase agreement. He said that the project was on hold since October 26, 2017 pending the conclusion of commercial agreements between VINLEC, the Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Emera and Reykjavik. "The negotiations were difficult, real problematic, Gonsalves said. He thanked a number of persons involved in the discussions, including the team from VINLEC, Elsworth Dacon, Maurice Edwards and Edmund Jackson. He said that he was also grateful for the advice from the legal team representing the Clinton Climate Initiative, and the advice from Japan and New Zealand. All final agreements, including the shareholders agreement, are expected to be signed by June 18, Gonsalves noted. (DD) The adage that failures can teach many lessons seems quite... Actor Arbaaz Khan has been summoned by the Mumbai police in connection with the IPL betting case, reports claimed on Friday. According to NDTV, Salman Khan's brother has been asked to record his statement by the Thane police, and his name came up during the interrogation of a bookie, Sonu Jalan, who was later arrested. Five Indian Mujahideen militants, convicted by a special NIA court here in the 2013 Bodh Gaya blasts case, were sentenced to life imprisonment on Friday. Special NIA judge Manoj Kumar Sinha also slapped a fine of Rs 50,000 each on the five accused -- Imtiyaz Ansari, Haider Ali, Mujib Ullah, Omair Siddiqui and Azharuddin Qureishi who had been convicted on May 25. The world-renowned Buddhist pilgrimage town Bodh Gaya, about 90 km from capital Patna, was rocked by a series of blasts on July 7, 2013 which had left a number of people, including some monks, injured though there were no casualties. In addition to the five convicts, another accused Taufiq Ahmed was held guilty in the case by a juvenile court in October last year and sent to a remand home for three years. All the six are also among those facing trial in the Patna blasts case of October, 2013, when a series of explosions took place at the historic Gandhi Maidan while the maiden rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was then Gujarat chief minister, was underway. Talking to reporters after the verdict was pronounced, special public prosecutor Lalan Kumar Sinha said, "The court was fully convinced with our contention that the intention of the accused was to cause heavy casualties and hence they deserved the maximum possible punishment." "Since no deaths had taken place in the series of xplosions, the court did not award capital punishment," he said. Sinha also said that among the five convicts, "Haider Ali was punished with an extra fine of Rs 10,000 because it was established that on the basis of admissible evidence, he had entered the Bodhi Temple premises shortly before the blasts took place." "On this account, he was found guilty under Section 158 of the Indian Penal Code, in addition to the sections of IPC and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act under which others have also been charged," he said. However, defence lawyer Surya Prakash Singh expressed dissatisfaction with the judgement, saying "our plea was that our clients were young, in a confused state of mind, and displayed good conduct during the trial period and hence they be awarded less severe punishment. It was ignored". "This was inspite of a number of shortcomings in the investigation. One of the guards, posted at the temple on the day of the incident, had said that he saw four to five foreigners sneaking inside the premises whom he could identify. The probe agency did not trace the foreigners to get them identified," Singh said. "Moreover, CCTV footage of the relevant period, which could have given a better idea of the movements at that point of time, were not brought on record. We are confident that when we go to the higher courts in appeal, our contention will be taken into account and the trial court order will be set aside," he added. The RSS frontal organisations have raised concerns with the BJP over the employee benefits schemes like the ESI and EPF, saying these should not be diluted. Sangh's trade union Bharatiya Mazdoor Sanghtold BJP chief Amit Shah that some of the proposed changes in the social security schemes would hit the workers hard. A four-day review meeting between the RSS and the BJP leaders including the ministers is on in Delhi. The various frontal bodies have brought their suggestions and concerns to the notice of the government. The meeting will deliberate on social, financial, educational issues. The BMS said Shah assured them that the ESI and EPF schemes will not be disturbed at any cost in the new Labour Code on Social Security, 2018. BMS president Saji Narayanan C.K. and organising secretary B. Surendra held talks with Amit Shah. BMS said the new social security code was a major step that would give about 14 benefits to the 43 crore unorganised workers. However, they added that there were many anti-worker provisions in the new scheme. One apprehension is about dismantling ESI and EPF schemes, merging it with the new social security scheme and dividing its lakhs of crores of funds to state social security boards. This is feared to result in cross subsidisation, meaning the entire funds will be depleted for the benefit of unorganised workers who may not be paying any contribution. Both are some of the largest social security schemes in the world and doing good service to organised sector workers, the BMS leaders said. The BMS leaders told Shah about going strikes by various workers. Shah assured us that government will work on settling the issues and increasing the wages of scheme workers like aganwadi and asha. Shah said the government will immediately call a meeting of scheme workers in this regard. BMS leaders also discussed anti workers reforms which has created resentment among workers. Regarding labour reforms, Shah said any changes in labour laws and reforms will be done only after proper consultation with Trade Unions. High alert has been sounded in Jammu and Kashmir following intelligence reports that a group of 20 militants has infiltrated into the Valley. Top police sources said the militants have infiltrated from Poonch in Jammu where Pakistan has the advantage of height. It is believed that the militants belong to Moulana Azhar Masood-led Jaish-e-Muhammad. Jaish has emerged as the new threat in Kashmir in the last two years after security forces launched the 'Operation All Out' in which more than 200 militants, including 11 most wanted commanders of the Burhan Wani group, were killed. The Jasih, police believe, is trying to take the pressure off the local militants from the security forces especially in south Kashmir. Two days back, Jaish tried to blow up a Mine Protecting Vehicle (MPV) of the Army with an IED at Shopian. Three soldiers were injured in the incident Last year, the group blew up a police vehicle at Sopore to mark the death anniversary of Afzal Guru on February 9. Five policemen were killed in the attack. This is the second time that Jaish has pushed a large group of militants into Kashmir. A big group of well-armed and trained Jaish militants had succeeded in infiltrating into Poonch, from where they traveled to Kashmir. Most of the major attacks last year were carried by the same group. The first was on August 27, when three fidayeen entered the District Police Lines Pulwama and killed eight security menfour policemen and four CRPF personnel. The three fidayeen were killed after a 16-hour long gunfight. The second attack was launched on a CRPF camp at Lethpora, Pulwama on Srinagar-Jammu national highway, in which five CRPF men were killed and four injured on December 31. Two of the fidayeen were locals boys, Fardeen Khandey and Manzoor Baba of Hayen and Drabgund in Pulwama. The third fidayeen, Muhammad Shakir, was a Pakistani. The attack took place four days after Jaish commander Noor Mohammad Tantray alias Noor Trali was killed in an encounter. The three fidayeen, for the first time, used steel-coated bullets that pierced the bulletproof vests of the CRPF men and also damaged a vehicle. The third attack by the members of the group on Sunjwan Army camp on February 11 had caught the security establishment in Kashmir by surprise. The attack, about which the intelligence agencies had sounded an alert, came on the fifth death anniversary of Afzal Guru, who was hanged ten years after he was sentenced to death by Supreme Court for aiding Jaish fidayeen who attacked Parliament on December 13, 2001. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong on Friday agreed to deepen the bilateral economic ties and build on defence cooperation as the two sides signed eight agreements including one on logistics cooperation between their navies. The two leaders, who held wide-ranging discussions on regional and global issues of mutual interests, also called for a peaceful, open, and friendly maritime environment in the Indo-Pacific region. Prime Minister Modi said that the strategic partnership between India and Singapore has stood the test of time in the real sense. "We have been able to conclude successfully the second review of Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) but we agreed this is not just our target and goal but this only means to an end," Modi said in a joint press statement after the meeting. "Our officials will soon begin discussions on upgrading and reforming this agreement," he added. Since CECA was signed in 2004, India-Singapore bilateral trade more than doubled from SGD12 billion (USD 8.97 billions) to SGD 25 billion (USD 18.69 billion). Singapore was the second largest investor in India in FY-2016. Modi hailed the close defence cooperation between the two countries and welcomed the completion of the logistics agreement between the two navies. "In the coming times, dealing with cyber security and extremism and terrorism will be important areas of our cooperation," the prime minister said. Modi and Lee also exchanged views on the regional and global challenges and reiterated their principled position on maritime security and expressed commitment to 'Rules Based' Order. The two leaders also agreed on the need to maintain an open, stable and fair international trade regime. "We both have reaffirmed our views on maritime security and have shown our commitment to a 'Rules Based' order...We also agreed for a peaceful, open, and friendly maritime environment in the Indo-Pacific region," Modi said. China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas. Beijing has also made substantial progress in militarising its manmade islands in the past few years, which it says it has the right to defend. China claims sovereignty over all of the South China Sea. But Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims. In the East China Sea, Beijing has territorial disputes with Japan. The South China Sea and the East China Sea are stated to be rich in minerals, oil and other natural resources. They are also vital to global trade. On his part, Lee said the bilateral defence ties have grown stronger. "Our defence ties have strengthened, our navies have signed an agreement today on logistics cooperation and will also celebrate 25th anniversary of annual Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) this year," Lee said. He said India and Singapore are collaborating on technology, smart cities and skills development, both at the national and the state level. Lee pointed out that two projects, that arose from Prime Minister Modi's 2015 visit to the city-state, have been completed. "Andhra Pradesh Amaravati city project is progressing well with Singapore Consortium. We also recently launched Maharashtra-Singapore joint committee, to explore economic cooperation including planning and development of airport in Pune," he said. Lee said India is a significant market for Singapore FinTech companies, while Singapore - as a global FinTech Hub - can be a gateway for India to enter the Southeast Asian market. The two countries have agreed to establish a Joint Working Group on FinTech to support this new effort, he added. He said Singapore, as the current ASEAN chair, will work with India to continue strengthening the regional architecture, and in particular to conclude the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. Modi said Singapore has always been a source of foreign direct investment for India and also investments in foreign countries. It has also been a favourite destination for Indian investments abroad, he added. "I am happy to note that Indian companies use Singapore as a spring board for not only this country but for the entire ASEAN region. For Singaporean companies, as India develops, opportunities are coming up," he said. Recalling his meeting with CEOs yesterday, Modi said he was happy to see that top executives of many important companies looking at India with confidence. Modi said the air traffic between India and Singapore is growing rapidly and both countries will enter into a new 'Air Service Agreement' soon. He said the international launch of RuPay, BHIM and UPI based remittance app in Singapore on Thursday represented Digital India initiative and the renewed partnership between the two sides. Lee said Indian tourists will be able to use their RuPay cards for electronic payments at Changi airport and selected operators across Singapore. He said he looked forward to welcoming Modi back to Singapore in November for the East Asia Summit, and "to continue working with him to further deepen our cooperation bilaterally and regionally". Modi, who arrived here on Thursday on the last leg of his three-nation visit, earlier made a courtesy call on President Halimah Yacob after a welcome ceremony at the Istana where he was given a guard of honour. He earlier visited Indonesia and Malaysia. PTI Dealing a blow to the ruling BJP, opposition parties emerged victorious in 11 out of 14 Lok Sabha and Assembly bypolls while limiting the saffron party and its allies to just three, and snatching the high-profile Kairana Parliamentary seat in Uttar Pradesh with a united force. With prestige at stake in every single bypoll in the run-up to the 2019 general elections, the opposition leaders latched onto today's results across 11 states to claim sliding popularity of the Narendra Modi-led government, even as the BJP asserted that the PM -- which it described as 'P' for performance and 'M' for Mehnat (hard work) -- would decide the Lok Sabha polls next year. However, opposition leaders saw a big boost for strengthening non-BJP unity with the ruling party losing Kairana Lok Sabha seat in the politically important UP to a united Opposition after a communally-charged election campaign, while the result in the Bhandara-Gondiya Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra was similar. The BJP retained another Lok Sabha seat from Maharashtra, Palghar, where it had faced its own ally Shiv Sena, but the Opposition could not put a united fight. BJP's Rajendra Gavit won the seat, defeating Shiv Sena's Shrinivas Wanaga. Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, however, alleged "discrepancies" in counting of votes for Palghar. In Nagaland, the fourth Lok Sabha seat for which bypoll was held on Monday, went to BJP's ally Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP). While the Lok Sabha bypoll results were equally divided at 2-2 between the BJP-led alliance and the opposition parties, figures for the 10 assembly bypolls came as a big setback for the ruling party which could win just one (in Uttarakhand). The Congress bagged three (in Meghalaya, Karnataka and Punjab) and others got six -- JMM two in Jharkhand; CPI (M), SP, RJD and Trinamool one each in Kerala, UP, Bihar and West Bengal, respectively. The Congress also won one assembly seat in Maharashtra without contest after all other parties withdrew their candidates. The Congress, which retained RR Nagar assembly in Karnataka and another in Meghalaya, termed the bypoll results as the people's mandate against four years of the Modi rule and the beginning of the end of the BJP empire. "The writing on the wall is clear. The BJP's exit and success of the Congress and its allies are guaranteed," Congress leader Pramod Tiwari told reporters. The results appeared more marked against the BJP after taking into account the parties that had held these seats earlier. While the BJP alliance retained two LS seats -- one in Maharashtra and another in Nagaland -- it lost two others -- UP's Kairana and Maharashtra's Bhandara-Gondiya. The BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said the party will analyse the cause of defeat in the two LS seats. In assembly seats, the BJP and its allies failed to retain Noorpur in UP and Shahkot in Punjab, while Congress, CPI (M), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and Trinamool retained their respective seats. The BJP retained Tharali in Uttarakhand, but lost Noorpur in UP. SP's Naeemul Hasan trounced BJP's Avni Singh in Noorpur. In Bihar, RJD won minority-dominated Jokihat by defeating BJP ally JD(U) by a huge margin. A buoyed Tejashwi Yadav of RJD said Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who dumped the RJD and the Congress last year to join hands with the BJP to form a new coalition government in the state, should resign if he has some conscience left. Senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said one has to take two steps backward before a big leap and the BJP is "going to take a massive leap." BJP's Subramanian Swamy, however, had a word of caution for the party and said the "this huge setback in by polls is due to Hubris". "But the trend is easily reversible if party stops rewarding sycophancy and has more participatory decision making ethos amongst those leaders whom the public find credible. BJP has infrastructure to bounce back but needs a new ethos," he said. AAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the results reflect the anger against the Modi government. The UP results came as the biggest upset for the BJP with the joint opposition candidate, RLD's Tabassum Hasan, winning in Kairana. The seat had fallen vacant after death of the BJP candidate Mriganka Singh's father, Hukum Singh. Former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav called the results "a defeat of divisive politics" and congratulated all opposition parties for the results. RLD's Jayant Chaudhary said the opposition unity will continue and the results showed that "Jinnah hara, Ganna jeeta" -- referring to the recent controversy over the Pakistan founder's portrait and the problems being faced by sugarcane farmers. CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechuri said BJP's loss at its "laboratory of communal and hate politics", Kairana, clearly showed that people did not accept the ruling party's politics. In Punjab, Congress' Hardev Singh Ladi wrested Shahkot from the Shiromani Akali Dal. Trinamool's Dulal Das won Maheshtala bypoll in West Bengal, defeating BJP's Sujit Kumar Ghosh. The Left came third. In Kerala, Left's Saji Cheriyan won Chengannur bypoll. The Congress came second and the BJP third. JMM retained Silli and Gomia seats in Jharkhand. In Gomia, JMM's Babita Devi defeated AJSU nominee Lambodar Mahto, while BJP came third. In Silli, JMM's Seema Mahto defeated AJSU chief Sudesh Mahto. (L-R): Obandele Neverson and Alaskie Samuel walked free, while the witness that could have prevented that remains on remand. The question, Will Shooting Spree Suspects Walk Free?, as carried on the front page of THE VINCENTIAN of May 18, 2018, has been answered. The two male suspects who were slapped with 11 charges in connection with the October 14, 2017 shooting spree at Diamond, were discharged on all counts, at the Serious Offences Court on Monday. Alaskie Beaver Samuel, 30, of Redemption Sharpes and Obandelle Neverson, 43, of Murrays Village, had been charged with the murder of Gregory Pecker Abraham, also known as Woody, as well as the attempted murders of Kenneth Bullo Barzie, Venus Thomas, Kerwin John, Karime Benjamin, Kamani Richards, Fitzroy Iris, Oslin Thomas and Andrew Layne, all of Diamond. They were also accused of attempting to murder Michael Richards of Choppins and Ricardo Shrek McFee of Villa. Charges withdrawn May 14 was the final adjournment date for the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) to commence, but when the main witness, Ricardo Shrek McFee, took the stand, he expressed unwillingness to testify. McFee had given a statement to the police, October 20, last year, in which he named Samuel and Neverson as the persons involved in the shooting rampage, but subsequently gave another statement to a lawyer saying that what he told the police was not true. He, however, told the Court on May 18, while being questioned by Senior Prosecutor Adolphus Delpleche, that the statement he gave to the police was true, but added, "I dont really want to go through with the case and have my family in problems outside. In light of this development, Delpleche requested, and was granted, a short adjournment to consult with the Acting Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Sejilla McDowall. When the matter was called on Monday, May 28, the Senior Prosecutor informed the Court that the Prosecution was withdrawing all the charges against Samuel and Neverson. Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne then discharged the men. Speaking with THE VINCENTIAN later, the Senior Prosecutor disclosed that more than 40 witnesses were slated to testify for the Prosecution at the Preliminary Inquiry, but explained, "McFee was our main witness. He held the key to the case. Without him, we had no case. He, however, indicated that the matter was not dismissed, as Preliminary Inquiries cannot be dismissed, since they are not trials. McFee -to face the High Court McFee was one of the persons who had escaped unhurt when masked gunmen alighted an unmarked white Toyota Sprinter and opened fire outside and inside the Road Side Bar at Diamond around 9 p.m., October 14 last year. Several persons were wounding during the shooting including Abraham, who succumbed to a bullet wound in the stomach two days later, at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital. While Samuel and Neverson walked free, McFee would remain in custody where he is awaiting High Court trial on charges of: murdering 9-month-old Mozarie Lee; unlawfully and maliciously wounding with intent the babys father, Mozart Lee, and mother, Shelly Ann Durham; and the attempted murder of Monty Hillocks of Belmont. The charges stemmed from a shooting incident at Fair Hall, October 7, 2016. McFee is charged jointly with Martin Jahson James of Villa, on all counts. On April 2, this year, McFee along, Colin Coco David of Fair Hall and Jomarno Small Man Tash of Rockies were discharged at the Serious Offences Court, on charges of attempting to murder Pauls Avenue businessman Jawanza Sanga Fraser, using a firearm with intent to murder Fraser, and possession of a firearm to endanger Frasers life. The charges against the trio were withdrawn after Frazer, the virtual complainant in the matter, was not present when called to take the witness stand at the Preliminary Inquire (PI), after being given notice to be there. Frazer was reportedly shot several times in the vicinity of the Bar he operates at Pauls Avenue, when occupants in a vehicle that pulled up alongside, opened fire on him around midday, October 15, last year. The incident had occurred about 15 hours after the shooting rampage at Diamond. Prime Minister Narendra Modi who arrived in Singapore on Thursday will have a number of engagements in his tightly packed schedule on Friday. The Prime Minister will receive a ceremonial welcome at the Istana (Presidential Palace), where he will meet with the Singaporean President Halimah Yacob. Prime Minister Modi will next meet his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong, after which there will be signing and exchange of MoUs and joint press statements. After the joint presser, Prime Minister Lee will host an official lunch in honour of Prime Minister Modi. Prime Minister Modi will next visit the Nanyang Technical University, which is ranked the best technological university and is considered a leading centre for research in Artificial Intelligence (AI). He will interact with the president and the board members of the university. Following this, Prime Minister Modi will deliver the keynote address of the Shangri-La Dialogue, which will be the first time an Indian Prime Minister will address the event. The Shangri-La Dialogue will be a platform to articulate regional security issues. The Prime Minister is expected to speak on India's views on peace and security in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) region and India's role in the region. Defence ministers, military chiefs and top officials from more than 40 countries will attend the event. After the keynote address, a working dinner would be hosted by Prime Minister Lee for all dignitaries. In a statement last week, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Secretary (East) Preeti Saran said that Singapore is the second largest source of investment in India, accounting for 16 percent of total Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in India. "Between 2000 and 2017, over 8000 Indian companies registered in Singapore and our bilateral trade with Singapore is USD 16 billion accounting for 20 percent of India's trade with the ASEAN region. Singapore companies have become major partners in areas like urban development and planning, Smart Cities and infrastructure development including sports, aviation, industrial parks and logistics," Saran added. She further said that India's oldest uninterrupted bilateral naval exercise is held with Singapore. About 10 percent of Singapore nationals are of Indian origin. The total Indian population in Singapore is estimated to be about 8 lakhs. "Over 1.3 million Indians actually visit Singapore as tourists so they are really the third largest tourist component for Singapore. Singapore has the highest concentration IIT and IIM alumni so that just shows the number of professionals that it has attracted," Saran said. On Thursday, Prime Minister Modi called India-Singapore's bilateral relations "warmest and closest". While addressing the community-cum-business event named 'Anushasan' at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, Prime Minister Modi called the Indo-Singaporean relations as "a natural partnership with a shared vision". While highlighting India's role in developing the ASEAN region, Prime Minister Modi further said, "Singapore became a partner and bridge between India and ASEAN". Later, Prime Minister Modi attended a round-table conference with CEOs for dinner. Thirty top business leaders of Singapore participated in the conference. Earlier, the Prime Minister visited the India-Singapore Enterprise and Innovation Exhibitions at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre, which showcased innovation in frontier technologies, including artificial intelligence, fin-tech and innovation for social impact. Before Singapore, Prime Minister visited Indonesia and Malaysia in a bid to enhance India's relations and engagements with the three countries, who are members of the ASEAN. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday underscored the importance of mutual efforts to sustain the straining Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Shiv Sena alliance in the state. "We are not against BJP-Shiv Sena alliance and neither do we believe that our alliance will break, but effort has to be from both ways. We are ready for talks with Shiv Sena," Fadnavis said. Earlier on Thursday, Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray launched an attack on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, saying that the latter is losing in his own state and is coming to campaign in Maharashtra. "Yogi Adityanath is losing in his own state and he is coming to campaign here (Maharashtra). Janta ne Yogi ji ki masti utaardi hai," Thackeray said while addressing a press conference here. Meanwhile, in the wake of the BJP's defeat in several by-elections, party spokesperson Sambit Patra called on the Congress to introspect rather than celebrate the former's defeat. "Today the Congress has become a cheer leader for other parties, they are celebrating their wins, when they are far-behind with their own politics. They should introspect more in this case," said Patra. The BJP won in Maharashtra's Palghar Lok Sabha constituency, defeating the Shiv Sena by 29572 votes, while it lost in the Bhandara-Gondiya Lok Sabha constituency to the Nationalist Congress Party by a margin of over 27,000 votes. Also, Samajwadi Party's Naimul Hasan won Uttar Pradesh's Noorpur assembly bypoll, while the Rashtriya Lok Dal emerged victorious in the Kairana Lok Sabha constituency. In Bihar's Jokihat, the Rashtriya Janata Dal's Shahnawaz Alam emerged victorious by a margin of more than 40,000 votes over JD(U)'s Murshid Alam. Denmark has banned the wearing of face veils in public, joining France and other European countries in outlawing the burqa and the niqab worn by some Muslim women to uphold what some politicians say are secular and democratic values. Parliament voted on Thursday for the ban proposed by the centre-right government, which says veils are contrary to Danish values. Opponents say the ban, which will take effect on Aug. 1, infringes womens right to dress as they choose. Under the law, police can instruct women to remove their veils or order them to leave public areas. Justice Minister Soren Pape Poulsen has said that officers would in practice fine them and tell them to go home. Fines would range from 1,000 Danish crowns ($160) for a first offence to 10,000 crowns for a fourth violation. France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Bulgaria and the German state of Bavaria have all imposed some restrictions on full-face veils in public places. Denmark has struggled for decades with how to integrate non-Western immigrants into its welfare state. Public debate intensified in 2015 with the arrival of large groups of refugees from conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere. The anti-immigrant Danish Peoples Party became the second-largest party in an election that year and now supports the coalition government in parliament. Zainab Ibn Hssain, who lives in Copenhagen and has been wearing the niqab for the last year, told Reuters: Its not nice. It will mean that I wont be able to go to school, go to work or go out with my family. But I wont take my niqab off so I have to find another solution, the 20-year-old added. Pape Poulsen, who leads the conservative party in the coalition, has described keeping ones face hidden in public as incompatible with the values of Danish society or respect for the community. Ibn Hssain rejected suggestions that wearing the veil symbolised the rejection of Danish values or oppression of women. It has nothing to do with integration or that were oppressed. For me it is a war on Islam, she said. Human rights group Amnesty International called the ban a discriminatory violation of womens rights ... All women should be free to dress as they please and to wear clothing that expresses their identity or beliefs. Ibn Hssain, who says she has been yelled at and spat at in public for wearing the niqab, will stay for now in Denmark despite the ban. If I leave Denmark the politicians win. I feel what they deep down want is for Muslims to leave Denmark, she said. -Reuters Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang on Thursday and invited him to visit, moving to raise Moscows profile in international efforts to ease tensions on the Korean peninsula. Lavrov visited the secretive state for the first time since 2009, as North Korean and US officials met for a second day to prepare the ground for an historic summit on June 12 between US President Donald Trump and the North Korean leader. Russia has appeared to be on the fringes of a flurry of diplomacy as Pyongyang and Washington edge towards talks aimed at ending years of tension over North Koreas nuclear programme. Lavrov on Thursday invited Kim him to visit Moscow. Come to Russia. We would be very happy to see you, Lavrov, seated across a table from Kim, said during a televised meeting. He expressed Moscows support for a declaration last month in which North and South Korea agreed to work for the denuclearisation of the peninsula. He said Moscow hoped all sides would take a measured approach to possible forthcoming talks on a nuclear settlement. This will allow for the realisation not only of the denuclearisation of the whole Korean peninsula but also to provide sustainable peace and stability across north-east Asia, Lavrov was quoted as saying by his ministry. Kims personal meeting with Lavrov was likely a move to try to secure Russia - along with China - as another powerful player that can push the United States to ease sanctions and make other concessions, said Anthony Rinna, a specialist in Korea-Russia relations at Sino-NK, a website that analyzes the region. In the short term, Moscow cannot afford to be remembered as the country that had no hat in the ring leading up to June 12, he said. From a longer-term perspective, Russia hopes to foster economic cooperation with both North and South Korea. Kim would be wise to delay any official visit to Russia until after his meeting with Trump, said Jeong Hyung-gon, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy. It wont be easy for Kim Jong Un to turn down an official invitation, so I think it would be after the June 12 summit, which would help him to hold a successful summit with the US Lavrov also held talks with his North Korean counterpart, Ri Yong Ho, Russian news agencies said. -Reuters A senior North Korean official will hand over a letter from the countrys leader Kim Jong Un to US President Donald Trump in a rare visit to the White House on Friday as the two sides try to put a derailed summit meeting back on track. Trump hopes to meet Kim in Singapore on June 12 and pressure him to give up his nuclear weapons, although he conceded on Thursday that might require more rounds of direct negotiations. Id like to see it done in one meeting, Trump told Reuters. But often times thats not the way deals work. Theres a very good chance that it wont be done in one meeting or two meetings or three meetings. But itll get done at some point. Leading the delegation to the White House on Friday is Kim Yong Chol, a close aide of Kim Jong Un. White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said late on Thursday that the details of the meeting were still being worked out. It was not clear whether Trump would receive Kim Yong Chol in the Oval Office. It was also not clear what North Koreas leader wrote in his letter to Trump, although it was seen as raising hopes that the summit meeting might be back on. After trading threats of war last year, the two men agreed to meet for an historic summit on June 12. But Trump canceled last week, citing Kims tremendous anger and open hostility in a string of public statements. Even as he pulled out, though, Trump urged Kim to call me or write if he wanted to revive the meeting. Within a day, both sides were in new talks to save the summit, and Kim Yong Chol flew to New York this week to meet Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Despite saying the two sides made real progress, Pompeo also cautioned that there might be no quick solution. Theyll have to choose a path that is fundamentally different than the one that their country has proceeded on for decades. It should not be to anyones surprise that there will be moments along the way, that this wont be straightforward, he said. Nuclear threat North Koreas nuclear weapons program has made significant advances in recent years and poses a threat to the United States. Trumps main goal in any talks is to eliminate that threat. Kim has rejected previous U.S. calls for North Koreas unilateral nuclear disarmament and argued instead for a phased approach to denuclearization of the entire Korean peninsula. That in the past has also meant removal of the U.S. nuclear umbrella protecting South Korea and Japan. In Pyongyang, Kim said his will to see denuclearization on the peninsula remained unchanged, consistent and fixed and hoped improved North Korea-U.S. relations would be solved on a stage-by-stage basis. The North Korean visit to the White House on Friday will be the first since 2000, when President Bill Clinton met senior figure Jo Myong Rok in an unsuccessful attempt to win the reclusive nations nuclear disarmament. The two men met for 45 minutes and Jo brought Clinton a letter from Kim Jong Il, the late father of North Koreas current leader. Jo wore his full military uniform when he was with Clinton, then donned a business suit to meet with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. To make his trip this week, Kim Yong Chol needed special permission for official travel to the United States because he had previously been blacklisted. South Korea has accused him of masterminding deadly attacks on a South Korean warship and an island in 2010, and US intelligence linked him to a cyber attack on Sony Pictures in 2014. -Reuters President Donald Trump on Thursday pardoned a conservative commentator and said he was considering pardoning lifestyle maven Martha Stewart and commuting a former Illinois governors prison sentence, prompting critics to accuse him of subverting the rule of law. Trump announced on Twitter his decision to pardon pundit and filmmaker Dinesh DSouza, who pleaded guilty in 2014 to US campaign finance law violations and was an outspoken critic of Democratic former President Barack Obama, saying he had been treated very unfairly by our government! The Republican president then told reporters on a flight to Houston he was also considering a pardon for Stewart, who was convicted in 2004 on charges of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and making false statements in an insider-trading probe. James Comey, whom Trump fired as FBI director last year and has repeatedly assailed, was the lead federal prosecutor in Stewarts case and played a role in the prosecution of Lewis Scooter Libby, the chief of staff to former Vice President Dick Cheney. Trump pardoned Libby in April. Trump also said he might commute the 14-year prison sentence of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat convicted of corruption charges, and was considering pardoning a woman convicted of a drug-related charge after reality TV star Kim Kardashian discussed the case with him on Wednesday. White House spokesman Hogan Gidley, briefing reporters on Air Force One as Trump later flew to Dallas for Republican fundraising events, denied that celebrity was a consideration in whom the president decides to pardon. Look, there are plenty of people the president is looking at right now under the pardon process, he said. The US Constitution gives the president the power to issue pardons, and Trump sometimes has used that authority to benefit convicted figures revered by some on the political right such as former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio and Libby. After DSouzas pardon, some constitutional scholars, legal analysts and Democratic lawmakers accused Trump of undermining the rule of law with pardons based on political considerations. Sending a message Critics said the president was sending a message to people caught up in Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation into whether Trumps 2016 presidential campaign colluded with Russia, including his longtime private lawyer Michael Cohen, whose business dealings are separately under scrutiny in New York. Trumps Dinesh DSouza pardon today, on top of his pardons of Scooter Libby and Joe Arpaio, make sense only as an elephant-whistle to Michael Cohen & all who know damning things about Trump: protect me & Ill have your back. Turn on me & your goose is cooked. More obstruction! Harvard Law School constitutional law professor Laurence Tribe wrote on Twitter. As with the pardon of Joe Arpaio, Trump is sending a message that he will reward political allies for loyalty with get-out-of-jail-free cards, Democratic US Representative Don Beyer said on Twitter. He doesnt care about the rule of law. Trump denies any collusion with Russia and has called Muellers probe a witch hunt. DSouza, 53, admitted in 2014 he illegally reimbursed two straw donors who donated $10,000 each to the unsuccessful 2012 US Senate campaign in New York of Wendy Long, a Republican he had known since attending Dartmouth College in the 1980s. He was sentenced to five years of probation after telling the judge he was ashamed of his actions and contrite. I cannot believe how stupid I was, how careless, and how irresponsible, DSouza wrote in a statement to the judge. Some conservatives complained of selective prosecution of DSouza. The prosecutor, Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara, was an Obama appointee later fired by Trump. On Thursday, DSouza thanked Trump in Twitter posts that also slammed Bharara. KARMA IS A BITCH DEPT: @PreetBharara wanted to destroy a fellow Indian American to advance his career. Then he got fired & I got pardoned, DSouza wrote. Bharara earlier said on Twitter: The President has the right to pardon but the facts are these: DSouza intentionally broke the law, voluntarily pled guilty, apologised for his conduct & the judge found no unfairness. The career prosecutors and agents did their job. Stewart and Blagojevich both were involved with Trumps Apprentice reality TV television show. Blagojevich was convicted of corruption offences including soliciting bribes for appointment to the US Senate seat Obama vacated after being elected president in 2008. Last August, Trump pardoned Arpaio less than a month after his conviction for criminal contempt in a case involving racial profiling of Hispanics. Arpaio was known for his crackdown on illegal immigrants in Arizonas Maricopa County. Libby was convicted in 2007 of lying in an investigation into the unmasking of a CIA agent. Trump last week posthumously pardoned boxer Jack Johnson, the first black world heavyweight champion, who was jailed a century ago because of his relationship with a white woman. -Reuters In one of the initial scenes in Bhavesh Joshi Superhero, the three protagonists discuss about a superhero for Mumbai. Something like Ra-One, one says. No, it was Jee-one; Ra-one was the villain, the other adds. The film is set in motion; for a country that struggles to recognise a home-made superhero, even after many attempts in trying to make one, this should have been a sincere effort. If nothing else, Vikramaditya Motwane's attempt to experiment with different genres is sincere. The film follows the adventures of two friends Bhavesh Joshi (Priyanshu Painyuli) and Sikander Khanna (Harshvardhan Kapoor), who, in their effort to be the righteous citizens in a country grappling with corruption, fall headfirst into its dark underbelly. Bhavesh and Sikander join the 2011 anti-corruption movement as college students. They meet another guy, Rajat (Ashish Verma), and in the process, forge a bond with him. The latter remains an onlooker for the most part, narrating the story of his two friends and their fight against corruption. Prodded on by the ongoing movement, the two friends decide that change can be brought only by little efforts like stopping people from cutting trees or urinating in public. As they go on with these missions, wearing brown paper bags, sometimes making a buffoon of themselves, they post it on their YouTube channel Insaaf handled by the tech-geek Sikander. The film itself, in one of its scene, talks about the banality in this entire exercise. And that is why Sikander, five-years down the line and settled in an MNC, decides to fly to Atlanta with an offer to setup a new branch for his company. Rajat, like most, is busy earning a livelihood writing blogs like 13 ways to become Ranveer Singh. It is only Bhavesh who sticks to his guns in the fight against corruption. The film leaps forward as Bhavesh discovers a water scam run by a top state politician (Nishikant Kamat), who is aided by top cops and mafia groups. He loses out to them, partly because of his own inability to make the right decision at the right time, and partly because of Sikander, who, in his desperation to opt out of the movement partakes in the prevailing corruption (bribing cops for an early delivery of passport). Unwittingly, Sikander gets entangled in the situation. He has to carry on the fight. Putting is technical knowledge to best use, he creates a multi-functional mask and a high-speed bike, while he trains to be a superhero under a martial arts trainer. Kapoor shines as a vigilante hero, but only while he is behind the mask; otherwise, his character fails to arouse any intense feeling. Painyuli, however, lives up to the character and the mission he believes in. The story written by Motwane, Anurag Kashyap and Abhay Koranne, has too many ideas and too many influences from the western superhero filmsmaking it chaoticas they also try to blend in the Indian-ness that they mostly work with. Take the case of a dance-bar scene, with its quirky lyrics and heart-thumping music. It is reminiscent of many such scenes created by Kashyap in most of his films. The long chase scenes in the slums and ghettos of Mumbai, wide use of handheld cameras and a few long single shots, add to the cinematic experience. The film has some really stylised visuals by cinematographer Siddharth Diwan. But the film invests too much in creating these scenes that, after a point, seem too long, unwinding and repetitive; as does the film at 153 minutes. It tries to make a superhero who is mostly driven by one incident in his life that plays out thrice in the film, twice as flashbacks. The film moves from being Bhavesh Joshi in the beginning to Bhavesh Joshi Superhero as the end credits roll, as it aspires to create an Indian superhero that would live on, but theres still time for that dream to be realised fully. Bhavesh Joshi Superhero Director: Vikramaditya Motwane Cast: Harshvardhan Kapoor, Priyanshu Painyuli Rating: 3/5 Delhi is poetic. A city of prepositions. A city of congruence. Shashanka Ghosh captures a different face of Delhi, one that is loud and flashy, in his latest outing Veere Di Wedding. His projection of Delhi will resonate with the popular perceptions of the city in the minds of Mumbaiwallas. And he makes no efforts to change it. Manoj Pahwa essays a father who wants to flash his wealth in his son Rishabhs (Sumeet Vyas) wedding. The plan is to invite 1,000 guests, and the engagement ceremony takes place on a crescent moon, which lifts the bride and groom into the air when they exchange rings. Neena Gupta plays the role of a mother whose ultimate motive is to get her daughter (Sonam Kapoor Ahuja) married, even if she has a career in which she feels more or less settled. Add to that a lot of swear words and booze. At the heart of this 'not-a-chick-flick' is the wedding of Kalindi (Kareena Kapoor Khan); as she starts rethinking her decision to get married, her friends Avni (Sonam), Shikha (Swara Bhasker) and Meera (Shikha Talsania) deal with the crisis. Simultaneously, they grapple with their personal demons. We are introduced to the friends as adolescents. Even after a 10-year leap the movie takes at the beginning, they hardly seem to come out of that frame of mind, especially when it comes to making big life decisions. Kalindi struggles with the idea of an opulent wedding, besides combating the broken equations in her family after her mothers death. Shikha, who is liberal with her lifestyle and use of cuss words, is in the middle of an ugly divorcethe reasons for it are bizarre. Avni, a divorce lawyer, has an eventful pastshe tailed a boyfriend to Pune just after school, and had an affair with her boss. But nothing has come close to marriage for Avni, who wears fake eye-lashes and full make-up even at the courts. On the insistence of her mother, she is trying to persuade herself for an arranged marriage with corporate lawyer Nirmal, who broaches the subject of a prenup in their first meeting. Meera, now a mother to a two-year-old, eloped with a white guy. She is not struggling with marriage, or the idea of getting married, but a bade papa who still hasnt come to terms with the big decision. Amidst all this, the girls share a tight-knit friendship. One of them sponsors a group trip to Thailandhow else would the film show a foreign location where the girls have a ball, gyrating at strip clubs, with copious amounts of booze and cigarattes. The friendship doesnt seem fake, but fails to evoke any emotion. The profanity in the script by Nidhi Mehra and Mehul Suri stand out more than any issue the girls are struggling with; they hardly seem close to reality. Kareena plays her part well. Sonam reprises many of her previous characters (Aisha, Khoobsurat)nothing new, nothing exceptional. Swara and Shikha have a field day. Swara has played similar roles in films like Tanu Weds Manu and its sequel. Vyas, even if good in his part, seems to have borrowed a leaf from the book of his character in the popular web series Permanent Roommates. Except for the song and dance sequence that he has to take part in, he is the same sweet, simple guy who would do anything that the girlfriend/fiance wanted. The movie establishes itself as a female road trip flick, but fails at many levels because of its lack of seriousness in dealing with issues; it needed a reality check. It is somehow a cross between the Hindi version of Sex And The City and the female version of Pyaar Ka Punchnama series, but nosedives courtesy a lack of originality. Film: Veere Di Wedding Cast: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, Swara Bhasker, Shikha Talsania, Sumeet Vyas Director: Shashanka Ghosh Rating: 2.5/5 Dr. Syu leading farmers and agricultural officers through an interpretation of a soil profile during the field training. Dr. Syu, Assistant Researcher of the Agricultural Chemistry Division, Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute, Council of Agriculture, made his third visit, may 9 23, to this country, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, on invitation of the Taiwan Technical Mission to visit St. Vincent and the Grenadines. During his visit, Dr Syu engaged directly with farmers across mainland St. Vincent, and conducted field training and workshops for farmers and agricultural officers. He especially advised and shared his expert knowledge in areas such as soil fertility management, nutrition deficiency diagnosis, application of GIS (Geographic Information System) on soil information, soil investigation and soil analysis methods. Mr. Renrick Williams, the Agriculture Instructor of the Plant Protection and Quarantine Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture, said that the training by Dr. Syu was informative. He anticipated that the Mission and the Ministry of Agriculture could further cooperate on matters related to soil analysis to benefit local farmers. No stranger to SVG, Dr. Syu played a critical role in the establishment and operation of the Soil Lab, which, according to Mr. Chun-Chun Huang, the Specialist of the Taiwan Technical Mission, so far there have been more than 400 samples of soil analyzed at the Lab and has offered at least 300 reports with the results of soil analysis to local farmers. All of this, and Dr. Syu professional input, are in keeping with the Taiwan Technical Missions role of working with the Ministry of Agriculture on the implementation of the "Project for Strengthening Framers Organizations and Improving Fruit and Vegetable Production Technology in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, an initiative launched in 2015. Washington President Trumps imposition of tariffs on Canada and other nations will undercut the growth of cross-border trade, especially in the North Country, lawmakers and regional economy specialists said Thursday. I strongly oppose these tariffs on our nations closest economic partner, Canada, said Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Willsboro, who represents the North Country. The shared production of goods by the U.S. and Canada actually makes our goods more competitive in global markets against China and others. Originally announced in March, the tariffs on steel and aluminum were put on hold as negotiations proceeded. But the White House went ahead with a 25-percent tariff on steel and 10-percent tariff on aluminum from the EU, Mexico and Canada, citing the threatened impairment to Americas national security. The White House on Thursday cited a Commerce Department finding that cheaper imports would continue to undermine U.S. steel and aluminum producers, resulting in a situation where the United States would be unable to meet demand for national defense and critical infrastructure in a national emergency. The decision was a follow-through on a Trump 2016 campaign promise to scrap or substantially rewrite the North American Free Trade Agreement that Trump blamed for killing U.S. manufacturing jobs. But Stefanik and the regions other Republican House member, John Faso, R-Kinderhook, went against their party in decrying the potential impact on the upstate economy. These tariffs are going to hurt small manufacturers and their workers by raising the cost of their goods, Faso said. This is a short-sighted action which will hurt our economy and sow chaos among our allies and American manufacturers. Canada is New Yorks number-one destination for exports, amounting to $12.5 billion in 2017, according to U.S. Census data. Trade with Canada supports about 681,000 jobs in New York. And according to Canadian figures, New York was the destination for $1.3 billion in Canadian aluminum and $366 million in iron and steel alloys and semi-finished products. With tariffs imposed, those products presumably would become more expensive. Plattsburgh has earned the reputation for being Montreals U.S. suburb, awash with Canadian companies U.S. locations. Among them: Bombardier, Nova Bus, Medisca and Imeco Cables. Plattsburgh has more in common with Montreal than New York City, said Mark Eagan, president and CEO of the Capital Region Chamber. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Eagan said the impact of the tariffs would be felt less in the Capital Region than areas like the North Country and Buffalo. Both have suffered prolonged bouts of economic depression, he said, but are showing signs of revitalization attributable in varying degrees to boosted trade with Canada. These are economies that need all the help they can get right now, Eagan said. So why create impediments to growth? What theyre doing is not a solution. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has enjoyed a friendly back-slapping relationship with Trump, called the tariff imposition totally unacceptable. The U.S. actually has a $2 billion surplus in steel trade with Canada, Trudeau said, and Canada buys half of U.S. steel exports more than any other country in the world. He cited the Canadian-U.S. military alliance on battlefields in World Wars I and II, Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan. These tariffs are an affront to the long-standing security partnership between Canada and the United States, and in particular, to the thousands of Canadians who have fought and died alongside American comrades-in-arms, he said. Albany The Texas cities of Brownsville and Edinburg in the Rio Grande Valley are each closer to Mexico than they are to each other. But in his former job Havidan Rodriguez had to bring two universities from each city together to create a new school despite the 70 miles between them. And he had to get a new medical school built from scratch. Rodriguez, now the president at the University at Albany, says the Capital Region can benefit from his experience in Texas, where he helped create what is now know as the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, which enrolled its first medical students two years ago. Rodriguez is co-chair of the Capital Region Regional Economic Development Council, which competes each year for roughly $800 million in state funding for economic development projects. At a council meeting at the UAlbany campus on Thursday, Rodriguez said regionalism is the key to achieving big goals, and it takes a leap of faith. Although the Capital Region is perhaps the most successful of the state's 10 regions set up by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in generating state economic development dollars, it's not an easy task, especially since where the region is located on the Hudson and Mohawk rivers, there are eight counties and six major cities to bring together to create a unified economic development vision. But Rodriguez has seen it work before when he helped to combine two schools, the University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg and the University of Texas Brownsville. He said regionalism makes the sum of two parts much stronger. "The only way that functioned was, we changed our mentality in terms of you don't function anymore in terms of individual cities, although the cities look out for their own well-being," Rodriguez said during Thursday's meeting. "But we functioned as a region. As a region we represented a great part of the state of Texas. We worked collaboratively, collectively to build a new university. We worked collaboratively to build a new school of medicine, the only school of medicine in the region." It will be interesting to see how Rodriguez and other local leaders and state officials navigate one of the biggest economic development issues facing the region the construction of a new $750 million Wadsworth Center, which is the state's public health lab. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Although Wadsworth is part of the state Department of Health, Wadsworth works closely with the UAlbany School of Public Health where its scientists have research and teaching appointments. UAlbany had been trying to get the new Wadsworth built on its Health Sciences Campus in East Greenbush where its School of Public Health is located. However, Albany Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy wants Wadsworth's new campus to be located in the city of Albany where most of its operations are now located. A report by the consulting firm Deloitte suggests that an 18-acre parcel on New Scotland Avenue in Albany near Wadsworth's Axelrod Institute lab and office building would be the best location for the new Wadsworth campus, due to its proximity to other medical facilities such as Albany Medical Center, which includes Albany Medical College. Those decisions will have to be made by the Department of Health and the state Dormitory Authority, which is building the new Wadsworth campus, although the economic development councils are being asked during this year's competition to focus on helping add to the state's biotechnology cluster. The new Wadsworth Center, which employs 800 people, is part of that biotech cluster program. Rodriguez did not talk about Wadsworth at Thursday's meeting. As a relatively new member of the council, having joined in December, he focused his comments on how the council could be most effective in getting state support for its economic vision for the area. He used his past experience in Texas to highlight how it could work best. "We got together with elected officials, decision-makers, all kinds of people within the community, organizations, nonprofits, to work together," Rodriguez said. "So this council, we represent exactly that us coming together to work collaboratively as a region to help in the economic development of this region to continue to expand and build on the great work that we have done." Jamaican gospel artiste Croswell Daily was the major act at the recent annual gala fundraising dinner of the Bronx, New York-based Vincentian group, St. Matthias Charities, Inc. The event, held on April 28, at the Friends of Crown Heights Educational Center in Brooklyn, attracted other Caribbean nationals, such as Jamaicans, Guyanese, Barbadians, Grenadians and Nevisians. Daily who performed during the two segments provided much spiritual food to patrons through his uplifting songs. They included: "He was There; "Surely Will Deliver; "Run Him Out; "Behold; "Blessed Assurance; and "A Wonderful Savior. Vincentian Bishop Aaron Moore, of the St. Jude Baptist Church in Brooklyn, exhorted patrons to "examine yourself. "Every man who invests in anything will like to see growth, he said. "So, you have to know when to invest, how to invest. "Examine yourself, he urged. "Think about it. Whats in my hearts condition. How do you respond to the word of God? "You must put in the work to reap a good crop, Moore continued. "You must prepare the soil to receive the seed. Check your heart. My word tonight is to prepare your heart to meet the Lord. Georgetown native Pastor Robert McBarnett, president of St. Matthias Charities, Inc., lauded patrons for contributing to the event. "Everywhere I go, I tell folks even in St. Vincent and the Grenadines [that] its the folks in New York why were able to do this, he said. "Your contributions make us do this. Since the group was founded in 2012, McBarnett said members have made annual pilgrimages to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, distri-buting medical and other supplies to hospitals and clinics, and delivering food, clothing and books, among others, to communities and schools in the length and breadth of the country. In response to McBarnetts appeal for contributions for EKG machines in every hospital in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, patrons contributed US$791.00 on the spot. "This is the biggest [single] donation thus far, McBarnett said. "So, it means we are going to get an EKG machine. During a missionary trip to St. Vincent and the Grenadines last December, St. Matthias Charities, Inc. distributed four commercial washing machines, one commercial dryer, three television sets and recreational games to the Mental Health Rehabilitation Center and the Lewis Punnett Home (a home for the aged) both at Glen, about five miles from capital, Kingstown. Over the years, the group has also conducted missionary trips to neighboring Grenada, distributing medical and other supplies to hospitals, clinics and communities. ROME There was no escaping it. Try as one might, there was no way out but to go with the dense flow of sweaty humanity. This was the Vatican Museum with its endless galleries of some of the finest art Western civilization had ever produced scores of highlights obstructed from full view by fellow journeymen, many of whom were trying to make the most of a once-in-a-lifetime experience. One hapless tourist took pictures of the explanatory panels, unable to stand still and actually read them, before being swept up and moved along, up to the next masterpiece hidden from proper view. Michelangelo was a visionary genius for painting not only the walls of the Vatican's Sistine Chapel, but primarily its ceilings. Over half a millennium later, it does allow for an unobstructed view, however tightly packed the masses are, however tense the neck muscles become. This was a weekday in early autumn, when travelers in most destinations expect high tourist season to finally give way to a semblance of civility. Not in Rome, not at the Vatican. It captured in a few claustrophobic moments the challenges top tourist destinations now face across Europe be it Amsterdam, Venice, Rome or Belgium's Bruges. "Memories which someday will become all beautiful when the last annoyance that encumbers them shall have faded out of our minds," Mark Twain wrote in his famed travel report through Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, "The Innocents Abroad." With overtourism gripping the great treasures of humanity, it seems a lot of amnesia is in order for memories to truly shine. But hold on. There is another way, and you don't even have to give up a visit to a place like Rome. One day after the suffocating zombie experience at the Vatican Museum, you might be forgiven for furtively looking over your shoulder at the Palazzo Massimo alle Terme museum and wonder, "Where is everybody?" The art is as unbeatable as at the Vatican. Try finding a better 2,000-year-old discus thrower, and wonder how so much human expression could be put in a bronze like the boxer. And here you can circle it from every angle with nary another tourist in sight. What it comes down to is an acceptance that you might not see every top-five attraction in a city or country. But what you will lose in namedropping "I was at the Uffizi" you will gain in true travel experience and a sense of adventure to go off the beaten track. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Here's how that philosophy plays out on a visit to Rome, even if it might sound sacrilegious to some: Skip a visit to the Colosseum. Don't worry, you will get plenty of great views of it from many streets around there. Instead, try the Baths of Caracalla. The ruins of the baths, where 1,600 were served at once in Roman times, are awe-inspiring and you find better patterns for floor mosaics there. Seeing 10 great paintings up close beats seeing 100 behind a forest of selfie sticks. So head for the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj. Legend goes that when Pope Innocentius X saw Velasquez's portrait of him there, the pontiff is said to have exclaimed "Troppo Vero!" too true and kept it away from the public eye for far too long. Many consider it the finest portrait in history, though the tourist hordes don't know about it. Rome is so saturated with the greatest art that the list goes on forever. Too many sweaty shoulders to get a great view of statues of the legendary Bernini on the Piazza Navona? Head to slightly out of the way Santa Maria della Vittoria and see perhaps his greatest work, the sculpture depicting "The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa." I won't say more, but read the accompanying text in the church and you'll find some religious writing that could put "Fifty Shades of Grey" to shame. You might even switch cities on your itinerary. Instead of Amsterdam and its chockablock crowds clogging the uneven streets, pick nearby Utrecht as your base. The canals have a charm all their own and you will find a similar waft of weed at its many "cafes." ALBANY The former city cop who crashed his car and left the scene twice in eight months will have his license suspended for at least six months, spend three years on probation and pay almost $900 in court-imposed fines. Shawn Dixon resigned from the police force in April. Both crashes happened while he was off-duty. Washington Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, frustrated by stalled efforts in Congress to rewrite the federal law governing higher education law, is moving ahead with a plan to overhaul the system through her regulatory powers. Her determination was ratified Thursday by the chairman of the Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., who told a New York Times education conference in New York that the Senate will not produce promised higher education legislation this year. "The Democrats won't do it," he said, adding, "they want to wait until next year to see if they're in better shape politically, but I keep telling them, 'I can take notes and do to you what you do to me, even if I'm in the minority.'" Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the committee's ranking minority member, has said repeatedly that her party is not the problem. She is willing to come to the table to negotiate a rewrite of the Higher Education Act if it includes talks on college affordability beyond the changes to the existing financial aid application, a dominant concern of Alexander's. She has also said the two senators could not renegotiate the higher education law in good faith when DeVos has not enforced the elementary and secondary education law that she and Alexander crafted in 2015. She said DeVos is approving state education reform plans that do not properly consider minority and other underserved student populations, as the law requires. Alexander and DeVos disagree. Alexander's problems extend well beyond the Democratic Party. A conservative rewrite of the decades-old Higher Education Act has passed the House Education and the Workforce Committee, but the panel's chairwoman, Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., has not gotten a vote on the House floor. Her version, which would remove constraints on for-profit and religious institutions, cannot pass the Senate, where the Republicans hold a one-seat majority. Meanwhile, DeVos has announced a sweeping regulatory agenda that targets revisions to key accountability measurements in the existing law, such as accreditation, credit hours and making nontraditional programs such as competency-based education eligible for federal financial aid. Competency-based education makes the acquisition of specific skills not just test-taking and attendance key graduation requirements. Alexander backed changes to eligibility rules for financial aid, "so you just don't get paid in whether your butts in a seat or not; you get paid if you're learning." The department has already taken measures to renegotiate rules around for-profit colleges, which have been tarred by scandal, and the handling of sexual assault cases on college campuses. Liz Hill, a spokeswoman for DeVos, said the secretary is in constant communication with Republican leaders in the House and the Senate, and "is unequivocally supportive of their efforts to reauthorize the HEA this Congress." But DeVos will not wait for Democrats, she said. "While a full rewrite of the law by Congress is the preferred method for fixing HEA, it requires a willingness by Democrats to come to the table," she said. "As long as Democrats continue to be unwilling to engage in productive bipartisan discussions around common sense solutions, the department must move forward with the law that we have." Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Alexander generally praised DeVos' willingness to step in to complex topics, such as Title IX, the part of the Higher Education Act that governs sexual harassment and misconduct on campus. DeVos is revising existing rules to be more sensitive to students and faculty accused of misconduct and to pull back from automatic investigations into virtually any allegation. "There's a lot of uncertainty around what sexual harassment means," he said. "All that's been done in intervening years have been letters and guidances that have no rule of law." He also hinted that regulations approved by the Obama administration's Education Department on for-profit higher education institutions may have gone too far. A number of such outlets were rocked by scandal after thousands of students were signed up with federally guaranteed student loans but could find no work after graduation. Loans worth hundreds of millions of dollars ended in default, with the taxpayers on the hook. The Obama administration's regulatory response bankrupted some institutions. Now the Trump administration is examining regulatory changes that could allow for a comeback. "I think the same rules ought to be applied to all institutions," Alexander said. Alexander also criticized what he saw as a rising tide of left-wing intolerance on the nation's campuses and worried openly that higher education was becoming a partisan issue, with support for college slipping among his colleagues. More than 100 days after Constantinos "Danny" Filippidis went missing from Whiteface Mountain, State Police and Filippidis family are no closer to understanding what led the skier to end up in a rental car section of the Sacramento Airport. State Police said Thursday they considered the case still open but had no new information on Filippidis disappearance. Filippidis was on a ski trip with some fellow Toronto firefighters. At around 2 p.m. Feb. 7, he decided to go on one last ski run while his friends returned to the lodge. When he still hadnt returned by 4 p.m., they began to look for him. Searchers eventually found his identification in his car but no sign of him. The disappearance sparked a massive search effort, involving more than 130 members. Six days later, Filippidis wife received a call from a number she didnt know. On the other line was Filippidis. He called her by a nickname he used for her but sounded lost and confused. After calling him back, she was able to convince him to call 911. Sacramento County Sheriff spokesman Shaun Hampton recalled the morning deputies found him wandering around the rental car area of the airport. When he called his wife, Filippidis had purchased a new iPhone and had gotten a haircut somewhere. He was clearly in need of medical attention and was still wearing his ski gear, he said. Based on our initial encounter with him we basically demanded (EMS) take him to a hospital, he said. Hampton said that deputies believe Filippidis spent the night near Richards Boulevard along the I-5 corridor. Its a huge transient thoroughfare, he said. Its unclear how Filippidis moved from Richards Boulevard to the airport, which is about 13 miles away. I dont know how he got there, Hampton said. Its very difficult to travel through there. Hampton speculated that Filippidis could have hitchhiked or possibly caught a cab. The Sacramento Fire Departments airport branch declined to describe Filippidis condition when they found him, citing privacy laws. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. The idea of Filippidis spending time near a major trucking corridor supports the explanation he gave police, that he was picked up by a trucker at some point near the ski resort and spent most of his time in the trucks cab, sleeping. But Filippidis time covering the nearly 3,000 miles between Whiteface and I-5 in Sacramento remains a mystery. Trucks routinely move through the area around the ski resort and are a main source of goods and materials. But so far State Police have not been successful in finding a trucker who may have picked Filippidis up. As for Filippidis, he has remained publicly silent. He returned from California on Feb. 13 and State Police interviewed him the next day. They said they dont believe any crimes were committed and Filippidis returned to Toronto. He has cooperated with the investigation and spoken to police after their initial interview. Last week, Frank Ramaganano, president of the Toronto firefighters union said Filippidis had still not returned to work from the incident and was receiving medical care but declined to elaborate further, citing Filippidis need for privacy. He hopes to be back at some point, he said. Ive had a lot of discussions with him and hes working with the departments doctor. Ervia, the agency behind Nenagh's 17m water, waste water and natural gas pipe laying project has had to apologise to Nenagh businesses after it failed to reconnect them to the main sewerage system. At least two premises on Kenyon Street had to close for a short time following a sewage leak in the past fortnight. Following a period of heavy rainfall it became apparent that a private-side sewer serving two adjoining properties had not been connected to the new main sewer installed on the street, Ervia said in a statement this week to the Tipperary Star. However, contractors working on behalf of Ervia have completed repairs to a sewer connection in Kenyon Street, they said. An Ervia spokesperson said that immediately on becoming aware of the situation, the company instructed the schemes contractors to carry out the necessary works to rectify the issue and assist with any clean up work needed in the area. This work was completed on Wednesday, May 17, and the road has since been temporary reinstated at this location with the permanent reinstatement to be carried out in due course. Ervia representatives have been in contact with the owners of the affected properties throughout the incident and have apologised to them for the disruption. We would also like to apologise to any other members of the public inconvenienced as a result of this issue, they said. However, Cllr Seamus Morris told the Tipperary Star that he was getting getting increasingly frustrated with what he termed the lack of accountability over the reinstatement programme for Nenagh . He said that this Monday he noticed Balfour Beattie reopening footpaths in Summerhill long after it had been assumed that such works had finished. I have looked for a road and footpath reinstatement schedule, which I have not been given, as of yet, said the Independent councillor. He further said that there were about the unfinished road from Tyone to the railway station. He revealed that he and Cllr McGrath had met Nenagh Chamber of Commerce and had asked them to lend their weight to getting a reinstatement programme, but, that as of yet, this had not happened . I am very concerned that the patience of our business community is being stretched beyond repair and I am also concerned about the amount of people who have been hurt on our broken streets, said Cllr Morris. He said that he was looking forward to seeing a full reinstatement programme with dates of commencement and finishing dates and thanked the business community for their incredible patience. Cllr Morris also said he was looking forward to the return of the trough on Kenyon Street which was accidently removed by contractors. Meanwhile, at the May meeting of Nenagh Municipal District Council, told councillors that all the substantial work in relation to the project had been carried out, apart from reinstatement works. He asid the council was looking for a programme as to when it would be carried out and would be pushing Gas Networks Ireland for a programme. MDC Cathaoirleach Cllr John Carroll had said that there was a lot of worry because of the work around the town and he would like to see and end to it. Nenagh councillors have been told by local council management that it would be hard to justify hiring an architect to look after planning in the town. The issue split Nenagh Municipal District Council members, with the merits of hiring an architect also being questioned by town councillor Hughie McGrath. The subject was raised by Cllr Joe Hannigan, who was part of a council delegation that visited Westport in Mayo a number of months ago, in light of developments around Nenagh's historic quarter. Cllr Hannigan said an architect would be able to bring forward suggestions on how to develop the town's character and to create an atmosphere for shopping. Nenagh has a lot to offer but a lot is hidden in the town, said the Independent councillor. However, district manager Marcus O'Connor told Cllr Hannigan that Nenagh and Westport were two different types of town. But he pointed out that the proposed Nenagh traffic management plan's one-way system was based on a similar one in Westport. The town had also modelled its window box scheme on the one in the Mayo town. Mr O'Connor had no difficulty with an architect coming to talk to various groups in Nenagh but maintained it was hard to justify a full time architect for the town. The manager pointed out that the council had received advice from architects from time to time. He dismissed a suggestion by Cllr Phyll Bugler that the town needed someone to pull it all together as, she said, Nenagh was suffering because of the amount of business being done online. We need a strong town, she said, urging that the Local Enterprise Office be consulted about bringing vitality back to the northern part of the county. Cllr Bugler said: We need to pull it all together with the outlying towns. We have to act. However, Mr O'Connor told Cllr Bugler that an architect would not bring business back to the town We meet the Chamber on a regular basis. People find Nenagh to be a progressive town, said Mr Connor, who stated it could cost 70,000 to hire an archtitect who was not going to make any difference. Defending Mr O'Connor, Cllr Hughie McGrath said he was concerned that there was a push to put everything into the historic quarter around the castle, gaol and the heritage centre. An architect can have a great plan but the people of Nenagh can make things happen if they get the proper support, he declared. Cllr McGrath said he would rather give the 70,000 cost of an archtitect to the local Tidy Towns. Where does the 70,000 come out of our budget? he asked. Cllr McGrath also had concerns that employing an architect could delay the proposed traffic management plan. However, he had to agree with Cllr Bugler regarding the threat from online shopping and said he raised this at every opportunity when he was at the EU Committee of the Regions in Brussels. Fellow town councillor Seamus Morris believed there was merit in hiring an architect. He suggested the the council relook at the report by Alexander Hoey into restoring Nenagh barracks, which was commissioned around 10 years ago. Cllr Michael O'Meara sided with Cllr Hanigan and said it could be shortsighted not to hire an architect. Business people can keep doing the same thing all the time and sometimes you need an independent eye, he said. Cathaoirleach Cllr John Carroll said the best form of marketing was a simple hello. Nenagh has a great reputation for being friendly. My advice is to put the phone away, he said. Cllr Ger Darcy proposed a compromise and that a co-ordinator be asked to look at what is happening in Nenagh. Mr O'Connor said the council could meet the Chamber and LEO to see how Nenagh was going to respond. Aldis Nenagh Project Fresh store has reopened its doors to customers following an extensive renovation project which has seen the store completely refurbished as part of Aldis 160m investment in its Irish store network. The newly-refurbished store has received a full makeover in line with Aldis award-winning Project Fresh store design. The Project Fresh store layout was recognised at the 2017 Checkout National Retail Supplier Awards, as the innovative design scooped the Best New Store Build award. Nenagh manager Shane Mellett said: Following extensive refurbishment work we are delighted to have reopened our new Project Fresh store. The whole Aldi team is looking forward to welcoming customers from the locality, both existing and new. We are confident our customers will find the new store provides a more enjoyable and spacious shopping experience. Our commitment to our customers is we will never be beaten on price and will always provide the best value. Families can make huge savings on their weekly shopping bill by shopping at our stores. Aldis Nenagh store now offers over 25 per cent more fridge space, a wide selection of fresh food at the front of the store, hi-spec fixtures and fittings and new signage that provides a more efficient and hassle-free shopping experience. The store participates in Aldis national partnership with FoodCloud, donating surplus food to local charities daily, including Nenagh Childcare. The store has donated over 13, 500 meals to charity to date. There was great shock and sadness in Thurles following news of the passing yesterday afternoon of Sally Willoughby, Kickham St. Mrs Willoughby (nee Philbin), formally Glen of the Downs, Delgany, Co. Wicklow and Ballinlough, South Hill, Delvin, Co. Westmeath passed away peacefully while in the care of Limerick Regional Hospitals, Intensive Care Unit (I.C.U.), Dooradoyle, Co. Limerick. She was predeceased by her parents Patrick and Annie, her brother Sean and brother-in-law Noel. Her passing is most deeply regretted by her heartbroken family; husband George; daughters Karen and Rachel; sons Stewart, Shane and Alan; sisters Mary (Nolan, New York.) and Anne (Lennon, Dundalk.), sons in law Ronan and Garry; nephews; nieces; cousins; extended relatives; good neighbours and friends. Funeral Arrangements The earthly remains of Mrs Willoughby will lie in repose at Hugh Ryans Funeral Home, Slievenamon Road, Thurles, Co. Tipperary on Saturday 2nd June from 6.00pm to 8.00pm, to arrive at the Cathedral of The Assumption, Thurles at 9.00pm. Requiem Mass will be held on Sunday 3rd June at 12.00 noon, followed immediately afterwards by interment in St Patricks Cemetery, Moyne Road, Thurles, Co. Tipperary. Note Please: House fully private. Family flowers only. Donations in lieu, if desired, to Thurles Cathedral Restoration Fund. Ar dheis De go raibh a h-anam dilis. Tipperary County Council came under pressure to take in charge a local housing estate where a private sewerage system had to be installed because the public system doesnt work, at the May meeting of Cashel Tipperary Municipal District. Cllr Michael Fitzgerald called for Tipperary Co. Council to take in charge Rocksprings Housing Estate Kilross, consisting of 5 houses, the only issues with this estate is where the Sewerage System is located. The estate is located about 10 kilometers west of Tipperary town. Cllr Fitzgerald said the public sewerage system cannot be used in this estate, and a developer had stepped in to install a private sewerage system. However, the Council will not take in charge the estate due to outstanding issues around the private sewerage system. There are 11 of them in the County. I think its grossly unfair, said Cllr Fitzgerald. Some five houses are affected. Its ridiculous that that estate is being held up. The developer is greatly upset, considering the amount of work he has done on the estate. Cllr Fitzgerald called on the County Council and Irish Water to do everything possible to ensure that this estate can be taken in charge. Cllr Mary Hanna Hourigan seconded the motion. Cllr Roger Kennedy said part of the reason why this debacle has ensued is that Irish Waters contracts do not include taking in charge estates where there is a private sewerage system. This should have been foreseen by the Department, said Cllr Kennedy. It affects a number of other estates around the County. Irish Water will not sit down with the Department and agree terms regarding taking in charge sewerage systems like this. Its wrong that a private citizen will be held to ransom by corporations like Irish Water, and it needs to be urgently solved. Cllr John Crosse said they should put pressure on Irish Water, and it would be no harm to get an update from IW. We are getting it in the neck. There have been a few false dawns regarding estates in our area. Cllr Crosse called for one or two heads from Environment and Irish Water to brief us. This needs to be done before the long winter nights set in. Cllr Denis Leahy said the frustration people have to put up with Irish Water and the various agencies is unreal. I hope Irish Water get their act together. People are paying their taxes and demand services. People who pay their Property Taxes are asking why dont I have these services, and I agree with them. Cathaoirleach Cllr Michael Fitzgerald said he would invite somebody from Irish Water to attend a meeting with Councillors. The Roscrea Enhancement Committee is delighted to announce the launch of the 2018 Roscrea Enhancement Committee Awards Speaking this week, the Chairman of the local committee, Brian King, said that this is the fourth year of the awards. Since their inauguration in 2016, Brian said that the awards have gone from strength to strength and the organising committee have no doubt that the 2018 awards will bring the standard of the competition to an even higher level. The expectation is that that judging will once again take place in August. Like previous years there will be numerous prizes on offer including an award for the best estate overall, a special recognition award, a best presented business award and a heritage award to name but a few. The award criteria will focus on a number of areas including litter, biodiversity, community and youth involvement, tidiness and cleanliness of an estate, vibrancy, innovation, use of the Irish language, community voluntary efforts and initiatives including fundraising, and sustainability and conservation of resources. The organising committee are currently finalising the application forms for the estates that would like to enter this years competition. Once the forms are ready Brian King and Pamela Aitken will make arrangements to visit local estates and explain the application process. This proved to be a great success last year and Brian King said that himself and Pamela at the time were heartened by the enthusiasm of the local community to really get behind the awards. Brian king said he had no doubt this year would be even better. The deadline for entry to the competition is 5pm on Thursday the 28th of June 2018. The committee has once again engaged a judge who is very much specialised in the whole area of enhancement and landscape design to judge this years competition. Like last year all entrants will be provided with an adjudicators report which will contain plenty of positive feedback and recommendations. Brian said it is no coincidence that last years magnificent result of a silver medal for Roscrea Tidy Towns was helped greatly by all those who made the effort to enter the Enhancement Awards. Brain said the silver medal award was richly deserved by the local Tidy Towns Committee who he said deserve all the help and credit they can get. Brian called on even more local resident committees and local businesses to get behind the Tidy Towns effort and as always he asked people to reflect on what our town would look like it we were not lucky enough to have such an active tidy towns committee. In conclusion Brian King encouraged as many entrants as possible to this years competition. Brian also thanked last years sponsors and hoped that would see plenty of merit in coming on board once again this year. Brian also encouraged new sponsors to step forward should they wish to get involved. Brian thanked the organising committee which includes Marion Carey, Michael Smith, Eileen Doherty and Pamela Aitken. Brian said he was delighted that Pamela has agreed to help co-ordiante the awards once again this year after doing such a great job last year. For any enquiries Pamela can be contacted at (085)7114183 or at aitkenpamela4@gmail.com [May 31, 2018] UTAC Appoints Ken Rizvi as New Chief Financial Officer SINGAPORE, June 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- UTAC Holdings Ltd ("UTAC"), a global semiconductor test and assembly services provider, announced today the appointment of Mr. Ken Rizvi as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer effective 1 June 2018. Ken joins UTAC from Isola where he served as its Chief Financial Officer overseeing both the finance and IT organisations. Ken has more than 20 years of experience in the technology industry with senior leadership roles at Micron, ON Semiconductor and Isola. He replaces Shawn L. Kelly, the interim Chief Financial Officer, who will return to his role as Vice President of Finance. "We are delighted to welcome Ken to UTAC's management team as CFO. Ken's extensive business and financial experience with major technology companies will be invaluable as we look at organic and inorganic drivers to grow the company post debt restructring and maximise value for our stakeholders. I would also like to thank Shawn Kelly who served as interim CFO over the last 8 months," said Dr. John Nelson, Chief Executive Officer of UTAC. Prior to Isola, Ken held senior finance positions with Micron and ON Semiconductor. He also served as an associate with Technology Crossover Ventures, a leading private equity and venture capital firm focused on growth technology companies, and as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley. Ken holds an Executive MBA from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, United States and a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Yale University. (all figures in US$ unless otherwise stated) About UTAC Holdings Ltd UTAC Holdings Ltd (UTAC) is a leading independent provider of assembly and test services for a broad range of semiconductor chips. We offer a full range of semiconductor assembly and test services in these key product categories: analog, mixed-signal and logic, and memory. Our customers are primarily fabless companies, integrated device manufacturers and wafer foundries. UTAC is headquartered in Singapore, with production facilities located in Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, China, Indonesia and Malaysia. We have a global sales network across United States, Japan, China and Taiwan, rest of Asia and Europe, with sales offices in each of these regions. SOURCE UTAC [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 01, 2018] Linfinity, the World's First Distributed Supply Chain Platform, Disrupts the Supply Chain Industry Through a Transparent and Traceable System SINGAPORE, June 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Founded in Singapore, Linfinity is the world's first distributed supply chain platform based on blockchain, Internet of Things and Big Data technology, that is commercialising FMCG products. It aims to transform the supply chain industry by building a trusted and traceable anti-counterfeiting supply chain through blockchain technology. Today's global supply chains are slow, inefficient, and susceptible to fraud and negligence. This, in combination with consumers' increasing demand for greater levels of transparency regarding product origins, is exactly what Linfinity plans to address in its blockchain system for supply chains. With reliable data, transparent information and interconnected networks, Linfinity enables traceability of supply chains from source to end consumer. The application of blockchain technology in the supply chain industry enables the following advantages within the ecosystem: Enhanced transparency -- A product's journey can be documented across the supply chain from origin to destination, increasing trust between players in the ecosystem. Scalability -- Any number of users can participate in the supply chain and engage in the transfer of information. Better security -- A ledger, such as the blockchain, would self-regulate the system improving on previous internal audit inefficiencies. Engaged stakeholders -- Using an incentive model (using tokens, cryptocurrency and a system of smart contracts that automates payments), it allows automation of payments and quick transactions. This creates an active ecosystem that benefits all parties involved. Increased innovation -- Once a blockchain system is in place, smart contracts can be used to increase efficiency and integrate with the rest of the system. Mr Anndy Lian, CEO of Linfinity Singapore, said, "As the demand for transparency increases for products, the application of blockchain to this system will not only improve supply chain efficiency, but allow reliable collection of data. Throughout the various points in the supply chain, the data will be handled in a secure, digitised and verifiable manner. This will allow consumers to access accurate and trustworthy information about the product that previously was unavailable to them, as well as ensure that the product is authentic." Linfinity Introduces Blockchain Technology to Various Supply Chain Industries Moving ahead to raise greater awareness in the blockchain space, Linfinity has several upcoming collaborations across various industries, which also includes conducting a blockchain roundtable to facilitate open discussion around blockchain. Linfinity has signed Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) with six companies -- Crossinvest, RHTLaw Taylor Wessing LLP, RHT Holdings, RONGDE Logistics, Scientific Tradition, and WealthBriefingAsia on 31 May, Thursay. These MOU signings will mark the start of strategic collaborations between industry partners and Linfinity to explore blockchain together. Under the terms of the memorandum with Scientific Tradition and RONGDE Logistics, Linfinity will introduce its blockchain system to their supply chains in order to increase effectiveness and efficiency. The introduction of Linfinity's blockchain system to Scientific Tradition's supply chain will protect their research from fraud and negligence and provide a transparent overview of product origins to their consumers. The MOU signings with Crossinvest and WealthBriefingAsia signal the agreement between partners to contribute knowledge and expertise in their respective fields to facilitate the blockchain ecosystem at different points of the supply chain. Linfinity's partnership with RHTLaw Taylor Wessing LLP and RHT Holdings will entail pilot trials implementing blockchain technology for future projects involving the clients of RHT across multiple industries in Singapore and the region. Mr Tan Chong Huat, Managing Partner of RHTLaw Taylor Wessing LLP, said, "Linfinity's partnership with RHTLaw Taylor Wessing and RHT Holdings creates exciting opportunities to collaborate and value add to this ecosystem. We look forward to commencing these pilot trials for our future projects, as well as to support and further the work that Linfinity is doing within the supply chain industry. With the transparency and accountability afforded by blockchain technology, we believe this can be a gamechanger, and with further potential for this technology across various sectors, it is something we are excited to be a part of." In line with Linfinity's partnership with WealthBriefingAsia, Linfinity is proud to announce that it is the official blockchain partner for this year's WealthBriefingAsia Awards. Held on 31 May, Friday, at the Westin Singapore, the WealthBriefingAsia Awards is a prestigious event showcasing the best and brightest of the private banking and wealth management space. As part of this partnership, Linfinity was involved in the presentation of awards to the winners during the event. This is the first year that WealthBriefingAsia and Linfinity will be working together. Additionally, Linfinity will be holding a series of roundtable discussions across the region. The first roundtable discussion will be held on 1 June, Friday in Singapore to offer a "how-to" approach to deploying blockchain technologies across industries like logistics, finance, retail, and many more. Through these roundtable discussions, Linfinity aims to forge strategic partnerships and introduce its blockchain system into supply chains across various industries. About Linfinity Linfinity is committed to building a reliable and traceable anti-counterfeiting supply chain underlying blockchain technology. Linfinity establishes such a platform with reliable data, transparent information, efficient cooperation and interconnected network to cope with the practical business pain points and development demand of corporate users. About Crossinvest Crossinvest is a multi-generational family-owned group that exemplifies the finest Swiss Private banking traditions. The independent external private wealth management company offers bespoke and exclusive discretionary management, financial advisory and family office services to its family of clients. About RHTLaw Taylor Wessing LLP RHTLaw Taylor Wessing LLP prides itself as a law firm that delivers international capabilities, locally. As a firm based in Singapore, RHTLaw Taylor Wessing LLP offers clients access to a network of more than 3,300 legal professionals across 69 offices in Asia, the Middle East and Europe and the United States via its membership with the Taylor Wessing network and ASEAN Plus Group (APG). For more information, please go to http://www.rhtlawtaylorwessing.com/ About RHT Holdings RHT Holdings is the Leading Professional Services Group in Asia. The Firm consists of six subsidiaries namely, RHT Capital, RHT Communications & Investor Relations, RHT Compliance Solutions, RHT Corporate Advisory, RHT i-Assets Advisory and RHT Management Services. RHT Holdings is part of a highly networked, multi-disciplinary group of companies. For more information, please go to https://www.rhtholdings.com/ About RONGDE Logistics RONGDE Logistics is a logistics support company that strives to take logistics to the next level. The company provides access to 40 prime movers with GPS tracking, 400 container chassis, emergency recovery trucks, SCDF approved vehicles and more. About Scientific Tradition Scientific Tradition was founded by Jannie Chan, who spent millions of dollars on Lingzhi research and even has a Lingzhi named after herself. Ms Chan is also the co-founder of The Hour Glass and was the longest serving president at the Retail Association Singapore. About WealthBriefingAsia WealthBriefingAsia has over 20 years' experience of providing information to the international financial services sector. It is the Asia-focussed daily news and analysis service of the WealthBriefing Network. Media Contact: Maxene Ng +65-6634-1241 maxene@prospr.com.sg Logo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20180601/2148974-1LOGO SOURCE Linfinity [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 01, 2018] Cybereason Targets June 5 to Carry out Multi-Stage Global Cyber Attacks from Infosecurity Europe LONDON, June 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Cybereason, creators of the leading cybersecurity data analytics platform including endpoint detection and response, next-generation antivirus, and active monitoring services, today announced Cyber Hunting Live, a "must see" event at Infosecurity Europe on June 5. Run in conjunction with show organizers, Cybereason will stage three live cyber attacks where participants will witness an attack, incident response and active remediation using active hunting tools, techniques and response methodologies. The attacks take place at 12:00, 1:15 and 2:30 pm from Olympia Grand in London. In addition, Cybereason announced its European premiere of The Defenders, a new cybersecurity documentary produced and underwritten by the company. The documentary debuts from Olympia Grand on June 5, 3:45 pm. The Defenders is the first film made that shifts the focus away from the hacker to the security professioals who protect us 24/7 -- it reveals the curiosity and discipline behind their critical and noble work. The Defenders takes a behind-the -scenes look at four famous cyber attacks and spotlights the incredible people tasked with keeping our institutions safe. The Cyber Hunting Live hosts are Yossi Naar, Cybereason's co-founder and chief visionary officer, and Brett Shavers, a U.S. Marine, former SWAT team member and world-renowned digital forensics examiner and best-selling author. Naar is an expert in software development, technology architecture, machine learning, big data analytics, and visualization and Shavers is one of the world's most renown digital forensics experts and cyber-crime fighters. Together they will provide participants with the tips, tricks, and pitfalls of cyber investigative work and show how you can exploit an attacker's weaknesses. Register for Cyber Hunting Live by visiting: https://www.cybereason.com/cyber-hunting-live-infosec. About Cybereason Cybereason, creators of the leading cybersecurity data analytics platform, gives the advantage back to the defender through a completely new approach to cybersecurity. Cybereason offers endpoint detection and response (EDR), next-generation antivirus (NGAV), and active monitoring services, all powered by its proprietary data analytics platform. The Cybereason suite of products provides unmatched visibility, increases analyst efficiency and effectiveness, and reduces security risk. Cybereason is privately held, having raised $189 million from top-tier VCs, and is headquartered in Boston, with offices in London, Tel Aviv and Tokyo. Learn more: https://www.cybereason.com/ Follow us: Blog | Twitter | Facebook Media Contact Bill Keeler Director, Public Relations Cybereason bill.keeler@cybereason.com (929) 259-3261 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 01, 2018] Trescon to Unveil 6th Edition Big BFSI Future Tech Show in Mumbai MUMBAI, June 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The show will feature key technology experts, high-level executives and some of the latest technological advances in BFSI and NBFC sectors Big BFSI Future Tech Show is back again, with the sixth edition taking place on 7 June 2018, at Hyatt Regency in Mumbai. It is an 'invite-only' event that will host national and international technology experts and thought leaders from within the confines of the BFSI and NBFC sectors. The show is hosted by global business events and consulting firm Trescon. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/653609/Trescon_Logo.jpg ) The banking and financial services industry has noticed a paradigm shift, with the advent of emerging technologies. Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), IoT (Internet of Things), Blockchain, Big Data Analysis and Robotics; has seen copious traction within the financial services sector in India over the last year. HDFC (Housing Development and Financial Corporation) has introduced a humanoid robot named 'IRA' (Intelligent Robotic Assistant) to help customers in bank branches to overcome intermediate hurdles. HDFC is also currently using an intelligent Chatbot known as 'EVA' (Electronic Virtual Assistant) to provide online-banking assistance to HDFC's vast customer base. The State Bank of India (SBI) has also been open to revolutionary technology, to help in the management of its 400 million customer bank. Every year, SBI hosts a national level Hackathon event, which invites institutions, ntrepreneurs and even students to devise innovative ideas to help resolve blaring problems within the banking sector. The innovations should focus primarily on technologies such as AI, IoT, Blockchain, Predictive Analytics, Machine Learning (ML), Digital Payments and Robotic Process Automation. Ajay Bohora, MD and CEO of HDFC Credila, had stated, "Upcoming trends, such as the 'sachetization' of products and services in the financial services, has been opening up newer avenues for growth. When we couple this with the disruptive forces of disintermediation in the financial services industry, the criticality of the cutting-edge technology driven innovations gets underscored. Big BFSI Future Tech show presents an outstanding opportunity for peer learning in this context," in an exclusive interview. The event will feature some of the biggest names from multiple verticals within the financial services industry, as well as private wealth management and equity firms. Tech juggernauts such as Intel, Fujitsu, Reddington, Darktrace, Thales eSecurity and few other Top brands have partnered with us at this event. Panel discussions and technical presentations at the show will divulge key factoids that go into place whilst incorporating emerging technologies into an institution. Mohammed Saleem, CEO of Trescon, said, "The banking industry is one of the oldest industries in the world, first originating in the early 15th century. The reason this industry still exists, nearly 500 years into the future, is because of its ability to adapt to its market, as well the requirements and demands of its customer base. Its very existence depends upon emerging technology, and hence, the Big BFSI Future Tech Show aims to shed light on this multi-billion dollar growth machine." Some of the esteemed speakers who are set to take the stage at the show include Upendra Namburi, CIO & CMO for Bharati AXA General Insurance; Abhijit Shah, CTO for DCB Bank; Kersi Tavadia, CIO for BSE; Anuprita Daga, CISO for Reliance Capital; Ajay Bohora, Co-Founder & MD, HDFC Credila; and Yusuf Roopawalla, Head of Technology for Program and Change Management, Standard Chartered Bank. The show will culminate with an awards ceremony that will honour the movers and shakers in the industry experts and leaders, who have strived and succeeded in implementing different types of revolutionary technology within their institutions, and ultimately yielded its benefits. About Trescon: Trescon is a global business events and consulting firm that provides a wide range of business services to a diversified client base. Trescon is founded and managed by a group of specialists with more than 6 decades of combined expertise in successfully developing business events, trainings and consulting for corporates, governments, associations and high-net-worth individuals across the world. Media Contact : Arifa Raj arifa@tresconglobal.com +91-9602476030 Marketing Manager, Trescon [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 01, 2018] Ukrgasbank (Ecobank) Becomes First Ukrainian Bank to Join Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition to Boost Sustainable and Environmentally Friendly Economic Growth FRANKFURT, Germany, June 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Partnership positions Ukrgasbank as a market leader in green finance in the region Past Ukrgasbank projects have directly led to the elimination of 900,000 tons of CO2 emissions a year Agreement comes ahead of the expected privatization of Ukrgasbank in 2018-2019 Ukrgasbank (EcoBank), a state-owned Ukrainian bank, became the first partner from Ukraine to join the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition. This partnership promises to boost sustainable and environmentally friendly economic growth, and is expected to strengthen the position Ukrgasbank as the leading green bank in Ukraine. This follows the financing of more than 330 funding projects that have eliminated nearly 900,000 tons of CO2 emissions a year - making the bank a key driver on climate change action in the region. This partnership is an important step in the objectives of Ukrgasbank, and follows past agreements with the IFC, a member of the World Bank. This inclues agreements around green finance and providing easier access to funding for companies intending to implement projects in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and environmental protection. This latest partnership comes ahead of an expected privitization of Ukrgasbank in 2018-2019. This is due to the strong performance of the bank over recent years, which has seen Ukrgasbank become the fourth biggest in Ukraine by assets. Kyrylo Shevchenko, Ukrgasbank's CEO said, "Ukrgasbank is very proud of this new relationship with the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition, and we expect great things to come off the back of this partnership. Our experience in financing green projects and cooperation with regulatory authorities will contribute to the implementation of optimal carbon pricing mechanisms in Ukraine that will stimulate the development of green technologies and innovative projects on the market, driving new, low-carbon economic growth." Notes to Editors Ukrgasbank is a state-owned bank in Ukraine with more than 24 years of experience in the Ukrainian banking sector providing both traditional and innovative products and services. The bank serves around 900 000 private and over 46 000 corporate and SME customers. The bank operates through a network of some 240 branches across Ukraine and has a strategic focus on financing clean energy. The Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition brings together the public and private sectors to introduce effective carbon pricing strategies that support competitiveness, create jobs, encourage innovation and deliver significant emission reductions. The Coalition was formed at the United Nations Climate Summit in 2014, where 74 countries and more than 1,000 companies expressed support for carbon pricing. The official launch of the Coalition took place at COP21 in Paris in December 2015. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 01, 2018] KPMG and Traction on Demand enter strategic alliance to deliver enterprise advisory and technology services TORONTO, June 1, 2018 /CNW/ - KPMG in Canada has entered into a strategic alliance with Traction on Demand, Salesforce.com's largest dedicated independent consulting and app development partner in North America, to deliver enterprise-level business transformation services. "This alliance matches Traction's digital transformation and Salesforce solution offerings with KPMG in Canada's business insights and transformation services," says Elio Luongo, Chief Executive Officer and Senior Partner at KPMG in Canada. "As we heard from Canada's business leaders in our KPMG 2018 Canadian CEO Outlook, digital transformation, strengthening client focus and making better use of data analytics are strategic priorities today. This frontend to backend offering can help our clients cohesively address these business challenges and take advantage of opportunities." The combned strength of both firms will help clients make the digitization transformation. "KPMG will assist customers with its leading strategy, governance, risk mitigation and business function development capabilities and Traction on Demand will provide deep expertise and creativity to help develop innovative technology solutions," says Greg Malpass, CEO and Founder of Traction on Demand. About KPMG in Canada KPMG LLP, an Audit, Tax and Advisory firm (kpmg.ca) is a limited liability partnership, established under the laws of Ontario, and the Canadian member firm of KPMG International Cooperative ("KPMG International"). KPMG has over 7,000 professionals/employees in 38 locations across Canada serving private and public sector clients. KPMG is consistently recognized as an employer of choice and one of the best places to work in the country. The independent member firms of the KPMG network are affiliated with KPMG International, a Swiss entity. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity, and describes itself as such. About Traction on Demand Traction on Demand is North America's largest dedicated Salesforce.com consulting and application development partner with 4,500+ projects on the platform. Traction develops innovative cloud technology solutions and applications for North America's largest and most influential brands, as well as hundreds of small and medium-sized companies. In addition to professional services, Traction has a suite of SaaS products available, including Traction Guest, Traction Hierarchies, Traction Complete and Traction Rec. SOURCE KPMG LLP [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 01, 2018] Meet eosONO: An EOS Block Producer Candidate NEW YORK, June 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 2, 2018, an exciting day for the world of blockchain will come with the launch of the EOS mainnet. Recently, competition has been increasing in the race to become one of the 21 global Block Producers in EOS and now it appears that the entire blockchain space is scrambling to get involved. eosONO is a strong contender for being chosen as one of the top EOS Block Producers. ONO officially launched in mid-April, and is the first social media dApp to be launched on the EOS platform. ONO is a decentralized social network ecosystem that leverages blockchain technology. In fact, ONO already stands out as a top-tier project in the global blockchain social media space. Out of more than 800 blockchain projects in China, ONO has emerged as one of the most promising and well-funded startups. The core values contained in ONO's white paper are aligned with the core principles in EOS. ONO is committed to creating a democratic, self-governing community and ensuring all users can enjoy freedom and equality without having their data collected and sold the way platform providers like Facebook do. Individuals are protected on the platform, and third-party developers will greatly benefit from the open-source platform due to high-performance operabiliy. ONO is being designed to help everyone on the platform succeed at the fastest rate possible, and they also maintain that this aspect will never change. Moreover, this might well explain the reason why ONO has gained rapid success so far among blockchain enthusiasts and traditional internet users. The ONO dApp (Chinese version) launched on April 15, and during this beta test stage, in just five days, over 52,381 users had registered and downloaded the ONO dApp. During this time two million pieces of content were shared and ONO had an impressive 65 percent retention rate. In 2018, eosONO has been invited to multiple international EOS conventions and has built significant relationships with other EOS BP candidates. Ke Xu had already met with EOSeoul and been invited to join EOS BPC (Block Producer Candidates) conventions in Pangyo which were hosted by the largest Korean EOS community, KOREOS. As strong candidates of EOS BP Asia, eosONO comes fully prepared. On the EOS Jungle Testnet, eosONO is named Alligator with solid infrastructure based in Tokyo. Along with HelloEos, EOSeoul and other BP Candidates, eosONO would likely be in the first group preparing to welcome the launch of EOSIO V1.0 and is excited to contribute to this great moment of internet history. Converting traditional social networks via blockchain tech to decentralized ones is not only the biggest current trend, but also the inevitable trajectory of internet history. ONO always stands with people and is proud to contribute and witness this great moment of the launch of EOS. With eosONO's outstanding technological infrastructure and broadband capacity along with a rapidly growing user base, ONO is fully prepared to be a responsible and technologically advanced custodian of the EOS community. ONO welcomes this exciting moment with enthusiasm and optimism. Media Contact: sparkpr@ono.chat View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/meet-eosono-an-eos-block-producer-candidate-300657815.html SOURCE ONO [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 01, 2018] KARL STORZ Awarded Video Laryngoscope Contract by Vizient KARL STORZ Endoscopy-America, Inc., a leader in endoscopy solutions and related technologies, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a three-year multi-source contract for its Video Laryngoscopes by Vizient, Inc., the largest member-driven healthcare performance improvement company in the U.S. The effective date of the agreement was April 1, 2018. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180601005168/en/ The contract awarded by Vizient, Inc. covers an array of KARL STORZ Video Laryngoscopy products for conventional and difficult tracheal intubations of pediatric to adult patients treated in the hospital, as well as in emergency department and pre-hospital settings. (Graphic: Business Wire) The KARL STORZ Video Laryngoscopy products covered by the contract will offer Vizient members enhanced pricing on a comprehensive array of the latest technology solutions for conventional and difficult tracheal intubations of pediatric to adult patients, treated in pre-hospital and emergency department settings. Among the KARL STORZ products covered by the new contract are C-MAC Video Laryngoscope Blades. These reusable blades are available in styles andsizes for performing neonate, obese and anterior airway intubation procedures. Multiple video laryngoscope options for both routine and difficult airways offer clinicians a choice of airway tools for a wide variety of patients, clinical settings and teaching purposes. Another highlight is the C-MAC S Single-Use Video Laryngoscope, which is paired with the C-MAC S IMAGER for emergency and pre-hospital settings to provide exceptional image quality while requiring no reprocessing. The C-MAC POCKET MONITOR is a highly portable device designed to meet the rigorous demands of the pre-hospital setting. Its 3.5-in LCD monitor fits directly on all reusable and single-use C-MAC Video Laryngoscope blades and functions efficiently even in direct sunlight. The POCKET MONITOR records images and video on its internal memory, and allows data to only be extracted via a proprietary data cable. The ergonomic screen can be moved in several directions and folded away for transportation, making it highly portable. "Although direct laryngoscopy remains the current standard of care, substantial evidence now suggests that use of video laryngoscopy can promote improved outcomes. The ability to properly visualize the vocal cords during laryngoscopy is one of the most vital factors in ensuring successful tracheal intubation," says Michael Lyman, Director of Sales and Marketing, Airway Management, Anesthesiology & Emergency Medicine, KARL STORZ Endoscopy-America, Inc. "As such, we offer a full range of tracheal intubation solutions to help make certain that clinicians are prepared to meet all the unique needs of patients and any complications that may arise. Moreover, our goal is to help providers achieve the triple aim objectives of value-based healthcare by helping them meet quality objectives and secure improved outcomes for patients while helping to reduce the per capita cost of healthcare delivery." Vizient serves a diverse membership base that includes academic medical centers, pediatric facilities, community hospitals, integrated health delivery networks and non-acute healthcare providers and represents approximately $100 billion in annual purchasing volume. KARL STORZ Endoscopy-America, Inc., is an affiliate of KARL STORZ SE & Co. KG, an international leader for more than 70 years in reusable endoscope technology, encompassing all endoscopic specialties. Based in Tuttlingen, Germany, KARL STORZ SE & Co. KG is a family-owned company that designs, engineers, manufactures, and markets all its products with an emphasis on visionary design, precision craftsmanship and clinical effectiveness. For more information, call 800-421-0837 or visit the company's Web site at www.karlstorz.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180601005168/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 01, 2018] The Largest Daimler DigitalLife Day Ever, was Held in Bangalore, India BANGALORE, June 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- - DigitalLife Day India provides the platform for Daimler employees across all India entities to showcase new ideas which could become future mobility - The two-day event is a culmination of innovation, ideas, prototypes, as a result of the collaboration with start-ups, students and vendor partners - MBRDI announces a sustained engagement with the Indian Startup eco-system under its banner STARTUP AUTOBAHN - In line with Daimler's strategic growth agenda, the engineering and IT units in India are expanding and unveiled a new state-of-art facility of around 276,000 sq/ft to accommodate more than 2,300 employees Following three successive and exciting editions in Germany, Daimler DigitalLife Day was held in Bangalore, hosted by Mercedes-Benz Research & Development India (MBRDI). Around 3,000 attended the two-day annual digital extravaganza, which was the largest DigitalLife Day ever organized. DigitalLife Day revolves around three objectives: information, innovation, and inspiration. This two-day event gave MBRDI employees a unique opportunity to interact with a vibrant mix of renowned industry experts, entrepreneurs, global leaders and tech innovators. The employees attended hands-on workshops, market booths, panel discussions. Also on showcase were innovations from Daimler divisions, partner eco-systems, start-ups and student communities concerning trending technologies, which are shaping the future of mobility. Daimler AG is a premium car manufacturer and plays a leading role in digitalization. This is enabling the company to evolve from being just an automobile manufacturer to a provider of mobility services as well. DigitalLife@Daimler bundles the various digitalization activities and supports digital transformation across all divisions at Daimler. The automobile manufacturer has been investing in digitalization across all operations for several years already. To shape this change into a leading position, the company aims to strengthen all its global units as a basis for the successful implementation of new business models centered on one of the company's strategy - C.A.S.E. At Daimler, C.A.S.E stands for four major trends - connectivity (Connected), autonomous driving (Autonomous), flexible use (Shared & Services) and electric drive systems (Electric). Speaking at Daimler DigitalLife Day India 2018, Ola Kallenius, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and responsible for Group Research & Mercedes-Benz Cars Development, said, "The skills of our teams here in India are impressive and perfectly fit our requirements for digital product development and IT. They play a very important and integral role in our global strategy that focusses on futue customer demand." For the last two decades, MBRDI has displayed great potential in digitalization. Therefore, MBRDI is host of the fourth edition of Daimler's DigitalLife Day and the first outside of Germany. Also attending, Jan Brecht, CIO, Daimler AG, mentioned, "IT powers digital transformation by understanding our customer needs. Therefore, the topics discussed at the DigitalLife Day will play a key role within the fundamental changes in the automotive industry." Manu Saale, Managing Director and CEO, MBRDI further emphasized, "At MBRDI, we have the opportunity to expand the digital envelope of Daimler. To add on to two decades of work in the digital space, we will now explore the vibrant startup eco-system in India and attempt to bring the best of the ideas to our products. At MBRDI, our focus would be on Imaging processing, Machine learning/AI, Cloud Solutions, Industry4.0, Simulation technologies, AR/VR, Automation, Digital solutions for Corporate functions like HR and Legal. We are very proud to host the largest DigitalLife Day here in Bangalore with around 3,000 people attending, also, the first outside of Germany." MBRDI offers Daimler the opportunity to tap into a source of qualified specialists in Engineering and IT. Since its inception in 1996, from a workforce of 10 to 4,600+ employees, MBRDI is steadily growing itself as a valuable partner to all business units and brands of Daimler worldwide. Today, MBRDI is the largest R&D for Daimler outside of Germany. With focus on digitalization, simulation and data science, MBRDI is the Center of Excellence within Daimler for Engineering and IT. DigitalLife@Daimler: Leading the way in Digital Transformation For some time now, Daimler made the digital transformation a core component of its corporate strategy. With DigitalLife@Daimler, the company initiates numerous digital project for direct implementation in the business units as well as promoting active dialogue between employees, top management and Board of Management. The success factor of DigitalLife@Daimler depends on the cultural change being driven forward by our employees and on co-workers across divisions and hierarchies. Four Daimler entities currently operating in India: Mercedes-Benz India Ltd. (MBIL) in Pune is responsible for production, sales, service and marketing of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars. Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) operates under the brand name Bharat Benz in Chennai, covering all activities for commercial vehicles. Daimler Financial Services (DFS) operates under the brand Mercedes-Benz Financial Services for passenger cars and Bharat Benz Financial Services for commercial vehicles. Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India Private Limited (MBRDI) in Bangalore. The Indian Startup eco-system under its banner STARTUP AUTOBAHN: After successfully launching STARTUP AUTOBAHN in Germany, Singapore and China, the innovation platform now expands further to the next market. MBRDI is proud to announce a sustained engagement with STARTUP AUTOBAHN that focuses on scouting local startups with creative solutions for the future of mobility and production. About STARTUP AUTOBAHN: STARTUP AUTOBAHN is a neutral innovation platform moderating an in-depth and curated collaboration between core partners from industry, Investment firms and mentors to help the growth of startup companies. STARTUP AUTOBAHN runs two three-month programs per year each followed by an EXPO Day. The program is stage-agnostic with a later-stage focus, designed to accelerate startups. STARTUP AUTOBAHN is providing all the support startups need to realize their vision faster: Space, tools, people, resources and access to a valuable network of corporations, investors, mentors, universities and government representatives. Startups are invited to submit their applications for the accelerator program on the future of mobility and Industry 4.0. About MBRDI Mercedes-Benz R&D India (MBRDI) is the largest R&D center for Daimler outside of Germany. Headquartered in Bengaluru it was founded in 1996 as a 100% captive unit to support Daimlers research, IT & product development. We are uniquely positioned with an R&D and IT division under one roof. It was established as a research institute with just ten employees and currently has a strength of over 3500 employees; steadily growing. Our vision is to become a Center of Excellence in Daimler for Engineering & IT. Further information on Mercedes-Benz and MBRDI is available on the internet: http://www.media.daimler.com | http://www.mercedes-benz.com Media Contact : Benjamin Oberkersch +49-71117-93307 benjamin.oberkersch@daimler.com Ira Pradhan +91-9880677071 ira.pradhan@daimler.com Shekhar DasChowdhury shekhar.daschowdhury@daimler.com, +91-9850836477 Mercedes-Benz India [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 01, 2018] Securitas Expands its Operations in Turkey STOCKHOLM, June 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Securitas has signed an agreement to acquire the security company Pronet Security (Pronet Guvenlik ve Dan.Hiz. A.S) and Sernet Services in Turkey, to expand its operations in the country. Enterprise value is estimated to MSEK 340 (MTRY 175). Pronet Security is a top 5 security company in Turkey with annual sales of approximately MSEK 480 (MTRY 246) and more than 5 000 employees. The company is specialized in guarding services mainly in the Istanbul area. Pronet has a strong focus in the retail, high-rise and office customer segments, with many multinational companies in the customer portfolio. The company Pronet Alarm (Pronet Guvenlik Hizmetleri A.S.), which operates mainly in the field of residential alarm security, is not a part of this transaction. This company continues to operate under its existing partnership structure. Securitas is the market leader in Turkey with more than 13000 employees and is also the leading systems integrator. Securitas entered the Turkish security market in 2006 by acquiring two guarding companies. A consulting company was acquired in 2010 followed by the systems integrator Sensormatic in 2011. The Turkish security services market is estimated to be worth close to BSEK 24 (BTRY 11) and the demand for protective services is growing. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval. Closing of the acquisition is expected during the third quarter of 2018, from which point it will be consolidated in Securitas. This press release is also available at: www.securitas.com Information: Micaela Sjokvist, Head of IR and Acting SVP Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, Securitas AB, Mobile +46-76-116-7443, or email: micaela.sjokvist@securitas.com This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com http://news.cision.com/securitas/r/securitas-expands-its-operations-in-turkey,c2537429 The following files are available for download: http://mb.cision.com/Main/1062/2537429/852565.pdf PDF [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 01, 2018] TravelCenters of America Now Accepting Nominations for Sixth Annual Citizen Driver Program TravelCenters of America LLC (TravelCenters), operator of the TA and Petro Stopping Centers travel center brands, is now accepting nominations for the 2019 Citizen Drivers. The program, launched in 2013, is designed to recognize professional drivers who evoke public respect for the truck driving profession through good citizenship, safety, community involvement, health and wellness, and leadership. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180601005511/en/ Citizen Driver Program 2019 Anyone -- fleet owners and executives, co-workers, friends, family members, trucking organization members, trucking industry customers -- may nominate a professional driver for the honor. Nomination forms, rules and other information can be found at www.ta-petro.com/citizendriver. Nominations will be accepted through September 30, 2018. The 2019 CitizenDriver honorees will be announced at a special ceremony. Over the course of five years, there have been 31 Citizen Drivers and each have had the TA-Petro site of their choice named after them in their honor. "We always enjoy this time of year, when the nomination period opens in search for our next set of Citizen Drivers. We encourage everyone that knows or works with professional drivers to think about who stands out and nominate them. It's an honor, every year, to get to know the nominees and to read the stories that have made an impact on the people they interact with every day," said Barry Richards, President and COO of TravelCenters. Our industry-expert judging team had a difficult time narrowing down the 2018 nominees to a group of finalists, and eventually honorees. Five nominees became Citizen Drivers and had a TA or Petro location of their choice named for them. The signs will be changed at these locations and dedication ceremonies will take place over the coming weeks. The ceremony dates and times are: June 20, 6:30 p.m. -- Danny & Cindy George -- TA Wheat Ridge, CO -- "Danny & Cindy George Wheat Ridge Travel Center" June 22, 1:00 p.m. -- Ingrid R. Brown -- Petro Oklahoma City, OK -- "Ingrid R. Brown Oklahoma City Stopping Center" July 6, 1:00 p.m. -- Carol Wolder-Nixon -- TA North Bend, WA -- "Carol Wolder-Nixon North Bend Travel Center" July 7, 1:00 p.m. -- Roland Bolduc -- TA Branford, CT -- "Roland Bolduc Branford Travel Center" TravelCenters congratulates all of the 2018 Citizen Drivers once again. Articles on each of the honorees can be found in the July/August issue of RoadKing magazine, available at all TA and Petro locations. About TravelCenters of America LLC TravelCenters of America LLC (TravelCenters), headquartered in Westlake, Ohio, offers diesel and gasoline fueling, restaurants, truck repair facilities, convenience stores and other services in 43 states and in Canada, principally under the TA and Petro Stopping Centers travel center brands and the Minit Mart convenience store brand. For more information on TravelCenters, TA, and Petro Stopping Centers, please visit www.ta-petro.com. For more information on Minit Mart, please visit www.minitmart.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180601005511/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 01, 2018] Axiom Real-Time Metrics Showcasing Fusion eClinical Suite at the ASCO Annual Meeting 2018 in Chicago TORONTO, June 01, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Axiom Real-Time Metrics, premier provider of unified eClinical solutions and services, is exhibiting at the ASCO Annual Meeting from June 2-4, 2018. The 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting will bring together over 32,000 oncology professionals from across the world to discuss state-of-the-art treatment modalities, new therapies and ongoing controversies in the field. Axiom is positioned at Booth 20120 and attendees are invited to join Axiom team members for a refreshing beverage. Our team is looking forward to speaking with attendees and sharing information about how our award winning Fusion eClinical Suite helps organizations manage their clinical trials more effectively and efficiently. Being Truly Unified makes our product offering unique in the industry, and we are always passionate about sharing what tht really means and how that benefits our clients short and long term. By delivering a connected hub, Fusion empowers sponsors to successfully manage every aspect of their study via a single log-on. Included in the connected hub are EDC, DM, IWRS, CTMS, Inventory Management, Payment Tracking, and other significant components, conveyed Andrew Schachter, Founder and CEO. The Fusion eClinical Suite provides uniquely tailored reports to support clinical oncology studies, including tumour response assessment and tracking, patient profiles and biomarker reports. Axiom has delivered solutions for global oncology studies for the treatment of Multiple Myeloma, Breast Cancer and Leukemia, among others, shared Dr. Robert Arbeit, Chief Clinical Scientist. About Axiom Real-Time Metrics Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Axiom delivers intuitive, powerful and cost-effective eClinical solutions and services focused around your entire study. Services include: Clinical Consulting, DM, Biostatistics and Pharmacovigilance. Axiom's eClinical suite, Fusion, delivers a powerful range of innovative end-user focused, unified functionality and 15 modules via single sign-on. Axiom serves as the Connected Hub for your entire clinical study data and operational needs. Fusion Delivers: EDC, DM, IWRS, CTMS, Inventory Management, IVR, Patient Portal, AE/SAE Tracking, Safety Database, Central Lab, Imaging, eTMF, and 24/7 Project and Clinical Data Reporting. For more information, please visit http://www.axiommetrics.com/. Contact solutions@axiom.cc +1.877.321.9191 PR Contact Sarah Glofcheskie sarahg@axiom.cc +1.647.588.9073 [June 01, 2018] First Personal Digital Tombstone in the USA has arrived MERRILLVILLE, Ind., June 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Memorial Day Weekend is a time dedicated to remembering our loved ones, and especially the veterans of the United States military. At Calumet Park Cemetery in Merrillville, Indiana an innovative memorial will be revealed with the dedication and unveiling of the first personal/digital tombstone to be erected in a United States cemetery. The tombstone honors the late Paul R. Vogel, a Vietnam veteran who was also the CEO and President of the cemetery located in Merrillville, Indiana. To carry on the legacy of the cemetery and provide future generations with memories of Paul's life & for others who want to share their loved ones stories. Paul's son Brant Vogel & his partner Audra Martin & Ofelia Tellez Fierro has started a firm iTernal USA, the world's first personalized digital tombstone. Visitors to the cemetery will see memories of their loved oes through an interactive display of the person's life. The messages are displayed on a tombstone that can be solar-powered and self-sustaining. The digital tombstones are patent pending and assembled in the USA. They can feature music, videos, photos, interface with social media and holograms. ABOUT PAUL R. VOGEL Paul R. Vogel who was the CEO and President of Calumet Park Cemetery. Paul served our country in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, was a founding father of the Chicago Lions Rugby Club, also on the board of directors of Liberty Savings Bank. His son's and family members are still carrying on his traditions at My Calumet Park since his unexpected passing on September 27th 2017. ABOUT iTernal USA iTernal USA was founded by Brant Vogel, Audra Martin, Ofelia Fierro, Senka Dreu, Saso Radovanovic & Martin Fatur with the goal of using today's technology to preserve yesterday's memories, because a life is more than a start and end date. www.iternalusa.com Contact: Audra Martin iTernal USA 310-795-3475 PRLog ID: www.prlog.org/12711462 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/first-personal-digital-tombstone-in-the-usa-has-arrived-300658123.html SOURCE iTernal USA [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 01, 2018] A.M. Best Withdraws Credit Ratings of Standard Insurance Company JSC A.M. Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of C++ (Marginal) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of "b+" of Standard Insurance Company JSC (Standard) (Kazakhstan). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) remains stable. Concurrently, A.M. Best has withdrawn the ratings as the company has requested to no longer participate in A.M. Best's interactive rating process. The ratings reflect Standard's balance sheet strength, which A.M. Best categorises as strong, as well as its marginal operating performance, very limited business profile and weak enterprise risk management. Standard's balance sheet strength is underpinned by its risk-adjusted capitalisation, as measured by Best's Capital Adequacy Ratio, being at the strongest level. The company's risk-adjusted capitalisation improved in 2017, due to a reduction in underwriting risk following the non-renewal of a significant part of the insurance portfolio of Alliance Policy Insurance Company JSC, which was absorbed by the company in the previous year. Factors that negatively affect the balance sheet strength assessment are the company's weak financial flexibility, questions over its ability to manage its catastrophe exposure, as well as its elevated investment risk profile, due to the high financial system risk in Kazakhstan. As at May 1, 2018, the company's regulatory solvency margin reached 1.89 (compared with a minimum requirement of 1.00). Standard's performance has been volatile, with its return on equity ranging between -3.1% and 20.4% over the 2013-2017 period. Technical performance is weak, with losses reported in each of the past six years, apart from 2016. The company has a five-year weighted average combined ratio of 106.9% (2013-2017). In 2017 the company reported a combined ratio of 107.9% (2016: 94.3%), with performance impacted by the reduction in premium income and a high level of expenses. Standard ranked as the 11th largest among Kazakhstan's 25 non-life insurers in 2017 with a 3% market share. The company's top line has fluctuated in recent years, as a 93.8% increase in gross written premium for 2016 was followed by a decline of approximately 23% in 2017, due to the non-renewal of a material part of the recently absorbed business and a number of large fronted contracts. A.M. Best expects a further decline in 2018. The company's underwriting portfolio is concentrated, with approximately 60% of its net written premium in 2017 derived from compulsory motor third-party liability (MTPL) business. A.M. Best expects the company's relatively small size and limited diversification to limit its ability to defend its market position in challenging conditions. This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on A.M. Best's website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see A.M. Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Understanding Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper media use of Best's Credit Ratings and A.M. Best press releases, please view Guide for Media - Proper Use of Best's Credit Ratings and A.M. Best Rating Action Press Releases. A.M. Best is the world's oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. For more information, visit www.ambest.com. Copyright 2018 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180601005515/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 01, 2018] US Navy selects Naval Strike Missile as new, over-the-horizon weapon TUCSON, Ariz., June 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Navy has selected the Naval Strike Missile, offered by Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) and Kongsberg Gruppen, to meet its over-the-horizon requirement for littoral combat ships and future frigates. Raytheon will manufacture and deliver over-the-horizon weapon systems under a $14.8 million contract for offensive missiles loaded into launching mechanisms, and a single fire control suite. The contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $847.6 million. NSM is a long-range precision missile that strikes heavily defended land and sea targets. The missile, which can defeat enemy defenses up to 100 nautical miles away, uses advanced seeker and target identification technology. "Raytheon and Kongsberg are providing the Navy with a proven, off-the-shelf solution that exceeds requirements for the over-the-horizon mission," said Dr. Taylor W. Lawrence, president of Raytheon Missile Systems. "Because it is operational now, NSM saves the United States billions of dollars in development costs and creates new high-tech jobs in this country." Raytheo will manufacture NSM launchers, missiles and components in the U.S. The company has begun launcher production at its factory in Louisville, Kentucky, and will perform missile final assembly and test at its Tucson, Arizona, facility. The contract will generate business for more than two dozen U.S. suppliers. The missile program is the latest product of a longtime partnership with trusted ally Norway and its defense leader Kongsberg. "Raytheon and Kongsberg are celebrating 50 years of cooperation, and the selection of the NSM marks another successful step for our close relationship," said Eirik Lie, president of Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace AS. "We are able to provide the U.S. Navy with the best of two worlds by combining the capability of NSM with Raytheon's proficiency as the world's largest missile maker." About KONGSBERG KONGSBERG (OSE-ticker: KOG) is an international, knowledge-based group delivering high-technology systems and solutions to clients within the oil and gas industry, merchant marine, defence and aerospace. KONGSBERG has 7,000 employees located in more than 25 countries and total revenues of NOK 14.5 billion in 2017. Follow us on Twitter. About Raytheon Raytheon Company, with 2017 sales of $25 billion and 64,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 96 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5ITM products and services, sensing, effects, and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. Follow us on Twitter. www.raytheon.com Media Contact Tara Wood +1.520.746.2097 rmspr@raytheon.com Kongsberg Gruppen Kyrre Lohne + 47 920 60081 kda.office@kongsberg.com View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-navy-selects-naval-strike-missile-as-new-over-the-horizon-weapon-300658137.html SOURCE Raytheon Company [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 01, 2018] Glance CEO Desmond Griffin Invites Shareholders to View New Video on Glance's Strong Corporate Culture VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 01, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Glance Technologies Inc. (CSE:GET.CN) (OTCQB:GLNNF) (FKT:GJT) (Glance, or the Company) Chief Executive Officer Desmond Griffin today invited shareholders to watch a new two-minute corporate video. Available at this link, the video explains how Glances motivated and passionate team is contributing to Glances success. The technology sector is highly competitive and the best minds will only come to Glance and stay with us if they believe, as I do, that we can deliver the next great technology, said Mr. Griffin. We need the best minds to develop new products and features that help us maintain our leadership position in the mobile payments and blockchain/cryptocurrency markets. Introducing Lewisa Anciano: Head of People and Culture Given Glances focus on corporate culture, it is no coincidence that last year Glance hired Lewisa Anciano to serve as Head of People and Culture. Ms. Anciano is a former Vice President at Coast Capital Savings, an institution identified as having one of Canadas most admired corporate cultures. In 2015, while still at Coast Capital, she won the Professional of the Year Award from the Chartered Professionals in Human Resources. Ms. Anciano is fervent about protecting and defending Glances culture and people. She is instrumental in helping Glance attract and keep the most talented employees. Ms. Anciano also played a critical role in recruiting Steven Cadigan as a Glance director nominee this year. If elected, Mr. Cadigans background in building a strong corporate culture will be of immense benefit to Glance. Prior to launching his own Silicon Valley human resources advisory firm, he was VP Talent for LinkedIn Corporation from 2009 to 2012, when it grew from a private firm with 400 employees into the global powerhouse that it is recognized as today. New additions to Glances talented team With Ms. Ancianos help, Glance has in recent months strengthened the technology team with more than a dozen new hires that bring a strong skillset in technology development and impressive experience at a variety of companies to Glance. As an indication of their quality, here are just some of the companies they worked for before joining the team at Glance: Electronic Arts Microsoft D-Wave Systems PayPal Canada Tio Networks Eventbase airG Just Eat LibreBorne.net Kforce Inc. Happn Rolls Royce Canada Many of the new recruits are helping the technology team as Glance prepares to launch a new version of an app that merchants can quickly download directly to their own mobile devices. Glance expects to deliver that app in the second half of fiscal 2018. Many are also working on Glances blockchain technology and other initiatives. Sascha Williams: Glances new Advisor to the CEO One recent addition to Glance is Sascha Williams, who recently joined the team as Advisor to the CEO. Mr. Williams is an accomplished executive leader with more than 20 years experience in high-growth tech start-ups, strategic project development and global corporate management.Previously, Mr. Williams served as President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Vancouver-based software developer Unbounce until the end of 2017. Prior to Unbounce, Mr. Williams held senior management positions in Canada at The Walt Disney Company, Microsoft (BigPark), and Electronic Arts. Before that he was the COO of UK web developer BlueWave, helping it grow into one of the largest independent web agencies in Europe. Mr. Williams is advising Glance on strategic and operational matters relating to its ongoing expansion into new markets and the continued advancement of its product roadmap. His experience includes growth strategies, Software as a Service, operations and scale. Vote the BLUE proxy Glance has fostered a strong corporate culture as it builds its financial technology business. Glance believes it has made great progress in developing value for shareholders despite the ongoing proxy contest. Glance expects that the momentum will further accelerate after the Annual General Meeting, if shareholders elect the Glance nominees for the Board of Directors. Both of the leading independent proxy advisors have recommended that shareholders vote only the BLUE proxy. The independent recommendations, from Glass Lewis & Co., LLC and Institutional Shareholder Services Inc., were based on a careful review of the facts and arguments made by Glance and by the dissident shareholder. Please read Glances proxy fight materials filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and on Glances website at https://glance.tech/agm18/ and then vote only the BLUE proxy well in advance of the proxy voting deadline on June 8, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. (Pacific time). Shareholders who may have voted the dissident proxy have every right to change their vote by now submitting the BLUE proxy, as it is the later dated proxy that will be counted at the meeting. Shareholders with questions about voting their shares should contact DF King at 1-855-487-9247 (toll free) or by email at inquiries@dfking.com. The meeting will be held at 1200 Waterfront Centre, 200 Burrard Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, on June 12, 2018, at 2:00 p.m. (Pacific Time). About Glance Technologies Inc. Glance Technologies owns and operates Glance Pay, a streamlined payment system that revolutionizes how smartphone users choose where to shop, order goods and services, make payments, access digital receipts, redeem digital deals, earn great rewards & interact with merchants. Glance offers targeted in-app marketing, geo targeted digital coupons, customer feedback, in-merchant messaging and custom rewards programs. The Glance Pay mobile payment system consists of proprietary technology, which includes user apps available for free downloads in IOS (Apple) and Android formats, merchant manager apps, a large scale technology hosting environment with sophisticated anti-fraud technology and lightning fast payment processing. Glance has also recently purchased a blockchain solution and is working on a rewards-based cryptocurrency. For more information about Glance, please go to www.glance.tech. For more information, contact: Investor Relations Paola Ashton 1-866-258-1249 VP Business Development investors@glancepay.com 604-839-0337 Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively forward-looking information) within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: may, believe, thinks, expect, exploring, expand, could, anticipate, intend, estimate, plan, pursue, potentially, projected, should, will and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. These forward-looking statements, which involve risks and uncertainties, relate to, among other things, the ability to attract and retain new employees, the development of a new version of an app that merchants can quickly download directly to their mobile devices, and the timing for that development, the acceleration of Glances momentum after the Annual General Meeting, and the development of a rewards-based cryptocurrency. Although Glance considers these forward-looking statements to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect, and the forward-looking statements in this release are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Such risk factors include, among other things, risks related to Glances ability to integrate Glances proprietary technology with cryptocurrency and blockchain support, the ability to develop a new app for merchants on schedule, if at all, and the ability to hire and retain employees. Forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are in addition based on various estimates, forecasts and projects as well as expectations, beliefs and assumptions, including, without limitation, that Glance will be successful in developing a rewards-based cryptocurrency. For additional information with respect to these and other factors and assumptions underlying the forward looking statements in this press release, see the section entitled Risk Factors in the most recent Prospectus of Glance, which may be accessed through Glances profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Glance cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by Glance is not a guarantee of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Undue reliance should not be placed on such forward-looking information, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are based will occur. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 01, 2018] Domtar Corporation Celebrated & Funded the 62nd Annual Conservation Camp with 9th Graders from Dryden High School Domtar Corporation (NYSE: UFS) (TSX: UFS) announced today that it has funded the 62nd Annual Conservation Camp for 9th Graders of Dryden High School, and that employee volunteers from the company's pulp mill in Dryden, Ontario, Canada served as instructors and coordinators at the camp. The three-day course began on May 29th, and provided hands-on opportunities for the 9th graders of Dryden High School to learn about the sustainable management of water, soils, wildlife and forests from professionals in the resources industry. Domtar makes a wide variety of everyday products from sustainable wood fiber, and is one of the world's largest producers of a complete line of absorbent hygiene solutions and an innovator in absorbent technology. Located in Northwestern Ontario, Canada, Domtar's Dryden Mill employs more than 380 people in the community and produces Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft pulp suitable for a variety of uses. For the last six decades, the Dryden Mill has provided the resources for program organization and development, as well as professional foresters to guide students as they learn about harvesting, regeneration, stakeholder values and what it takes to be environmentally responsible in the forest. Domtar is committed to invsting in the local communities where it operates. Domtar's commitment to sustainability, one of the company's core corporate giving pillars, takes many forms-from the products it makes to the local community service projects the employees support. "We are so pleased to continue to deliver this program and celebrate its 62nd year because it is an excellent way for our local youth to gain a greater appreciation for our natural surroundings," says Dianne Loewen, Domtar's Coordinator for Forestlands and Public Affairs and the Conservation Camp organizer. "It gives them an opportunity to learn about our region's core industry and understand the importance of the resource sector here in Northwestern Ontario." Beginning in 1957, the Conservation Camp, once known as the Conservation Course, has educated Grade students from Dryden High School, focusing on resource management and conservation concepts. The instructors and coordinators supporting this program, come from industry, government agencies, Domtar, and the education community. "It is incredible that Dryden High School Conservation Camp has been running annually for a little over 60 years," said Dryden High School Principal Richard Hodgkinson. "In a time when we are now starting to understand the impact on our environment and the need for conservation and sustainability, it is imperative that we help our youth understand, respect and conserve our natural resources. The students at DHS tremendously benefit from this great opportunity of hands-on and out-in-the-field learning with their teacher and our community partners, working together to help develop a positive vision of the future for our youth and our area." About Domtar Domtar is a leading provider of a wide variety of fiber-based products including communication, specialty and packaging papers, market pulp and absorbent hygiene products. With approximately 10,000 employees serving more than 50 countries around the world, Domtar is driven by a commitment to turn sustainable wood fiber into useful products that people rely on every day. Domtar's annual sales are approximately $5.1 billion, and its common stock is traded on the New York and Toronto Stock Exchanges. Domtar's principal executive office is in Fort Mill, South Carolina. To learn more, visit www.domtar.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180601005753/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 01, 2018] Valassis Digital Engineer Recognized for Computer Science Contributions Valassis Digital, a leading digital marketing intelligence company, announced that Peter Parente, Principal Software Engineer, has been recognized for his contributions on Project Jupyter, as a recipient of the prestigious technical Software System Award from the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). The award is presented to an institution or individual(s) recognized for developing a software system that has had a lasting influence, reflected in contributions to concepts in commercial acceptance, or both. Project Jupyter, an open source project developed to solve the costly industry challenge of publishing and sharing research, provides a solution to enable data scientists to collaborate and reproduce results. The project has been recognized for making significant contributions that have had far-reaching impact on the ascendance of computing as an integral part of how we live and work today. It also opens promising new avenues for research exploration and commercial application. The solution is used by more than 130 employees at Valassis Digital, enabling data scientists to collaborate. "Valassis Digital continues to grow and innovate and thought leaders like Peter are helping to pave the way," said Cali Tran, President, Valassis Digital. "We are proud to see him reognized for his contributions at Valassis and to the broader computer science community. We take great pride in employing the best of the best - keeping us on the cutting edge of digital transformation." Jupyter continues to gain industry-wide adoption. Since 2015, Jupyter-based products have been released by several companies including Google (Cloud DataLab), Microsoft (AzureML, HDInsight), Intel (Trusted Analytics Platform) and IBM (IBM Watson Studio). Bloomberg (News - Alert) and Anaconda Inc. have partnered with Project Jupyter to develop the next-generation web interface, JupyterLab. "It's been great working in the Jupyter community over the years, learning so much from other contributors as well as users who share their analytics use cases and technical challenges," Parente said. "The experience has definitely paid off in how I'm able to contribute, both here at Valassis and externally." The original Project Jupyter Steering Council, led by Fernando Perez and Brian Granger, included Min Ragan-Kelley, Paul Ivanov, Thomas Kluyver, Jason Grout, Matthias Bussonnier, Damian Avila, Steven Silvester, Jonathan Frederic, Kyle Kelley, Jessica Hamrick, Carol Willing, Sylvain Corlay and Peter Parente. The 2017 recipients will be formally honored at the ACM Awards Banquet on June 23 in San Francisco. About Valassis Digital Valassis Digital is a leading digital marketing intelligence company, providing a best-in-class data management platform and online and offline targeting capabilities that fuels superior display advertising and expanded media offerings, such as in-store campaign solutions, for advertising clients. Through proprietary technology, Valassis Digital creates meaningful marketing and advertising impact for businesses - from planning, delivery, and attribution. Valassis Digital taps into meaningful, actionable insights that drive better campaign performance. About Valassis Valassis helps thousands of local and national brands tap the potential of industry-leading data through intelligent media delivery - understanding, engaging and inspiring millions of consumers to action with smarter cross-channel campaigns. We've been a part of consumers' lives for decades, introducing new ways to deliver offers and messages that activate them - whether via mail, digital, in-store or the newspaper. NCH Marketing Services, Inc. and Clipper Magazine are Valassis subsidiaries, and RetailMeNot Everyday is its consumer brand. Its signature Have You Seen Me? program delivers hope to missing children and their families. Valassis and RetailMeNot are wholly owned subsidiaries of Harland Clarke Holdings. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180601005724/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Aluminium Bahrains (Alba) chief executive officer, Tim Murray, paid a scheduled visit to Ahmed Mansoor Al Aali (AMA Group), one of the major Bahraini contractors for its Line 6 Expansion Project, to celebrate the successful fabrication of 427 pot shells. Alba is one of the largest and modern aluminium smelters in the world. AMA Group was awarded the contract to manufacture 427 pot shells (each weighing 44 metric tonnes) for Albas Line 6 Expansion Project wherein the progressive delivery is aligned with the construction schedule, said a statement from Alba. Murray was accompanied by Line 6 Project director Shawqi Al Hashmi and a delegation of Line 6 owners team and managers from Bechtel, the project's engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM) contractor.. Murray said: AMA Group expertise was fundamental to complete the fabrication of pot shells safely and ahead of time. This achievement is a milestone for us as we bring to close the construction and delivery of Line 6 Expansion Project, he added. TradeArabia News Service [June 01, 2018] Scholarships Awarded to Collingswood High School Students Brian J. McIntyre, President of WorkStrategy, Inc., and his family, awarded four scholarships totaling $20,000 at the annual Collingswood High School Academic Awards Banquet on May 31, 2018. A former student and resident of Collingswood, New Jersey, Brian started the scholarship program in 2000 and has contributed approximately $420,000 in funds to date. The scholarship program is named in honor of his parents, George and Joan McIntyre, both of whom were actively involved with local charities and educational programs. The 2018 scholarship recipients are Molly Davidson, Emilee Dinella, Jack Howley, and John Rossi. "We are tremendously thankful for Brian and the McIntyre family. The George F. and Joan D. McIntyre Foundation Scholarships that they award annually have a profound impact. Since 2000, the McIntyre family has helped 84 graduating seniors to achieve their academic and professional goals by awarding these students over $420,000 in scholarships. Words cannot express our gratitude for this remarkable and unparalleled level of support," stated Matthew Genna, Collingswood High School's Principal. "Once again, Collingswood High School has produced an impressive group of raduates. These students have worked hard on their academic achievements - with many balancing community service and challenging extracurricular activities as well. We are honored to participate in the program each year and happy to provide support as they take their next step toward an eventual career," said Mr. McIntyre. Mr. Genna added, "We are extremely proud of our students' accomplishments and honored that the McIntyre Foundation rewards the achievements of some of our best and brightest. The scholarships play an integral role in the continued growth of these students, as they pursue higher education in preparation for successful careers. The awarding of the McIntyre Scholarships is always one of the memorable highlights of our annual Academic Awards ceremony. It is truly a great pleasure to witness the feeling of pride and accomplishment displayed by our award winners and their families." About Brian J. McIntyre Mr. McIntyre, of Ellicott City, Maryland has started a number of non-profit organizations and successful businesses including WorkStrategy Inc., an HR technology firm located in Columbia, MD, Project VisionShare, a non-profit organization created to help Maryland-based entrepreneurs, and the Entrepreneurial Center at Howard Community College in Columbia, MD. About George F. and Joan D. McIntyre Scholarship Foundation Details about the George F. and Joan D. McIntyre Scholarship Foundation, visit www.workstrategy.com/community/collingswood.html or contact Brian McIntyre brian.mcintyre@workstrategy.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180601005798/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 01, 2018] OmniSeq and LabCorp Launch OmniSeq Advance? Assay CHICAGO, June 01, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ASCO OmniSeq, a CAP-accredited, molecular diagnostics subsidiary of the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, and LabCorp (NYSE:LH), a leading global life sciences company, announced today the commercial launch of OmniSeq Advance?, an assay that combines targeted therapy and immune-oncology biomarkers into a single clinical test. This novel offering is the first New York State CLEP-approved assay to combine next generation sequencing (NGS)-based comprehensive genomic profiling, tumor mutational burden (TMB) and microsatellite status (MSI), PD-L1 and CD8 proteins by immunohistochemistry, and RNA-sequencing gene expression profiling of the tumor microenvironment, all from fixed-formalin paraffin embedded patient samples. The test is expected to provide benefits for the treatment of patients with solid tumor cancers and the development of new precision therapies. Utilizing data from patients tested with both OmniSeq Comprehensive and OmniSeq Immune Report Card, the company projects that the OmniSeq Advance test will report clinically actionable results for 99% of tested patients. For patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), physicians can test a wide variety of cancer-related biomarkers, including KRAS, EGFR, ALK, PD-L1, and TMB and MSI status, as well as for rarer somatic alterations in BRAF, RET, ROS, MET and NTRK. OmniSeq expects that over 80% of NSCLC samples will produce Level 1 or 2 evidence, as defined by the FDAs CDRHs Approach to Tumor Profiling Next Generation Sequencing Tests Fact Sheet. The launch of OmniSeq Advance follows closely after the April 2018 launch of OmniSeq MSI NGS, a tumor-only assay that assesses MSI status. MSI High status is an indication for the use of specific checkpoint inhibitor drugs for the treatment of patients with solid tumors that have progressed following prior treatment and who have no satisfactory alternative treatment options. The test is also indicated for patients with colorectal cancer that hasprogressed following treatment with certain chemotherapy drugs, for whom immunotherapy may result in extended life or tumor remission. The OmniSeq Advance assay redefines the standard for clinical actionability and utility for solid tumor treatment decision support diagnostics, said Dr. Carl Morrison, President, Founder and Chief Medical Officer of OmniSeq. By combining all major biomarkers into a single test, and by summarizing these findings and explaining their biological significance, we aim to provide the best guidance for therapy selection or clinical trial enrichment. OmniSeq Advance reflects our commitment to remain at the forefront of validating novel immune and targeted therapy biomarkers for use in both academic and community oncology practices. Our partnership with LabCorp offers patients throughout the U.S. access to the very best treatment decision support testing, said Mark Gardner, Chief Executive Officer of OmniSeq. We are very pleased to be the exclusive laboratory to offer OmniSeq Advance to U.S.-based physicians for patient care, and globally to biopharmaceutical companies for use in clinical trials, said Marcia Eisenberg Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of LabCorp Diagnostics, who also serves on OmniSeqs board of directors. This new assay demonstrates OmniSeqs continued expertise in the development of novel immune-oncology diagnostics. Combined with LabCorps leadership and unique expertise in the development and commercialization of companion diagnostics, we will bring advances in precision medicine to many more physicians and biopharmaceutical partners. In August, 2017, OmniSeq and LabCorp announced a distribution agreement for the OmniSeq Comprehensive and Immune Report Card clinical assays. That exclusive agreement now includes OmniSeq Advance, as well as the OmniSeq MSI NGS test. Pursuant to the agreement, OmniSeqs suite of advanced tests will be exclusively offered by LabCorp to U.S.-based physicians through Integrated Oncology, a member of the LabCorp Specialty Testing Group, and globally to biopharmaceutical customers through Covance Drug Development. To learn more about OmniSeq AdvanceSM, OmniSeq Comprehensive, or Immune Report Card, call 1-800-781-1259 or visit www.omniseq.com. About OmniSeq OmniSeq, an innovation of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, is a molecular diagnostic laboratory based in Buffalo, New York. OmniSeq endeavors to find the right drug or the right trial for every patient by improving access to better cancer treatment options through molecular profiling. OmniSeq offers three NGS-based assays: OmniSeq MSI NGSSM, Immune Report Card and OmniSeq Comprehensive. For more information, call +1-800-781-1259 or visit www.omniseq.com. Note regarding forward looking statements for OmniSeq. This press release contains forward looking statements, including but not limited to, the performance capabilities of the OmniSeq Advance test. The statements contained herein may include prospects, statements of future expectations and other forward-looking statements that are based on management's current views and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results, performance or events may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. OmniSeq Contact Information: CorpComm@omniseq.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 01, 2018] Chemistree Enters Into Definitive Agreements for Washington State Asset Acquisition VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 01, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chemistree Technology Inc. (Canadian Securities Exchange:CHM) (US OTCQB:CHMJF) (the Company or Chemistree) further to its announcement on May 11, 2018, is pleased to confirm that it has now entered into a definitive asset purchase agreement through a wholly-owned subsidiary, to acquire a suite of Washington-based assets used in cannabis cultivation, production, distribution and branding. The acquisition is subject to all required shareholder and regulatory approvals, including approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange (the CSE). On May 11, 2018, the Company announced that it had entered into a letter of intent with arms-length parties to acquire, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Chemistree Washington Ltd. (Chemistree Washington), a suite of Washington-based assets used in cannabis cultivation, production, distribution and branding (the Washington Acquisition). Chemistree then proceeded to conduct further due diligence and negotiate a definitive asset purchase agreement for the Washington Acquisition. On May 31, 2018, Chemistree Washington entered into a definitive asset purchase agreement (the Washington Acquisition Agreement) with Elite Holdings Inc. (the Washington Vendor) with respect to the Washington Acquisition. Pursuant to the Washington Acquisition Agreement, Chemistree Washington will acquire certain assets, including, but not limited to, all inventory, leases, software, furniture, systems, equipment, and lighting (collectively, the Washington Assets) from the Washington Vendor. The acquisition does not include any receivables, payables, warranties, employee or tax liabilities of the Washington Vendor. Consideration for the Washington Assets will be US$1,000,000 payable in cash. US$800,000 will be payable upon closing of the Washington Acquisition, and four instalments of US$50,000 each will be payable at the end of each of the four calendar months following closing, commencing on the last day of the first full month after closing. Notwithstanding the foregoing, at least US$540,000 of the consideration payable upon closing will be placed into escrow and used to satisfy certain liabilities of the Washington Vendor relating to its accounts payable. Following closing of the Washington Acquisition and receipt of approval from the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB), Chemistree Washington expects to enter into agreements with a Strategic Partner, which is an arms length party to and unaffiliated with Chemistree, whereby the Strategic Partner subleases and licenses the Washington Assets from Chemistree Washington, in order for the Strategic Partner to operate the Sugarleaf brand of retail cannabis products in Washington state. It is expected that the Strategic Partner will operate under the Washington State Tier 3 Production and Processing License No. 423406 (the Sugarleaf Licence) acquired from Sugarleaf Farm LLC (Sugarleaf), along with any and all related brands, trademarks, websites, URLs, packaging, goods in process, and social media accounts. The Sugarleaf brand is an established cannabis brand within Washington state, and is currently sold in approximately 125 retail locations. In addition to the license and sub-lease arrangements, the relationship with the new license holder may also provide opportunities for Chemistrees social media marketing business. Management anticipates that, in the coming months, the Strategic Partner may expand operations to include a cannabis laboratory and testing facility, as well as potentially a processing facility to provide for a larger suite of products to be produced. Chemistree does not have agreements in place with the Strategc Partner at this time, and there can be no assurance that any expansion of its operations will occur. The Washington Assets that Chemistree is purchasing may require normal course upgrades and management, given its extensive experience in the supply and sale of cannabis and hydroponic, greenhouse and outdoor cultivation and processing equipment, is current on the changes in the industry vis a vis the technological and process advancements. The closing of the Washington Acquisition Agreement is conditional upon satisfaction or waiver of customary closing conditions, including approval of the CSE and of shareholders. Background In November 2012, the voters of Washington State approved Initiative 502 (I-502), which authorized the WSLCB to regulate and tax recreational marijuana products for persons over 21 years of age and thereby created a new industry for the growing, processing and selling of recreational marijuana products regulated by the State of Washington. In the State of Washington, a Tier 3 Producer-Processor License is allowed to produce marijuana for sale at wholesale to marijuana processor licensees and to other marijuana producer licensees. Tier 3 allows for between ten thousand square feet and thirty thousand square feet of dedicated plant canopy. Recent WSLCB data reports that for calendar 2017, cannabis sales surpassed $1.37-billion, and generated Excise Tax to Washington State of more than $314-million. Reports by the Rand organization suggested that there are currently up to 700,000 recreational marijuana users in the State of Washington. The Company, through Chemistree Washington Ltd., also expects that it will invest in and develop real estate in the State of Washington for the purpose of serving licensed I-502 production and processing businesses. In addition to providing specialized facilities to I-502 producers and processors, the Company intends to develop its growing techniques, standard operating procedures and innovative manufacturing practices to further assist license holders with their production and processing operations. The Company believes these services will create synergies and advantages that will provide for significant and long-term revenue for the license holder and, in turn, to the Company. Change of Business Filing The Company expects that the asset acquisition will be treated as a Fundamental Change under Policy 8 of the CSE. The Company will be filing the appropriate documentation with the CSE to seek approval of the acquisition and the change in classification of the Company from a technology issuer to an investment issuer. In addition, pursuant to Policy 8 of the CSE the Company will be required to obtain shareholder approval. The Company wishes to inform shareholders that there are significant legal restrictions and regulations that govern the cannabis industry in both Canada and the United States. Cannabis-related Practices or Activities are Illegal Under U.S. Federal Laws The concepts of medical cannabis and recreational cannabis do not exist under U.S. federal law. The Federal Controlled Substances Act classifies marihuana as a Schedule I drug. Under U.S. federal law, a Schedule I drug or substance has a high potential for abuse, no accepted medical use in the United States, and a lack of safety for the use of the drug under medical supervision. As such, cannabis related practices or activities, including without limitation, the manufacture, importation, possession, use or distribution of cannabis are illegal under U.S. federal law. Strict compliance with state laws with respect to cannabis will neither absolve the Company of liability under U.S. federal law, nor will it provide a defense to any federal proceeding which may be brought against the Company. Enforcement of U.S. federal laws will be a significant risk to the business of the Company following the completion of the acquisitions, and any such proceedings brought against the Company may adversely affect the Companys operations and financial performance. Further information regarding the legal status of cannabis related activities and associated risk factors, including, but not limited to, risk of enforcement actions, risks that third party service providers, such as banking or financial institutions cease providing services to the Company, and the risk that Company may not be able to distribute profits, if any, from U.S. operations up to the Company, will be included in the Form 2A listing statement to be filed with the CSE. For more information, please contact Paul Searle at (778) 240-7724 or by email at paul@chemistree.ca. Karl Kottmeier President Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Information set forth in this news release may involve forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements that relate to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as anticipate, believe, plan, estimate, expect, budget, scheduled and intend, statements that an action or event may, might, could, should, or will be taken or occur, or other similar expressions. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements about adding clients, building on the Companys initial product offerings, entry into of definitive agreements for the asset acquisition, the timing and completion of the asset acquisition, receipt of shareholder, regulatory and CSE approvals for the asset acquisition and change of business, and the size and completion of the non-brokered private placement and the use of proceeds therefrom. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the risks identified in the Companys reports and filings with the applicable Canadian securities regulators, that the Company may not complete the asset acquisition, failure to obtain CSE, shareholder or regulatory approvals for the asset acquisition, the Strategic Partner may fail to obtain WSLCB approval when expected or at all or may fail to acquire the Sugarleaf License on the terms and timing expected or at all, the Company may fail to enter into agreements with the Strategic Partner on the terms and timing and for the services expected or at all and changes to U.S. federal law or Washington State law or enforcement practices relating to cannabis. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and the respective companies undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances unless required by applicable law. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 01, 2018] State Street Global Advisors Announces Impact of Receiving Payment The SPDR Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) listed in the table below, announced today that the Fund received a restitution payment related to an agreement between Tesco PLC (LON: TSCO) and the Financial Conduct Authority. The agreement established a scheme to compensate those affected by Tesco's trading misstatement of 29th August 2014. The net payment to be received by the Fund is listed below. When the Fund calculates its net asset value ("NAV") per share on Monday, June 4, 2018, it is estimated that the Fund's NAV will be impacted by the amount stated below based on shares outstanding as of May 31, 2018. Fund Payment Amount Shares Outstanding as of May 31, 2018 Per Share Impact SPDR Global Dow ETF (DGT) $26,721 1,100,464 $0.0243 State Street Global Advisors manages approximately $629 billion in global ETF assets1 and is one of the largest ETF providers in the US and globally. About SPDR Exchange Traded Funds SPDR ETFs are a comprehensive family spanning an array of international and domestic asset classes. SPDR ETFs are managed by SSGA Funds Management, Inc., a registered investment adviser and wholly owned subsidiary of State Street Corporation. The funds provide investors with the flexibility to select investments that are precisely aligned to their investment strategy. Recognized as an industry pioneer, State Street created the first US listed ETF in 1993 (SPDR S&P 500 - Ticker SPY) and has remained on the forefront of responsible innovation, as evidenced by the introduction of many ground-breaking products, including first-to-market launches with gold, international real estate, international fixed income, and sector ETFs. For more information, visit www.spdrs.com. About State Street Global Advisors For four decades, State Street Global Advisors has served the world's governments, institutions and financial advisors. With a rigorous, risk-aware approach built on research, analysis and market-tested experience, we build from a breadth of active and index strategies to create cost-effective solutions. As stewards, we help portfolio companies see that what is fair for people and sustainable for the planet can deliver long-term performance. And, as pioneers in index, ETF, and ESG investing, we are always inventing new ways to invest. As a result, we have become the world's third largest asset manager with nearly US $2.73 trillion* under our care. *This figure is presented as of March 31, 2018 and includes approximately $56 billion of assets with respect to SPDR products for which State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC (SSGA FD) acts solely as the marketing agent. SSGA FD and State Street Global Advisors are affiliated. Investing involves risk including the risk of loss of principal. ETFs trade like stocks, are subject to investment risk, fluctuate in market value and may trade at prices above or below the ETFs net asset value. Brokerage commissions and ETF expenses will reduce returns. In general, ETFs can be expected to move up or down in value with the value of the applicable index. Although ETFs may be bought and sold on the exchange through any brokerage account, ETFs are not individually redeemable from the Fund. Investors may acquire ETFs and tender them for redemption through the Fund in Creation Unit Aggregations only, please see the prospectus for more details. All ETFs are subject to risk, including possible loss of principal. In addition to normal risks associated with equity investing, international investing may involve risk of capital loss from unfavorable fluctuations in currency values, from differences in generally accepted accounting principles, and from adverse political, social and economic instability in other nations. Foreign (non-U.S.) Securities may be subject to greater political, economic, environmental, credit and information risks. Foreign securities may be subject to higher volatility than U.S. securities, due to varying degrees of regulation and limited liquidity. These risks are magnified in emerging markets. Equity securities may fluctuate in value in response to the activities of individual companies and general market and economic conditions. Non-diversified funds that focus on a relatively small number of securities tend to be more volatile than diversified funds and the market as a whole. Passively managed funds hold a range of securities that, in the aggregate, approximates the full Index in terms of key risk factors and other characteristics. This may cause the fund to experience tracking errors relative to performance of the index. Distributor: State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC, member FINRA, SIPC, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of State Street Corporation. References to State Street may include State Street Corporation and its affiliates. Certain State Street affiliates provide services and receive fees from the SPDR ETFs. Before investing, consider the funds' investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. To obtain a prospectus or summary prospectus which contains this and other information, call 866.787.2257 or visit spdrs.com and respective fund's website. Read it carefully. State Street Corporation, One Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111-2900 2018 State Street Corporation - All Rights Reserved Not FDIC Insured -No Bank Guarantee - May Lose Value 2137812.1.1.NA.RTL 1 AUM as of 3/31/18. This figure is presented as of March 31, 2018 and includes approximately $56 billion of assets with respect to SPDR products for which State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC (SSGA FD) acts solely as the marketing agent. SSGA FD and State Street Global Advisors are affiliated. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180601005865/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] As Apple and Samsung jockey for position with their flagship phones, it can sometimes seem like a race to who can roll out a new feature first. The latest example involves three rear cameras, a feature that could be coming soon to an iPhone or Galaxy device near you, if a report out of Korea proves accurate. (Image credit: Future flagships from Samsung and Apple could add another camera to the back of each phone. (Credit: Tom's Guide)) That report from the Korea Herald quotes Kim Dong-won, a KB Securities analyst, who says that Samsung is planning to add triple cameras and a 3D sensor to the Galaxy S10 in the works for next year. The analyst describes those features as an attempt to reinvigorate the Galaxy lineup amid reports of slow sales for this year's Galaxy S9 release. It's what comes later in the Korea Herald report that's interesting, though. The news site notes that one of the phones Apple is planning to release this fall reportedly a Plus-sized version of the iPhone X "is also anticipated to come fitted with three camera lenses on the rear." MORE: iPhone X2, iPhone 9 and iPhone SE2 Rumors: Here's What to Expect That's not actually in line with iPhone rumors we've heard up to this point. Yes, Apple is reportedly looking at adding three cameras to the back of a future phone, but most rumors suggest that won't happen until the 2019 releases. It's possible that the Korea Herald report may have gotten its iPhone rumors mixed up. (Who can keep track these days?) But it's also not out of the question that Apple would consider adding another lens to one of the multiple iPhone models it's rumored to be working of for this fall, especially if it means getting the jump on Samsung before that its main rival can roll out a triple-lens Galaxy S10 of its own. Three rear cameras aren't the stuff of science fiction, either, as Huawei's P20 Pro already offers the feature. When we tested that phone, we were impressed by the photos it produced, as it outperformed the iPhone X and Pixel 2 XL in a camera face-off. The P20 Pro is particularly strong at taking photos in low light, thanks to its three rear cameras. Good luck getting in the U.S., though, as Huawei's not selling the phone here. Phone makers have other incentives to get a third lens on their flagship phones. The feature allows a 3X optical zoom, which would improve upon the 2X optical zoom that dual-rear camera phones like the iPhone X and Galaxy S9+ provide. A third lens would also help support augmented reality features, which has been a particular focus of Apple's as of late. So the question isn't whether top phone makers like Samsung and Apple adopt this feature for their flagship devices it's when that feature will appear. And the Korea Herald report gives us an inkling of hope that it might be sooner rather than later. As sure as day precedes the night, the launch of a Galaxy S phone from Samsung usually means that a more durable Active version of that same device is waiting in the wings. Well, the Galaxy S9 arrived two months ago. So if Samsung follows the same pattern as the last few years, a Galaxy S9 Active is likely in the works. (Image credit: Could Samsung be working on a successor to last year's Galaxy S9 Active? (Credit: Tom's Guide)) Samsung hasn't said one way or the other. But that's not stopping rumors from circulating about a sturdier version of the Galaxy S9 that can go longer between chargers. Those rumors, coupled with Samsung's past releases, can give us a pretty good idea of what to expect from the Galaxy S9 Active. Whats the Galaxy S9 release date? There's no confirmation that an S9 Active is development, let alone a release schedule. But we can make a pretty good guess. Take the Galaxy S8 Active, which Samsung released in early August. That was roughly four months after the Galaxy S8 made its mid-April debut. It was a similar story in 2016 the Galaxy S7 Active arrived in June, three months after the S7's release. MORE: Most Anticipated Smartphones of 2018 Past performance is not necessarily a predictor of future behavior, but if the pattern holds, that would put a Galaxy S9 Active on track for a release sometime this summer. And wouldn't you know it one of the primary sources for rumors about the Galaxy S9 Active claims the phone will ship in the third quarter of 2018. (Presumably, that would be well before Samsung unveils the Galaxy Note 9, which is rumored to be happening in July or August.) How will the Galaxy S9 Active differ from the Galaxy S9? Samsung usually focuses on two different areas with its Active models durability and battery life. (Image credit: The curved edges of the Galaxy S9 (pictured here) are likely to give way to a flat screen on an Active version of the phone. (Credit: Tom's Guide)) On the durability front, Samsung typically tweaks the design of its flagship phone to better withstand life's bumps and bruises. (The S8 Active, for example, was able to survive 5-foot drops while also withstanding in up to 5 feet of water for 30 minutes.) That has generally meant ditching the curves of the Infinity Display for a more durable casing around the phone's screen. That seems to be what's going to happen this time, too, according to a Sammobile report, which claims the S9 Active will trade the curved 5.8-inch display of the S9 for a flat version. The S9 Active would still have the 18:9 aspect ratio of its less durable sibling. On the battery front, the Galaxy S9 features a 3,000 mAh power pack. That will likely get upgraded to a 4,000 mAh battery in the S9 Active, both Sammobile and Reddy Tricks claim in their reports. That's not too hard to believe: the Galaxy S8 Active has a 4,000 mAh battery, too. What Galaxy S9 Active features will be the same as the Galaxy S9? (Image credit: Expect the Galaxy S9 Active to have a single rear camera like the Galaxy S9. (Credit: Tom's Guide)) Pretty much everything else we've heard about the S9 Active matches what we've seen from the S9. The rumored phone is expected to run on a Snapdragon 845 processor with 4GB of RAM the same specs as the S9. The Sammobile and Reddy Tricks report suggest the S9 Active will have the same single rear camera lens as the S9, right down to the 12-megapixel sensor. Expect 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage, too. Is there really a need for an Active version of the Galaxy S phone? It's true that every Samsung flagship since the Galaxy S7 has been IP68 dust- and water-resistant, meaning they'll survive that dunk in up to 5 feet of water for up to 30 minutes. Durability is another factor, though. Bugatti only plans to build 500 Chirons, and the French automaker just built its 100th Chiron last week. As expected, it commemorated the occasion by throwing a party in its headquarters in Molsheim, France. The 100th Chiron is expected to go to a customer in the Middle East, who dressed up his new hypercar with a number of exclusive touches, ultimately settling for one that comes with a net price tag of 2.85 million, or somewhere around $3.33 million. Befitting its status as the 100th production Chiron, this model is dressed entirely in Dark Blue Carbon while also getting a matte finish Bugatti is probably one of the few automakers in the world that can pull off celebrating the production of its 100th model. That comes with the territory of being one of the most esteemed auto brands in the business. The model in question isnt just a standard Chiron, either. Its been dressed to the nines by Bugatti at the request of its owner, who we only know as residing in the Arabian Peninsula. Befitting its status as the 100th production Chiron, this model is dressed entirely in Dark Blue Carbon while also getting a matte finish. Its a unique long, even by the standards of the Chiron. The exclusive paint finish continues with the Italian Red Bugatti side line, which creates a nice contrast with the Mink Black wheels. As expected, the interior also looks every bit like a Bugatti Chiron. The whole surface area is dressed in premium leather with red serving as the dominant color. The overall look of the 100th Chiron is downright extraordinary, though the word itself could be used to describe the Bugatti Chiron as a whole. The exclusive paint finish continues with the Italian Red Bugatti side line, which creates a nice contrast with the Mink Black wheels It says a lot about the exclusivity of this particular Chiron when Bugattis own president, Stephan Winkelmann, singles it out as one of the best versions of the hypercar Bugatti has created. I find the 100th Chiron especially pleasing, he said. It is dynamic and elegant in equal measure. This car shows that Bugatti produces highly individualized masterpieces of automobile craftsmanship that are simply unparalleled. Considering the lengths Bugatti took to appease the owners desired specifications for his Chiron; its hard to imagine Bugatti not doing the same for all the remaining Chirons that are still going to be built. Who knows, sometime in 2019, we might be back here drooling over the 200th production unit of the Chiron. Considering that it takes Bugatti a year to build 70 units of its prized hypercar, that moment could happen sometime in late 2019. By that time, heres to hoping that we can see something as incredible as the 200th production model. References Bugatti Chiron 2.3 Seconds Read our full review on the 2018 Bugatti Chiron. Read more Bugatti news. Saudi Arabias King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) has signed a contract with Al Mas International Pharmaceutical Industry to establish one of the largest BCG vaccine production plants in the world. The first phase of the plant, which will be the first to produce BCG vaccines in the Middle East, will be built on 40,000 sq m of land leased in the Industrial Valley. We are aiming to make KAEC the largest pharmaceutical complex in the region by attracting local and international companies that meet the needs of the local market. Imports constitute about 80 per cent of the Saudi markets needs, thereby making localisation of the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries a strategic priority for KAEC in order to contribute to achieving pharmaceutical security in the kingdom, said Engineer Ayman Mansi, CEO of the Industrial Valley. The Industrial Valley devotes special attention to the pharmaceutical industries sector due to its contribution to the healthcare of citizens by securing treatment at all times, and the sectors provision of excellent job opportunities for Saudis. Mohammad Al Esayi, chairman of Al Mas International Pharmaceutical Industry, said: Al Mas will begin building the plant in the near future, as soon as we have completed the plans and blueprints, which need to be compatible with the advanced technology being transferred to the kingdom. The first phase, which is expected to be completed in mid-2021, will include cells storage in these vaccines, which are being manufactured for the first time in the region and will also be the first production of active vaccines in the Middle East. Al-Esayi also revealed that another project is currently being developed for future plants to cover the needs of the Saudi, Gulf and regional markets, taking advantage of the logistic services offered by the Industrial Valley, King Abdullah Port and the re-export zone, along with the advanced infrastructure which are the cornerstone as a success for pharmaceutical projects. Mansi noted that the localisation of the pharmaceutical industry is a strategic priority to achieve pharmaceutical security in the kingdom, as its consumption of medication is estimated at more than SR15 billion ($4 billion) annually. it is the largest in terms of total value in the Arab pharmaceutical market, while the local industry covers about 20 per cent of the demand in the local market, Mansi added. The major investment opportunities provided by the Industrial Valley, which is directly connected to King Abdullah Port, qualifies it to become a major destination and an advanced supply point for logistics services and industries in the region. Al Mas International Pharmaceutical Industry recently established to launch one of the largest vaccine plants in the world and the first of its kind in the region in alliance with the European company AJ Vaccines, which recently acquired the entire vaccine production of the prestigious European Statens Serum Institut (SSI), which boasts 120 years of experience. KAEC is the largest privately-funded new city in the world. Situated on the west coast of Saudi Arabia, it comprises King Abdullah Port, the Coastal Communities residential districts, the Haramain Railway district and the Industrial Valley. TradeArabia News Service The Chrysler brand has had a good run with roots that trace all the way back to its formation in 1925. A rich and iconic history, however, isnt enough to keep a brand going and it looks like the Chrysler nameplate may get killed off just a few years before its 100-year anniversary. Thats the word from an Automotive News report that Sergio Marchionne could kill off the brand at the June 1st investors meeting in Balocco, Italy. Goodbye Chrysler, Its Been a Real SliceNot We all know that the only thing keeping FCA alive at the moment is Jeep and Ram, and if it wasnt for them, its hard to imagine FCA even functioning long at all. The report comes from an Automotive News editor who cites a source that told a European colleague and says that an announcement could come June 1st. This rumor is officially unconfirmed, but as pointed out in the report, Marchionne had nothing to say about Chrysler when asked about passenger car strategy for FCA. Of course, this isnt really surprising. We all know that the only thing keeping FCA alive at the moment is Jeep and Ram, and if it wasnt for them, its hard to imagine FCA even functioning long at all. As far as Chrysler goes, its not exactly ripe with offerings. If you go to its U.S. homepage, youll find just three models, which is really two: The Chrysler 300, Chrysler Pacifica, and Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. Over the years, Chryslers lineup has gotten smaller and smaller with the most recent death warrant being served to the 200 which sold about as good as ice cream in the middle of winter in the Arctic. On top of that, the 300 is, technically, a nice car, but its styling is dated, and the last generation was complete trash with major chassis errors and serious electrical problems as well On top of that, the 300 is, technically, a nice car, but its styling is dated, and the last generation was complete trash with major chassis errors (speaking from experience as a mechanic here) and serious electrical problems as well. The new-gen model addressed some of these issues, but if you listen close enough, you can still hear those newer models and their clunky suspension when they hit bumps. The 300 has, essentially, become a huge part of the subprime used car market where its often sold and repossessed time and time again. With that in mind, the only model left in the lineup is the Chrysler Pacifica. Its a pretty damn good minivan, but thats a very small chunk of the market and to top it off people arent that interested in it. I saw the crowds when Chrysler debuted the Pacifica and Hondas new Odyssey kicked its ass hands down when its time in the limelight came out. The bottom line is that the Chrysler brand was essentially left to die and its probably best that Marchionne just pull the plug now and put that poor brand out of its misery. Nobody likes it, nobody wants the cars, and its just a huge hemorrhaging hole in FCAs portfolio. Chryslers death isnt the only thing that could come out of the June 1st investors meeting. As it turns out, Marchionne may jerk its other ball and chain, Fiat, out of both the United States and China. That move is also due to poor sales and would further the amount of money FCA as a whole could invest into Jeep FCAs most profitable division. We cant say that were sad to see either brand go but it sure is funny that two brands that make up FCAs name are the ones getting the ax. Sometimes life can be funny that way I guess. References Read more Fiat news. Read more Chrysler news. Source: Automotive News For the sixth year in a row, Toyota has been named the most valuable car brand in the world. The BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands report is conducted by Kantar Millward Brown consultancy group, and it identified Toyota as the most valuable automaker in the world with a valuation of $29.9 billion, ahead of runner-up Mercedes-Benz ($25.68 billion) and third-place finisher BMW ($25.62 billion). A pair of German rivals switched places for second and third on the list In fact, the Camry was the best-selling sedan in the U.S. in 2017 Toyotas place atop the automotive sector in the BrandZ rankings came on the strength of the automakers reputation for quality and reliability, which helped it generate a high level of loyalty among its customers. That kind of sentiment spurred models like the Toyota Camry to sell like hot pancakes last year. In fact, the Camry was the best-selling sedan in the U.S. in 2017. While Toyota continued its reign for the sixth year in a row, 2017 runner-up BMW lost its spot to rival Mercedes-Benz by the slimmest of margins. The good news for both automakers was that their values grew with Mercedes posting a nine-percent increase in valuation to $25.68 billion and BMW reporting a four-percent increase to $25.62 billion. Ford once again came in at fourth place with a valuation of $12.7 billion, a two-percent drop compared to its 2017 value. Rounding out the top 10 are Honda ($12.69 billion), Nissan ($11.42 billion), Audi ($9.63 billion), Tesla ($9.42 billion), Maruti Suzuki ($6.38 billion), and Volkswagen ($5.99 billion). Despite being one of the largest automakers in the world, the German auto giants low valuation came as a result of continued skepticism of the company stemming from the Dieselgate scandal. Of all the auto brands that made the list, Tesla experienced the biggest gains, increasing its value by a staggering 60 percent compared to 2017. Of all the auto brands that made the list, Tesla experienced the biggest gains, increasing its value by a staggering 60 percent compared to 2017. According to Kantar Millward Brown, the electric car makers strong showing came as a result of fascination with a technology brand that is also in the space travel business and the sense of potential as more affordable Teslas enter the market As a whole, the auto industry did well in the rankings, claiming seven percent in value on the shoulders of crossovers, SUVs, and luxury vehicles. Increased sales in most regions of the industrialized world also contributed to its growth. With the rise of hybrids, electric cars, and autonomous driving technology, expect 2018 to be an even bigger year for the sector with Toyota once again leading the charge. References Read our full review on the 2018 Toyota Camry. Read more Toyota news. Source: Kantar Millward Brown The Jaguar XE SV Project 8 has dominated the speed record for production sedans at Laguna Seca by almost a second with Randy Pobst pushing it around the track in just 1:37:54. That beats out the Cadillac CTS-V by almost a second, the Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio by nearly two seconds, the BMW M5 by 2.4 seconds, and the Mercedes-AMG C63S by nearly three seconds. All of this is actually pretty impressive with the exception of one thing the Project 8 might be a production car, but its hardly that. Its production run is limited to just 300 units, and its so heavily modified that its really not fair to compare it to the mass-produced models that it just beat. Lets lake the CTS-V, for example. Sure, its a modified version of the CTS, but its not modified to the extent that it is that different. The same thing goes for the Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio, the M5, and the C63 S. They are all badass sedans, sure, but the Project 8 has a special distinction only the front doors and roof panel are original. Everything else from the XE its based on has been replaced or manipulated in one way or another. Thats not the case with any of the cars that now, sadly, sit below the Project 8 at Laguna Seca. The Project 8 pumps out 592 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque from a 5.0-liter V-8. Do you think you can even get a V-8 in the XE, even in its highest trim? Sorry, not gonna happen. Oh, and the Project 8 cost more than three times that of the range-topping XE S AWD trim level. So, Jaguar wants a pat on the back for breaking the production sedan record at Laguna Seca, but the fact of the matter is that it had to use a limited-run car thats heavily modified to do it. Were not impressed one bit. This is hardly a production sedan. When Jaguar can beat out the competition with a mass-produced car, then maybe well talk. But, I digress. Even if this record-breaking run is a ferociously obnoxious pile of PR crap stinking up our office, Randy Pobst was behind the wheel, and its always a blast to watch this man drive. So, weve posted the video here for you to watch and enjoy. Minor International has reached an agreement to acquire 30,000,000 shares in NH Hotel Group for 192 million ($226.3 million). The new acquisition, together with existing shareholding, will increase Minor's stake in NH Hotel Group to 8.6 per cent on a fully diluted basis. NH Hotel Group is the sixth largest hotel chain in Europe and this investment offers important strategic benefits to Minor International which, with its deep hospitality and food & beverage experience, also brings strategic value to the NH Hotel Group. The investment in NH Hotel Group also marks a strategic progression given Minors current presence in Asia, Australia, the Middle East and Europe. The investment in NH Hotel Group is a further move into Europe by Minor International following its earlier expansion into Portugal and Brazil through the acquisition of Tivoli Hotels & Resorts in 2016, and one that is complementary to the geographical footprint of Minors pre-investment portfolio. NH Hotel Group has a portfolio of 382 hotels and resorts with 59,350 keys spanning across 30 countries in Europe, the Americas and Africa. The group was founded since 1978 and today has become one of the top 25 hotel chains in the world with in-depth expertise in the mid- to upscale segments. Following the investment, the properties will continue to operate under NH Hotel Groups well-known brands, including NH Hotels, NH Collection Hotels, nhow Hotels and Hesperia Resorts. Dillip Rajakarier, CEO Minor Hotels, commented: This investment represents a significant milestone for Minor Hotels. We are excited by the opportunity to accelerate our global exposure with our investment in NH Hotel Group, which has a highly complementary business and asset portfolio to Minor International. As a key shareholder in the business, we look forward to supporting the management team as a strategic shareholder to continue this success and build long-term shareholder value for NH Hotel Group and its shareholders, including Minor International. Minor can also support the NH hotels with its food & beverage expertise where appropriate to maximise financial performance and enhance customer experience. - TradeArabia News Service Treehugger and our third-party partners use cookies and process personal data like unique identifiers based on your consent to store and/or access information on a device, display personalized ads and for content measurement, audience insight, and product development. To change or withdraw your consent choices for Treehugger.com, including your right to object where legitimate interest is used, click below. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. List of Partners (vendors) BECAUSE she did not cook him a meal, a Longdenville man resorted to beating his wife before Emirati citizens will not need a visa to visit Canada for up to six months starting from June 5, effectively pushing the UAE passport to the 14th rank of the Passport Index's power ranking, shared with Cyprus. In addition to Canada, UAE has visa waivers coming in force from Brazil and Guyana resulting in a total visa-free score of 151 a major step for UAE's Race to the Very Top with the UAE's Passport Force Initiative. The UAE has strong ties with Canada, with nearly 40,000 Canadians living and working in the nation, and some 150 Canadian companies with strong operational presence in the UAE. Additionally, the UAE is Canada's top export market in the Mena region with recorded exports of C$1.79 billion ($1.38 billion) in 2016. Having the tallest, biggest, and the best is part of the DNA of the UAE, and being granted visa-free access into Canada is a key step in achieving this goal. Emirati citizens, like other visa-exempt travellers, will need an electronic travel authorization (eTA) to fly to, or transit through a Canadian airport. The eTA allows Canadian officials to screen travellers for admissibility before they board their flight to Canada. "The United Arab Emirates is a key strategic partner and lifting the visa requirement will help reaffirm the strong relationship between our two countries. It will also promote increased tourism, cultural, academic and study exchanges, as well as foster new business, trade, and investment opportunities," confirmed Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Over the last decade, the UAE passport has seen immense growth in its global visa-free score and is amongst the list of nations that has experienced the fastest growth in the world. Having gained the trust and respect of over 35 countries in the past decade, UAE's passport power is slowly but surely reaching the summit. "We have been working with the UAE authorities to monitor and help boost the power of their passport," said Armand Arton, president of Arton Capital, a Canadian global financial advisory firm. "I am delighted that our efforts are bearing fruit." The Passport Index is the most popular online interactive tool, which collects, displays and ranks the passports of the world. It is the only real-time global ranking of passports, updated as frequently as new visa waivers and changes are announced. TradeArabia News Service The young man who founded the Matelot Facebook page and introduced the North Coast Trinidad village to thousands around the world, has been sh hello everyone, this is my first time planning for a trip to Japan so hopefully I can get some inputs and help! I'm planning to visit japan for around 10-11 days. Flying open jaw, into Osaka and out of Tokyo. My overall itinerary would look something like this day 1: Osaka 2: probably USJ 3-4: day trip(s) to Nara/Kyoto/Kobe if possible 5-10: Tokyo, will probably visit Mt Fuji area (Fuji-Q highland), disneySEA etc I might adjust the itinerary to allocate more time for the Osaka area if there's not enough time to visit those areas. But these are the general areas I would like to visit. Since I'll only be taking a one way trip from Osaka to Tokyo, would it still be worth it to purchase the JR pass keeping in mind the other areas of interest that I might potentially visit? Also, would it be better for me to visit areas like Nara/Kyoto and then go back to Osaka (so round trip tickets, worth for JR pass?) or travel from Osaka> day trip to Nara/Kobe> Kyoto, then take the bullet train from Kyoto to Tokyo? I'll be travelling with a pretty large luggage though, (which is a concern) as after this 10-11 day trip I'll be flying to Seoul and would need a large luggage space for all the shopping/souvenirs. Thank you in advance for all the replies! Edited: 3 years ago Hi, I would definitely say get planning! However to answer your questions: I would recommend staying in Shinjuku as there are a lot of transport connections and it is served by JR rail so if you have a JR pass then you can use that. I always stay there - lots of food options, convience stores, resturants, pharmacies ... pretty much everything you need. I normally stay around Okubo or Shin- Okubo stations. There are some reasonable priced hotel such as the hotel empire in Shinjuku is reasonable however the rooms like in many places in Japan are small. If you need extra space I recommend looking for an Air BnB especially in Tokyo but make sure that the apartment has two bedrooms a lot of them will say sleeps 4 but what it actually is a one bedroom with a very small sofa bed in the living room. In Kyoto I would recommend either staying around the train station or up in the hills for example there are some very nice smaller hotels around KIYOMIZU-DERA TEMPLE and Kinkaku-ji . I have never done an air b n b in Kyoto so I cannot comment on that however I have always found that if you have a budget of around 100 per night then you can easily get accommodation for 4 people (often with a fair amount of change left). Must see things: Tokyo- - Meji Shrine - Sensoji Temple - Shinjuku Station - Tokyo Station - Shinjuku Gyon Park - Shibuya crossing - Harunjuku - Ghibli musuem (if you can get tickets). - Imperial Palace Gardens Kyoto: - Kinkaku-ji - Philosophers walk - Kiyomizu-dera - Mount Inari Shrine - Gion - KIYOMIZU-DERA TEMPLE - Nijojo Castle I would this would be your action plan - 1- get your accommodation all booked 2- each place google the top 10 things to do and then plan what days to do them. You tube is really good for videos on top 10 for example, check out rachel and Jun, Kim dao, abroad in japan and pablo in tokyo (to name a few) 3- Think about if you need to get a JR pass - they are expensive but if you are doing two decent train journey plus if you use them in the cities they are worth the money. You can calculate here if its worth buying them (note you must purchase before you leave and then exchange your voucher on arrival) Hope that helps L x - Mutua claimed government officials were fleecing the country by stealing public funds - He argued the country was not as poor as it appeared but rather was just being robbed by leaders - He called for lifestyle audit of government officials to verify how they acquired their wealth Machakos County Governor Alfred Mutua came out to condemn government officials and leaders whom he claim acquired their wealth in unscrupulous ways. Mutua who had meet Machakos residents on Thursday, May 31, argued greed and corruption were the two vices bleeding the country dry and ruining the future of Kenya. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens In a Facebook post seen by TUKO.co.ke, the governor argued the people stealing money from public coffers were contemptuous, derisive and extremely disrespectful of President Uhuru Kenyatta. READ ALSO: Walinzi wa Uhuru 'wamdhulumu' shabiki sugu wa Gor Mahia Jaro Soja Mutua argued greed and corruption were the two vices bleeding the country dry and ruining the future of Kenya. Photo: Alfred Mutua/ Facebook. READ ALSO: I admit Raila Odinga is a true statesman - Mutahi Ngunyi He further called on the immediate requirement for all public servants to account for the wealth they had acquired over the years. "A special audit team should be set up to dig into what we leaders have and to reveal unexplained wealth that can only be from corruption," said Mutua. The Machakos governor added the war against corruption had been made technically complicated in an effort to shield corrupt officials while hounding those working hard. READ ALSO: Miss Lang'ata Women's Prison winner found guilty of killling boyfriend in Buruburu "The fight against corruption should not be used to witch-hunt and slow down those undertaking development by ensuring value for money. When the agencies concerned with investigation and prosecution focus on those saving money, they inadvertently let go of the mega thieves," he added. According to Mutua, Kenya was not a poor state but rather, people elected to lead the country were ruining the economy by stealing public funds. "For how long will the dreams of our people, the aspirations of our youth and the quest by our parents for a good life be stolen from us by public servants?" posed Mutua. READ ALSO: Raila forgives Uhuru for calling him madman "The thieving individuals are confident and smug that they will not be convicted anyway and that they will be protected by people in high political offices who they have been stealing for," Mutua went on. "Our youth are suffering. Corruption means no jobs. Corruption means no roads, corruption means the cost of living is rising. Life has become a survival because of a few. It is time for us to say enough is enough," he added. Mutua estimated the stolen funds in the country over the past 40 years was more than a trillion shillings which was enough to set up factories in every ward in Kenya and to build roads in every constituency. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. Top 5 Facts About Uhuru Kenyatta - Raila Odinga Pact - On Tuko TV Source: Tuko Breaking News - They claimed Moha's association with Jubilee government betrayed trust they had on him - A section of civil societies were picketing over wanton corruption in Kenya - Two months ago, the lawmaker publicly announced he supports Ruto's presidential bid Echoes of 'Ali must' go described the tense atmosphere when Nyali MP Mohamed Ali alias Jicho Pevu attempted to address the anti-graft demonstrators in Naitobi CBD on Thursday, May 31. Dressed in sleek parliament blue suit, the former investigative journalist snaked his way into the procession along Kenyatta to show solidarity with the Kenyan youth but the result was better seen than told. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens In a video seen by TUKO.co.ke, the angry youth called out Moha for betraying the trust they had on him by associating with the Jubilee government despite corruption scandals rocking the government from within. READ ALSO: I only fear God - Moha Jicho Pevu tells Governor Joho and his brother after winning election petition Dressed in sleek parliament blue suit, Mohammed Ali snaked his way into the procession to show solidarity with the Kenyan youth but was flatly told to keep off. Photo: Shasha Seraphine Mbote/Facebook. READ ALSO: Moha Jicho Pevu angers Kenyans after throwing weight behind William Ruto "Ali is an opportunist who seeks political mileage wherever and whenever it is convenient for him. We know their tactics too well. He got what he deserves," one protester shouted in Swahili. A section of civil societies were picketing over wanton corruption in Kenya. The legislators move to throw his weight behind Deputy President William Ruto pissed off a section of Kenyans, when a video of him endorsing the leader emerged. READ ALSO: KTN's Mohamed Ali attacks Uhuru, Ruto hours after the doctors were released He had on Sunday, May 13, accompanied Ruto in a tour to Trans Nzoia county where they joined other local leaders at the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) in Kitale. It was here the former KTN reporter famed for his hard-hitting exposes, pledged his support for the DP. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. Here is the full interview with Bridget courtesy of TUKO TV. Source: Tuko Just make it mandatory already! It's the call of two business chambers today, in the face of Militants launched 26 attacks on positions of Ukrainian troops in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) area in Donbas over the past day. This is reported by the press center of the JFO Headquarters. "Over the past day, Russian-occupation violated ceasefire 26 times, using heavy weaponry (122mm artillery, 120mm and 82mm mortars) seven times," the report reads. The most active armed hostilities took place near Novotoshkivske (53km north-west of Luhansk) in Luhansk direction, outside Novoselivka Druha (23km north of Donetsk) and Kamyanka (62km south of Donetsk) in Donetsk direction and in the area of Chermalyk (31km north-east of Mariupol), Pavlopol (30 km northeast of Mariupol) and Vodiane (16km north-west of Donetsk) in Mariupol direction. Three Ukrainian servicemen were wounded in fighting in last day. ol Ukraine should increase export of its goods to China, in particular of soybeans and honey. Secretary-General of the China Overseas Development Association He Zhenwei said this in Kherson on Thursday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "We have already decided in China that we will increase imports not only from the US, but from other countries as well. I think its a good chance. Ukraine needs to increase its exports to China," He Zhenwei said. According to him, now China annually imports, for example, 95 million tons of soybeans, including 32 million tons from the US. "And a mere trifle [of soybeans] from Ukraine," he said, noting that China views Ukraine as a powerful producer of quality soybeans. As Secretary-General of the China Overseas Development Association noted, Ukraine could also successfully increase exports of its honey. Chinese people like honey, and Ukraine makes good honey, particularly in Kherson region, he stressed. ol China's cooperation with Ukraine is possible in four promising sectors for Chinese business: infrastructure, energy, agriculture, culture and tourism. Secretary-General of the China Overseas Development Association He Zhenwei said this at the meeting of the entrepreneurs of Kherson region with the China Overseas Development Association delegation which was held within the framework of the 2nd Ukrainian-Chinese Economic Cooperation Forum, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "I would like to outline the possible directions for Chinese-Ukrainian cooperation. An increasing number of our enterprises are interested in infrastructure. The second direction is energy, particularly solar energy. The third is agriculture, and the fourth is culture and tourism," he said. At the same time, he stressed that Chinese businessmen were especially interested in agricultural cooperation with Ukraine, particularly with Kherson region. ol In 2017, the export of goods and services from Ukraine to the Netherlands amounted to more than $1.8 billion and grew by 61.7% compared to 2016. The press service of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine informed this on its Twitter page. "The trade turnover between Ukraine and the Netherlands amounted to $2.5 billion in 2017 and grew by 45% compared to the previous year. The export of goods and services from Ukraine to the Netherlands in 2017 was more than $1.8 billion and grew by 61.7% compared to the previous year," the report reads. The Economic Development Ministry notes that the Netherlands is the second largest foreign investor in Ukraine. As of January 1, 2018, the Netherlands invested in Ukraine almost $6.3 billion ($344.5 million was invested in 2017). ish The OSCE has called for the immediate release of Stanislav Aseev, a blogger and contributor to the Ukrainian Service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, who was illegally detained a year ago by Russian occupation authorities. OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir said this on Friday. "The continued illegal detention of Stanislav Aseev is abhorrent and cannot be tolerated," Desir said. He recalled that the journalist had already been held captive for one whole year, and the lack of access to the journalist only heightens concerns about his fate. "I call for his immediate release for humanitarian reasons and as a matter of principle," Desir said. Aseev was detained by the so-called "DPR" forces at the beginning of June 2017 in Donetsk. Desir raised the case in a public statement one year ago and continues to raise attention to his case ever since including at the occasion of his visits to Ukraine and to Russia. "I call on all OSCE participating States to increase pressure on any relevant actors in Donetsk. All stakeholders with influence in this case should aid in Stanislav Assev's release," Desir said. op On June 1, the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Madina Jarbussynova, has concluded a four-day visit to Ukraine. Jarbussynova visited the cities of Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Chernivtsi, where she met with representatives of regional state administrations, according to the website of the OSCE. "The trip aimed to raise awareness of human trafficking and the risks encountered by vulnerable groups as a consequence of the current crisis in and around Ukraine," the report reads. Jarbussynova also briefed the staff of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine on the best practices in monitoring and reporting on trafficking-related trends. In addition, the program of the trip included meetings with representatives from relevant international organizations and civil society to discuss the situation on the ground and issues related to the identification and assistance of victims of human trafficking. Despite the distance, the repercussions of the events in the east are acutely felt across the whole of the country, including its western regions, with thousands of internally displaced persons hosted by local communities, Jarbussynova said. We must remain vigilant and ensure that, while searching for jobs and other sustainable economic opportunities, these people do not fall into the trap of human trafficking. In this regard, the important role of OSCE monitors in raising awareness of human trafficking risks can hardly be overstated, she said. Next week, the Office of the Special Representative intends to deliver similar briefings on how to combat trafficking in human beings to the OSCE monitors in Donetsk, Luhansk, Severodonetsk and Kramatorsk. Germany's top diplomat arrived for his first visit to Ukraine. President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko discussed with the German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas the importance of deployment in eastern Ukraine as soon as possible of a multi-national peacekeeping mission under the United Nations auspices. "The idea was supported to consider this issue in the framework of the next meeting of Normdnay Four foreign ministers," as reported by the press service of the Presidential Administration. The parties discussed the latest Donbas developments and coordinated further steps for the intensification of the peace process. Maas stated his will to visit the line of contact to personally see the situation on the ground. The interlocutor also talked over the issues of the release of Ukrainian political prisoners, in particular film director Oleh Sentsov and activist Volodymyr Balukh in Russia, and the recent attempt on Russian journalist Arkadiy Babchenko in Kyiv. "The President of Ukraine stressed that Russia remains a source of destabilization in Ukraine, as evidenced by an attempt to assassinate Russian journalist Arkadiy Babchenko. Poroshenko noted that thanks to a successful sting operation, it was possible to identify organizers of the crime," the report reads. Read alsoUkraine to retain status of gas transit state: Poroshenko-Steinmeier talks In addition, the Ukrainian president said that the recent report by the Joint Investigative Group, which once again proves Russia's involvement in MH17 downing, "not only confirms the need to bring Moscow to international legal responsibility, but also to develop reliable guarantees to prevent such crimes on the part of Russia ". Poroshenko also recalled the risks that the implementation of the Nord Stream 2 project bears to the security of gas supplies to Europe This is the first visit of Germany's new top diplomat to Ukraine. On March 14, a new German government was sworn in. Maas replaced another representative of the Social Democratic Party, Sigmar Gabriel, as German Foreign Minister. In her opinion, Russians believe once the Ukrainian man gives in and obtains a Russian passport, Ukraine will not be able to influence his possible release. A Crimean resident Oleksandr Kolchenko, who on May 31 went on a hunger strike in a Russian penal colony in support of another political prisoner Oleh Sentsov, is being forced to gain Russian citizenship, blackmailed by the fact that his parents remained in the occupied Crimea, that's according to Larysa Kolchenko, the mother of the illegally convicted man. First, they begin with "how bad it is in Ukraine and how good it is in Russia," then they resort to an open blackmail, saying that "your parents remained in Crimea," that he must somehow take up citizenship... And then they openly want him to sign a passport," Kolchenko's mother told Crimea.Realities, a media project of RFE/RL. In Larysa Kolchenko's opinion, Russians believe once the Ukrainian man gives in and obtains a Russian passport, Ukraine will not be able to influence his possible release. Read alsoCrimean residents remain Ukraine nationals: Ombudsperson to appeal to CoE over violation of Sentsov's rightsIt was earlier reported that Oleksandr Kolchenko, illegally sentenced in Russia on trumped up "terrorism" charges, went on a hunger strike demanding the release of Ukrainian film director Oleh Sentsov, who is also serving a prison sentence in a distant penal colony in Russia on similar charges. It has been 18 days since Oleh Sentsov went on an indefinite hunger strike demanding that Russia release all Ukrainian political prisoners. Vyshinsky appealed to President Putin to grant him legal protection and take measures regarding his release. Chief of the Russian RIA Novosti's Kyiv office Kirill Vyshinsky, who had been detained May 15 on high treason charges, during the court hearing of his case announced renunciation of Ukrainian citizenship. "I appeal to President Poroshenko, whom I know personally and with whom we've done some good things. I declare my withdrawal from Ukrainian citizenship, and from this moment I consider myself a citizen of the Russian Federation only. I appeal to President Putin to grant me legal protection and take measures regarding my release," Vyshinsky said, Hromadske reported from the Court of Appeal in Kherson. As UNIAN reported earlier, the press secretary of the Ukrainian SBU Security Service's chief, Olena Gitlianska, said on May 15 the SBU operatives had conducted raids in the office of RIA Novosti Ukraine in Kyiv. Later came the reports that Vyshinsky was detained on high treason charges. The SBU and prosecutors had uncovered the illegal activity of the Russian-controlled media network in Ukraine. Read alsoChief of RIA Novosti's Kyiv office indicted on charges of treason SBUIt was established that in spring 2014, when Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea, Vyshinsky produced anti-Ukrainian materials and received a medal "For the Return of Crimea" from Russian President Vladimir Putin, the SBU said. Vyshinsky jointly with several other journalists started actively supporting terrorist organizations in Donbas, the "DPR" and the "LPR," after his return from Crimea in 2014. Deputy head of the SBU Security Service of Ukraine Viktor Kononenko said Vyshinsky had been paid EUR 53,000 every month for discrediting the Armed Forces of Ukraine. "EUR 53,000 for subversive activities is only a proven amount. According to our data, the financing exceeds EUR 100,000 per month," Kononenko said at a briefing in Kyiv on May 15. Read alsoRussian MFA: Comparison of arrests of Sushchenko in Russia and Vyshinsky in Ukraine groundlessVyshinsky's lawyer said on May 16 his client had been transferred by Ukrainian law enforcers from Kyiv to Kherson for hearings on a preventive measure. The Kherson City Court in Ukraine's south ruled on May 17 that Vyshinsky be arrested until July 13 pending investigation of the charges against him. The move was due to concerns information could be intercepted by hostile SIGINT. Head of the State Security Administration of Ukraine Valery Geletey says Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin was not warned of a special operation aimed to thwart an assassination attempt on Russian journalist and Kremlin critic Arkady Babchenko in Kyiv in order to avoid possible leaks via communications channels. "I would do the same if I were head of the special service. The foreign minister was on an official visit [abroad], while communication channels vary closed, secured, and mobile ones. Russian intelligence is operating not only in Ukraine, but also in embassies and almost everywhere else. We realize that there could have been information leas, which would primarily have harmed the efforts of special services," he told journalists. According to the official, Russia's contractor of Babchenko's assassination believed that the journalist was indeed killed. "If you look at the reaction in Russia, it seems that they had everything prepared beforehand. Having received a go-ahead, Russia's special services and representatives of the Russian president began commenting on the incident, that is, they were waiting for it. I got an impression that even the Russian news pieces had already been drafted," Geletey said. Read alsoMan charged with assassination attempt on Babchenko arrested for 60 days without bailAccording to him, such operations in Ukraine has been conducted before. Geletey reminded that during Viktor Yushchenko's presidency in 2006, special services staged the murder of one of the bankers. The assassin's paymaster was detained in the United States with the assistance on the part of the FBI. "They showed the highest professionalism. The only thing lacking is going to Russia and taking the next step. This special operation was carried out step by step. First, there was an order [for the hit], then its confirmation. Following that, there was a payment and another order. It's a shame that the contractor is in Russia, and if it were possible for the [operation] group to go to Moscow, we would see more detained and arrested high profile individuals," he added. As UNIAN reported, the SBU Security Service of Ukraine thwarted an assassination ploy on Russian journalist and Kremlin critic Arkady Babchenko in Kyiv, having staged his murder on May 29. According to the SBU, Russian special services recruited a Ukrainian national to murder Babchenko. He received $40,000 for organizing the crime. The organizer offered a former participant in the Anti-Terrorist Operation to kill the journalist for $30,000 and handed him over the advance payment of $15,000. Law enforcers detained the organizer, who reported on plans to murder 30 people in Ukraine. The organizer, under instructions of Russian special services, was also supposed to illegally purchase weapons to plant arms caches in central Ukraine. Read alsoKlimkin says was "not aware" of SBU sting operation while addressing UNSC May 29Boris German, Executive Director of the Ukrainian-German JV Schmeisser, the only non-state enterprise licensed to manufacture weapons in Ukraine, is suspected of organizing an assassination attempt on Babchenko. Kyiv's Shevchenkivsky district court on May 31 warranted the prosecutors' motion and placed German under arrest for two months without bail. On May 29, at a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York, Klimkin said that Moscow had always considered Babchenko an enemy and was using various tactics to destabilize Ukraine through terrorist acts, sabotage, and political assassinations. Later, Klimkin explained that, while addressing the UN Security Council, he was not aware of the special operation by Ukrainian law enforcement agencies related to Babchenko. He is a member of the Right Sector Organization, which is outlawed in Russia. "Hitman" who was hired to assassinate Russian journalist and Kremlin critic Arkady Babchenko in Ukraine has revealed his identity: Oleksiy Tsymbaliuk is a former Orthodox church monk, a Right Sector member, a volunteer and a Donbas war veteran. Tsymbaliuk explained his decision by the fact that after tapes with his voice, which was not disguised, were made public, he saw no point in "holing up." "It's wonderful that young and talented agents are working for the [SBU Security] Service who you can securely share information about a contract with. You work with them without being afraid that you'll be given up to the same customer for dollars," he wrote on Facebook on May 31. Read alsoBabchenko's 'hitman' turns to SBU on his own journalist "Honestly, I know nothing about my future, I'm a bit all nerves. But I know for sure that a detective who was in charge of the investigation, an investigator in the case are people of honor," Tsymbaliuk wrote. He said he would not give any interviews in the near future as long as the investigation is under way. Besides, he signed a non-disclosure agreement. As UNIAN reported earlier, an assassination attempt on Babchenko was solved thanks to the fact that the "hitman" turned to the SBU Security Service of Ukraine on his own. Tsymbaliuk took part in Ukraine's Anti-Terrorist Operation in Donbas. According to his Facebook profile, he now lives in Odesa. He is a member of the Right Sector Organization, which is outlawed in Russia. He is also a former hierodeacon (monk-deacon) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate. The court placed German under arrest for two months. Ukrainian prosecutors say Boris German, who is suspected of organizing an assassination attempt on Russian journalist and Kremlin critic Arkady Babchenko in Kyiv, has not cooperated with the Ukrainian secret service and is not an employee of the SBU Security Service of Ukraine. "The information available to us does not confirm the testimony [German's claim about his cooperation with the counterintelligence service]. This is untrue. He is not and has never been an agent of the SBU Security Service of Ukraine or the counterintelligence agency, which is a structural unit of the SBU," state prosecutor Ruslan Kravchenko said after hearings at Kyiv's Shevchenkivsky district court on May 31, an UNIAN correspondent said. According to the prosecutor, he checked the suspect's statement made during the testimony. Read alsoBabchenko's 'hitman' reveals identity: Orthodox monk, Right Sector member, Donbas war veteran Previously, German claimed in the courtroom that he had known that Babchenko's killing would be staged and it was part of a special operation where he was participating in cooperation with the secret service. The court placed German under arrest for two months without bail. He was detained on May 30. He is charged under Part 1 of Article 14 (preparations for crime), Part 5 of Article 27 (complicity in crime) and Part 3 of Article 258 (creation of a terrorist group or a terrorist organization) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Boris German is Executive Director of the Ukrainian-German JV Schmeisser, the only non-state enterprise licensed to manufacture weapons in Ukraine. Ukraine's law enforcement agencies on May 29 prevented an attempt to assassinate Babchenko in Kyiv, having staged his fake killing. Critics of the Moscow Patriarchate call it a fifth column for the Kremlin, used to harbor pro-Russian separatist fighters, store weapons, justify Russian expansionism and spread anti-Ukrainian propaganda. Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko proposes an independent church as means to reduce Russia's influence over the country. Religious divisions deepened in 2014 after the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia and subsequent conflict between Ukrainian and Russian proxy forces over the Donbas region in the east, according to Reuters. Those tensions are back in focus after Ukraine stepped up efforts to create an independent, or "autocephalous," national church, according to Reuters. President Petro Poroshenko says the move is designed to bring religious and social unity as well as to blunt Russia's influence in Ukraine. "This question goes far beyond the ecclesiastical. It is about our finally acquiring independence from Moscow," Poroshenko told parliament in April. The Moscow Patriarchate considers its Ukrainian rival illegitimate, and fiercely opposes Poroshenko's proposal. The Kyiv branch, which broke away in 1992 after the fall of the Soviet Union, supports it. Critics of the Moscow Patriarchate call it a fifth column for the Kremlin, used to harbor pro-Russian separatist fighters, store weapons, justify Russian expansionism and spread anti-Ukrainian propaganda. The Moscow Patriarchate rejects such accusations. It says it is autonomous from the Russian Orthodox Church, and many of its followers feel they are unfairly cast as "stooges" of Moscow. Archbishop Kliment, spokesman for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the official name for the Moscow Patriarchate, denied his church was a security threat and said it had done much for peace in the east. Poroshenko is trailing in the opinion polls. The move for an independent church could boost his ratings and burnish his legacy, though opponents call it a dangerous electoral ploy that will inflame social tensions. Even supporters say it is a risk. Read alsoPatriarch Filaret says Ukraine Orthodox Church may be granted autocephaly in July Archbishop Yevstraty, the Kyiv Patriarchate spokesman, said Poroshenko acted with surprising courage in staking his authority on a policy that may not come off. "For him as a politician it is clear that if the hopes he has sowed in society ... are not realised, it is a big threat," he said. He is not the first president to push for an autocephalous church. But the quest has gained impetus since he returned from a visit to Istanbul in April, when Poroshenko sought the backing of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians. A spokesman for the Patriarchate declined to comment. The move is opposed by the Kremlin, Russian Orthodox Church and some of Poroshenko's political opponents. A campaign is underway to collect signatures asking Bartholomew to block the plan. That prompted Iryna Friz, an MP in Poroshenko's faction and senior member of the parliamentary security committee, to ask the state security service to investigate the campaign, which she says was initiated by the Moscow Patriarchate church. Read alsoUkraine's parliament backs appeal to Bartholomew to create independent UOC Asked about the assertion, Archbishop Kliment said "it is the initiative of the laity." Patriarch Filaret, the leader of the Kiev Patriarchate church, would be the only obvious choice to head the autocephalous church, according to Archbishop Yevstraty. That could play well with many Ukrainians, two-thirds of whom are Orthodox believers, according to 2018 research published by the Kyiv-based Razumkov think-tank. The proportion of those supporting the Kyiv Patriarchate doubled to 29% from 15% between 2010-2018 while support for the Moscow Patriarchate almost halved to 13%. The Kyiv Patriarchate won followers at its rival's expense after 2014 protests ousted a pro-Russian leader. Read alsoRFE/RL: Patriarch Filaret says Ukrainian church will never go back to Moscow Patriarchate It blessed those protesting against President Viktor Yanukovich and gave sanctuary to people injured in clashes with security forces in a makeshift clinic in its St. Michael's monastery in the centre of the capital. Cases where priests from the Moscow Patriarchate refused to hold funeral services for Ukrainian soldiers who died in the Donbass conflict, or blessed pro-Russian fighters, have raised hackles. "...there are many examples when they refuse to read the burial service over deceased veterans or people baptized in Kyiv Patriarchate; this all leads to tensions," said Rostyslav Pavlenko, the Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration. "Moreover, the veterans recall instances when churches in the east were used as rally point for terrorists," he told Reuters. Read alsoMoscow Patriarchate desperate to block parishes from leaving Poroshenko's plan is criticized by the Opposition Bloc, the heir to Yanukovych's defunct Party of Regions, which has its power base in the east. "When officials interfere with church affairs, expect trouble, expect tension and interconfessional conflicts," leader Yuriy Boyko told Reuters. Poroshenko's camp denies his plan is for electoral gain, saying work towards it began four years ago. "We see it as a historical opportunity," said Pavlenko of the Presidential Administration. The investigation is seeing no serious progress on any of the versions put forward despite all efforts being taken, Lutsenko said. Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko says there are no serious results yet in the investigation of the murders of journalist Pavel Sheremet and Amina Okueva, the wife of ex-commander of the Dzhohar Dudaev peacekeeping battalion, Adam Osmaev. "Unfortunately, I cannot present you any results, even interim ones, on several resonant contract killings. Pavel Sheremet was a well-known journalist and friend of many present here. The investigation is seeing no serious progress on any of the versions, which are now being carefully studied. The murder of Okueva, murders of SBU officers... Yes, indeed, they still see no serious outcome in pretrial investigation," Lutsenko said at the Pravo Na Vladu TV panel show on Thursday. As UNIAN reported earlier, Pavel Sheremet was blown up in a car downtown Kyiv on the morning of July 20, 2016. Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko called the main version of the journalist's murder a revenge for his professional activities. On October 30, 2017, ATO volunteer Amina Okueva was killed and her husband Adam Osmayev, who was a former commander of the international peacekeeping battalion named after Dzhokhar Dudayev, was wounded as their vehicle was shot at the railway crossing near Kyiv. The prosecution presented evidence in the Balukh case on May 31. Ukrainian activist Volodymyr Balukh, who went on hunger strike in a pre-trial detention center in the Russian-occupied city of Simferopol on March 19, is in a critical condition. "Volodymyr's condition is serious. How can a person feel after so many days of hunger strike? Volodymyr is physically exhausted. He's weak. During a court hearing [on May 31] he was constantly drinking water," Archbishop of Simferopol and the Crimea Clement told the news outlet Krym.Realii's Russian language service. Read alsoHuman rights watchdog reports four violent deaths in Crimean prison According to Balukh's lawyer Dmytro Dinze, the prosecution completed the presentation of evidence in the Balukh case at the Kremlin-controlled Rozdolne district court on May 31. As UNIAN reported earlier, the Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB) detained Balukh on December 8, 2016. FSB operatives claimed that they had allegedly found 90 ammunition rounds and several TNT explosives in his attic. Balukh's defense and human rights activists assert that he is a victim of repression over his public pro-Ukrainian position. On March 14, 2018, the Kremlin-controlled "Supreme Court of Crimea" reviewed Balukh's original verdict and sentenced him to three years and five months in a penal colony settlement and a RUR 10,000 fine. On March 19, Balukh said he would go on hunger strike in response to the verdict. While on hunger strike, he drinks only water and tea. The situation in the zone of the Joint Forces Operation remains under control of Ukrainian troops. Russia's hybrid military forces mounted 26 attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas in the past 24 hours, with three Ukrainian soldiers reported as wounded in action (WIA). "In the Luhansk sector, hostilities continued near the village of Novotoshkivske, as well as near the villages of Novoselivka Druha and Kamianka in the Donetsk sector and near the villages of Chermalyk, Pavlopil and Vodiane, located in the Mariupol sector," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said in an update on Facebook as of 07:00 Kyiv time on June 1, 2018. To prevent the enemy from advancing toward our positions and suppressing their firing points, units of the Joint Forces delivered an adequate rebuff, firmly holding ground. Read alsoOSCE SMM drone spots about 100 tanks near Russian-occupied Luhansk As reported earlier, Thursday morning, ignoring the norms of International Humanitarian Law, the enemy shelled the village of Chermalyk, having launched some 30 shells and mines. The Ukrainian side of the Joint Control and Coordination Center (JCCC) has recorded a mine landing in the backyard of a private household. According to intelligence data, the enemy suffered losses: two occupiers were killed and two others were wounded over the past day. Five units of equipment were destroyed, including two trucks with ammunition, a vehicle of an unknown type, a ZU-23-2 AD system, and mortar. The situation in the zone of the Joint Forces Operation remains under control of Ukrainian troops. As UNIAN reported earlier, three Ukrainian troops were wounded in action in Donbas in the past 24 hours. Two Ukrainian soldiers, who had earlier been wounded in action in eastern Ukraine's zone of the Joint Forces Operation, died in Dnipro Regional Mechnikov Clinical Hospital on Thursday, May 31. Serviceman of the 24th brigade Yuriy Dovhanyk, 47, died of shrapnel injuries sustained in the enemy shelling May 22, adviser to the Dnipropetrovsk region's governor Tetiana Huba wrote on Facebook. Read alsoOSCE monitors in Donbas report another near-miss mortar explosion "A 34-year-old serviceman of the 92nd brigade Kostyantyn Hraniv died the same day. He was hit in the head with a sniper bullet May 27," Huba wrote. She stressed that the head wound was incompatible with life. As UNIAN reported earlier, three Ukrainian troops were wounded in action in Donbas in the past 24 hours. Nevzorov believes Russia will thus try to shift the blame and save face. The Russian journalist believes Russia could set up militant leaders by accusing them directly of downing the MH17 plane. Prominent Russian journalist Alexander Nevzorov told Ekho Moskvy Radio that the Kremlin lost the information battle over the MH17 shot down over Donbas, and now Moscow will be looking for ways to escape responsibility. Therefore Russia will try to shift all the blame on the leaders of self-styled separatist "republics" in eastern Ukraine. Read alsoRussian GRU officer involved in delivery of Buk to Donbas CIT "Here, they needed to quickly find scapegoats and make them responsible for the crime, because everything can always be explained by someone's stupid initiative. Moreover, the criminals who have seized Donbas are consumables who sooner or later must be gotten rid of anyway. And now there is an opportunity to disown them brilliantly and with a great benefit," Nevzorov said. The Russian journalist believes Russia could set up militant leaders by accusing them of downing the plane. Read alsoTop secret scandal behind Kremlin's MH17 Massacre media"For example, if parcels with Girkin or Zakharchenko arrive in Amsterdam, where the investigation is being conducted, then the Kremlin still has at least some chance to get off with a whole skin. But we know the Kremlin is hellishly inflexible and will keep being stubborn," he added. Russian terrorist forces regularly violated the ceasefire and actively employed banned heavy weapons. Since the beginning of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) in Donbas on May 1, Russian-backed militants have suffered huge losses namely, 115 troops were killed and 149 were wounded. The Ukranian Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) also suffered losses: eleven soldiers were killed and 81 wounded in action. The enemy significantly increased the number of shellings, according to the Segodnya newspaper. It is noted that May was marked by an unprecedented escalation at the front line. Due to the provision of U.S. lethal weapons to Ukraine and the change of military operation format, the militants and the Kremlin controlling them have really begun to believe in the advance of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Donbas. The enemy not only fiercely shelled Ukrainian army positions, but also did not hesitate targeting civilian areas. It is emphasized that all the losses that the AFU inflicted on the enemy were only a result of a return-fire, which does not contradict the Minsk agreements. The Ukrainian forces have not yet conducted active offensive operations, according to the report. Read alsoOSCE SMM drone spots about 100 tanks near Russian-occupied LuhanskIn addition, Russian terrorist forces not only regularly violated the ceasefire, but also actively used heavy weapons tanks, 122mm and 152mm artillery systems, 82mm and 120mm mortars, and Grad multiple rocket launchers. In the enemy attack on the village near the town of Horlivka, a teenage girl was killed. Data on casualties per weeks: April 30-May 6. Ukraine reported 13 WIAs; militants lost 11 fighters, while 23 people were hospitalized;. May 7-13. Ukraine suffered first casualties (2 KIAs), and 23 WIAs; militants lost 16 men, while 34 were wounded. May 14-20. The Ukrainian army lost three soldiers and 16 were hospitalized; Seventeedn enemy troops were killed and 32 wounded. May 21-27. Four Ukrainian soldiers killed and 23 wounded; militants suffered the largest losses with 60 killed and 45 wounded. May 28-30. The Ukrainian military reported 8 WIAs; eleven militants were killed and 15 wounded. Also, two SBU's Alpha elite spec-ops unit operatives were killed in Donbas. The group were on a mission when they came under the artillery fire. Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili said late on Thursday that the case would be returned to the interior ministry for further investigation and an opposition-led parliamentary commission would be set up to monitor the process. Georgia's chief prosecutor Irakly Shotadze resigned on Thursday after thousands of people gathered outside his office in Tbilisi to protest his handling of an investigation into the stabbing deaths of two teenage boys last December. "I'm leaving my position and hope that justice will prevail," Shotadze said in a statement posted on the chief prosecutor's website, according to Reuters. Two teenagers, both aged 16, were killed in a brawl between students from two different schools. The investigation into their deaths, for which two other teenage boys are currently on trial, is being harshly criticized. On Thursday, one of the suspects was found guilty of murdering Dadunashvili, while another one was convicted of attempting to murder Saralidze. The court acquitted them on one charge, of taking part in a murder with other people, sparking a protest in which a crowd of people brandishing posters reading "Don't kill!" marched from the chief prosecutor's office to the Georgian parliament. Zaza Saralidze, the father of one of the victims, has said others apart from the two accused are responsible for his son's death. "Shotadze's resignation is not enough," he told reporters on Thursday. "Others (prosecutors) should resign and all of them should be brought to trial." Read alsoMikheil Saakashvili sentenced to three years in jail in Georgia in absentia media Hours after the start of the protest demands became more radical with protesters demanding the whole government resign. "The system should be destroyed!" said Zviad Kuprava, one of the protesters, addressing the crowd. Georgia's Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili said late on Thursday that the case would be returned to the interior ministry for further investigation and an opposition-led parliamentary commission would be set up to monitor the process. "I'd like to give guarantees to parents of (the) killed boys that they will have an access to any information during the investigation," Kvirikashvili said in a statement from his office after protesters refused to listen to him and threw bottles at him at the rally. Kvirikashvili said he too was ready to resign, if necessary, but did not see the need to do so at the moment. "As soon as I'm sure that my resignation will be useful to the country, I will not think for a second," the premier said. According to the North Korean leader, the summit would contribute to the further strengthening of relations between the two countries. DPRK's Kim Jong-un suggested organizing this year a summit of the leaders of North Korea and Russia. The report by the North Korean News Agency covering the meeting of DPRK head with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Kim Jong-un spoke about the need to develop cooperation between the two countries in different areas and "discuss a meeting between the leaders of Russia and the DPRK this year to commemorate the 70-year anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations," RBC wrote. According to Kim Jong-un, the summit at the highest level will contribute to the further strengthening of relations between the two countries. Read alsoTrump says U.S. having productive talks with North Korea about reinstating summit Also, the head of the DPRK expressed hope for resolving the existing contradictions with the U.S. and stressed Pyongyang's aspiration toward a nuclear-free status of the entire Korean peninsula. As reported earlier, North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, met with Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, as the latter visited Pyongyang for an official visit for the first time since 2009 and passed on Vladimir Putin's "warmest regards and best wishes." The meeting was held ahead of a possible summit between Donald Trump and Kim in June where the pair are expected to discuss tensions over Pyongyangs nuclear program. (@rukhshanmir) (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 02nd Jun, 2018) ABU DHABI, 1st June 2018 (WAM) - Starting1 July 2018, citizens of UAE will be exempt from pre-entry visa to Barbados, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has announced. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed today between UAE and Barbados in the United States which provides for exempting UAE passport holders travelling to Barbados from obtaining pre-entry visas, with the possibility of staying for up to 90 days on each visit. The MoU was signed by Yousef Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to the United States and Selwin Hart, Ambassador of Barbados to Washington. Ambassador Al Otaiba congratulated the government and people of Barbados on electing Mia Mottley as the country's new Prime Minister. He also thanked the Government of Barbados on its decision to participate in EXPO 2020 Dubai. Ahmed Elham Al Dhaheri, Under-Secretary of Ministry of Foreign affairs and International Cooperation for Consular Affairs, said the UAE citizens, holding diplomatic, special and ordinary passports who wish to travel to Barbados can enter without a pre-entry visa, and stay for a maximum period of 90 days from their date of entry. He added that such initiative reflects the high global position that the UAE has attained, opening up further horizons for its citizens, as well as the growing bilateral relations across various sectors including tourism, investment and trade. Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of North America, covering an area of 431 square kilometres. On 30 November 1966, Barbados became an independent state and Commonwealth realm. It has a population of 284,589 people, 80,000 of them live in the capital city Bridgetown. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Allama Iqbal Open University will hold second National Graduate Conference this month. The conference is being organized by the varsity's Office of Research Innovation and Commercialization, Radio Pakistan Friday reported. ISLAMABAD, June 1 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Jun, 2018 ) :Allama Iqbal Open University will hold second National Graduate Conference this month. The conference is being organized by the varsity's Office of Research Innovation and Commercialization, Radio Pakistan Friday reported. Vice Chancellor of the University Prof Dr Shahid Siddiqui has said the conference will be a regular feature to promote research culture in the country. The graduate forum provides an opportunity for the graduate students (Masters and above) to share their research work that has already been finalized or is in process. After seeing its best minds lured to greener pastures during eight years of economic crisis, Greece is now waging an uphill battle to keep its aromatic plants from being plundered too. Grammos, Greece, June 1 (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Jun, 2018 ) :After seeing its best minds lured to greener pastures during eight years of economic crisis, Greece is now waging an uphill battle to keep its aromatic plants from being plundered too. In recent months, herb-pickers from neighbouring Albania have descended on Greece's mountain meadows, illegally making off with vast quantities of herbs that can fetch a tidy profit in European markets. "Organised groups camp out on the mountain, living in makeshift shacks," says Yiannis Spirou, owner of a small alpine retreat located at an altitude of 1,400 metres on Grammos, a mountain near the Albanian border. "They collect large quantities and take it back home on mules," he told AFP. The most prized variety sought by the raiders is primula veris, more commonly known as cowslip. It is not exclusive to Greece, but it does not grow on the Albanian side of the mountain, the locals say. Common in pasture lands, this yellow-flowered plant is believed to combat respiratory and urinary infections as well as fatigue. Dried cowslip flowers and roots currently sell for over 20 Euros ($24) per 120 grammes on eBay, while a batch of 25 plants goes for 34 euros on Amazon. "It's the first year that we've noticed this trend being so widespread," said local forestry department chief Nikos Papaefthymiou. "Access from Albania is easy, and there are several people engaged in this activity. We have given instructions to all the relevant departments and we are trying to address the issue," he said. - Patrolling the blooms -Greek police -- hit nationwide by cost cuts -- say they have stepped up efforts to catch the culprits, but the terrain is not in their favour. "We patrol on a daily basis when this plant is in bloom but it's hard to make arrests. As soon as they see us coming, they return to Albania," says a local officer. Eighteen Albanians have been arrested during the past month, with over 600 kilogrammes of cowslip confiscated, along with the pack mules used to carry it. But sentences for this sort of activity are light, and the culprits are usually deported to Albania within days. With easy money to be made, many soon return. "We have arrested the same person twice," says the officer. "They tell us that they can make the equivalent of a full year's salary in Albania in just a month" of picking, he added. "They claim that they sell this plant for 10 to 20 euros per kilo to bulk traders in Albania who then export to Germany and the United States."Rumour of princely prices, casually reprinted in the media, further exacerbate the problem, says Rigas Tsiakiris, a forestry expert and advisor to Greece's agriculture ministry. "The harvest of such great quantities in this way causes major damage to the ecosystem," Tsiakiris told AFP. "In many cases, the plants are uprooted piecemeal, it's an environmental crime," he said. The herb thieves do not limit themselves to harvesting cowslip. When they find the opportunity, they also make off with other aromatic plants such as orchids and tea. "One day I went to my field and discovered that over 300 kilograms of tea had been stolen," said Spyros Babakos, a 31-year-old organic tea farmer near the Greek-Albanian border. "They uprooted the plants, destroying over 2,000 square metres of my crop," he said. Tripoli, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Jun, 2018 ) :Libya's UN-backed government called for "further cooperation" with the US on Thursday, after meeting an American delegation in the capital Tripoli. Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and his top team met with US charge d'affaires Stephanie Williams and Thomas Waldhauser, commander of US forces in Africa. During the meeting the Libyan side said it wanted to expand economic and development cooperation with Washington, according to a Facebook statement by Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA). Violence and chaos have dogged Libya since the NATO-backed armed uprising that toppled and killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. It also claimed the lives of US ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans when their consulate in the eastern city of Benghazi was attacked in 2012. Since the uprising, the United States has spent $635 million supporting the country, according to Williams. "Over the last year, the United States has increased bilateral assistance to Libya to improve airport security, border security, policing, prison management, and demining capacity," the US envoy said in a statement. The bilateral meeting came days after Sarraj travelled to Paris to meet with three other Libyan leaders, agreeing to unify parallel institutions and hold elections in December. Libya continues to be divided by the rival powers, and Williams said US support alone would not solve the country's problems. "The only lasting solution for Libya is to overcome its political impasse," she said. "The United States believes that elections should occur as soon as possible, but must be well prepared to avoid further instability," Williams added. Since Libya's uprising numerous jihadist groups have been active in the country, including the Islamic State which in 2015 seized control of Sirte to the east of Tripoli. The GNA retook the city the December 2016 with aerial support from the US army. Waldhauser told the Tripoli meeting that "the hunt for terrorist goes on" in Libya, according to the Facebook post by his hosts. "AFRICOM forces intercepts and pursues the gatherings of these terrorists, which they target in total coordination with the GNA," he said, in reference to the US forces in Africa. In late March a senior Al-Qaeda operative was killed in a US air strike in southern Libya, which officials said was coordinated with Sarraj's government. The second Sydney Robotics Summit (SRS) is being held on Saturday 23 June 2018 at the Australian Technology Park (ATP), Eveleigh.The SRS is a multi-disciplinary/ multi-specialty robotics conference and will feature colorectal, upper GI, head and neck/ ENT, cardiothoracic, urology, orthopaedics, gynaecology and Gynae-oncology and nursing programs.We are excited to confirm our keynote speakers Dr Inderbir Gill (USA) Dr Koon Rha (Korea) and Prof Hee Cheol Kim (Korea) with more international and local speakers to be confirmed.Registration is now open with specialty programs to be announced soon. For more information visit As oncologists, we need to step away from focusing solely on the cancer, especially in our older patients. While living longer is important, there are many non-cancer related health issues that are as, if not more, important, said lead study author Supriya Gupta Mohile, MD, MS, the Wehrheim professor of medicine at the University of Rochester in New York. Both patients and their caregivers clearly want the oncologist to discuss age-related concerns. Our study shows that geriatric assessment can help oncologists meet these needs for their older patients. Truckee, CA (UroToday.com) -- A federally funded randomized study demonstrated that the use of geriatric assessment in routine care of older adults with advanced cancer significantly improved doctor-patient communication about age-related concerns as well as patient satisfaction with the communication.Geriatric assessment is an evaluation of health-related concerns common among older adults. In this study, the geriatric assessment included a standardized, written questionnaire and objective tests for physical performance and cognition. Researchers evaluated all patients with geriatric assessment, but only oncologists at practices randomly assigned to the intervention arm received results of the geriatric assessment. Researchers found that doctors who received geriatric assessment results before meeting with their patient were more likely to discuss age-related concerns and recommend interventions to address them.This is the first randomized study to show that geriatric assessment improves doctor-patient communication, according to the authors. The study will be featured in a press briefing today and presented at the 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting.Approximately 70% of people with cancer are age 65 and older, and the number of people with cancer over the age of 65 is projected to increase significantly over the next 20 years.1About Geriatric Assessment:Geriatric assessment is the evaluation of age-related concerns pertaining to physical and mental health, nutrition, and social support, which are often not identified during a routine oncology visit and physical exam. The assessment can identify older adults who are at risk of having a shorter life expectancy due to non-cancer related health problems and people at increased risk of side effects from cancer treatment.In a recently published clinical practice guideline, ASCO recommended that geriatric assessment be used to identify vulnerabilities that are not routinely captured in oncology assessments in all patients 65 years and older who are receiving chemotherapy.Research suggests geriatric assessment is most widely used in major cancer centers with geriatric oncology programs, but seldomly used in other practice settings.2,3About the Study: In this study, the researchers randomly assigned 31 community oncology practices that are affiliated with the University of Rochesters NCI Community Oncology Research Program to geriatric assessment group or usual care group. Through these practices, information from 542 patients was included in this study. All were age 70 years or older, with incurable, advanced solid tumors or lymphoma, and had an impairment in at least one measure on the geriatric assessment performed at study enrollment.The measures included function (activities of daily living), physical performance (e.g., balance, falls, physical health), comorbidities (chronic illnesses), nutrition, social support, depression, and cognition (e.g., memory problems).As part of the geriatric assessment, physical performance and cognition measures were assessed through objective tests given by trained coordinators. Other measures were self-reported through validated questionnaires. On average, the questionnaires took patients 30-45 minutes to complete and the objective tests another 10 minutes in the clinic.Although patients in both study arms received geriatric assessment, only oncologists in the geriatric assessment arm received a web-based summary of results from the assessment with recommendations for interventions for each patient (e.g., physical therapy for a history of falls) prior to their next clinic visit. In the usual care group, physicians were informed if geriatric assessment revealed a patient had significantly impaired cognition or depression, but they received no overall summary of results of the assessments or recommendations for care.Clinic visits occurred within four weeks of the geriatric assessment. Researchers assessed the content and quality of doctor-patient communication through transcribed recordings of the conversation during one clinic visit for each patient in both study arms. Quality communication was defined as conversations where the physician gathered more information about age-related concerns and patients concerns were addressed thoroughly. Patient satisfaction with doctor-patient communication was assessed through a telephone questionnaire following the clinic visit.Key Findings:In the geriatric assessment arm, there was a mean of 3.5 more discussions about age-related concerns during the clinic visits, compared to the usual care arm. On average, there were two more high-quality doctor-patient conversations in the geriatric assessment arm than in the usual care arm, and two more discussions led to interventions in the geriatric assessment arm than in the usual care arm.Interventions included physical therapy evaluation for patients with a history of falls; reducing or eliminating high-risk medications for a patient taking more than five prescription medications, and assessing decisional capacity in a patient with significant cognitive impairment.Patients in the geriatric assessment arm had significantly more discussions about almost all age-related concerns measured by geriatric assessment. Patient satisfaction with communication with their doctor was 1.12 points higher in the geriatric assessment arm (difference statistically significant), suggesting that patients valued discussions about age-related concerns.Next Steps: The researchers are evaluating if the interventions resulting from geriatric assessments have a positive effect on patient function and quality of life, and caregiver satisfaction and quality of life. A separate ongoing study is evaluating if geriatric assessment can reduce chemotherapy side effects by improving decision making for older patients with advanced cancer. There are several other randomized clinical trials underway evaluating the effects of geriatric assessment on other outcomes.This study received funding from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute and the National Cancer Institute. All statements from this study, including its findings and conclusions, are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the funding agencies, PCORI, its Board of Governors, or its Methodology Committee.Study at a GlanceDisease: Advanced solid tumors and lymphoma Trial Type Cluster randomized clinical trialPatients on Trial: 542Intervention Tested: Geriatric assessmentPrimary Finding: Geriatric assessment helps improve communication about age-related concerns between older patients and their oncologistsSecondary Finding(s): More age-related problems addressed when geriatric assessment usedReferences:1. Smith BD, Smith GL, Hurria A, et al: Future of cancer incidence in the United States: burdens upon an aging, changing nation. J Clin Oncol 27:2758-65, 20092. McNeil C. Geriatric oncology clinics on the rise. JNCI 2013 May 1. 1;105(9):585-6. A leading former opposition MP in Cambodia has called on Japan to abandon support for the parliamentary election process in July calling the vote a sham. Mu Sochua, for vice chairwoman of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, which was banned from operating in Cambodia last year, said Tokyo should set aside its geopolitical rivalry with Beijing, which has offered strong support to Prime Minister Hun Sens government and declare the elections undemocratically. While the European Union and the United States have withdrawn backing for the process, Japan, South Korea, China, and Russia remain major donors to the government. Speaking in Oslo, Norway, on Tuesday, Sochua said the continued support for the election process offered a veneer of respectability to an otherwise corrupt process. So we are calling for the international community to be on the side of democracy and to call the next election a sham especially the government of Japan must pull itself out of this electoral process that is a sham, she said. Some of these democratic governments still believe that they have to deal with China, but China is everywhere. China is not just in Cambodia... so be on the side of democracy rather than thinking about losing Cambodia to China. In November, the CNRP was dissolved by a controversial Supreme Court decision and more than 100 of its officials banned from politics for five years after they refused to align themselves with the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party. The partys then-leader, Kem Sokha, was earlier jailed on treason charges for his alleged role in a conspiracy to overthrow Hun Sen, though the government has yet to produce evidence of the alleged plot. The CNRP was expected to challenge Hun Sens three-decade rule of Cambodia at the elections in July after gaining a large minority at the last election in 2013 and increasing its power in local elections in recent years. Some 19 minor parties are set to contest the election with the CPP on July 29. China has offered vocal support to Hun Sens government in its crackdown on the opposition, civil society, and independent media outlets. Japan recently proposed it play the role of mediator in new talks between the CPP and CNRP officials, but Hun Sen turned down the offer. Suzuki Hironori, counsel at the Japanese Embassy in Phnom Penh, said: We have conveyed our message for all stakeholders, including the ruling party and opposition parties, that it is important to make efforts to hold this years national election in a way that will reflect the will of Cambodian people. Earlier this week, a National Election Committee spokesman told reporters that the body had secured enough funding to foot the $53 million cost of the election. Sok Eysan, a CPP spokesman, said any criticism of Cambodias democratic process was insane and absurd. The presence of the former opposition party would not necessarily mean having democracy, he said. China has inked billions of dollars worth of investment and loan deals with Cambodia this year, while Japan has also forged a $90 million aid agreement with Cambodia Sophal Ear, an associate professor of diplomacy and global affairs at the Occidental College in Los Angeles, said Japan was motivated to maintain positive relations with Hun Sens government. In that regard, Japan may see its involvement in Cambodia as strategically driven by China's involvement. They are rivals economically as the 2nd (China) and 3rd (Japan) largest economies in the world. Cambodia is a playground for both countries, but clearly, Japan is a distant 2nd to China's #1 status in Cambodia, he said in an email. Unfortunately ... Japan has for too long conceded too much in Cambodia. Burkina Fasos parliament has abolished the death penalty by adopting a new penal code that strikes it as a possible sentence. Justice Minister Rene Bagoro said Thursday that the revised document paves the way for more credible, equitable, accessible and effective justice in the application of criminal law. The death penalty was kept in the version of the criminal code adopted in 1996, but Burkina Faso has not imposed capital punishment recently. Many rights movements, including Amnesty International and Catholic Church activists have pressed the government for a decade to remove it from criminal statutes. The decision to abolish the death penalty comes amid a landmark trial this year over a failed 2015 coup. Two former presidential aides are among more than 80 people facing the military tribunal. A new list of controversial rules for journalists covering Cambodia's upcoming elections, including a warning that the reporters should not ask detailed questions about the result, is drawing criticism from observers who say the provisions are worryingly vague and subjective. The National Election Commission (NEC) this week said journalists should not have their "own ideas to make conclusions" while reporting. The code of conduct also forbids reporters from conducting unauthorized interviews at polling booths or broadcast news that leads to "confusion and loss of confidence" in the election. A code of conduct for reporters covering the ballot released by the NEC this week also forbids journalists from expressing "personal opinion or prejudice" or publishing news that "affects political and social stability." NEC spokesman Hang Puthea said on Thursday the provisions meant journalists covering the election "should not have your own self-evaluations and ideas." He added that reporters should also not ask about who had won at different ballot boxes or how many seats had been secured by different parties. He could not explain how a journalist was supposed to cover an election when prevented from performing such basic, fundamental reporting tasks. Those who violated these provisions would be fined under the election law, he said. Article 142 of the election law imposes fines of 5 million to 30 million ($1,250 - $7,400) for such infractions. Hang added that reporters would be able to ask questions at polling stations only if they obtained permission from the head of that station and could not ask people who they voted for. Controlling the narrative Phil Roberston, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said the NEC guidelines indicated the Cambodian government was deeply concerned that the election will be ridiculed internationally as "pre-determined." "What's astonishing, is these guidelines and these accompanying missives by the authorities show a game plan by Cambodia to try and control the narrative now even two months before the election," he said. "What they don't want to have is media reporting that this is a bogus election, that this is a farce election, this is an election that's a joke because the registered opposition, the really only viable opposition in the country was dissolved well before the election," he said. The Cambodia National Rescue Party, which nearly toppled Prime Minister Hun Sen's regime last election, was dissolved in mid-November and its leader has languished in jail for more than eight months. Most of its senior members have fled the country and have been banned from participating in politics. Hun Sen, who has ruled for more than three decades, claims the party was orchestrating a color revolution backed by the United States and its western allies. With no credible opposition on the ballot, the government has been threatening people who are considering not voting even though it is not compulsory under Cambodian law. On Thursday Hun Sen warned in a speech that criminal action would be taken against anyone trying to fool authorities into thinking they had voted. "They have plan, they will not go to vote on this election day but they will dye the finger with the hair dye. What is this? This is a criminal offense of fraud," he said. Attacking press freedom Last year, as pressure on the opposition escalated, Hun Sen also launched an attack on press freedom. In late August, 32 radio frequencies that carried content at times critical of the government, from outlets including VOA, were shutdown. The following month Radio Free Asia shutdown its local office sighting threats and intimidation and shortly afterward two of its former reporters, Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin were arrested and jailed on espionage charges. The Cambodia Daily, a foreign-owned English language newspaper that scrutinized the government closely, also shutdown in September after they were handed a $6.3 million tax bill that the owners said was concocted to force their closure. Last month The Phnom Penh Post - the last critical voice in Cambodia's newspaper market - was sold, after the Australian owner was handed a $3.9 million tax bill. A Malaysian firm, Asia PR, that has worked for Hun Sen's government before bought the paper/ The tax bill was settled under terms none of the parties will reveal and days later the editor-in-chief, Kay Kimsong, was sacked after the paper published a story examining the background of its new owners. Almost every senior foreign staff member subsequently quit. Following heavy international media scrutiny of the deal Sivakumar S. Ganapathy, the group managing director of Asia PR - who also goes by the name Siva Kumar G., held a press conference in which he said he was unaware of any media crackdown in Cambodia. Ganapathy said there had been no government involvement in his firm's acquisition of The Phnom Penh Post. Talks between China and Sri Lanka for a free-trade agreement have hit major hurdles, mainly because Beijing will not agree to Colombo's demand for a review of the deal after 10 years, Sri Lanka's top negotiator said. China has invested billions of dollars in building ports, roads and power stations in the Indian Ocean island nation as part of its One Belt, One Road initiative to increase its trade and other connections across Asia and beyond. But concerns have grown in recent months that such investments can drive the country of 21 million people deeper into debt and undermine its sovereignty. China's exports to Sri Lanka dwarf the trade that goes in the other direction, leaving Colombo with a big deficit with Beijing. Sri Lanka's chief trade negotiator, K.J. Weerasinghe, said this week that Colombo was insisting on a right to review the trade pact after 10 years, but China was not ready to agree to that. Ministerial-level discussions about an agreement have not been held since March last year. Lower-level discussions between officials have made little progress, according to Weerasinghe. "The talks have come to a standstill. China wants to remove the review clause," Weerasinghe told Reuters. Beijing was opposed to such an option because it wanted longer-term stability, he said. China's commerce ministry did not respond to Reuters requests for comment. The review clause that Sri Lanka wants would allow it to change some of the deal terms if they were hurting the island nation's local businesses. Another issue Weerasinghe said another point of contention was that China wanted zero tariffs on 90 percent of goods the two countries sold to each other as soon as an agreement was signed, while Colombo would rather it started with zero tariffs on only half of the products concerned and be expanded gradually over 20 years. China has been pushing for free-trade pacts with countries in the region and last year sealed an agreement with the Maldives that drew criticism from opposition political groups in the tropical islands nation. They said it had been rushed through parliament with less than an hour of debate. Sri Lanka has previously said it wanted more time to negotiate the free-trade deal with China, because it is concerned about the economic impact of a rushed deal on its economy. Sri Lanka imported $4.2 billion worth of Chinese goods in 2016, mostly raw materials for garments, machines and electronics, metals, transport equipment and chemicals. Its exports to the world's second-largest economy were just $211 million the same year, which included textiles, tea and vegetables, footwear and rubber. The 2017 figures for China trade have still not been released by the Sri Lankan authorities. The trade deficit with China accounted for nearly half of the nation's total deficit in 2016, adding pressure on the country's current account deficit, central bank data showed. Sri Lanka's foreign debt rose nearly 17 percent to 4.72 trillion rupees ($30 billion) last year, a fifth of that coming from loans from China to finance the massive construction program across the island. Colombo is separately negotiating a trade pact with India, but that is also moving slowly because Sri Lankan businesses fear they will face competition from a flood of cheap goods made by Indian firms. The Trump administration says the U.S. will limit Chinese students who study in high-tech fields to one-year visas starting June 11. The State Department said that under the new policy, U.S. consular officers may limit how long visas are valid, rather than the usual practice of issuing them for the maximum five years, according to the Associated Press. "This new policy would be bad for institutions and bad for the nation. While apparently aimed at Chinese students in certain STEM fields, this would have a chilling effect on our ability to attract international students from all countries," wrote American Council of Education President Ted Mitchell in a statement about the science, technology, engineering and math concentrations. "We fear that applying a broad brush of suspicion to such a large group sends a message that our nation no longer welcomes talented students and scholars from across the globe," he wrote. Of the more than 1 million international students in the United States, 30 percent are Chinese. While the past decade has seen a constant upswing in admissions of international students in American colleges and universities, the rate at which those students are coming has slowed. A combination of the cost of tuition in the U.S., increased educational opportunity in Asia, and travel restrictions to the U.S. from some countries worries educators and administrators. "I think we are facing increased competition from universities around the world, and it is important to be a welcoming and supportive educational environment for students from all countries and cultures," said Wojtek J. Chodzko-Zajko, dean of the graduate college at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "At UIUC, we are hopeful that there will be no changes that impact visa eligibility for students from any country." Economic boost Mitchell cited the economic benefits that international students bring to the U.S. economy. According to the Institute of International Education, international students bring $36.9 billion and 450,000 jobs to the U.S. Chinese students alone "contributed $12.55 billion to our national economy in 2016," Mitchell wrote. Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida tweeted in support of the limitations: "Another great move! Imposing limits on some Chinese visas may seem harsh, but it's necessary. #China poses unprecedented threat. Student & academic visas are another weapon they use against us in their campaign to steal & cheat their way to world dominance." The Trump administration has been engaged in trade disputes with China over tariffs, trademarks and intellectual property. Chinese international student Boris Huang said this would dissuade global students from bringing bright ideas to the U.S. "In the long run, it would not be beneficial for American society, say, if you eliminate a Bill Gates or a Steve Jobs and you kick them back to China," he said. "They'll create another company which will compete with Facebook or Apple. Prefer to stay "Recently graduating Chinese students, most of them, in my opinion, would love to stay here and work and find a job," Huang said. "But now the point is very clear that American society is not very welcoming anymore and they would love to go back to a place where there's no discrimination, where they can just use their talents." Patrick Chovanec, adjunct professor at Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs and a former business professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing, tweeted that he understood the "vulnerabilities" in the exchange systems between China and the U.S. "But having a open economy and society has actually worked pretty well for the U.S. in the long run," he said. "I'm still willing to bet on it." Chinese citizens seeking visas will need special clearance from multiple U.S. agencies if they work as researchers or managers for companies on a U.S. Commerce Department list of entities requiring higher scrutiny, the Associated Press reported. Those clearances are expected to take months for each visa application, the official said. The official wasn't authorized to comment publicly and requested anonymity. The application process remains unchanged. "These students have been critical to research that supports U.S. economic growth and fuels innovation. We are anxious to do our part to ensure that America's national and economic security is protected, while at the same time preserving the U.S. as a destination of choice for the world's best and brightest students and scholars," Mitchell wrote. "We stand ready to work with federal officials to address security concerns regarding Chinese or any international students," said Mitchell. Abigail Rubel of VOA Student Union and Stella Hsu of the VOA Mandarin service contributed to this report. Nine people were hurt, including two children, when Croatian border police fired at a van full of illegal migrants that refused to stop. Police said they discovered 29 people inside the van after it crossed the border from Bosnia. The driver fled into the woods, and police were searching for him. The two wounded children were recovering in a hospital, and officials said their lives were not in danger. We are sorry about the children being injured in this incident, Zadar town police chief Anton Drazina said. Our priority is the fight against organized crime and protection of the state border and not against the migrants, but against the criminals who are unfortunately endangering the lives of the migrants by their smuggling activities. Police said most of the people in the van were from Afghanistan and Iraq. Hundreds of thousands of migrants used the so-called Balkan route to cross into the European Union before the route was shut down. But a number of people still slip through. There is hope that the world's latest Ebola virus outbreak may be contained in the coming weeks, top experts from the World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders (Medicins San Frontieres) say. However, they told VOA this week that dangers remain as hundreds of international and local workers battle the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. "Yes, we are confident we can eventually contain this outbreak," said Dr. Peter Salama, the WHO's head of emergency response, but questions about speed and logistics remain. "Remember, we're talking about very remote rural villages surrounded by hundreds of kilometers of forested area." One encouraging sign is that epidemiologists have tracked the origins of the outbreak in rural DRC, said Dr. Hilde de Clerck, who is part of the aid group's response command center in Brussels. "It's definitely too early to say it's under control, but it seems rather positive," she said Thursday. The epidemiologists have tracked what she called the transmission tree, locating the patients and their families, which gives scientists a good overview of the origins of the outbreak and how it has spread. "It's a good sign that we have this vision, and it's also a good sign that our teams seem to say these people seem linked," and confined to a few families and a few villages. This outbreak raised fears that it could spread like the West Africa epidemic in 2014-16, which killed more than 11,000 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. That was the worst outbreak in the known history of the disease. Understandable pace De Clerck said it was not a surprise that the current outbreak seemed to be moving slowly. Rural outbreaks in the DRC generally are contained fairly quickly because villages are isolated and people are not likely to travel to other areas. In the West African outbreak, which started in Guinea, better roads and the willingness of people to travel to other towns allowed the virus to spread more quickly, she said. Other factors also are in play, Salama said Thursday. Reforms in the WHO emergency response program over the past few years allowed a very rapid reaction to the outbreak, he said. In addition, other aid agencies mobilized quickly. MSF was able to deploy a Congolese team from Kinshasa immediately to the first village where the disease was suspected. What's more, this time, a vaccine program has been used from the start. "We didn't have a possibility of using an Ebola vaccine in previous outbreaks," Salama said. Medical teams are using a process called ring vaccination with a new drug developed by the company Merck. "We find a confirmed case, and then vaccinate all the close contacts of that case and then the contacts of those contacts," he said. The immunization program may be key to halting the spread of the virus in Mbandaka, the capital of Equiteur province. Four cases were confirmed in the city of more than 1 million people, raising fears of a wider spread, as the city sits on the Congo River, which connects to Kinshasa and Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo. However, Salama said, teams have vaccinated about 500 contacts of the Mbandaka cases, and it appears the virus hasn't spread in the city. "Still we should be vigilant for the city, because indeed Mbandaka is a big city and the River Congo is not far, with indeed the boats on the river. But the good news for now is that Mbandaka reports extremely few cases and they seem all linked one to the other," de Clerck said. With any outbreak, de Clerck said, medical teams must build trust in communities, especially with something like Ebola, which has a high mortality rate. "People are very often afraid, or sometimes people think it could be witchcraft or something that is causing those deaths. So we have health promoters on the field to explain to people what is going on and encouraging people actually to come to the health structures," she said. Respect for residents, traditions Health teams need to respect communities and traditions. For instance, she said, it's not necessary to quarantine contacts of Ebola patients. People are not contagious if they don't show symptoms, she said. MSF encourages contacts of patients to continue their daily lives, but to check in frequently with medical providers. And when people do fall ill, the best treatment centers don't bar visitors. "People are isolated, but we always say an isolation is not a prison. You need to have patient terraces, you need to have windows and people can talk over the windows, over the terraces to their family members, to their neighbors," as long as visitors stay at least two meters away from patients and don't touch them, she said. In the burials of Ebola victims, there can be compromises to allow mourners to follow some traditions safely. It takes more time, de Clerck said, to do such things as allowing a family member to wear a protective suit to help prepare a loved one's body for burial, or to arrange ways for mourners to gather safely, but it's possible. There is a need for promptness in treatment and burial, "but you cannot destroy all traditions, because people will not trust you ... and they will refuse to participate or to follow your advice. It's way better to have the community on your side," she said. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi will be sworn in for his second term on Saturday during a special parliament session. The president called on political parties this week to merge and form an opposition bloc in the parliament. He said there was a critical need to prepare future political leaders. El-Sissi said Egypt needed stronger political parties capable of moving the country forward. He told a youth conference that parties with similar ideological platforms should unite into stronger entities that can change the political landscape in Egypt over the next four years. He has approved a request to create a coordinating committee to take charge of opening contacts between political parties and state authorities. The Wafd Party, a historically liberal party in Egypt, met with other political parties to discuss el-Sissi's idea. Yasser al-Hodeibi, the party's spokesperson and a professor of constitutional law, said it was "clear that the president wants to create a correct political life in Egypt, and a modern democratic state. That is why the Wafd Party responded to his call and invited more than 90 political parties to discuss establishing a coordinating committee and to activate Article 5 of the constitution, which states that political life is based on pluralism and peaceful transfer of power. Amendment discussed Parliament is discussing a constitutional amendment to allow members to switch their party affiliations and to create a majority party supporting the president and a bloc of opposition parties. The moves to restructure the political scene in Egypt coincided with the announcement that a former military spokesperson, Colonel Mohamed Samir, has joined the Wafd Party as vice president for youth. He promises to use new approaches to encourage young Egyptians to be politically active. However, many in Egypt have doubts about the presidents initiative. Critics of the government and some regional analysts doubt that he plans to build a real democracy. El-Sissi took power in a coup in 2013, overthrowing Egypts only democratically elected president. He was re-elected in April, but his only opponent was a man whose party had previously called for el-Sissis re-election. Critics say the government arrested or frightened off other potential opponents and suppressed opposition activists. Mohamed al-Sadat, president of the Party for Reform and Development, said that "honestly, you do not see or hear any more opposition. There is no room for any kind of debate or questioning or holding whomever in the government accountable. So if there is any kind of merging, it has to come from the political parties themselves, not by instructions or someone orchestrating this. Top-down politics Michele Dunne, director of the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, said the situation does not allow for the emergence of real political parties that could move Egypt closer to democracy. What is going on in Egypt reminds me of the 1970s, under the late President [Anwar] Sadat, who sort of arranged the political scene and formed a centrist ruling party and a couple of loyal opposition parties to the right and to the left, Dunne said. And I think with the possibility of forming a party that would support President Sissi and then letting the historic Wafd Party head a loyal opposition bloc is the same top-down politics, rather than bottom-up politics. Amy Holmes, an associate professor at the American University in Cairo, said she thought the political scene in Egypt might cripple even a gradual transition toward democracy. What Sissi is doing during his first four years is sort of crush independent civil society by issuing draconian laws that make it almost impossible to do very simple things like holding workshops, distributing fliers or awareness campaigns or receiving funds, she said Holmes said if the Egyptian government were sincere, it would rethink its approach toward independent civil society organizations and not try to engineer political life. Europes euroskeptic politicians cheered and Milans stock index rose Friday after Italys populists put an end to three months of political gridlock, staving off the threat of new elections and forming Western Europes first populist government. The anti-establishment 5-Star Movement and right-wing League are to swear in their Cabinet later Friday, capping a roller coaster week of political and financial turmoil by reaching agreement with Italys president to drop a euroskeptic economy minister. Premier-designate Giuseppe Conte, who had promised to be the defense attorney of the Italian people in his first, failed bid to form a government, got a taste of the expectations many Italians have for his revived team as he reported for work Friday. He was confronted by a group of recently laid-off workers protesting outside parliament. You have to trust all of us, Conte assured them, after listening closely to the workers plight. Stocks rally, populists thrilled Milans stock index opened up 2.5 percent, and Italys borrowing rates eased further after having soared earlier in the week when it appeared that Italy was heading to new elections that could have turned into a referendum on the euro. Europes populists and right-wingers cheered the news as a slap in the face to Brussels, with French far-right leader Marine Le Pen tweeting: Bravo to the coalition. Its a victory of democracy over intimidation and threats from the European Union, said Le Pen, who shares the Leagues firm anti-immigrant stance. Nothing will stop the return of the people to the stage of history! Best of luck to both of those parties, to both of those leaders, Nigel Farage, former leader of Britains UKIP party that played a key role in the Brexit campaign, said in a video message. One thing though: Gotta stay strong, the bully boys will be after you. European Union It was a reference to European Union officials in Brussels, who have made clear in recent days their concern in occasionally undiplomatic terms about the euroskeptic direction of Europes third-largest economy. Im in deep love with Italy, bella Italia, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told a conference on Thursday. But he said he refused to accept that all of Italys ills can be blamed on the EU. Italians have to take care of the poor regions of Italy. That means more work, less corruption, seriousness. We will help them, as we always did. But dont play this game, insisting and loading with the responsibility, the European Union. His comments sparked outrage in Italy, with League leader Matteo Salvini blasting them as racist in his victory speech late Thursday in the Leagues base in northern Lombardy. With the new government, well see how to make them respect the rights and dignity of 60 million Italians who want cooperation from Europe, not insults, he said. Junckers verbal lashing targeted at a member state was unusual, especially since he hardly misses an opportunity to express his love for founding member state Italy. The EU Commission president had also chided one of his commissioners earlier in the week for comments deemed too harsh on Italy. Week of turmoil Stock markets in Italy and globally had plunged and Italys borrowing rates soared earlier in the week when it appeared Italy was heading to new elections after President Sergio Mattarella vetoed the prospective partners first pick for economy minister, collapsing the proposed coalition. Within a matter of hours though late Wednesday and Thursday, 5-Star leader Luigi Di Maio and League leader Matteo Salvini agreed on a compromise: Paolo Savona, who had expressed doubts about whether Italy should stay in the euro, was shifted from the economy ministry to the ministry for European affairs. In his place at the economy ministry is Giovanni Tria, a mainstream economist at Rome University who is considered close to the Forza Italia party of ex-Premier Silvio Berlusconi. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered a thinly veiled criticism of China, even while insisting on closer relations with Beijing, during a speech Friday in Singapore. Speaking at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue defense conference, Modi called for the Indo-Pacific region to embrace freedom of navigation, territorial integrity, and respect for all nations, regardless of their size. "We will promote a democratic and rules-based international order in which all nations, small and large, count as equal and sovereign," the Indian prime minister said. "We will work with others to keep our seas, space and airways free and open." While those comments did not specifically mention China, Modi's remarks are seen as a reference to Beijing's increasingly assertive behavior toward its smaller neighbors in disputed areas of the South China Sea. Criticism of US Modi also implicitly criticized the United States. He slammed growing protectionism, presumably a reference to recent tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. He also said nations should keep their commitments a possible reference to Trump's decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal. India has grown close with the U.S., especially as China projects its growing military power beyond its shores. The U.S.-India relationship, Modi said, "has resumed new significance in the changing world." An important aspect of that partnership is "a shared vision of an open, stable, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific," he added. For decades, India has embraced a non-aligned status, which means it does not choose sides between world powers. In keeping with that position, Modi warned against a "return to great power rivalries." The Indian prime minister also insisted that "Asia and the world will have a better future when India and China work together in trust and confidence, sensitive to each other's interests." India's global role India is the world's largest democracy. It has the world's seventh-largest economy. Within a decade, it is expected to pass China to become the world's most populous country. But its rising global stature has not come with a corresponding increase in influence at international institutions. India has long lobbied to become a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. It also wants greater voting rights at the World Bank. During Friday's speech in Singapore, Modi said he supported expanded Indian involvement in global affairs, including international peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief. China not excluded While some in the U.S. see India as a crucial counterweight to China, Modi insisted India's partnerships are not meant to exclude Beijing. India, along with Australia, Japan, and the United States, are part of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue a grouping that some say could provide a more unified Pacific front against China. In November, the members of the Quad met for the first time since 2007. No meeting of the Quad is expected to be held this week at the Shangri-La Dialogue. "India does not see the Indo-Pacific region as a strategy or as a club of limited members, nor as a grouping that seeks to dominate," Modi said. "And by no means, do we consider it as directed against any country." The Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual meeting of Asian defense and other leaders, this year focused heavily on the idea of the "Indo-Pacific" region. The emphasis comes after the U.S. military this week renamed its largest area of operations from "PACOM" to "Indo-PACOM." The move is seen partly as a U.S. acknowledgment that India will play a bigger role in the region. Modi is the first Indian prime minister to speak at the Shangri-La Dialogue, which began in 2002. Outside Facebook's annual shareholders meeting Thursday, a lone protester paced on the sidewalk, carrying a U.S. flag and a sign that read "Zuckerberg destroys shareholder value." Above, a small plane pulled a banner that read "You Broke Democracy." Inside, Facebook shareholders offered both praise and criticism of the company's leadership. The social media giant has been in a constant spotlight over how foreign actors used its service to try to influence elections worldwide. It suffered a double blow when it was revealed that 87 million users' information had gone to a political consulting firm without the users' knowledge. The company continues to face inquiries from federal and state regulators about privacy and user data issues. And Mark Zuckerberg, its chief executive, recently testified in front of the European Parliament after appearing in front of Congress on the issues. Shareholders sound off Facebook shareholders provided another sort of oversight. Many expressed their displeasure by selling shares in March after it was disclosed that Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm, obtained user data without their knowledge. Facebook shares have more than recovered since then, rising 2 percent Thursday to $191.78, which was up 26 percent from the company's three-month low of $152 in March. "We didn't do enough to see how people could abuse these tools," Zuckerberg told the shareholders. "The main thing we need to do right now is take a broader view of our responsibility to the community we serve," he said. Investors applauded Zuckerberg several times during the meeting. And they followed the company's advice and appeared to vote down shareholder proposals, including one that would change the voting power of company shares. Currently, Zuckerberg, 34, and insiders hold a class of stock that gives them more than 60 percent of the voting power. Shareholders also appeared to vote against other proposals such as requiring the company to report on its gender pay gap and a content report that would show how the company enforces its terms of service worldwide. (Official results of the tally will be posted in the next several days.) Despite the defeats, shareholder proposals are worthwhile, said Natasha Lamb, managing partner at Arjuna Capital, an activist investment firm behind two proposals. They "send a signal to management, send a signal to the board," she said. Diversity of ideas Amid the applause, there was also sharp criticism. "We contend that Facebook's poor stewardship of user data is tantamount to a human rights violation," said Christine Jantz, chief investment officer at Northstar Asset Management. Another investor asked what Facebook was doing to understand political bias among its employees and how that affects decisions about content on the site. Zuckerberg said the company was "committed to being a platform for all ideas." The company ended the meeting, but not before a shareholder pleaded, "Engage with us on these issues. We are on the same team." Company leaders said they would. Deana Mitchell contributed to this report. Fifteen people were killed and more than 200 injured Wednesday in one of the worst days of violence since protests against Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega began more than a month ago, police said Thursday. The bloodshed was condemned by the Central American countrys Episcopal conference of Catholic bishops, which called it organized and systematic aggression and suspended talks with the government that had been scheduled for Thursday. Witnesses said pro-government armed groups opened fire on the marchers during a demonstration Wednesday, Nicaraguas Mothers Day. The march was held to remember the children who were among the more than 80 killed since the start of protests. The number of people killed as a product of the actions of delinquent groups who operate wearing masks is 15, said National Police Sub-Director Francisco Diaz, saying seven of those died in the capital, Managua. He said 218 people were injured. The army said it was treating some of the injured, including several police officers. Government denies responsibility The government denied allegations by rights groups that the aggressors were government supporters and said it bore no responsibility for the violence since the student-led protests started in April, triggered by proposed changes to the social security system. The European Parliament on Thursday condemned what it called brutal repression in Nicaragua and called for elections, echoing calls for Ortega to move the 2021 presidential election earlier. In a sign Ortega was responding to international pressure, the government and the Organization of American states issued a statement saying the head of the electoral commission, Roberto Rivas, had resigned. In December, the United States imposed sanctions on Rivas, citing allegations he amassed wealth beyond his income including private jets and yachts, and accusing him of electoral fraud. Calls for early elections Ortega was elected for a third consecutive term in 2016 with more than 70 percent of the vote, a result questioned by observers who said the government had suppressed opposition. In a letter to Ortega published on Twitter, business association COSEP urged the 72-year-old president to push up the 2021 vote to a date agreed on by the government and civilian representatives. Given the magnitude of this crisis, we urge you to undertake every effort in your power to find a peaceful solution before we find ourselves immersed in an even more tragic situation, the letter said. Ortega told supporters in response to COSEP that Nicaragua is not private property, newspaper La Prensa reported. Iranian factory workers in northwestern Iran have staged a protest against mismanagement of a large industrial plant, saying the problem has brought the major local employer to the brink of closure. In a report published Thursday, Iran's state-run ILNA news agency said the protesting workers in the city of Tabriz urged authorities to rescue the plant that produces combine harvesters used to harvest crops. ILNA said one of its reporters learned that only about 40 workers remained at the factory, whose capacity of 600 workers once made it a major employer. The news agency quotes the protesters as saying that if Iranian authorities continued to ignore their grievances about mismanagement, the plant would close, and the remaining workers would be laid off. ILNA said one of the workers main grievances concerns wages, which they said have dropped to $120 a month. It said the workers want the factory to be revived and employment maintained. Tabriz is a hub of heavy industries, including the manufacture of vehicles, machine tools, refineries, pharmaceuticals, leather goods and carpets. Iran has seen frequent public protests since December, with dozens to hundreds of people denouncing business leaders and local and national officials they accuse of mismanagement and oppression. This report was produced in collaboration with VOA's Persian Service. After three months of political deadlock following inconclusive March 4 elections, Italy has a new government. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, a political novice, and his ministers were sworn in Friday. The government is backed by the populist 5-Star Movement and the right-wing League. Markets breathed easier Friday after months of political wrangling ended. European stocks closed higher after Italian parties reached an agreement that led to the formation and swearing in of a new government, thereby averting the prospect of an early general election. Conte has been dubbed "Mr. Nobody." The 53-year old law professor took the oath of office along with his 18 ministers, five of them women. In the gilded Quirinale Palace, President Sergio Mattarella presided over the ceremony. The new government coalition consists of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement and the right-wing League. The two parties have a solid majority in both houses of parliament. Conte's government will now seek confidence votes there early next week in order to be fully empowered. Italy's future in the eurozone has dominated the political uncertainty of the last week, with the head of state vetoing the coalition's original choice for economy minister, Euroskeptic economist Paolo Savona. On Friday, Savona was sworn in as the new European affairs minister. Mattarella's rejection of Savona as economy minister led to the breakdown of the coalition's first attempt to form a government. A technocratic government seemed the only solution until the leaders of the 5-Star Movement and the League decided to present a new lineup to the president, which was acceptable. Luigi Di Maio and Matteo Salvini, who respectively head the 5-Star Movement and the League, are both deputy prime ministers in the new government. In addition, Di Maio will run the Labor Ministry and Salvini the Interior Ministry, two of the most important portfolios in Italy today. Salvini said his first order of business as the country's new interior minister would be to revamp the nation's immigration policies. He wants to reduce the number of migrants arriving, increase the number of expulsions and cut the funds Italy spends tending to migrants. A proposed upgrade to the Philippine navy, which lags behind its Asian peers, will help the country fend off Muslim rebels, foreign fishing boats and ships from China, experts in the region say. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said May 22 the government was working on a second phase of modernizing the armed forces with a focus on the navy. This phase includes 77 billion pesos ($1.46 billion) in improvements for the 120-year-old navy, the presidential office website says. We live in exciting times for our armed forces as we further enhance the capability of our Navy, Duterte said via his website. The completion of this phase and possibly one more should make a difference, said Jay Batongbacal, a University of the Philippines international maritime affairs professor. If they follow their program, then it will provide enough capability on the part of the navy to carry out its function of surveillance, of patrolling against transnational and nontraditional threats to security, he said. They can do that. Threats from offshore Coast guard officials from the archipelago of about 7,100 islands have said fishing vessels from China, Taiwan and Vietnam periodically pass through the Philippine exclusive ocean economic zone that extends 370 kilometers off its coast. All three foreign territories have overlapping maritime claims with the Philippines, particularly in the resource-rich South China Sea. Coast guard vessels sometimes lack the manpower to stop foreign boats, a commander in Masinloc city on the South China Sea coast said last year. The Chinese navy and coast guard sometimes come uncomfortably close to Philippine-held islets in the seas Spratly Islands, as well. On May 11, both Chinese agencies challenged and harassed the Philippine navy near Ayungin Shoal, 194 kilometers offshore, lawmaker Gary Alejano said in a media statement Wednesday. Beijing and Manila dispute the Spratlys, where China has militarized three reefs. The two countries argued openly from 2012 to 2016, before Duterte took office and sought peace. Last year a Chinese vessel reportedly planted its national flag on a cay in the Philippine-controlled part of the Spratly chain. The Philippines will keep trying to avoid upsets with China, said Alan Chong, associate professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. Beijing gives Manila aid and investment for infrastructure renewal. China would still have more firepower even after the Philippine navy modernizes, he added. Even if tomorrow the United States sells the Philippine navy its latest destroyers, theres no way the Philippines can fend off a determined Chinese for defense of the islands, Chong said. The Philippines prefers negotiations with China to any military movement, said Ramon Casiple, executive director of Philippine advocacy organization Institute for Political and Electoral Reform. Manila faces threats from the south, too. Lack of patrols in the 285,000 square-kilometer Celebes Sea lets terrorists enter the country, the Jamestown Foundation security research organization says. The Philippine government suspects Islamic State-sympathizers from nearby Indonesia and Malaysia reached the country illegally last year to help local Muslim rebels fight a five-month war against government troops. Public support for (naval improvements) is very strong. And even in some sectors they think it should be made a priority, Casiple said. Certainly you cannot do without modernization. One such sector is the military itself, Batongbacal said. New hardware The naval upgrade, part of a program that began under Dutertes predecessor Benigno Aquino in 2013, will add two American-made TC90 patrol aircraft, two multipurpose assault craft and a sealift vessel, the presidents website says. The Middle Eastern country of Jordan will give the Philippines two Cobra helicopters, as well. The Philippine navy ranks No. 20 in the world based on the numbers of vessels, online database GlobalFirePower.com says. China, Indonesia, Japan and the two Koreas rank higher than the Philippines in East Asia. Vietnam and Taiwan place higher in overall military strength. The Filipino navy, even a modernization project would begin with a low point, said Alexander Huang, strategic studies professor at Tamkang University in Taiwan. I would not treat it as a fake news, he said. I think they do have an intention to beef up their maritime defense capacity, but it really depends on how much resources, especially financial capability (they have) to back up their verbal claims. Manila will continue working with allies and friends such as the United States on larger, more strategic naval missions, Batongbacal said. The modernization, he said, does not propose to cancel that cooperation. Manila and Washington do joint naval drills every year, with Australia and Japan joining the event in May 2018. Under a sky darkened by thick black smoke, hundreds of thousands of brick kiln workers endure back-breaking labor and suffocating heat - working in almost medieval conditions across South Asia. But a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Nepal in 2015 killed about 9,000 people and flattened about a third of the country's brick kilns. Despite the scale of the human tragedy, the devastation provided a rare opportunity for environmentalists to clean up at least one part of the notoriously filthy industry. The Brick Kiln Initiative, launched by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), found a way to redesign the ovens and stack the bricks differently so that less of the toxic soot is produced. We have changed three things," explained Bidya Banmali Pradhan, program coordinator for the initiative. "One is more resistance to earthquake. The second is less polluting, and the third is energy efficiency. By stacking the bricks inside the kilns in a zig-zag pattern, the heat snakes through the gaps more efficiently, ensuring coal is completely burned, which produces less soot. I adopted this to clean up the environment," kiln owner Raj Kumar Lakhemaru said. "Business has its place but my primary objective was to produce high quality products efficiently and with less fuel. I think this is now being adopted by others across the country. Emissions were cut by 60 percent. And more importantly for the kiln owners, it reduced coal consumption by half. Since we adopted this zig-zag method... there is less pollution, we [are] using less coal and getting better bricks, faster," said Mahendra Chitrakar, president of the Federation of Nepal Brick Industries. Most of the 100 brick kilns in the Kathmandu valley have already been modified with new technology. The next step is to spread the technology. In the coming two-three years, we intend to transform all brick kilns in Nepal. Lets see," Mahendra said. Brick manufacturers from Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan met in Kathmandu this year to discuss the new design. U.S. comedian Samantha Bee has apologized for comments directed at White House adviser Ivanka Trump that Bee now says were inappropriate and inexcusable. Bee hosts a late-night talk show on the U.S. network TBS where she often comments at length on U.S. politics. On Wednesday, Bee took to task a U.S. immigration policy that separates children from their parents. The language On Full Frontal with Samantha Bee Wednesday night, Bee noted that Ivanka Trump the daughter of the president who also acts as presidential adviser had published on social media a picture of herself with her infant son, in a week when the public conversation had centered on separations between children and parents. In exhorting the presidential daughter to speak to her father about the policy, Bee called Ivanka Trump feckless and then added a sexually explicit epithet that refers to the female anatomy. He listens to you! Bee continued, noting that Ivanka Trump is seen as one of the presidential advisers with the most influence over her father. Put on something tight and low-cut and tell your father to ... stop it, Bee said, using a second profanity. The firestorm Bees comments ignited a firestorm of criticism. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders called the segment vile and vicious, adding, Her disgusting comments and show are not fit for broadcast, and executives at [parent companies] Time Warner and TBS must demonstrate that such explicit profanity about female members of this administration will not be condoned on its network. On Thursday Bee issued a statement saying I would like to sincerely apologize to Ivanka Trump and to my viewers for using an expletive on my show to describe her last night. It was inappropriate and inexcusable. I crossed a line, and I deeply regret it. TBS also issued an apology for Bees comments, which were aired in a pre-taped segment, rather than blurted out live. Samantha Bee has taken the right action in apologizing for the vile and inappropriate language she used about Ivanka Trump last night, the network said. Alluding to the fact that the words were used during a pre-taped segment rather than spontaneously uttered during a live monologue, the statement continued, Those words should not have been aired. It was our mistake, too, and we regret it. The expletive Bee used is not allowed on traditional broadcast television and is rarely heard on cable networks like TBS. Roseanne show Bees comments came in the same week that broadcast network ABC canceled a comedy show starring Roseanne Barr, after Barr tweeted a racist comment about a member of Barack Obamas presidential administration. Barr also has apologized, and Bob Iger, who heads ABCs parent company, has reportedly called the Obama administration official to apologize. In response, President Trump tweeted that ABC owes him an apology for anti-Trump statements the networks guests have made on the air. Where was Bob Igers apology to the White House staff for Jamele Hill calling the President, and anyone associated with him, a white supremacist? Trump tweeted. He and press secretary Sarah Sanders have said the lack of an apology to him amounts to a double standard. The apologies by the two comedians, whose political leanings differ, have touched off public debates about the correct response to jokes that different segments of the public find offensive. The faked murder of a Russian journalist in Ukraine has set off soul searching among journalists and a debate in civil society over the propriety of the gambit in an era of propaganda and "fake news." On Tuesday, journalists were shocked by the apparent slaying of Russian dissident, war veteran and journalist Arkady Babchenko, who Ukrainian authorities said had been gunned down outside his apartment in Kyiv. The first reports came from personal friends of Babchenko on their social media pages. This was quickly followed by official announcements from the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs. Within hours of the killing, Ukrainian police even released a sketch of a possible suspect. The next day, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) caused an even bigger shock wave by revealing that Babchenko was in fact very much alive. The SBU said the killing had been staged as part of a sting operation to catch a suspected Russian agent who was targeting Kremlin enemies in Ukraine. Journalists around the world expressed their astonishment when Babchenko appeared at the press conference along with Ukrainian officials. Perhaps the most dramatic reaction came from his own colleagues at the Crimean Tatar TV channel ATR: "This may have been the appropriate way to go about saving someone's life," Michael Carpenter, a former U.S. adviser on Russia and Ukraine, told VOA News. "But it does have long-term consequences, the way it was carried out." Critics and supporters of the act expressed relief that Babchenko was alive, but many voiced concerns about the credibility of Ukrainian government institutions. Others suggested that this would be a gift to Russia, which could now point to the stunt anytime Russia is implicated in some scandal. Writing for the British newspaper The Independent, Oliver Carroll called the situation a "get-out-of-jail-free card" for the Kremlin. "Ukraine is now a storyteller; nothing that comes out of Ukraine is really how it seems; everything Ukraine says is to show Russia in a bad light," Carroll wrote. "Russia has been accused by the U.S. of using disinformation campaigns to try and affect the 2016 presidential election and in such a climate there is no doubt Moscow will use the staged killing to undermine news out of Kyiv." Threats did occur There is little doubt Babchenko faced death threats in response to his years of journalistic work. In 2017, a wave of new threats in response to one of his Facebook posts forced him to flee Russia. Officials at Wednesday's news conference explained how they had detected a plot to assassinate not only Babchenko but other Russian dissidents living in Ukraine. In contrast to several other high-profile slayings or attempted slayings of Russian dissidents in other countries, this time a suspect was captured. The intelligence agency that staged the fake hit, however, has its own checkered past in controlling the media inside Ukraine. In its annual report, Freedom on the Net 2017, Freedom House listed Ukraine as only "partly free." The democracy and human rights NGO said the SBU campaign was aimed at a pro-Russian news agency blocking websites, forcing removal of content and even staging raids of two Ukrainian news outlets. In late 2017, the English language Kyiv Post published a story that accused the SBU of using the armed conflict against Russia as a pretext "to persecute government critics and enrich themselves." In this context, some suggest the SBU's faked homicide could be a propaganda gift to Russia, which could now point to the stunt anytime Russia is implicated in scandals or its own version of fake news. "They will cite this, they will exploit this, they will use this to throw all sorts of doubts and seed questions about the legitimacy of Western news sources," said Carpenter, who served in the White House advising Vice President Joe Biden on Russia. Defenders, however, pointed out that had Babchenko been killed, the Kremlin and Russian state media would spread disinformation about his death while continuing their denial of involvement in such cases as the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in 2014 or the more recent poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in London. Among journalists, the debate rages on the ethics of one of their own participating in a fake news event. The OSCE Representative for Media Freedom condemned the "spread of false information" on Twitter. Russian journalist Andrei Soldatov also tweeted that Babchenko's involvement in the scheme was "crossing a line" with him. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) published a statement condemning the stunt for raising many questions, which they listed. First among them was how "credible and imminent" the threat to Babchenko's life was at the time. 'Very difficult' matter Frank Sesno, the director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University, told Voice of America that the question of ethics in this case was "very difficult terrain." "If in fact there was legitimate information that an assassination was pending, that his family and his children were threatened as well, which apparently they were that's what he's claiming, anyway and if the security forces felt this was the only way to flush out the perpetrators or planners of this sort of thing, then reluctantly I would say this is something that probably needed to happen," Sesno said. Sesno pointed out that there are regimes that target and sometimes kill journalists, and "that needs to be exposed." Yet he called for "full transparency and honesty" from those involved. The Committee to Protect Journalists said the press freedom implications depend on the answers to its series of questions, involving the seriousness of the threat to Babchenko, identities of the alleged plot organizer and contract killer, and who in the Ukrainian government knew of the staged killing. "What is known is that the Ukrainian government has damaged its own credibility," Nina Ognianova of CPJ's European office wrote on Wednesday. "Given the SBU is an intelligence agency, which engages in deception, obfuscation and propaganda, determining the truth will be very difficult." As to whether Babchenko's fake slaying was a "gift" to Russian propagandists, there seemed to be only mixed initial evidence supporting the concern. While Babchenko was still thought to be dead, the state media and Russian officials seemed to be launching a narrative. Sputnik News on May 29 advanced a narrative portraying Ukraine as inherently dangerous for journalists. Before news of Babchenko's "resurrection" broke, The Republic reported that Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said the U.S. bore responsibility for Babchenko's death. Since the revelation, domestic Russian media fastened on the Skripal poisoning, but 30 hours later neither the Russian government nor state had demonstrated it was an international propaganda game changer. In a way, the Babchenko story provides a good example of what is, and what is not, "fake news." The fiction was not promoted knowingly by any journalist, other than Babchenko himself. The narrative was created and supported by Ukraine security and police officials. Even Russia's Investigative Committee claimed it was opening a criminal case on the matter, citing the fact that Babchenko was a Russian citizen. In a post-revelation interview, Babchenko explained how he was covered in pig's blood after donning a T-shirt with bullet holes already in it. He was actually taken to the morgue before being "resurrected." For all intents and purposes, Babchenko's "killing" was "real news," until it was publicly revealed as a hoax. In the same interview, Babchenko gave his own opinion about disinformation surrounding the story: "By the way, this is an example of birth of fake news: I don't understand why there's a version with me going to buy a loaf of bread [that] came up. I didn't go to buy bread, I went to buy water." This story first appeared on Polygraph.info, a fact-checking website produced by Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Original reporting contributed by VOA's Ukrainian service and Russia service and RFE/RL. A federal court in New Orleans on Thursday indicted five men for allegedly conspiring to smuggle 90 endangered birds to Taiwan. They included parrots, macaws, cockatoos and corellas. The birds are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. "These indictments demonstrate our commitment shared with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service to investigate and prosecute those engaged in illegal trade of protected animals," acting Assistant General Jeffrey Wood said. The suspects allegedly packed some of the birds in falsely labeled crates and submitted fake documents to U.S. wildlife officers in New Orleans. Agents seized some of the birds at the airport in Houston, Texas, before they could be shipped to Taiwan. The Justice Department calls wildlife trafficking a serious crime that harms endangered species all over the world. Seeking to comfort grieving families and shaken survivors, President Donald Trump spent more than an hour privately Thursday with some of those touched by a Texas mass school shooting that killed 10 and wounded more than a dozen on May 18. The latest spasm of violence in a year marred by assaults on the nations schools, the shooting at Santa Fe High School was the latest to test the presidents role as national comforter-in-chief. Trump met with more than two dozen people affected by the shooting and did not publicly share his message for the grieving families and local leaders during a meeting at a Coast Guard base outside Houston. Reports from the meeting Pamela Stanich, whose 17-year-old son, Jared Black, was among the eight students killed, was one of the parents who met with Trump, presenting him with a family statement and a copy of her sons eulogy. Trump met with us privately and showed sincerity, compassion, and concern on making our schools safer across the nation, she wrote in a Facebook post after the meeting. He spent time talking to the survivors and asking on what happened and what would have made a difference. Changes are coming for the good. Thank you Mr. Trump. Rhonda Hart, whose 14-year-old daughter, Kimberly Vaughan, was killed at the school, told The Associated Press that Trump repeatedly used the word wacky to describe the shooter and the trench coat he wore. She said she told Trump, Maybe if everyone had access to mental health care, we wouldnt be in the situation. Hart, an Army veteran, said she also suggested employing veterans as sentinels in schools. She said Trump responded, And arm them? She replied, No, but said Trump kept mentioning arming classroom teachers. It was like talking to a toddler, Hart said. Reporters were not permitted to witness the meeting. A White House spokesman said Trump was moved by the shooting at Santa Fe High School, which left eight students and two substitute teachers dead. A student faces capital murder charges in the attack. These events are very tragic, whenever they happen. And you know, the president wants to extend his condolences and talk about the issue of school safety, spokesman Raj Shah told Fox News Channel. Safety commission While in Texas, Trumps school safety commission met outside Washington, part of the presidents chosen solution to combat the rising tide of bloodshed after his brief flirtation with tougher gun laws after Februarys mass killing at a high school in Parkland, Florida, went nowhere. Also Thursday, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, whom Trump put in charge of the school safety commission, announced a $1 million grant to the Santa Fe school district to help with post-shooting recovery efforts. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Sen. Ted Cruz, both Republicans, greeted Trump after Air Force One landed at a Houston military base. Abbott joined Trump for the short ride in the presidential limousine to a Coast Guard hangar where the meeting took place. Trump then headed to a fundraiser at a luxury hotel in downtown Houston, the first of his two big-dollar events in Texas on Thursday. A White House official did not immediately respond to requests for details about how much money was to be raised, and who was benefiting, from the fundraising events. Florida shooting After 17 teachers and students were killed during a February shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Trump said he would work to improve school safety, but has not called for new gun control legislation. He created the commission to review ways to make schools safer. Trump briefly strayed from gun-rights dogma after the Parkland shooting, but quickly backpedaled. Abbott, a Republican and a staunch gun-rights supporter, has called for schools to have more armed personnel and said they should put greater focus on spotting student mental health problems. Hes proposed a few small restrictions on guns since the shooting. As the Parkland students became vocal advocates for gun control, embracing their public positions as few school survivors had before, Trump quickly became a focal point for their anger. In Trumps visit to Florida after the shooting, aides kept him clear of the school, which could have been the site of protests, and he instead met with a few victims at a local hospital and paid tribute to first responders at the nearby sheriffs office. There has yet to be a similar outcry for restrictions on firearms from the students and survivors in deep-red Texas. Last in Texas for NRA Before Thursday, Trump was most recently in the Lone Star State on May 4 to attend the annual National Rifle Association convention. He pledged in his address that NRA members Second Amendment rights will never, ever be under siege as long as I am your president. He also touted the administrations aggressive strategy on community safety and mentioned armed guards, armed teachers, mental health and metal detectors, but did not mention assault rifles like the one used in Florida. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is scheduled to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington on Monday amid souring relations between the NATO allies and trading partners over economic and other issues. The talks come as Turkish sectors, such as the major steel industry, reel from the higher tariffs imposed by the U.S. administration on Turkey and other nations. "Huge, huge effect, steel producers are desperate, the psychology is terrible among producers," said Tayfun Senturk, a Turkey-based international steel trader. "For the last three months, there have been no new U.S. orders, and the U.S. is a major market for Turkish producers, especially in piping. If it continues for a few years, there will be closures." In March, President Donald Trump introduced 25 percent tariffs on steel from several primary producers. Turkey didn't enjoy an exemption given to the European Union, Canada and Mexico that ended Friday. "This is mainly a dispute with China and secondly the European Union. Why was Turkey targeted? I don't understand," Senturk said. Turkey is the eighth-largest steel producer in the world and second only to Germany in Europe. Last year, Turkey was the sixth-largest exporter to the United States. There are growing suspicions among Turkish steel producers that politics rather than economics is behind the steel tariffs. "There have been steps by the steel industry to try to build an understanding with the USA. As far as I know, it is not progressing, because of political reasons," steel trader Senturk said. "They [steel producers] are saying this would not have happened if the situation [between the U.S. and Turkey] was all right like it was 10 years ago." In addition to the manufacturing industry, Turkey's financial sector could be next to feel the repercussions from strained U.S. relations. U.S. regulatory authorities are considering a significant fine against Turkish state-owned Halkbank after one of its senior officials was convicted in a New York court in January of violating U.S. sanctions against Iran. "Everybody is expecting a huge fine against Halkbank, but this is a political decision," political scientist Cengiz Aktar said. Analysts predict the fine could exceed the $9 billion imposed on France-based BNP Paribas bank for breaking U.S. sanctions on Iran. The fallout of such a fine could be considerable given international investors' concerns about the Turkish economy. "If we see major sanctions on Turkey, politically driven ones, the pressure on the currency could be substantial," said economist Inan Demir of Nomura International, a Japan-based financial holding company. This year the Turkish lira has already fallen more than 20 percent. Worse could still be in store for Turkey, analysts say. Washington's withdrawal from the international-brokered nuclear deal with Tehran could put Ankara and Turkish business in a tight spot. Trump has announced the introduction of trade sanctions against Iran. The U.S. has also warned that companies in violation of the measures could become targets themselves. Ankara appears unfazed by Washington's warnings. "It is an opportunity for Turkey," said Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci. "We will continue to have trade with Iran while complying with the U.N. resolutions on nuclear activities. We believe in this: The stronger Iran gets in this region, the stronger Turkey becomes as well." Analysts suggest Zeybekci's combative stance could be just political rhetoric, given Turkey is in the midst of campaigning for general and presidential elections set for June 24. Taking a tough stand against Washington is seen to play well with the ruling AKP nationalist voting base. Complying with U.S. sanctions on Iran, however, could come at a substantial cost for Ankara. "Turkey is in a difficult position. We have to remember Iran is one of the main actors, along with Russia, providing oil and gas to Turkey," said former senior Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen, who served in Iraq and Washington. "It will be difficult for Turkish banks and Turkish companies to do business in Iran, but it will be difficult to find an alternative for natural gas and oil from Iran. So Turkey will have to tread carefully," he added. The prosecution in Turkey of U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson on terrorism charges threatens further measures by Washington against Ankara. "It's a show trial taking place, and it has already hurt the bilateral relationship," U.S. Ambassador-at-Large Sam Brownback said Wednesday in a press briefing. "I think there will be more items to follow ... from the United States towards Turkey if they continue to hold him." Ankara says Brunson's trial is a matter for the courts, but, analysts warn, as U.S.-Turkish relations continue souring, the economic price Ankara will pay is likely to rise. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres marked the 70th birthday of the world body's peacekeeping operations this week by paying a visit to Mali. The West African nation hosts a U.N. mission known as MINUSMA. Guterres reinforced his commitment to the mission, which is the deadliest ongoing mission for U.N. peacekeeping forces, but also asked for more support to keep it strong. The United Nations family in Mali came out in force this week to mark what it called Blue Helmet Day: a day to honor the service men and women who put themselves in harm's way, for peace. Guterres was on hand to take part in the ceremonies. The U.N. mission in Mali has cost the lives of almost 100 military personnel and 172 people in all. It's the highest death toll of any ongoing U.N. peacekeeping mission in the world. There are 13,500 peacekeepers in Mali and thats not all. The French have their Operation Barkhane and the European Union trains Malian army personnel. And theres another peace mission on the horizon: G5, a force with soldiers from Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mauritania. Guterres went to see the G5 headquarters in Central Mali, on Wednesday. Speaking at the end of his visit, the U.N. Secretary-General asked for more and predictable international financial support for the G5. The G5, he told reporters, is tasked with fighting terrorist movements and organized crime in the Sahel region and help protect the civilian population. But its financial situation is insecure. Malis own soldiers are taking part in the fight against regional instability but are in great need of better equipment and better pay. Until they receive those things, Mali will depend heavily on foreign forces to protect its borders and its people. Guterres announced that those foreign forces, and especially the U.N.s mission to Mali, are working on measures to increase their own protection. The spectacular attack last April that severely damaged Timbuktu Airport, where MINUSMA has a base, was a stark reminder of how vulnerable these troops can be. "The U.N. will install closed circuit surveillance systems at the main base in Bamako, advanced warning systems and radar at some camps in the North, it will use sniffer dogs to find explosives, do extensive situational awareness training and conduct more operations designed to secure terrain,' Guterres said. Will this be enough? A lot depends on the amount of international support that will be available for Mali, MINUSMA and the regional G5 Sahel Force. Currently, there are serious shortfalls and this poses future problems. As Guterres put it: a failed Mali is a danger not only for its neighbors, but for a region stretching from the Sahel, across the Mediterranean and deep into Europe. He said that containing the terrorist problem is better than dealing with its effects. A U.N. Security Council resolution to extend sanctions on South Sudan has been renewed for 45 more days after the U.S.-led effort passed at the U.N. Thursday. The resolution passed with the required nine "yes" votes and six abstentions from the 15-member Security Council. The United States has lost its patience. And status quo is unacceptable. It is long past time for all of us to demand better for the South Sudanese people," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said. The Security Council delayed a decision for 30 days on imposing travel bans and asset freezes on six South Sudanese leaders accused of impeding peace, but said that move is still on the table pending a review of the parties commitment to adhere to a ceasefire violation. Akshaya Kumar, the deputy U.N. director for Human Rights Watch, said the delay could be interpreted as an empty threat, but she contends it serves as "a warning to commanders responsible for abuses, such as former army Chief Paul Malong and Michael Makuei, the countrys information minister. Both are under U.N. sanctions consideration. Sanctions 'unfortunate' South Sudans representative, Ambassador Akuei Bona Malwal, said his government will work toward peace. He added that the proposal to impose an additional sanctions on six individuals was not necessary. The annex that is attached to this resolution is unfortunate, it is not helpful. The danger is that it may not give the desire that is hoped by those that have supported this resolution, he said. A divided council on this issue will not be helpful to the peace process and it will not send the right message to the parties, said Ambassador Tekeda Alemu of Ethiopia, who abstained from voting along with Russia and China. Alemu urged council members to drop the threat of additional sanctions to allow the Intergovernmental Authority on Development to move forward with its efforts to revitalize the peace agreement. Kumar said the 30-day delay concerning the six leaders "keeps the Security Council well-positioned to move decisively and keep adding individuals to their list if they find reason. It also suggests the council is watching and they are ready and willing to consider further action in early July, Kumar said. Ceasefire report The Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring Mechanism (CTSAMM) is expected to brief the council on violations of the cessation of hostilities in the coming weeks. That could help circumvent some of the problems we have had to date with the CTSAMM and the ceasefire monitoring, where information was being collected but it wasnt going to decision makers publicly or in a timely fashion, Kumar said. A Reuters report this week accused CTSAMM of failing to release at least 14 ceasefire violation reports that document South Sudans army targeted civilians and burned children alive and gang-raped women. It also accuses the rebels of using child soldiers. Kumar said that by reviewing CTSAMMs reports, the Security Council has set the stage for more transparency in collecting evidence and they are going to be reporting back within one month. So thats quite strong. It shows that the eyes of the world are on South Sudan right now. The U.N. Security Council is giving South Sudan one month to stop fighting and sign a peace deal or face an arms embargo and sanctions. The council passed a U.S.-sponsored resolution Thursday with the minimum nine votes needed for approval. Six members abstained. The resolution calls on Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to report back to the council on June 30. If there is still fighting and no viable political agreement, the council will consider an arms embargo and sanctions against six top South Sudanese officials. Ethnic fighting has raged in South Sudan since 2013 between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and those backing his former vice president, Riek Machar. Tens of thousands have been killed and more than a million civilians have fled their homes. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley has called Kiir an unfit partner for peace. The relief group Doctors Without Borders reported Thursday on what it says is an increase in attacks on civilians in Leer and Mayendit counties over the past month. They include gang rapes, mass murders and villages looted. The group says people are fleeing for their lives into the brush and swamps without food, clean water, proper shelter or medical care. Doctors Without Borders says all sides must stop violence against civilians. At least 12 al-Shabab militants have been killed in a new airstrike southwest of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, the U.S. military reported Friday. The U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) said U.S. forces carried out an airstrike May 31 in support of and in coordination with Somalia's federal government. "U.S. forces conducted an airstrike targeting al-Shabab militants approximately 30 miles of southwest of Mogadishu, killing 12 terrorists," the command said in a statement. AFRICOM said its assessments indicated no civilians were killed in the attack. The command said U.S. forces continue to use all authorized appropriate measures to protect U.S. citizens and to disable terrorist threats. Meanwhile, al-Shabab militants took control of the town of Moqokori of Hiran region in central Somalia. The capture followed a massive attack by militants on Friday afternoon. Local residents said Somalia government forces stationed in the town engaged in fierce fighting with the militants, but later withdrew to nearby areas. The U.S. Africa Command says it has carried out 14 airstrikes so far this year against al-Shabab, which continues to hold some rural areas of the Horn of Africa nation. The United States will "unquestionably" veto a Kuwaiti-sponsored resolution on protecting Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank when it comes up for a vote Friday in the Security Council. U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley called the draft a "grossly one-sided" and "morally bankrupt" approach to stopping the violence between Israelis and Palestinians. "There is not one single mention of Hamas in the resolution when Hamas is chiefly responsible for the recent violence in Gaza," Haley said in a statement late Thursday. She said that while the draft demands Israel stop "excessive and indiscriminate" use of force, it was Hamas that fired 70 rockets into Israeli towns this week. Haley warned that any council member voting in favor of the draft resolution "will clarify their own lack of fitness to take part in any credible negotiations between the two parties." As a permanent member of the Security Council, the United States has veto power and can kill a draft. The Kuwaiti draft expresses "grave concern" at the surge in violence between Israelis and Palestinians living in Hamas-ruled Gaza the worst violence in four years. It calls for an "immediate, durable and fully respected cease-fire," and it asks Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for a written report on an "international protection mechanism" for Gaza. But, Haley stressed, the draft talks about the "Israeli occupation while making no mention of Hamas." About 120 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the end of March. The protesters are demanding the right to return to their former homes inside Israel. They are angry about the U.S. Embassy's move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and their overall plight as Israel celebrates its 70th anniversary. Israel says Hamas is using the protests as cover to try to infiltrate the border. It says it has the right to protect its territory. U.S. news reports said Friday that the State Department was expected to change its policy later this month for some visas issued to Chinese students. The Associated Press reported this week that under the new policy, U.S. consular officers may limit how long visas are valid for Chinese students, rather than the usual practice of issuing them for the maximum possible length. When contacted by Voice of America, State Department spokesman Richard Buangan, offered no details about the reported changes, but said, All visa cases are adjudicated on a case-by-case basis according to U.S. law and applicable regulations. As always, although the majority of visa applicants receive full validity visas, consular officers have the right to limit visas as appropriate for the specific case, he said. According to the Associated Press, under the new policy, Chinese graduate students will be limited to one-year visas if they are studying in fields like robotics, aviation and high-tech manufacturing. The report said Chinese citizens seeking visas would also need special clearance from multiple U.S. agencies if they worked in companies that require higher scrutiny. Buangan, who is managing director for International Media Engagement, and former spokesman of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, told VOA that national security is our top priority when adjudicating visa applications. "We are constantly working to find ways to improve our screening processes and to support legitimate travel and immigration to the United States while protecting U.S. citizens and national interests, he said. VOA's Nike Ching contributed to this report. The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. Arkady Babchenko, a Russian journalist, worked with Ukrainian intelligence to stage his assassination. A day later, Kyiv security officials unveiled the ruse. While officials claim the scheme was necessary to save Babchenkos life, ethics experts worry about the consequences. Bronwyn Benito narrates this report by Iryna Matviichuk of VOA's Ukranian service. The opposition Movement for Democratic Change led by Thokozani Khupe says it may seek a court order to stop the Nelson Chamisa MDC-T from using $1.8 million, which the party received from government under the Political Parties (Finance) Act. According to the privately-owned Newsday newspaper, the party says the Ministry of Finance wrongly allocated the money to the Chamisa-led MDC-T as the two factions are still fighting over the control of the organization once led by the late Morgan Tsvangirai. The newspaper quoted Linda Masarira, spokesperson of the Khupe-led MDC-T, as saying they wrote a letter to Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa a month ago seeking a reversal of the transaction. We want to challenge that and we want that money frozen so that they do not use it until the matter on who the real MDC-T are is settled at the High Court. Our lawyers are working on it, but am not in a position to tell when they are filing the papers, but soon. The Chamisa-led MDC-T refused to comment about the issue. Under the Political Parties (Finance) Act, each political party that receives 5% of the vote in an election is entitled to state funds. The Khupe and Chamisa factions have dragged each other to court and recently the Supreme Court ruled that the High Court should handle their dispute over the use of the partys name, assets and other issues. Former cabinet minister and Zanu PFs political commissar, Saviour Kasukuwere, has appeared in court facing charges of border jumping. Kasukuwere, a loyalist of former president Robert Mugabe, was granted $300 bail when he appeared before a local magistrate. He left the country last November before Mugabe resigned under pressure from the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, which staged a defacto military coup that resulted in Emmerson Mnangagwa becoming Zimbabwes president. According to the state-controlled Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, Kasukuwere was arrested early Friday morning. Kasukuwere fled the country with former Higher Education Minister Jonathan Moyo, Mugabes nephew Patrick Zhuwao and several other people who were linked to the so-called Generation 40 faction of the ruling Zanu PF party that wanted former First Lady Grace Mugabe to succeed her 94 year-old husband. Kasukuwere returned home saying he is not a common criminal as being alleged by the state while Moyo and Zhuwao are still in exile. The military intervened under the so-called Operation Restore Order in which they wanted to arrest criminals that were said to be surrounding Mugabe. The former president maintains that he was removed through a violent military coup. However, Mnangagwa, the African Union and Southern African Development Community claim that the military had a right to intervene in the Zimbabwe crisis. Stratovolcano 2968 m / 9,737 ftCentral Java, Indonesia, -7.54S / 110.44E(4 out of 5)1548, 1554, 1560, 1584, 1586(?), 1587, 1658, 1663, 1672, 1678, 1745, 1752, 1755, 1768, 1791, 1797, 1807, 1810, 1812-22, 1822-23, 1828, 1832-36, 1837-38, 1840, 1846, 1848(?), 1849, 1854(?), 1861, 1862-64, 1865-71, 1872 (large vulcanian-subplinian eruption VEI:4) , 1872-73, 1878-79, 1883-84, 1885-87, 1888, 1889, 1891-92, 1893, 1894, 1897, 1902, 1902-04, 1905, 1906-07, 1908, 1909-13, 1915, 1918, 1920-21, 1922, 1923(?), 1924, 1930-31, 1932, 1933-35, 1939-40, 1942-45, 1948, 1953-58, 1961, 1967-1970, 1971(?), 1972-85, 1986-90, 1992-2002, April-July 2006, Oct 2010-2011 Feb, 2018 (May), late 2018 - ongoingHighly explosive. Large Plinian eruption every few 1000 of years (the last ones at about 1000 BP and 2000 BP), sometimes with associated flank collapse. Growth of lava domes, pyroclastic flows.(16-days study and photo tour to Java, Indonesia)(17-day walking and trekking tour on Java) If you havn't done it yet,to get one of the fastest volcano news online: The Indonesian Volcanological Survey (VSI) lowered the alert level of Merapi back to "Normal" (1 out of 4). This decision came after signs of unrest had recently decreased again: ... A reported ash plume yesterday has been confirmed to be from a bush fire. The volcano remains calm. ... A sudden and large explosion occurred this morning at the volcano at 07:32 local time, producing an ash plume that rose several kilometers from the summit. ... After the stratovolcano's sudden large phreatic explosion on Friday 11 May a series of smaller phreatic eruptions have occurred in the past few days which caused light ash fall in the vicinity. Phreatic eruptions are caused when underground water comes into contact with lava from Mt. Merapi, causing superheated vapor that breaks through its summit dome. In response, the volcano's alert level was raised from 'normal'to 'caution', the third-highest level, and local authorities closed all access to the volcano in a radius of 3 km from its summit. ... During our numerous expeditions to Erta Ale and Dallol , we have documented the active lava lake and its surroundings and changes over the years. Experience one of the geologically most active areas on the planet: the Danakil desert in northern Ethiopia: climb Erta Ale and enjoy the powers of Northen and South craters, the surreal colorful world of salt, geysers and springs at Dallol, the UNESCO world heritage site of the rock hewn churches of Lalibela.! Impressions from our tour to Kamchatka's volcanoes : remote Karymsky, Gorely, Mutnovsky, Uzon and Valley of Geysers, Klyuchevskoy volcano and more. Our 12-days itinerary includes some of the most beautiful and interesting sights around Arequipa from "volcanic point of view": La Laguna de Salinas, El Misti, Ubinas, Picchu Picchu, Andagua Valley, Colca Canyon, and currently erupting Sabancaya volcano. Support us - Help us upgrade our services! Maintaining our website and our free apps does require, however, considerable time and resources. We're aiming to achieve uninterrupted service wherever an earthquake or volcano eruption unfolds, and your donations can make it happen! Every donation will be highly appreciated. Improved multilanguage support Tsunami alerts Faster responsiveness Earthquake archive from 1900 onwards Detailed quake stats Additional seismic data sources Download and Upgrade the Volcanoes & Earthquakes app to get one of the fastest seismic and volcano alerts online: Android | IOS to get one of the fastest seismic and volcano alerts online: We truly love working to bring you the latest volcano and earthquake data from around the world.We need financing to increase hard- and software capacity as well as support our editor team.If you find the information useful and would like to support our team in integrating further features, write great content, and in upgrading our soft- and hardware, please PayPal or Online credit card payment )., these features have been added recently: If you find the website useful and would like to support us and help keep it alive and improve it, please consider making a small donation Mattarella appoints Giuseppe Conte as prime minister and approves new list of ministers. President Sergio Mattarella has appointed law professor and political novice Giuseppe Conte to head up a coalition government comprising Movimento Cinque Stelle (M5S) and Lega and approved his list of ministers, ending a drawn-out institutional crisis resulting from inconclusive general elections on 4 March. The appointment came after the two populist parties agreed a new name to serve as minister of the economy after Mattarella rejected their initial proposal of Eurosceptic and anti-euro economist Paolo Savona on grounds of financial turbulence amid concerns he would try to take Italy out of the single currency. The new cabinet line-up includes right-wing and anti-immigrant Lega leader Matteo Salvini in the role of deputy prime minister and minister of the interior; M5S leader Luigi Di Maio as deputy prime minister and minister for economic development and labour; Giovanni Tria, dean of the faculty of economics at Romes Tor Vergata university, as minister of the economy; Enzo Moavero Milanesi, a pro-European antitrust lawyer and minister in the Mario Monti and Enrico Letta governments, at the foreign ministry; criminal lawyer Giulia Bongiorno, who counts former prime minister Giulio Andreotti and Raffaele Sollecito, who was cleared of the 2007 murder of British exchange student Meredith Kercher, among her former clients, at the ministry for public administration; and Savona now assigned to European affairs. The other key ministers Elisabetta Trenta, ex political advisor to the foreign ministry, at defence; M5S stalwart Alfonso Bonafede at justice; doctor Giulia Grillo at health; PE teacher Marco Bussetti at education; current M5S senate whip Danilo Toninelli at transport and infrastructure; manager Alberto Bonisoli, director of the private Nuova Accademia delle Belle Arti in Milan, at culture; and MEP Lorenzo Fontana at the newly created ministry for the family and disabled are all largely unfamiliar names. The new government is to be sworn in on 1 June but and will present itself to parliament for the mandatory vote of confidence on Monday 4 June. Saturday 2 June, Republic Day, is a public holiday in Italy. The centre-right party Forza Italia led by former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, centre-left Partito Democratico and left-wing Liberi e Uguali have already all said they will give a vote of no confidence, while Legas election coalition partner, the small right-wing Fratelli dItalia led by Giorgia Meloni, is to abstain. The development brings to a close a difficult and uncertain three months in Italian politics that have seen Mattarella hold endless government formation talks, issue exploratory mandates to the speakers of the senate and chamber of deputies and designate two prospective prime ministers in unsuccessful attempts to overcome the impasse. Most recently the president appointed respected former International Monetary Fund official and ex government spending review commissioner Carlo Cottarelli to form a government of technocrats to steer the country towards fresh elections after the first bid by M5S and Lega to form a political government fell apart. However, this line garnered little support on either side of the political spectrum, paving the way for the two populist parties that emerged victorious from the ballot box in March but without winning a clear majority in parliament to try again. They confirmed their initial proposal of 54-year-old Conte, a lecturer in private law at Florence University and the private Luiss university in Rome, to head up an executive whose action will be bound by a programmatic document dubbed the contract for the government of change that has been thrashed out between the sides, with Salvini and Di Maio expected to act as guarantors. Conte has no previous experience in politics, although media reports suggest he comes from a left-leaning and pro-European background. He came under fierce public scrutiny prior to his first nomination after foreign media raised doubts about parts of his CV, and he also drew criticism for acting as a lawyer for the family of the girl who became the symbol of the discredited Stamina stem-cell treatment in 2013. The M5S-Lega contract proposes a basic income, flat tax and pension reform, expelling half a million irregular immigrants and focusing on border protection and security at the expense of migrant reception and integration, scrapping the TAV high-speed rail line with France, lifting mandatory school vaccinations, and renegotiating EU budget regulations, among other things. Both parties and their respective bases reacted angrily to Mattarellas decision to veto the nomination of Savona as economy minister on 27 May, with Di Maio initially proposing impeachment of the president. However constitutional lawyers jumped to the defence of the head of state, saying he acted fully within his constitutional powers in national interests and to protect Italys credibility on the international stage. By Laura Clarke A selection of the best beaches near Rome. For all you beach-lovers here is a selection of resorts within easy reach of Rome. Each one, ordered from north to south, offers either stabilimenti (private beaches with entrance fees and changing facilities and refreshments) or spiaggia libera (free beach with the option to rent a lounge chair and/or umbrella), and all have childrens facilities. We have indicated how to get there by public transport, as all these towns suffer from heavy traffic during the summer. S. Marinella The northern-most beach on our list offers a small strip of white sandy beach with the choice of setting up camp at either the stabilimenti or spiaggia libera. There are two trains per hour leaving from Termini station for S. Marinella station and the journey takes about one hour. Popular with wind-surfers. S. Severa Located about 50 km north of Rome and less than 10 km south of S. Marinella. Take one of the regular Civitavecchia trains from Rome and the beach is a ten-minute walk from the station. There are numerous stabilimenti, restaurants and spaggia libera and it is also known for its magnificent castle. Fregene A former chic hotspot of the 1960s and 1970s, Fregene boasts long stretches of sand with both stabilimenti and spiaggia libera. Along the coast there is also a wide selection of family-oriented restaurants and less expensive tavole calde. Romes club scene tends to flock to Fregene and nearby Ostia (see below) in the summer months. Although Fregene isnt the easiest place to reach by public transport, Cotral buses depart from Romes Valle Aurelia metro stop (line A) and the journey takes about one hour. Ostia/Cancelli Ostia and the Cancelli (gates) are along the coast nearest Rome. Ostia is loaded with often pricey and trendy stabilimenti, while the Cancelli offer free beaches equipped with restaurants and bathrooms. Public transport takes less than an hour and you can use the same metro/bus tickets for public transport in Rome. Take the 070 express bus from EUR, or the Roma-Lido train from Porta S. Paolo beside the Piramide metro station (line B). To reach the Cancelli get off at the last stop and take the 07 MARE bus until you reach the gates numbered 1, 2, 3 etc. Anzio/Nettuno These beaches are only ten minutes apart and are easily reached from Rome. One train per hour leaves from Termini station, stopping first at Anzio and then at Nettuno. The journey takes 60-70 minutes and the beaches are about a 10-minute walk from the respective train stations. Sabaudia Famous for its beauty and spaciousness, this stretch of beach is another Blue Flag area. Although predominantly spiaggia libera, there are a few stabilimenti to choose from. Cotral buses run from Romes Laurentina metro stop (line B) to Piazza Oberdan in Sabaudia. From here take the shuttle bus which runs up and down the local coastline. Sabaudia is also known for its Mussolini-era architecture. Also Read: S. Felice Circeo Nearly 100 km south of Rome are the Blue Flag beaches and crystal clear waters of Circeo. Stabilimenti abound but look for the spiaggia libera nearest the port: it definitely merits the mini-trek. Cotral buses leave for Circeo from the Laurentina metro station in Rome. Get off at the last stop and walk for ten minutes until you reach the beach. Also read: 13 Most Beautiful Places on the Amalfi Coast Terracina Located just 10 km south of Circeo. From Termini station take the hourly regional train for Naples and get off at Monte S. Biagio. From there, take the bus for about 20 minutes until you reach the beach. Terracina has as many spiagge libere as stabilimenti and both are well-kept and clean, making it a popular destination for families. Sperlonga The stabilimenti dominate this gorgeous getaway with picturesque views and Blue Flag status, leaving only narrow strips for the spiaggia libera. Take the regional train headed to Naples from Termini station and get off at Fondi-Sperlonga. Once there, take the Piazzoli bus for 20 minutes to Sperlonga, alternatively take a private taxi but be warned they are far more expensive than the 1.50 bus ticket. Gaeta This Blue Flag area has a quaint mediaeval town to explore and clean beaches. From Termini station take one of the frequent trains headed towards Naples, get off at Formia and take the bus for another 25 minutes until you reach Gaeta. For more information about transportation consult the Cotral and Trenitalia websites. Top Ph: Giambattista Lazazzera The idea of declaring an emergency under the Defense Production Act of 1950 (used by President Harry S. Truman for the steel industry) and Section 202 of the Federal Power Act has been promoted by the chief executives of the coal-mining firm Murray Energy and the Ohio utility FirstEnergy, both of whom have contributed heavily to Trumps political activities. The first thing had been the pain. After the surgery, he said, it had felt like a knife dragging down his leg from his hip. He initially wanted revenge, so he said he called malpractice lawyers, but was told his damage wasnt severe enough to successfully sue. Then he just wanted the agony to go away, but it was 2014, and reports of an opioid epidemic were all over the news. Doctors who had once treated pain like a vital sign, basing opioid prescriptions on patients subjective ratings of their suffering, were suddenly hesitating. Attempts to address a crisis of undertreated pain had created a new crisis, this one of addiction, and Stewart quickly noticed suspicion not just among doctors but among friends and relatives, too. Did he really hurt that badly? Had he tried exercise? What about Advil? Maybe he just needed more rest. The Mozart was an appetizer for the Mahler, which set out to establish itself as a tour de force, attaining heights of intensity and volume. I was in the minority in not having been absolutely transported. Ive heard Noseda conduct this symphony twice the first with the Philadelphia Orchestra three years ago and he has not yet fully convinced me as a Mahler conductor. It was a performance that checked all of the boxes, several times over, and circled them for good measure: It had intensity and passion; inner voices sang out, and the beautiful Adagio was slow and tender. Perhaps I was the only one to find that movement also a little leaden, and something missing, in the end, from the performances heart. Lacking was the sense of inexorability, or the heart-tugging ache. Nosedas Mahler is eminently un-neurotic. But for an evening of this length two hours plus, without intermission there is a surprising gap, and that is in the portraits of the Scottsboro Boys themselves. The emphasis in song after song on the terrible treatment of the men by a circuslike criminal-justice system that tried them in one ghastly proceeding after another leaves little room for what might have been a poignant counterpoint to the abundant theatricality the stories of who these nine men were. An opaque curtain is drawn much of the time over any sense of their individuality. The point may be that in the virulent racism of the time, the wrongly accused could have been any nine African American men. In a musical, though, we ideally seek more than well-orchestrated platitudes. We feel for these men, for sure, but we also want to see them as men beyond their victimhood. Now that weve left The Americans at the end of 1987, its time to travel all the way to . . . 1987 again, where Ryan Murphy et al. (and then some) have vividly reimagined a dirtier and more interesting New York, a fondly remembered grit-and-greed Gotham where Trump-inspired yuppies rule the day and, by night, organized houses of mostly African American and Latina transgender models and glamour queens fiercely compete with one another at events called balls to see whose realness seems most real. Todays Headlines The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. Email address By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy After two days of internal deliberations, the networks executives chose to side with Reid. Some of the things written by Joy on her old blog are obviously hateful and hurtful, MSNBC said in a statement. They are not reflective of the colleague and friend we have known at MSNBC for the past seven years. Joy has apologized publicly and privately and said she has grown and evolved in the many years since, and we know this to be true. Among other conditions, Exelon needs to reduce the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution that flows past the dam annually by millions of pounds, state regulators said in the certification. Alternatively, the company can pay the state more than $170 million per year. That amounts to more than $7 billion over the term of its license and exceeds, by orders of magnitude, the economic value of the Conowingo Project as an operating asset, according to court documents. Youve got no right to take my property, or ruin it, and then say, Oh, too bad, you can move your business up to the second floor, said Sally Tennant, who owns an eclectic shop called Discoveries and has been on Main Street for nearly four decades. She is among those who blame development upstream for the predicament. The executive is trying to make a profound change in how we do the work and a lot of council members have real questions about that and so its something that really needs to be vetted through a very significant legislative process, said Riemer, who had voted against Leggetts proposal. If the app had not crashed, Hamrock testified, he likely would not have been able to see Mallorys communications. Instead, as Mallory and FBI agents met in a hotel room in Ashburn, Va., last May to look at the phone, they saw conversations in which Mallory had discussed delivering more documents, including something related to a foreign intelligence service. (The name of that service was redacted from exhibits shown in court). Kerkhoff was not present for the hearing before Morin because she was in a separate trial in the rioting case. Her colleague Baset told the judge that the government meant it had only one video from that particular planning meeting, but Morin responded that that was not what Kerkhoff told the court. Baset then said he could not speak on her behalf. Each of the 23 cities and counties in the sprawling 5th Congressional District, which is larger than New Jersey, are represented on the committee. Members include the head of the Virginia Tea Party, a politically savvy pastor and a town councilman who works for a state lawmaker. There are retirees, contractors and at least one college student. While more room for the booming student population is needed, school construction needs to be more cost-effective, he said in an interview. The County Board needs to be courageous in addressing school capacity, he said, but the hot topic of whether to build a fourth high school near Arlingtons career center needs more public examination. We need to find out exactly what we can afford, he said. Researchers said the dunes appear to be made mostly of icy specks of methane the size of sand, with some frozen nitrogen probably mixed in. Thought to be relatively recent, the parallel rows of dunes are located in Plutos heart-shaped region at the base of mountains as tall as the Alps and formed from giant blocks of ice with frosty methane snowcaps. These plains in the left lobe of Plutos heart are known as Sputnik Planitia. French far-right party getting new name: French far-right leader Marine Le Pen announced a name change Friday for her National Front party, founded by her father nearly a half-century ago. It was expected to become the National Rally to appeal to a broader range of voters ahead of next year's European election. Le Pen announced a rebranding of the National Front at its March congress. Members were asked to vote by mail on the new name. U.N. agencies agree to help in return of Rohingya to Burma: Burma said it has reached an agreement with two U.N. agencies for their help in the return of refugees who fled violence in western Rakhine state and sought refuge in Bangladesh. The government said it signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.N. Development Program and the U.N. refugee agency for their help so that verified displaced people "can return voluntarily in safety and dignity." As with sexual harassment, not every episode rises to the level of a firing offense and permanent exile; we have to figure out gradations of reaction to bad behavior. If it were up to me, because this is a systemic, group failure, I would yank the show off the air for a period long enough to reflect the seriousness of the offense here, maybe three months. Bee and senior staff who ought to have known better should lose their salaries during this time. TBS should pay other employees who were innocent victims of their poor judgment. And I would have Bee and her staff use the time to ponder what goes too far in the name of political passion and political comedy. And how to repair a society ripped apart by full-frontal incivility. After four years of legislative squabbling and brinkmanship, Virginia expanded its Medicaid program. This victory came from the most unlikely of sources: Senate Republicans, some of whom hail from some of the most pro-Trump areas in the commonwealth. He (and subsequently other classical economists, such as David Ricardo) turned much of this thinking on its head. Smith showed that real national wealth doesnt come from amassing piles of gold, which are transitory. Wealth comes from increasing productivity that is, by figuring out how to make stuff more efficiently, which permanently increases living standards. Create an independent research collaborative. A supermajority of D.C. Council members have co-sponsored a proposal from council member Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3) to establish such a collaborative, and the council included start-up funding for it in the new budget. It would work with education and community partners to use new and vetted data to research priority topics and provide ongoing information to schools. Which reading programs are working best and why, and for which students? Which practices work best to lower suspension rates and improve achievement? What interventions work best with traumatized students? If you pardon somebody, all right, that means that they dont have much to worry about with regard to whatever the pardon covers, Holder said. But if Bob Mueller for instance wants to take a pardoned person, put that person before a grand jury, that person no longer has the ability to say, Im going to invoke my Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Weve seen communications from both sides over the last few weeks that reduce the gap, said Joseph Yun, who served as the State Departments special representative for North Korea policy until stepping down this year. Now Trump is talking about two or three summits; its entirely possible theyre not going to get done in one. Similarly, Secretary Pompeo is talking about process and progress. As a key member of the House Intelligence and Judiciary committees, and chairman of the House Oversight panel, Gowdy (R-S.C.) has held a prominent role in the GOPs efforts to probe how federal law enforcement has handled its investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election and related matters. The career prosecutor made his mark in Congress investigating the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, and the partys leaders still tap him for such politically charged matters whether allegations of FBI surveillance abuse, a probe of Hillary Clintons email practices or an Obama-era deal granting Russia a greater stake in the U.S. uranium market. Much of the concern about Italys new government stems from its promise of a powerful injection of spending, including new subsidies for the poor and unemployed. The coalition wants to repeal an unpopular pension restructuring that was drawn up during the height of the euro crisis as a way to bolster Italys coffers. The proposed changes are a potent nod to voter frustration in a country where the economy has scarcely grown in two decades. But the D.C.-based Peterson Institute for International Economics, in a research paper, said last week that the coalitions fiscal plans were a recipe for a debt crisis that would put it on collision course with financial markets and the European Union, which has rules designed to keep debt in check. The disagreement over Iraq was seen at the time as a historic rupture to the transatlantic consensus. But the Iraq War represented a policy disagreement, political analysts note. To many in Europe, whats happening now with the trade dispute coming on the heels of the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear agreement and Paris climate agreement, as well as Trumps decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem represents a more fundamental break. He added: It has been an honor to be the leader of Spain and to leave it in a better state than the one I found. I believe I have satisfied my responsibility, which is to improve the lives of Spaniards. If I have offended someone in my role, I ask forgiveness. Herding wild horses in Germany, flash flooding in Ellicott City, Md., Memorial Day at Arlington Cemetery, Stanley Cup finals and more images from around the world. May 26, 2018 Emergency services respond to a fire at an illegal landfill site in Zgierz, Poland. According to media reports, almost 250 firefighters were trying to extinguish the hazardous fire of illegal waste at the landfill. Grzegorz Michalowski/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock In the coming weeks, Horowitz is expected to release a nearly 500-page report criticizing the Justice Department and FBI for their handling of the Clinton email investigation, people familiar with the matter said. They, like others in this report, spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak frankly about matters they are not authorized to discuss publicly. Meanwhile, he has intensified his review of the Russia investigation, interviewing the FBI agent who once led the case and inviting him back for a second conversation, one of these people said. Another agent said so many migrants were apprehended in the Rio Grande Valley last month that many were diverted to other sections of the border for processing. The Justice Department has reassigned additional prosecutors to the border region to increase the number of migrants it charges with federal crimes, but one veteran border agent said it was too early to tell if the tougher enforcement measures were giving pause to migrants thinking of making the journey from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. Correction: The headline on an earlier version of this story incorrectly described the Justice Departments advice. It did not tell President Trump that the airstrikes on Syria were in the national interest; instead, it found that the strikes were legal because the president had made a reasonable determination that they were in the national interest. Michael R. Bromwich, McCabes lawyer, said in a statement: A little more than a month ago, we confirmed that we had been advised that a criminal referral to the U.S. Attorneys Office had been made regarding Mr. McCabe. We said at that time that we were confident that, unless there is inappropriate pressure from high levels of the Administration, the U.S. Attorneys Office would conclude that it should decline to prosecute. Our view has not changed. Many of those issues have been secondary to the major decision of selecting a venue for the two leaders to meet. For that, the two sides are believed to have settled on the Capella hotel on the resort island of Sentosa, the people familiar with the talks said. Situated off Singapores southeast coast, the hotel boasts a mix of colonial-style buildings and curvy modern edifices. Ryan Goodman, a professor at New York University School of Law and a former Pentagon official, argued in a recent op-ed that a central flaw in the militarys process is the high bar that must be cleared by those asserting harm before an investigation is opened: The military requires substantial indications that a death may have occurred. An even higher standard is required for confirming that a death took place. Before dawn on Saturday morning, an American citizen was killed near the Polytechnic University of Nicaragua, which has been a stronghold of student protest. The man, Sixto Henry Vera, the owner of a sports bar in Managua, had responded to a call that a friend was injured, but his truck got ambushed around 3:00 a.m., according to neighbors. Vera was shot and killed and his vehicle burned, they said. He [McNamee] was the person who took us offshore, Schiff says. CSL has been an Australian company since 1916 and when he came on it took on leading companies in Switzerland and Germany. Plasma play CSL's major strength is the plasma products. "They are made from human blood, Schiff says. And the market, because of population growth, continues to expand. "CSL also has a very active R&D group who are all the time working and expanding the range. All those things have contributed to the companys success, and I think the future of the company will be rosy. Brian McNamee returns to CSL as chairman in October. Credit:James Davies George Riley, another retail shareholder who also bought in at the float, says investing in CSL at the time was one of the best financial decisions he ever made. The worst was listening to a broker who two years later told him to get rid of half of his shares. I got a call from a broker to sell at $5.40, he says. I hate to say it but that decision has cost me over $800,000 at todays price. Loading Still, Rileys happy because he purchased 1000 shares when the price was $111, and he says CSL remains the largest component of his investment portfolio. Riley, who toured CSLs Broadmeadows facility last year with the Australian Shareholders Association, says the companys plasma collection centres, and latest products aimed at preventing repeat heart attacks in patients put CSL ahead of the curve. McNamee, who is mostly keeping a low profile until he officially takes over as chairman in October, in an email said that while CSL is a very different organisation now compared with when it floated, there are consistent cultural characteristics that remain firmly embedded at its core. Back then, as it does now, the company had great technical depth a deep understanding of what patients with rare and serious diseases need, the science to successfully innovate and the operational expertise to manufacture and commercialise high quality therapies, he says. Most of all, the organisation had a genuine belief that it could identify underperforming international assets and help them thrive because we understood our core expertise and had the determination to use it. That hasnt changed at all. No overnight success Last year CSL made $US6.92 billion in revenue (up 15 per cent on the year before). Its net profit after tax was $US1.4 billion. In May company delivered its second profit upgrade since the start of the year, saying it now expects net profit after tax for fiscal 2018 in the range of about $US1.68 billion to $US1.71 billion. We didn't just get to $84 billion overnight, right. Its taken a few years, CSL CEO Paul Perreault tells Fairfax Media. He is doing a phone interview from CSL Behrings US headquarters in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. Perreaults family still lives in the United States and he spends much of his time travelling between his home country and Australia, as well as to other CSL facilities in Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and China. CSL CEO Paul Perreault Credit:Jesse Marlow If we go back to the beginning, the first thing was that Brian [McNamee] realised if the company is to continue to grow we have to move outside of Australia, he says. McNamee took the company global soon after listing. In 1998, CSL acquired US-based animal health business Biocor from Bayer for $15 million, beginning its international position for CSLs veterinary products. In December 2003, CSL sold its animal health vaccines business to Pfizer for $US126 million. Perreault is excited about CSL's next big product, CSL-112, which has just entered the third phase of clinical trials in the hope of commercialisation. It aims to prevent second-time-around heart attacks and stroke after a patient suffers an initial heart attack. Perreault describes CSL-112 as the company's biggest transformative product at the moment. He's also optimistic about CSL's move into new areas of organ transplants and gene therapy. But it is big data and artificial intelligence that is key to its future products and markets, he says. We are looking right now to 2030, in our thinking, about what is the future going to bring for CSL, and for patients and medicine and health in general," Perreault says. "When you think of things like big data, and AI, and around blockchain and whats coming, in 2030 will CSL be the same or should we be looking differently in how we invest? Perreault joined CSL in 2004 when CSL Limited acquired Aventis Behring. He says that global aquisition spearheaded by McNamee put CSL on the map as a global player in the plasma therapy industry. The next phase, Perreault says, will be harder to manage. While collecting blood and making it into a useful life-saving product remains at the core of everything CSL still does, it has branched out into tougher, and more high-risk areas, which some analysts have, over the years, warned may mean its hefty share price tag isnt justified. Blood is beautiful Despite 1980s scandals involving contamination of blood products with the HIV virus, which affected all the industry, CSL and its industry peers worked together to eliminate contaminants from plasma products. CSL is now one of the worlds largest manufacturers of blood plasma products. It held less than 1 per cent of global plasma market share at the time of listing, compared with more than 20 per cent of global market share today. We have this beautiful plasma business that is growing ... that allows us to invest in R&D in other areas, Perreault says. Vials of early penicillin issued by CSL. We are not just burying our head in the sand and saying that this will go on forever we do have other biotech assets that were looking at. In Australia, CSL relies on blood donated through the Red Cross, but the majority of its source material comes from donors across the United States, who get paid $50 to $60 each time they donate blood. CSL's business is split into two main segments: CSL Behring, which manufactures plasma therapies, and Seqirus, its vaccine business. In total, the business employs more than 20,000 people in 30 countries. Loading The plasma collection centres sit under CSL Behring. The company now operates one of the worlds largest blood plasma collection networks, with more than 170 centres across the globe, and more in the pipeline. It's not standing still either, opening about 25 a year, at a cost of about $3 million each. It has been a direct contributor to CSLs recent growth, with competitors product sales constrained by a lack of supply. CSL is also in the vaccine business. Its experience with influenza dates back almost 100 years when it produced vaccine during the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1919. Seqirus was created in July 2015 following the merger of the acquired Novartis influenza vaccines business and the existing bioCSL business and is the worlds second largest influenza vaccine provider in terms of sales, with operations in more than 20 countries in the $US4 billion global industry. Seqirus has manufacturing operations in North America, Europe and Australia that employs more than 2000 staff. Its quadrivalent flu vaccines cover four strains of flu and have been in higher demand around the world. In Australia theres been a surge in demand for flu vaccines, so CSL is making more vaccines for this flu season. Credit:Graham Barclay Perreault says its massive manufacturing facility in Holly Springs, North Carolina, is the only commercial-scale cell-cultured vaccine producer in the world. CSL says influenza viruses isolated and grown exclusively in cells can be more similar to influenza viruses in circulation. The facility also allows CSL to boost production of the vaccines when needed. In Australia, theres been a surge in demand, he says, so the company will be making more vaccines for this flu season. There seems to be potential for better matches on flu strains, he says, but then qualifies that by saying it is a seasonal business and that comes with ups and downs. Theres a new product every six months - one for the southern hemisphere and one for the northern, he says. Its an interesting business for sure. It keeps you on your toes. CSL Behring: the engine But it's not flu vaccines but blood that contributes to the bulk of CSLs sales. CSL Behring is the companys growth engine. By collecting blood and separating it into components for a range of therapeutic uses, this division contributed $US5.8 billion in sales in 2017. As well as keeping manufacturing local through its Broadmeadows plant in Melbourne, the company manufactures from Bern in Switzerland, Marburg in Germany, Kankakee in Illinois and Wuhan in China. By collecting blood and separating it into components for a range of therapeutic uses, CSL Behring contributed $US5.8 billion in sales in 2017. Credit:James Davies Its immunoglobulins products, Hizentra and Privigen, have performed especially well. These are used to treat and prevent infection of auto-immune diseases, neurological conditions and to prevent haemolytic disease in the newborn. It represents the companys largest blood therapy area and contributed sales of $US2.8 billion in 2017 (up 14 per cent over the year). CSL also has products for people with a genetic condition that causes abnormal bleeding called haemophilia. It is caused when blood does not clot properly, and so specialised treatment is needed. In revenue terms, the global haemophilia market is worth about $US10.5 billion and is expected to reach $US15.1 billion by 2025. Last year CSLs haemophilia product franchise increased 4 per cent in constant currency, versus the prior year to $US1 billion, mainly thanks to the uptake of CSLs haemophilia B drug, Idelvion. It received US Food and Drug Administration approval in 2016 and has since launched in 13 countries. The new treatment protects patients from bleeding episodes for up to 14 days, which means people living with haemophilia B can inject themselves with the therapy weekly or fortnightly rather than two to three times a week. Then theres CSL Behrings portfolio of albumin products that yielded sales of $US840 million last year, an increase of 7 per cent over the year, primarily driven by strong ongoing global demand. CSL Behring has a new albumin production facility in Broadmeadows, which is anticipated to receive regulatory approval next year. CSL is also a supplier of albumin in China, where it has been selling for 20 years. It's one of the only products that China's government allows to be imported. In order to expand the product offering in China, CSL last year announced agreed to buy 80 per cent equity in Chinese plasma therapies manufacturer Ruide for $US352 million. Ruide has a broad portfolio of domestic plasma products, with a manufacturing facility and four plasma collection centres all in central China. I saw it as a strategic opportunity, not as a jump-to revenue, buy-an acquisition [move], Perreault says. It may be six to 10 years before it comes to scale, he says. Currently the China albumin business brings in about $US600 million in annual revenue. The acquired business brings in about $30 million, and his hope is that over time CSL gets a bigger share of the market. Look, its hard to ignore 1.3 billion people, he says. I think we can do quite well in China." CSL-112: the potential gem But for the time being its not the China market that has Perrault most excited. It is CSL-112. In March, CSL Behring announced its first patient enrolment phase of its Phase 3 clinical trial of CSL-112. The phase III trial, which is expected to take four years and a big chunk out of the companys R&D war-chest at a cost of $US450 million-$550 million, will enrol more than 17,000 patients from about 1000 medical centres around the world. If the trials prove successful, the scale of future growth is huge. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally. In Australia, an estimated 54,000 people are hospitalised every year as a result of a heart attack. In Australia, an estimated 54,000 people a year are hospitalised as a result of a heart attack. Credit:Nic Walker Numbers of people suffering heart attacks in the United States are about 750,000 every year. Nearly one in five survivors of heart attack will experience a recurrent event within one year of the initial event. The majority of these recurrent events happen within the first 90 days and are associated with a high rate of morbidity and mortality. CSL is hoping that its CSL-112 therapy can help prevent repeat heart attacks by removing cholesterol from plaque following a heart attack and stabilising dangerous plaque lesions in the arteries that could otherwise erupt and cause another cardiovascular event. Nothing has been able to prevent second heart attacks or stroke within the first 90 days post-heart attack - so from a patient perspective that would be a remarkable advancement, Perreault says. If we can prevent those [secondary attacks] that will serve millions of people potentially around the globe. Macquarie analysts say this product, alongside CSLs R&D pipeline, investments in China, and a recent aquisition aimed at paving the companys way into gene therapy have potential long-term upside. It says compared to other big Chinese operators, like China Biologic, CSL Behring generates higher revenue per litre of blood collected. But Morgan Stanley's Sean Laaman in a research note says the risk is that about $US500 million of R&D spent on CSL-112 could be too much "to test a therapy based on an unvalidated hypothesis for a shrinking market". Gene therapy, organ transplants CSL is already an Aussie innovation success story that Malcolm Turnbull loves to boast about. What you are doing here and what all your scientists are doing here is what we need to do more of, the Prime Minister said in March 2016 as he stood beside CSLs chairman, John Shine, and University of Melbourne vice-chancellor professor Glyn Davis, unveiling the expansion of Parkvilles Bio21. Glyn Davis (left) and Malcolm Turnbull (centre) jousted over industry collaboration last year. Pictured with CSL chairman John Shine at the announcement of a 5000-square-metre expansion of the university's Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute Credit:Jesse Marlow The Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute in Parkville, which the university and CSL are joint partners in, is precisely what Turnbull wants to see more of under his National Innovation and Science Agenda: collaboration between institutions and industry so that Australia can be seen as a world leader in life sciences and biotechnology research. CSL also has a research and development arm that employs 1500 people around the world to focus on developing its next generation of life-saving products. The company spends between 10 to 11 per cent of its annual revenue on R&D ($US645 million in 2017) and its new products typically derive from the business it is already familiar in: therapeutic uses for plasma proteins. Perreault and CSLs R&D director and chief scientist, professor Andrew Cuthbertson, are excited about the future of organ transplants and gene therapy. Even in the rare cases that a transplant succeeds, organ transplants often fail because the body later rejects the organ. CSL is trialling the use of blood proteins to improve the quality and sustainability of organs, such as kidneys, for transplant. Human transplantation is an area of medical need, particularly because organs like kidneys or hearts or lungs are in very short supply, Professor Cuthbertson says. CSL already has a clinical trial underway in this space, and another will begin next year. The hope is that CSLs C1 Inhibitor concentrate will prevent a kidney organ being rejected by a patient after a transplant. Organ transplants often fail because the body later rejects the organ. Credit:AP The gene therapy space also gives the company high hopes. In August, CSL Behring acquired Calimmune, a US biotechnology company focused on the development of gene therapy with R&D facilities in Pasadena, California, and Sydney, for an upfront payment of $91 million. Further milestone payments could hit $US325 million over eight years. It will help CSL focus on the development of stem cell gene therapy, which it hopes can treat patients suffering from currently incurable genetic diseases. The company is holding clinical trials around the world in a bid to treat a rare blood-related sickle cell disease. The genes for sickle cell disease are common in people of African, Middle Eastern, Southern European, Indian, Pakistani and Caribbean origin. We are going back and fixing the gene so the patient can make the correct version of the protein rather than having to fight it, Professor Cuthbertson says. We want to first target sickle cell disease. If we can make it [the treatment] work in sickle cell disease, its likely we can use it for other diseases caused by a problem in an individuals genes. CSL looks to AI and big data As the global healthcare and pharma industry looks at the potential of AI and big data, it's only natural that CSL has too. Professor Cutherbertson says partnerships like Bio21 and with the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute give the company access to medical scientists and academics studying big data and AI. The head of Australia's peak banking lobby group, Anna Bligh, has defended the banks' resistance to lifting loan limits for small business in their new code of practice, saying they are in "uncharted waters". The banking royal commission on Thursday heard the Australian Banking Association (ABA) wants to cap small business loans at $3 million in total in its draft Code of Banking Practice. Anna Bligh, head of the Australian Banking Association, leaves the banking royal commission. Credit:AAP However, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) prefers a threshold of $5 million per loan, a level also supported by small business advocates, including the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman. "The banks are erring on the side of caution and conservatism," ABA chief executive Ms Bligh said. "Frankly we are in uncharted waters - they have not made loans of this size in these sort of circumstances before." Some are joeys rescued from the pouches of roadkill. Others are victims of cruelty, have mange or are former pets. Sometimes wild wombats drop by for a snack. Ms Stepan has learnt a lot about wombats in her years running Sleepy Burrows. They arent nocturnal after all, she says, but live according to temperature. Ms Stepan feeds the joeys at two-hourly intervals. Credit:Margaret Gordon In the heat of summer, wombats stay in their burrows during the day, but in winter they can be seen feeding outside during daylight hours. Some juvenile wombats sleep in crates in her spare room and dining room. When theyre awake, they take over the living room. Juvenile wombats sleep in crates in her spare room and dining room. Credit:Margaret Gordon The wombats she cares for are named in groups, after a theme. One lot is a tea set: Teacup, Teapot and Tim Tam. Ms Stepan's day usually starts at 5am and she rarely gets to bed before midnight. She feeds the smallest wombats through the night, getting up at two-hour intervals. Sometimes she gets no sleep at all. Her husband Phil Melzer is also integral to Sleepy Burrows. He does a lot of the labour at the sanctuary and has been known to lay concrete at midnight, she says, because it has to be done. While adult wombats are territorial, often anti-social animals, juveniles are social and playful. Juvenile wombats take over the living room when they're not sleeping. Credit:Margaret Gordon Shoes, clothes and furniture are regularly destroyed, and they even make holes in the walls. They do nip, or play-bite, and their hard heads and bottoms can cause bruising. But theres nothing a wombat likes more than a scratch on the behind. The way to a wombats heart, Ms Stepan says, is through their bottom. Ms Stepan says playing with wombats helps prepare them for release into the wild, which means her family spends around seven hours a day keeping them amused and active. In the wild they can attack, but only if theyre disturbed. Theyre not hiding in the bush waiting to knee-cap you, Ms Stepan says. Bare-nosed (formerly known as common) wombats are not classified as endangered, so Sleepy Burrows doesnt receive any government funding. (The operation is paid for by people who sign up to be Wombassadors, donating a monthly sum. Ms Stephan also charges for tours of the sanctuary, which have been taken by many foreign dignitaries visiting Canberra.) The wombats spend up to seven hours a day playing, in preparation for their return to the wild. Credit:Margaret Gordon But Ms Stepan warns that a crisis is looming for the species, which she says will be critically endangered by 2030. The culprit is saracoptic mange, a parasitic mite which burrows into the animals skin, causing open wounds and eventually death. Its not known how wombats become infected with mange, but its likely through contact with domestic animals. The mites are transmitted through shared burrows. The situation is at best concerning, at worst dire. The wild wombat population in Tasmanias Narawntapu national park has decreased by 94 per cent in the past seven years, despite a concerted effort to treat mange. Its now thought there are fewer than 10 wombats left in the area. Mange has been present in wombat populations for many years, but its incidence is increasing. From her observations, Ms Stepan believes 70 per cent of the NSW wombat population has mange: 90 per cent of those infected will die from the condition. Once the disease advances there is little hope of survival, and death is prolonged and painful. On top of that, they are liable to infect other wombats. Mr Melzer regularly euthanises manged wombats whose disease has progressed beyond saving. Despite the threat to the animals population, it is still legal to shoot wombats with a culling licence in Victoria and NSW, issued on grounds including damage to buildings, pasture or crops. Victorian Government figures show 3374 wombats were legally shot in 2017. Ms Stepan and a team from the Queensland University of Technology have created a treatment model for wombats with mange, in the form of a hospital burrow. The hospital burrow mimics a wombats natural home, while keeping the rescuer separate from the animal and the wombat safe from reinfection. A NSW coroner has urged the national body for water-ski racing to consider bolstered safety measures four years after champion water-skier Sarah Teelow died in a high-speed race on the Hawkesbury River. But two-time world champion water-skier Tania Teelow said recommendations from an inquest into her "amazing" daughter's death didn't go far enough and there were "a lot of inadequacies and shortfalls at all levels of ski racing". She called for more research to develop helmets and flotation devices for water-skiers. Ms Teelow, 20, suffered head and neck injuries when she crashed soon after the start of the 121-kilometre Bridge to Bridge race in November 2013. Mark Bennetts, CEO of Mt Buller and Mt Stirling Resorts, stands on a huge pile of man made snow. Credit:Jason South Victoria could see the end of ski seasons in 30 years, a state government report warns. By mid-century, most of the state's resorts are likely to have closed and the number of days each year of good natural snow cover on the ski slopes could be in single figures. Victoria's busiest snow resorts have just 20 to 30 more years of reliable natural snowfall before a warming climate threatens their viability, while lower altitude resorts may have just 10 more years. The report for the Andrews government forecasts another 20 to 30 years of economically viable natural snowfall for the states biggest alpine resorts, Mt Hotham, Mt Buller and Falls Creek, and perhaps 10 years or less for the lower altitude resorts Lake Mountain and Mt Baw Baw. The general community found the statistics alarming. But those working inside were not surprised. Community and Public Sector Union branch secretary Toni Walkington said staff had welcomed the Telethon Kids Institute researcher's findings, because prior to their release they had been concerned at the level of disability within the children locked up, but did not feel anyone was listening. They have noticed the change in the children over the years, the ones that have been there over a longer period have seen a change in the state of the children who come in, Ms Walkington said of the education and youth custodial officers. Years ago, one boy was let out and he was waiting for me in the carpark. He wanted to come back in. There was nothing for him outside. Banksia Hill Detention Centre teacher They were saying themselves that they didnt think a number of the children belonged in detention centres; that there needed to be a health and intellectual impairment approach to managing these children, not always a criminal, or judicial approach. On top of that, education and custodial officers were hampered by a lack of resourcing and a detention model that was far from best practice, Ms Walkington said. Staff were keen to direct children to better behaviours, and send them back into the community better equipped. But the system, where 17 year olds who had committed heinous crimes were housed with children who had ended up inside due to family dysfunction and had never done anything violent, was fundamentally flawed. Thats extremely challenging when you are trying to also focus on their care, wellbeing, their education and developing people who are still young, their brains are still forming," Ms Walkington said. Living quarters at Banksia Hill detention centre. "Then you mix that with the problems that are associated with their understanding and comprehension because of the use of alcohol and drugs of their mother while they were pregnant with them, or subsequent use of petrol sniffing or something like that. They have got brain damage so their understanding and comprehension is variable. The teacher put it this way. Loading We have the biggest bullies in the state, as well as the biggest victims. This teacher had always wanted to work with indigenous children. Her students came from such traumatic backgrounds, and she really tried to make schooling a positive experience so the children built up the confidence to participate in programs on the outside. The range of abilities in one class was amazing, the male teacher said. We have kids with English as a second language, kids with Foetal Alcohol Syndrome and extremely high special needs, such as ADD and hyperactivity," he said. Weve got kids who cant form a letter and we've got kids who are doing their ATAR. So in one classroom you might have three kids who are learning how to write a sentence and the use of capital letters. And then we have (young people), who want to go into the workforce and need to write resumes. So you have to have very individualised programs. The teachers noted many of the children had nobody who cared for them on the outside. One said a student told about how he might commit another crime to be able to come back to prison, to go to school, to be fed, and to be safe. Loading There is a bit of a contradiction with these boys, in lots of ways they are incredibly mature, they're street wise, theyve seen a lot of awful things in their lives. And in other ways they are massively under-developed, especially educationally, he said. We had a story the other day where an 18-year-old boy went absolutely nuts over a scratch and sniff sticker. And thats the contradiction we work with every day. On one level [they can be] incredibly mature, street-wise, [have] kids themselves and seen horrible things happen. But in another way [they can be] very, very childish. Ms Walkington said the workers were hampered by a lack of resourcing. Jobs did not get filled. They had limited options to deal with some behaviours. Community and Public Sector Union branch secretary Toni Walkington. In April, the Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services released a report to the WA Parliament which found education services delivered at Banksia Hill did not meet community standards. Reform of the centre's education services needed the appropriate prioritisation, support, and guidance from executive levels of the Department of Justice and senior management at Banksia Hill. The report said daily disruptions to class time had become common. Security was taking priority over education, and it was no surprise education staff were demoralised. New teaching staff had benefited the system. "They brought potential to refresh thinking about young people as students, and focus on meeting their needs. New staff had the benefit of not being tied to historical practices and events," the report said. Fundamentally, there were not enough teachers at Banksia Hill. It was common for a class of young people to be supervised by a custodial officer because there were not enough teachers available. These so-called custodial groups were running almost daily. "This is not a standard that would be accepted in the community, and it should not be accepted at Banksia Hill," the report said. The Department of Justice advised that a strategic plan for education services had been developed and was in the process of being implemented. They had advertised for a new principal to oversee the education of juveniles. A separate education budget had been allocated and would be administered by the new principal. A spokesman for the Department said a multidisciplinary team would be introduced under a new model of care to identify specific impairments. Defence Minister Marise Payne has issued a coded but clear demand on China not to bully other countries that disagree with it. In a speech to military and political leaders from Asia and the Pacific region on Saturday, Senator Payne will say that no one country can tear up the system of international rules - which she pointedly notes has let countries such as China grow and prosper peacefully. Senator Marise Payne listens to Foreign Affairs Secretary Frances Adamson during estimates. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer In the speech to the Shangri-La dialogue in Singapore, Senator Payne makes it clear Australia will continue calling out behaviour that tries unilaterally to change what Australia and its allies call the rules-based order. While she doesnt name China, Senator Payne makes thinly veiled references to Chinas behaviour, making it apparent the Turnbull government means to keep pressing Beijing over issues such as the South China Sea and foreign interference even as it tries to improve the relationship after a rocky six months. Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has made another complaint to the ABC - the sixth in five months - this time about commentary on the controversial date of the "super Saturday" byelections. Senator Fifield has taken issue with the characterisation of the decision to hold five byelections on July 28 - the weekend Labor had booked its national conference - as a deliberately political move. "The Prime Minister did not decide the date for the byelections," Senator Fifield told ABC boss Michelle Guthrie in a written complaint obtained by Fairfax Media. ABC Managing Director Michelle Guthrie and Minister for Communications Mitch Fifield. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen "It is totally unacceptable for the national broadcaster to report this Labor lie as fact." Pauline Hanson is struggling to contain an "implosion" of her political movement as One Nation rebel Brian Burston attacks her unfettered power and refuses her demand to give up his Senate seat, sparking predictions of a voter backlash at the "histrionics" that are splitting the party. The spectacular divisions led to an impasse late on Friday when Senator Hanson issued a written directive to Senator Burston to remove him as a party officer while he insisted he would remain loyal to the party and keep his place in federal parliament. The split adds to the uncertainty in the Senate ahead of two crucial votes on income tax cuts worth $140 billion and company tax cuts worth $35.6 billion over a decade, with the government facing a bigger challenge in getting Senator Hanson to back its agenda. Former One Nation members blamed Senator Hanson for the political strife while observers said the events proved again that she had poor judgment in choosing candidates and a history of driving away her own allies. Queensland independent senator Fraser Anning, who was forced out of One Nation last year, said voters would judge the party for the "histrionics" and "false accusations" in the treatment of Senator Burston, saying it echoed his experience. When Australias chief spy, ASIO boss Duncan Lewis, told a Senate estimates hearing last week that Australia faced a greater threat from espionage today than at any time since the Cold War he was careful not to specify which countries might be targeting us. No one doubts that he was talking about China. The senators who were questioning him were undoubtedly talking about China. Andrew Robb was the architect of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement. Credit:Andrew Meares As evidence of Chinese efforts to influence Australian institutions mounts, both major parties have reason for self-reflection. When he quit his role as an elected representative of the Australian people the Liberal trade minister Andrew Robb walked into an $880,000-a-year job with a billionaire closely aligned to the Chinese Communist Party. Imagine the scenario at the next federal election when a foreign power seeks to wield its influence to help a friend or punish an enemy in the Australian parliament. An Australian politician could easily collect donations from a wealthy patron close to a foreign government in exchange for influence over policy. A foreign government could use its muscle with ethnic media to wage a vendetta against an elected MP. A donor to a political party could shape its policy while hiding his or her link to a foreign agency. Huang Xiangmo and Sam Dastyari at a press conference for the Chinese community in Sydney on July 17, 2016. What would have sounded alarmist a few years ago is now a humdrum prediction. The spectre of Chinese and Russian influence is everywhere. The Russian meddling in the last United States election is a sign of things to come, while the Russian cyber attacks on Britain in April showed just how blatant the tactics are getting. And China? Nobody needs to imagine the idea of an Australian politician joining a friend of the Chinese Communist Party to spout propaganda at the next election. That is exactly what happened at the last one. The sight of Labor senator Sam Dastyari standing alongside Huang Xiangmo at a parliamentary office lectern remains a warning to everyone. Ottawa: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is furious at the Trump administration's new tariffs to be imposed from Friday on Canadian, Mexican and European steel and aluminium. The European Union says it is ready to retaliate immediately, with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker calling the metals crackdown "protectionism, pure and simple". While French President Emmanuel Macron labelled them a mistake. The move, announced by US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in a telephone briefing on Thursday, ended months of uncertainty about potential tariff exemptions and suggested a hardening of the Trump administration's approach to trade negotiations. The reaction was swift. Plan to Help Central Ogden Neighborhood Receives National Award May 31, 2018 OGDEN, Utah The International Town & Gown Association honored the Ogden Civic Action Network (OgdenCAN) for a plan that will combine the resources of seven long-time Ogden institutions to strengthen a 10-by-10-block area of the city known as the east-central neighborhood. Bill Cook with ITGA award East central, which runs from 20th to 30th streets and Washington to Harrison boulevards, is Ogdens most economically disadvantaged area. Of the 15,037 residents, an estimated 30 percent live in poverty and face challenges involving education, housing and access to health care. More than 170 organizations and institutions have worked to provide various types of support to east-central residents. In 2016, Weber State University invited Ogden City to co-author a civic action plan to combine the strength of all those organizations through a strategic, cohesive, master plan to revitalize the neighborhood and help lift residents out of the cycle of intergenerational poverty. The vision of OgdenCAN is to improve the health, strength and engagement of our community socially, environmentally, educationally and civically, said Brenda Marsteller Kowalewski, associate provost for high-impact programs and faculty development. Many organizations, WSU included, have worked in this community for years. Now we get to explore partnerships collectively and join hands to address the same set of concerns. OgdenCAN Awards For its efforts in creating the structure and impetus for the civic action plan, OgdenCAN, was honored with the International Town & Gown Association (ITGA) Presidential Excellence Award during its annual conference in Columbus, Ohio, May 29-31. In addition, Weber State recently has been selected as an inaugural member of the Higher Education Anchor Mission Initiative, where institutions commit their resources to enhance the economic and social well-being of surrounding communities. I have been asked, Who in his right mind would address all of the most challenging social issues of a community at the same time? said Bill Cook, OgdenCAN executive director. But this is the only way to truly give people who are living in poverty a hand-up. We need to address all of the social determinants of health to affect a wide range of health, functioning and quality-of-life issues. Community Partners OgdenCAN consists of seven anchor institutions those institutions that are unlikely to move and that contribute significantly to the economic and social stability of a community and six partner organizations. The anchor institutions include Weber State University, Ogden City, Intermountain Healthcares McKay-Dee Hospital, Ogden Regional Medical Center, Ogden-Weber Technical College, Ogden School District and the Weber-Morgan Health Department. This initiative is designed to align all of the available resources and enhance community collaboration. Alignment includes partnerships with the Ogden Diversity Commission, Latinos United Promoting Education and Civic Engagement, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Utah Alliance for Determinants of Health, Weber County Intergenerational Poverty Initiative, and Ogden United Promise Neighborhood. Organization Structure To ensure sustainability of this planned 40-year effort, Weber State created the Office of Community Development, which is responsible for supporting OgdenCAN and provides staff for the organization. A 13-member board of directors will make decisions about projects and funding. The board will elect a chair and vice-chair at its monthly meeting June 21 at 9 a.m. at the Ogden-Weber Technical College Board Room. We are focused on addressing the deeply-rooted poverty in this neighborhood, Cook said. We will create opportunities and remove barriers for all of the residents. With a coordinated effort of the resources available, we will have a significant positive impact. Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University. Less than a week after reports of the sale of the New England Confectionery Co. to an Ohio candy giant, the Metropoulos family announced the formation of Sweetheart Candy in Greenwich to take over the bankrupt Necco. Necco, the Revere, Mass.-based maker of Necco wafers and heart-shaped Sweetheart candies inscribed with sweet nothings, had been up for auction in federal bankruptcy court in Massachusetts. Spangler Candy had emerged last week as the winning bidder but did not conclude the deal, with the family of billionaire Dean Metropoulos declaring Friday its $17.3 million bid had landed it the Necco brand and operations. Dean Metropoulos led the acquisition and initial public offering of Hostess Brands, bringing the bankrupt maker of Twinkies and Ding Dongs back from the dead. He had previously reinvigorated brands like Pabst Blue Ribbon, Bumble Bee, Ghirardelli, Chef Boyardee, Vlasic and Perrier Jouet, among 80 entities in which he and his family have invested. Spangler had bid $18.8 million for Necco, with the Bryan, Ohio-based company having several well-known brands including Dum Dums and Saf-T-Pops lollipops and Smarties hard candy. A Spangler spokesperson told Hearst Connecticut Media its deal fell apart after Necco was unable to meet multiple unspecified conditions Spangler had sought in its original purchase agreement. In an email response to a query, Necco CEO Mike McGee said the Metropoulos family could acquire other sweets brands to add to Necco as they build the company back up, having submitted their bid through the Round Hill Investments firm that lists its main office in Greenwich. Its unclear why Spangler chose not to close, but I know we are very thrilled to be partnering with the Metropoulos team given their strong track record and commitment to supporting customers, McGee stated. I know Dean, Evan and Daren Metropoulos are extremely excited by the opportunity to revive (Necco) and its amazing brands which had not received the investment they deserved over recent years. Plenty of work lies ahead for Necco under Metropoulos ownership the Food and Drug Administration recently reprimanded the company for sanitary conditions at its huge plant in Revere. Necco was formed in 1901 through the roll-up of several Boston-area candy makers, with its brands today including Candy Buttons; Clark Bar, Sky Bar and Haviland Thin Mints chocolates; Mary Jane and Squirrel Nut Zippers chews; and Slap Stix caramel pops. Other companies that had filed or explored bids for portions or all of Necco included Reading, Pa.-based Stichler Products, maker of Mega Buttons candy and Royal Icing among other lines; Philadelphia-based Frankford Candy, which sells lines of Valentines Day and Easter bunny chocolates; and lollipop maker Melville Candy of Randolph, Mass. More for you FDA scolds NECCO for rodent problem, unsanitary conditions I dont think there was anyone in the candy business who didnt look at those assets over the last five years, said Henk Hartong III, CEO of the Greenwich-based private equity investor Brynwood Partners, whose brands include the Pearsons Candy maker of Bit-O-Honey and Pearsons Mint Patties among other candies. It was no secret that Necco has been looking for a buyer for a long time. Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman The Westport Artists Collective will offer a Pop Up Show on Wednesday from 6 to 8 pm. at the Westport Arts Center. The show is free and open to the public, and will be on view through June 9. The show can also be previewed during the day on June 6. The arts center opens its space to the collective three times each year, allowing local artists to showcase their work and the entire community to show its support. The Pop Up includes a diverse range of works by 15 artists in the collective, selected by the participants in the November 2017 Pop Up event. Selected artists include Ginny Awn, Tom Berntsen, Louise Cadoux, Larry Gordon, Kerry Heftman, Gail Ingis-Claus, Karen Kalkstein, Elisa Keogh, Fruma Markowitz, Kathy Nolan, Marjorie Poe, Delores Santoliquido, Anthony Santomauro, Guy Sealy and Sherri Wolfgang. The Westport Artists Collective will also host an artists talk at the Westport Arts Center on June 9 at 3 p.m. The talk is free and open to the public. Attendees will gain a behind-the-scenes perspective from several of the Pop Up artists, who will discuss their influences, techniques and works. For information, contact the Westport Arts Center at 203-222-7070 or visit www.westportartists collective.org Connecticut Open House Day set for June 9 Connecticut residents will receive free or discounted admission or special offers at more than 225 destinations across the state including attractions, historical sites, museums, galleries and restaurants on June 9, in celebration of Connecticut Open House Day. The one-day statewide event is designed to showcase Connecticuts mix of history, art, culture and tourism. Participating properties span the entire state, and range from well-known destinations to hidden gems. To view the complete list of participants, visit www.CTvisit.com/CTOpenHouseDay. This year, 32 new properties are taking part for the first time, including 11 businesses at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket and seven businesses in the town of Stratford, as well as Saybrook Point Inn, Marina and Spa in Old Saybrook, Leroy Anderson House in Woodbury and Powder Ridge Mountain Park and Resort in Middlefield. Residents can expect free admission at over 85 attractions, including museums and historical sites; free tours at over 25 properties, including some that are rarely open to the public; and special offers and giveaways at dozens of businesses, including hotels and art galleries. Other special activities throughout the state include farm and house tours, antique car, boat and train rides, scavenger hunts and crafts, hearth cooking demonstrations, kayak and paddleboard rentals, and food and beverage tastings. Open House Day is a perfect opportunity for residents to become tourists in their own backyard and experience what makes Connecticut such a prime New England destination, said Randy Fiveash, director of the Connecticut Office of Tourism. Connecticuts $14.7 billion tourism industry directly supports nearly 83,000 jobs and over 121,000 jobs in total. For Connecticut Open House Day updates, visit www.CTvisit.com/CTOpenHouseDay; RSVP to the Facebook event; and, follow #CTOpenHouse. Students win National PTA Awards Two Westport students won National PTA awards in the Reflections Art Program at the 2018 Reflections Award Celebration at Roger Ludlowe Middle School in Fairfield on May 16. They are two out of the six national winners from Connecticut. Quinn Mulvey, of Bedford Middle School, won the National Award of Excellence for her piece Wildfire in the literary category, the First Place CT award in the high school division and a $200 Young Artist Scholarship. Rachel Suggs, of Staples High School, won the National Award of Merit for her photograph Chew thin air and the First Place CT award in the high school division. Both artists works will be featured in the traveling Reflections exhibition. The National PTA Reflections program is PTAs cornerstone art program. It was developed in 1969 to encourage students to explore their talents and express themselves. Each year, students in grades pre-K through 12 are recognized by bringing the theme to life through dance choreography, film production, literature, music composition, photography and visual arts. Liporace to wed Garcia Jenna Christine Liporace and Alex Kyle Garcia are to be married July 28 by the Rev. Thomas Mahoney at the Wilton Congregational Church in Wilton. She is the daughter of Anthony and Valerie Liporace, of Westport. Anthony Liporace is director of financial information services for Rockefeller University in New York City. Valerie is the office manager at Embrace Orhodontics in Westport. Jenna, a graduate of Staples High School, received a bachelors degree from Marist College and teaches first grade at Stillmeadow Elementary School in Stamford. She holds a masters degree in teaching from Sacred Heart University and is pursuing a sixth-year degree at Sacred Heart University. Alex, a graduate of Wilton High School, is the son of Kathleen Walas and stepson of Thomas Sarakatsannis, of New York City and Greenport, N.Y. Sarakatsannis is senior vice president and general counsel for LOreal USA and The Americas in New York City. Walas is a past president of the Parents League of New York and serves on its board of directors. She is also past president of the Avon Foundation. Alex is finance manager for NBC Universal in New York City. He graduated with a bachelors degree in accounting from Miami University in Ohio and received a masters in business administration from Sacred Heart University. Alexs brother, Justan, is owner of the Rick Garcia Salon in Westport. Jenna and Alex will honeymoon in Greece and reside in Stamford. Sun cream, check. Floral shirt that you wouldn't wear at home, check. IPod stuffed with the best of Andrew Lloyd Webber, check. Looks like all your suitcase needs is a couple of paperbacks to help you while away a week in the sun. Lucky for you we've rounded up our favourites below, and there's not a shade of grey in sight. My First Play Nick Hern Nick Hern (of Nick Hern Books, yes really) gave a bunch of theatremakers (what is the collective noun for such people?) a simple brief: write about your first play. The result is a lovely collection of pieces including Caryl Churchill on performing Cinderella to her parents with a cast of dolls and stuffed animals, and Jack Thorne having to become a thief to get his first play on. Buy it here Get Me the Urgent Biscuits: An Assistant's Adventures in Theatreland Sweetpea Slight This coming-of-age story, from the wonderfully named Sweetpea Slight, offers a fascinating insight into the life of an 18 year-old, who moved to London to become an actress and ended up becoming assistant to the eccentric theatrical impresario Thelma Holt instead. Buy it here Women Centre Stage: Eight Short Plays By and About Women Various Treat yourself to some brilliant writing from some brilliant women with this new book, out on 14 June, which does exactly what it says on the tin. The titular plays are: How to Not Sink by Georgia Christou, Wilderness by April De Angelis, The Nightclub by Chloe Todd Fordham, F*cking Feminists by Rose Lewenstein, Tituba by Winsome Pinnock, The Road to Huntsville by Stephanie Ridings, White Lead by Jessica Sian, What is the Custom of Your Grief? by Timberlake Wertenbaker. Pre-order it here Black British Drama: A Transnational Story Michael Pearce Nominated for this year's Theatre Book Prize, Michael Pearce's new book examines plays by a range of writers including Winsome Pinnock, Kwame Kwei-Armah and Bola Agbaje, providing an in-depth account of post-war black British drama. Buy it here Year of the Mad King: The Lear Diaries Antony Sher Following on from his Year of the King and Year of the Fat Knight, Antony Sher presents his account of researching, rehearsing and performing one of Shakespeare's greatest roles. 'Sher genius' they're calling it, of course. Buy it here Little Me Matt Lucas From George Dawes to Vicky Pollard, comedian and actor Matt Lucas a massive musical theatre fan and soon to be seen in Me and My Girl at Chichester Festival Theatre is responsible for some of the nation's most iconic comedy characters. Little Me is his new, brilliantly funny autobiography, which uniquely is told in alphabetical order, such as B for Baldy and X for Xenophobia. Buy it here Historians on Hamilton: How a Blockbuster Musical Is Restaging America's Past Various In case you're not Hamiltoned up by now, Historians on Hamilton brings together a collection of top scholars to explain the Hamilton phenomenon and explore what it might mean for our understanding of America's history. Buy it here Unmasked Andrew Lloyd Webber In his 70th year, Lord Lloyd Webber has released his first memoirs reflecting on his remarkable career, well up to The Phantom of the Opera anyway, so you'll have to wait for the backstage goss on Love Never Dies and Stephen Ward. In the meantime you can enjoy anecdotes and cameo appearances from the likes of Elaine Paige, Judi Dench, Barbra Streisand and Michael Crawford. Buy it here Balancing Acts Nicholas Hytner It's been a busy 12 months for former NT boss Nick Hytner, releasing his behind-the-scenes book just months after opening the brand new Bridge Theatre. Balancing Acts is his story of 12 years at the helm of the South Bank theatre, with fascinating stories about his biggest hits including The History Boys, War Horse and One Man, Two Guvnors, and anecdotes featuring the likes of Alan Bennett, Maggie Smith and Helen Mirren. Also nominated for this year's Theatre Book Prize. Buy it here Twenty Theatres to See Before You Die Amber Massie-Blomfield If being on holiday makes you think of your bucket list, then Massie-Blomfield's quirky look at theatres across the UK that you should see before you pop your clogs is one to pack. The former boss of Camden People's Theatre (which makes the list...) takes the road less travelled to discover a smorgasbord of unexpected theatres from the Minack in Cornwall to Edinburgh's Summerhall, via Margate, Belfast and Morecambe. Buy it here Razzle Dazzle: The Battle for Broadway Michael Riedel Here's one for the Broadway fans out there, Razzle Dazzle is a narrative account of the people and the money and the power that turned New York's gritty back alleys and sex-shops into the glitzy, dazzling Great White Way. Buy it here Reasons to be Graeae: A Work In Progress Jenny Sealey Not only does A Work In Progress contain the full script for Graeae's recent hit production of Reasons to be Cheerful but there's also lots of lovely stuff about the history of the UK's leading theatre company for D/deaf and disabled actors as well as memories from previous collaborators including Jo Clifford, Kaite O'Reilly and Jack Thorne. Buy it here Hamlet: Globe to Globe: 193,000 Miles, 197 Countries, One Play Dominic Dromgoole Imagine taking Shakespeare's most celebrated play to all seven continents of the world? Well thanks to this brilliant account from former Shakespeare's Globe AD Dominic Dromgoole, you don't have to imagine. Over two full years, Dromgoole and the Globe players toured to almost 200 countries, and the resulting tome is an unprecedented theatrical adventure featuring food poisoning in Mexico, an Ebola epidemic in West Africa and political upheaval in Ukraine. Buy it here Matt Trueman, WhatsOnStage "By foregrounding a cultural battle over a physical one, director Ian Rickson does rob the play of its present-tense exigency. Rufus Wright's bumptious Captain Lancey and his intellectually curious orthographer Lieutenant Yolland (Adetomiwa Edun) are rewriting, and so reshaping, Ireland's landscape right now." "In cultural terms, Rickson uses the Olivier stage to highlight Friel's Shakespearean allusions, which only show up because his plays have survived. As Yolland and Maire woo one another with town names the only language the two of them share Edun and Roddy could be pastoral lovers, while Ciaran Hinds' Hugh, so imperious in his classroom, and Dermot Crowley's semi-senile Jimmy Jack, shelter from a storm like Lear and his Fool. "In hindsight, the hedge school itself seems like an Arden a clearing where cultural exiles come together to exchange words and ideas. We know that, in time, Irish itself will be endangered. Friel's writing, meanwhile, deserves preserving." Michael Billington, The Guardian "Everything about the production feels meticulously planned. The performances are also excellent. Ciaran Hinds could do even more to savour the Latin tags Hugh so loves, but he captures perfectly the character's tattered majesty. Colin Morgan as Owen embodies the guilt of a man caught in the crossfire between two cultures." "Judith Roddy as Maire, clinging to the one anachronistic English phrase she knows about Norfolk maypoles, and Adetomiwa Edun as Yolland play their love scene exquisitely like two people reaching out to each other through the thickets of language. Fascinatingly, that idea is echoed in the scenes between Seamus O'Hara as Owen's elder brother and Michelle Fox as a rural waif with a speech defect that inhibits communication of her feelings." "That, however, is simply one element in a play that defies categorisation and is richly realised in a production that (along with Follies, also staged by a former director of the Royal Court) is one of the best things to have emerged from the National Theatre under Rufus Norris." Henry Hitchings, Evening Standard "There's an obvious topical resonance in the play's images of a divided country and contested borders. Rae Smith's boggy design with its swirling mists and murky clouds looks like a war zone. Yet director Ian Rickson needlessly adds a closing scene that labours this significance." "Colin Morgan makes an absorbing National Theatre debut...The star of TV's Merlin and Humans is a shape-shifter, which means he's ideal as a character who's both a go-between and a lost soul. But this is really an ensemble piece, a close-up picture of history in the making." "It takes some time to tune into Friel's particular brand of finely wrought understatement. But this account of what's perhaps his best play savours its rhythms, and that's crucial because at root it's a vision of the power of language." The cast of Translations Catherine Ashmore Tim Bano, The Stage "It comes alive when Ciaran Hinds steps on stage as the shambling, raging, charismatic schoolmaster Hugh, constantly barking at his students to tell him the derivations of Latin and Greek words. When he moves his head his shoulders and torso move with it, as if his back has been stiffened from drink and rain. Hinds has a way of bellowing quietly that makes him a force on stage." "Under Rickson there's a minute pause between each word, which not only allows Friel's musical script to be heard in the vast Olivier space, but seems also to be a deliberate directorial choice about the cherishing of language. These lines are rolled around the mouths of the actors with care, so that the details of the language match the detail of the production from the mud around the ankles of the soldiers' otherwise pristine uniforms to the raindrops that fall precisely into buckets from the school's leaky roof." Other than that, there's no flash, no gimmickry. But, like the fog that hangs in unmoving sheets over the stage, imperceptibly thickening throughout, Rickson's production grows dense with meaning and melancholy." Andrzej Lukowski, Time Out "Friel has provided the special effects in the language - in a way all a cast needs to do is not screw them up. This they surely don't: Rickson's revival is awash with talent, foremost Hinds as the shambolic but shamanic Huge, and the charismatic Colin Morgan as Owen, whose burning intelligence and passionate love of language has driven him towards the British, not away, as he enthusiastically aids a mapping project whose deeper consequences he cannot predict." "Rickson and designer Rae Smith know that this is one in which the text takes centre stage. But what they have really brought to the table with their detailed, sepia-toned production is a sense of intimacy. The temptation with the Olivier is to make everything MUCH BIGGER; here in fact, it feels as personal as in the Dorfman, the action virtually all taking place within a few square metres at the front of the stage. Smith uses the space to create a sense of rural Ireland's expanse, but she limits it, too - a constant veil of mist conceals the height of the ceiling." Ciaran Hinds in Translations ( Catherine Ashmore) Dominic Maxwell, The Times "It takes a while to get going much of the first of its three acts is set-up yet Friel loves words too much to waste them: pretty much everything finds a payoff in the comical tragedy of what follows, as futures get wasted and lives get lost, as tradition fights a losing battle with progress. It's not a play that really needs the huge sense of scale that the National's largest auditorium gives it. It is, nonetheless, a welcome success for the Olivier after a patchy year or two." "Rickson inserts a neat final image that links the troubles of 1833 Co Donegal to the Troubles a century and a half later. Yet Friel also gives us such richly drawn characters that nobody is relegated to just being a mouthpiece for a single point of view." Ben Lawrence, The Telegraph "This terrific, unfussy new production allows the audience to unpeel its own meaning, and the result is a simple but effective rendering of Friel's lyrical, deeply moving work, focusing on the spoken word and the psychological realism of its characters." "Ciaran Hinds, fresh from theatrical success in Girl from the North Country, is captivating as Hugh, showing a man simultaneously aware of his own consequence as a big fish in a small pond, and critically aware that this is all about to change. Equally strong is Dermot Crowley as Jimmy, a sort of Fool to Hinds's Lear, who has been turned from "scholar to barbarian" by the arrival of the British, and notices with a fair amount of grim humour that he will soon be fluent in three dead languages." "As the lovers flirting across cultural boundaries, Judith Roddy and Adetomiwa Edun are fresh and vigorous, speaking every word with a slow precision as each tries to understand the other's native tongue." Nick Wells, Radio Times "One of the most striking elements of the production is the staging. Designer Rae Smith cleverly constrains the action to the small school, marked simply with a low wall. The remainder of the vast, sloping Olivier stage is scraggy grassland over which mist slowly unfurls. Lighting designer Neil Austin's broad sheets of light cut through the swirling haze, illuminating an enchanting countryside." "The cast are also excellent in bringing an authentic slice of rural Donegal to the London stage. Colin Morgan excels, but the standout performance comes from Game of Throne's Ciaran Hinds as the ruddy and defiant Hugh, and Adetomiwa Edun as Lieutenant Yolland, whose bashful idealism enlivens every scene." "This thoughtful revival is a reminder of the complicated legacy of colonialism, and suggests that taking the time to better understand one another could be the key to progress." When you sell your principal residence, the profit is tax free. Right? Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 1/6/2018 (1230 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion When you sell your principal residence, the profit is tax free. Right? Well, yes, but there have been significant changes to the reporting rules in the past two years, and there are restrictions to who and how you can claim the Principal Residence Exemption (PRE). Apparently not every taxpayer knows the rules. The Canada Revenue Agency recently reported that it assessed $43.7 million in penalties and $102.6 million in additional taxes over the past three years, as a result of reviews of real estate transactions. Much of this occurred in the hot markets of Ontario and B.C., and some applied to unpaid GST or PST. In those markets, money can be on flipping or even selling pre-assignments of properties not even built. Any such gains must be reported, and it is likely that the CRA will consider this fully taxable business income, rather than a half-taxable capital gain. While less likely in Manitoba, it is still important that all of us know the current rules when buying or selling any property. Starting with the 2016 tax year, any sale of a principal residence has to be reported on Schedule 3, in order to claim the PRE. This is different than in previous years, where the PRE was assumed. Starting in 2017, you also must complete Form T2091, Designation of a Property as a Principal Residence by an Individual. Even without an actual sale, you may have a deemed disposition on a change of use, such as moving into a rental property you own, or renting out a property in which you lived. The PRE allows the tax-free sale of a residential property that is "ordinarily inhabited" by the taxpayer, spouse (or former spouse), common-law partner or children of the taxpayer who is claiming the exemption. The exemption does not apply to properties that are being rented out, or to short-term ownership that can be considered property flipping. A cottage, mobile home, ski chalet or houseboat can qualify, as long as you have slept there, basically. There is no time limit imposed on how often it was "ordinarily inhabited." Foreign vacation property may also be claimed. Raw land does not qualify, until a residence is constructed on it and lived in. Large acreage properties and farm houses require specific advice, as there are special rules that apply. If you own more than one residence and sell one, you need to decide whether or not to claim the PRE on that sale, or instead pay tax on the 50 per cent of the gain which is taxable. For example, if you sell a qualifying property with a $50,000 gain, but still own a second qualifying property with a $200,000 gain, you will likely want to pay tax on the smaller gain now, and preserve the PRE for the future sale with higher gain. Professional advice is recommended. Only one PRE is claimable by each married or common-law couple, with two exceptions. For years of ownership prior to 1982, there are two PREs per family allowed, but only for those years. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Builders of new properties are required to remit GST/HST when they sell or rent out for the first time, and purchasers of new homes have rules to follow in applying for new housing rebates. If you own more than one property that qualifies for the principal residence exemption by virtue of being ordinarily inhabited by you or a qualifying relative, I suggest you obtain some advance planning advice from your financial planner or accountant, long before you actually sell. If a sale is contemplated on any property, such advice becomes more urgent. Dollars and Sense is meant as an introduction to this topic and should not in any way be construed as a replacement for personalized professional advice. Please consult legal, tax, insurance and investment experts for advice on your unique situation. David Christianson, BA, CFP, R.F.P., TEP, CIM is recipient of the FELLOW OF FPSCTM Distinction, and recently named in the Top 50 Financial Advisors in Canada. He is a portfolio manager and senior vice-president with Christianson Wealth Advisors at National Bank Financial Wealth Management, and author of the book Managing the Bull, A No-Nonsense Guide to Personal Finance. OTTAWA Some Churchill residents were too excited to sleep Wednesday night after Ottawa announced an interim takeover deal for the towns port and railway, alongside a pledge to restore rail service by the winter. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 31/5/2018 (1230 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA Some Churchill residents were too excited to sleep Wednesday night after Ottawa announced an interim takeover deal for the towns port and railway, alongside a pledge to restore rail service by the winter. The agreement-in-principle lays the groundwork for Omnitrax to transfer its railway and port into local hands, with the help of a Saskatchewan grain company and a Toronto financial firm. The federal Liberals also committed "to re-establishing rail service before winter 2018." JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES An aerial view of the port of Churchill, Manitoba, Friday, Oct 5, 2007. An agreement in principle has been reached to restore rail service to Churchill and revive the northern Manitoba community's port. Ottawa said Thursday that a full deal is imminent, but it's unknown how much Denver-based Omnitrax will hand over, and how much governments will pay. At a Thursday meeting in the town complex, Churchill Mayor Mike Spence fielded questions from local citizens about the deal. A video recording of the meeting shows people cracking jokes, while some said they had trouble sleeping. What Omnitrax owns in northern Manitoba Hudson Bay Railway: 627 miles (1009 kilometres) of track that span The Pas to Churchill, as well as signage, some platforms and guesthouses for workers. An engineering report deemed 120 locations defective along with 25 washouts. The railway has been operational since 1929; in 1997, CN Rail (which was then a public corporation) divested the railway to Omnitrax. click to read more Hudson Bay Railway: 627 miles (1009 kilometres) of track that span The Pas to Churchill, as well as signage, some platforms and guesthouses for workers. An engineering report deemed 120 locations defective along with 25 washouts. The railway has been operational since 1929; in 1997, CN Rail (which was then a public corporation) divested the railway to Omnitrax. Port of Churchill: a nine-acre site that has four berths for shipping grain and supplies from July to October. The port has operated since 1931 and includes cranes and a massive grain elevator. Almost all operations ceased in 2016 due to the closure of the Wheat Board monopoly. The federal government sold it to Omnitrax in 1997. Churchill Marine Tank Farm: a 50-million-litre capacity storage facility used to house gasoline, diesel, heating oil and jet fuel. Located on the site of the port, it comprises four large cylinders and five smaller tubs. Issues with storage last fall led to First Air offering part of its jet-fuel storage tanks. Offices: The Hudson Bay Railway Company still has an office in The Pas. In Thompson, the company closed Omnitrax Canada Freight Services last July. Local people in both towns claimed they saw locomotives and equipment owned by the company moved down the line last fall. Employees: It is unknown how many employees Omnitrax holds in Manitoba. After the May 2017 railway washout, the company offered jobs to employees at its other sites, though its believed few took up that offer. Staff had been based in Churchill, Gillam, Thompson and The Pas. Close "It's on to the next chapter," said Spence, who co-chairs the consortium. "Everybody on the Bay Line wants it up and running so they can go back to their lives before this, and then theres others who see an opportunity for prosperity here." Spence said his town was relieved after months of uncertainty, including the last-minute revelation of two other bids entering talks with Omnitrax. He said some residents were curious about whether former Omnitrax employees will have a job under the new ownership, and how their seniority will fit into a new ownership model, which is bankrolled by Toronto-based Fairfax Financial Holdings, with the help of AGT Foods. In a phone interview from Edmonton, Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr was audibly giddy. "It feels very satisfying for a variety for reasons, most importantly because the port has been transferred to a progressive company who understands how to move product to market [and] knows how to run a railroad," said the MP for Winnipeg South Centre. Carr said a full deal to hand over the assets is coming soon. "I would say that that is in days, not weeks," he said. The news is "a huge step forward" for Ottawas nascent Arctic strategy, Carr said, "and a tribute of the patience and tenacity of the people in northern Manitoba who now have a continuing stake in their own future." Pallister eye's deal's economic potential Premier Brian Pallister says its up to Ottawa to pay for the repair of the railway to Churchill, and costs associated with transferring the line and port but he is willing to put up money for economic development. click to read more Premier Brian Pallister says its up to Ottawa to pay for the repair of the railway to Churchill, and costs associated with transferring the line and port but he is willing to put up money for economic development. Weve got a lot of stuff weve initiated that wed like the feds to partner with us on in terms of economic development, Pallister said Thursday. Weve got some real potential to improve and enhance some of the tourism aspects that were already investing in. Weve got opportunities in terms of some programs that I shouldnt say too much about yet Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr said Pallister had spoken with the consortium working to get ownership of the assets from Omnitrax, as well as Carr himself. I know that the government of Manitoba is very happy about this development [and] prepared to work with us as we get through the details of implementing the [Arctic] strategy for northern Canada, Carr said, adding that it would include economic-development opportunities. But he wouldnt say whether he expects that to include financial help for the repairs or transfer costs. Each level of government has its own role to play, and I know the province of Manitoba wants to be part of this exciting story, Carr said. Pallister said rehabilitating the rail line is their job, referring to Ottawa. But Manitoba is interested in partnering with Ottawa on economic development. Weve got some real excitement about a couple of projects that would improve sustainable services for people that would protect them in that community. Asked if grain should flow through Churchill once again to export markets, Pallister said: We look forward to every opportunity to use the line for what its designed to do to get goods to the port. Lets get an international presence again and something that can get not only Manitoba but western Canadian goods to market. -- Dylan Robertson and Larry Kusch Close Neither Carr not Spence could speak to the specifics of the deal, and whether it includes all of Omnitraxs holdings in Manitoba. Wednesdays press release only mentions the port and railway, but the company also owns a tank farm, railway equipment and offices. NDP MP Niki Ashton, who represents northern Manitoba, said this weeks announcement "was only the beginning," and she hopes to see both the railway and port operating soon. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "Well believe it when we see it," she said, adding that Ottawa needs "to pony up" enough money to support months of work by First Nations people along the railway. Ashton says Omnitrax ought to hand over all of its assets, because of what she calls a lacklustre effort in making them profitable. "I hope they move on entirely," she said. "The railway and port were almost given to them, and we've seen a number of years where the proper upkeep and maintenance was not done. I'd be very wary of any attempt to over-price what's in their hands." On Thursday, Fairfax announced it was adding $648 million to its ongoing investment in Seaspan Corp., a Hong Kong shipping company. AGT Foods, which has handled media requests on behalf of Fairfax, wouldn't say whether that was related to the Churchill deal. "There would be no comment on that at this time," wrote CEO Murad Al-Katib. Omnitrax refused to comment Thursday. dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca Pete's Place restaurant is moving to Osborne Village, part of a recent turnaround of vacant storefronts in the neighbourhood. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 31/5/2018 (1230 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Pete's Place restaurant is moving to Osborne Village, part of a recent turnaround of vacant storefronts in the neighbourhood. The owners of the restaurant, which has been a fixture on Main Street for 17 years, signed a lease for an empty building at 135 Osborne St. They plan to open the week before Canada Day, said Peter Vlahos, who was on his way to collect the building's keys during an interview Thursday morning. PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Peter and Samantha Vlahos pose in Pete's Place in their new Osborne Village location, Thursday. The move comes one month after the Free Press reported the Osborne Village BIZ was taking steps to address concerns about a number of vacant storefronts. Since then, Stephanie Meilleur, executive director of the Osborne Village BIZ, said the village is "looking great." "We've seen, in the last month, some vacancies become leased," she said Thursday. "We actually don't have any vacancies right now that I know of." A former Second Cup, TD bank, a beauty bar, the old Desart space and the Osborne Village Inn all have new tenants too, and Little Pizza Heaven is expanding, she added. "I would say that it is on the upswing to a more positive feel, as well as we are launching a lot of our Village Square events. For instance, we did the community clean-up, which was the most successful it's ever been." Susan Cuvelier, an Osborne Village resident of nine years, said it's "wonderful" to hear a bunch of new leases have been signed in the area, considering she's noticed a bunch of stores closing down over the last few years. "To see big locations, especially the Second Cup location, and also the location of Pete's Place, getting new tenants is really encouraging. That tells me we're going to maintain the critical mass of businesses that you need to maintain and keep an area vibrant." However, Cuvelier said that while she noticed rental signs on local storefront windows, the community's dynamic feel has never faded. "I think it's a very vibrant community, one of the few great walking communities in Winnipeg, and I love living there for that reason. "I try very hard to frequent the restaurants and businesses in my neighbourhood to keep them in business as much as I can." Pete's Place is a casual restaurant with dine-in and take-out options. It has typically sold burgers, souvlaki, chicken fingers, soups and salads, said Vlahos, who describes their options as "elevated comfort food" because everything's made from scratch. He added they'll be keeping favourites on the menu, but will be adding some signature burgers. "I think we're going to have a unique offering for the Village since there's nothing like us there," said Vlahos, who runs the business with his wife Samantha. "We have some Greek dishes, but we don't try to specialize in it or anything. That's my heritage so the flavour profile of the food has a Greek taste to it." Basil's occupied the restaurant space for years, but it closed when the owner wanted to retire. It was replaced by Black Rabbit, which closed after two years. The last tenant, Ward 1, closed in February after two months in business. Vlahos said he has no concerns about the turnover that's taken place in the building. Meilleur said she thinks the previous tenants closed because of inexperience. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "I'm very excited for (Pete's Place) because the owners are established restaurant owners. This isn't their first time around." The Vlahos' closed their original Pete's Place restaurant on November 10 after 17 years in West Kildonan. They originally planned to move to the Polo Park area at the start of this year but backed out on a lease because the building had extensive water damage. Basil Lagopoulos was the owner of Basil's. Now, he's the Vlahos' landlord. "The Village is undergoing a long overdue refreshing rebirth," he wrote in a statement to the Free Press Thursday, adding the rebirth will be "explicitly obvious" by the end of the summer. maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @macintoshmaggie The closure of Concordia Hospitals emergency department and conversion of the Seven Oaks General Hospitals ER into an urgent care centre next year will be part of Phase 2 of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authoritys health care overhaul, it was announced Thursday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 31/5/2018 (1230 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The closure of Concordia Hospitals emergency department and conversion of the Seven Oaks General Hospitals ER into an urgent care centre next year will be part of Phase 2 of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authoritys health care overhaul, it was announced Thursday. "Were very pleased with how Phase 1 has gone, were excited about Phase 2, and were excited about the end result that this is going to have for Manitoba patients," said Kelvin Goertzen, minister responsible for health, active living and seniors. Phase 2 timeline May 29, 2018 New, expanded Grace Hospital emergency department opens. August 2018 Health Sciences Centre surgical ICU to expand. September 2018 Community IV service moves to Misericordia Health Centre from Lions Place. TBD 2018 Concordia Hospital and Seven Oaks General Hospital will start to focus on transitional care services rather than serious community hospital care. December 2018 Mental health services at Grace Hospital and Seven Oaks will move to HSC, St. Boniface Hospital and Victoria General Hospital. click to read more May 29, 2018 New, expanded Grace Hospital emergency department opens. August 2018 Health Sciences Centre surgical ICU to expand. September 2018 Community IV service moves to Misericordia Health Centre from Lions Place. TBD 2018 Concordia Hospital and Seven Oaks General Hospital will start to focus on transitional care services rather than serious community hospital care. December 2018 Mental health services at Grace Hospital and Seven Oaks will move to HSC, St. Boniface Hospital and Victoria General Hospital. January 2019 Surgical slates will shift to Seven Oaks from other hospitals. January 2019 HSC emergency department will expand to offer a mid-to-low acuity treatment area. Spring 2019 St. Boniface's new triage, waiting area and mid-acuity treatment space in its ER will open. June 2019 Concordia's ER will close. Summer 2019 St. Boniface ER renovations complete and will include a renovated high-acuity and resuscitation space. September 2019 Seven Oaks ER will convert to an urgent care centre. September 2019 HSC intermediate ICU expansion will occur. TBD 2019 HSC will formally transition out of the WRHAs control, as it becomes a provincial hospital. -- source: Winnipeg Regional Health Authority Close He later told reporters shaking up the health-care system is inevitable if there's to be improvements in Manitoba. "I hear the disruption and I take no pleasure in that, none at all. But I also know, you cant change a system where theres some 55,000 people without disruption. Its just not possible," Goertzen said. "Were not making the decisions on an emotional basis. Were looking at the evidence and the evidence is telling us that people are going to be better served." Concordia ER closure First up in significant changes is the closure of Concordia Hospital's emergency department in June 2019. Lori Lamont, acting chief operating officer of the WRHA, wouldn't yet say what replacement options the authority is considering to fill the cavity. Neither would Goertzen, though he did tell reporters the space won't be converted into an urgent care centre. "We arent in a position to tell you what (the ideas) all are now, but I think theres a recognition that there are some within the system, particularly in Concordia, in that area... who are maybe using the Concordia Hospital now the ER in a way thats not particularly appropriate, that theyre not high acuity. There needs to be something for individuals like that to go to," he said. MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Lori Lamont, Acting Chief Operating Officer and Vice-President, Nursing and Health Professionals for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority In a prepared statement, Manitoba Liberal health critic Jon Gerrard pushed for urgent care. "If the PCs are determined to close Concordias ER, they should at least open an urgent care centre for the community," he said. "Manitobans have known for months now that emergency rooms at both hospitals (Concordia and Seven Oaks) will be closed. What we dont know is what their specialized and focused areas of care will be." Seven Oaks ER switches to urgent care The next major shake-up will be transitioning Seven Oaks General Hospital's emergency department to an urgent care centre. That's scheduled to happen in September 2019. Emergency departments at St. Boniface Hospital and Health Sciences Centre will be expanded to accommodate patients diverted from Seven Oaks and Concordia. Mental health services will also be redirected from Seven Oaks and Grace Hospital to HSC, St. Boniface and Victoria General Hospital. Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew lamented the conversion of Seven Oaks to urgent care and the closure of Concordia. He wants both facilities to keep their ERs. "My concern is that peoples care is going to suffer. Because if they close Concordia, if they close Seven Oaks, its tens of thousands of patients who are going to have to go to the remaining emergency departments in the city. And what weve heard from the experts, from the governments own advisors so far, is that in their current states, the emergency departments are not equipped to handle that influx of patients," Kinew said. HSC and St. Boniface will both be renovated, as the Grace already has been, to make room for more patients before Concordia's closure and Seven Oaks' transition. Phase 1 changes saw wait times improve: WRHA Hospital wait times have decreased by about 15 per cent on average since the first round of health-care changes, according to the WRHA. The average length of stay for inpatients also improved by 6.6 per cent, said interim chief executive officer Real Cloutier. Unions representing health-care workers cautioned against optimism about those statistics, however. MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Kelvin Goertzen, Minister of Health, Seniors and Active Living Sandi Mowat, president of the Manitoba Nurses Union, said while wait times may have improved, she's hearing from members patient care could be put in jeopardy as staff is being overworked. "Theyre reporting that everything is wonderful and everything is going to plan. Im not hearing that from the actual people who are working in these units and taking care of these patients. What Im hearing is the concern for the fact that theyre working long and hard hours, stretched very, very thin and doing the best they can," Mowat said. She pointed to St. Boniface Hospital as a prime example where nurses have already worked more overtime this year than they did in all of 2017. "And still we have more changes coming, in a time where I dont believe the evaluation has proven that we should be looking at that," Mowat said. Advisors told officials to slow down health-care transitions After the wait times reduction task force released its final report in December, showing St. Boniface needed increased patient capacity, the province and the WRHA decided to slow down some of the planned changes for Phase 2. Converting Victoria's emergency department into an urgent care centre in October, also had a learning curve, Lamont said. "Weve used that experience a lot, because certainly when we planned the changes at the Vic, we used some statistics, visit volumes, and looked at where people lived, what kind of emergency algorithms we need to put in place for our EMS providers, all kinds of things," she said. Lamont said no critical incidents stemmed from changes at Victoria, according to WRHA's analysis. Goertzen said the Tory government has "never been married to a timeline, just married to the evidence," on health-care changes. Unions have criticized the planned changes nearly every step of the way, and did so again Thursday. MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Real Cloutier, Interim President and CEO of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority Michelle Gawronsky, president of the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union, said patients and health-care workers "are still caught up in the chaos from the first round of health-care cuts, and instead of reversing those cuts, this government is surging ahead with new ones." "The rosy report the government painted today on wait times and hospital stays is far different than what Im hearing from front-line workers," she said. CUPE Local 204 president Debbie Boissonneault echoed frustration. The union represents about 26,000 workers in Manitoba health facilities. "Instead of listening to the concerns of front-line workers and the community, the government continues to dig in its heels with their plans to close the Concordia and Seven Oaks emergency rooms," Boissonneault said in a prepared statement. "Health-care workers deserve respect and they deserve to be heard, and that is not happening." Goertzen said critics are welcome to nit-pick the plan. "This is a democracy. If I put 20 health-care workers in a room, Ill probably get 15 different opinions," he said. "But I hope theres an assurance that were following evidence and adjusting as we go along as a result of that evidence." Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. KPMG report released in full The province also released the full 700-some pages of KPMG's health-care sustainability and system review Thursday afternoon. Portions of the report were previously published and acted upon by the government, such as the health-care consolidation. A few portions of the report are still blacked out because they contained personal information about government employees, said a spokesperson from the health department. One suggestion from KPMG is for Manitoba to mirror Ontario's use of nurse hours per patient, which are fewer and would save an estimated $90 million. Kinew took issue with that recommendation saying, "that's an exercise in cutting costs, its not an exercise in improving health care." jessica.botelho@freepress.mb.ca jane.gerster@freepress.mb.ca The developer of Winnipegs beleaguered SkyCity Centre has announced it will be sending out refunds to buyers who put down deposits of 10 per cent on condo units, admitting it isnt feasible to move forward with construction. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 31/5/2018 (1230 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The developer of Winnipegs beleaguered SkyCity Centre has announced it will be sending out refunds to buyers who put down deposits of 10 per cent on condo units, admitting it isnt feasible to move forward with construction. The news comes two days after a class-action lawsuit was filed against Fortress Real Developments, the company behind the project at Smith Street and Graham Avenue, in Manitobas Court of Queens Bench. Supplied Lawyer Richard Olschewski says he believes a lawsuit filed against SkyCitys developer is the reason the buyers he represents are now receiving word of refunds. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of disgruntled buyers seeking the return of their deposits and other unspecified damages. Richard Olschewski, the lawyer representing buyers involved in the lawsuit, said its clear Fortresss decision was in response to legal pressure. "I really believe that if we didnt file the lawsuit, it would have just been more of the same, more delay. I think they would have held out in the hopes they could pull a rabbit out of their hat. But this is what (my clients wanted). This is an obvious solution," he said. Olschewski said all buyers were notified by email Thursday morning that their deposits would be returned. He was informed by his clients a short time later. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The proposed development was marketed as a "beacon of change" for the city when it was first announced in 2013. Had things gone forward as planned, the $200-million, 45-storey tower would have become Winnipegs tallest at the time. Developers said the mixed-use development, called a "vertical village," would set the standard in "luxury living and urban lifestyle." However, it has been plagued by problems from the start, with construction consistently delayed. Olschewski said he expects buyers to be fully refunded within a week or two, adding it wasnt just his clients involved in the lawsuit that will be getting refunds, but all buyers. He said there will be no reason to move forward with the lawsuit once the deposits are returned. "Without a doubt, without a doubt this had to do with the lawsuit. Just look at the timing. I cant imagine they would have been doing this without the lawsuit. But now that the buyers will be getting what they wanted, I cant imagine there would be able reason to move forward on this," Olschewski said. Fortress, which is headquartered in Richmond Hill, Ont., did not respond Thursday to a request for comment. ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @rk_thorpe Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 31/5/2018 (1230 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. What a difference a day can make to turn a desert into a lake. After suffering well-below-normal precipitation for most of May, parts of Winnipeg were deluged with so much rain in a few short hours Wednesday that those areas are now at, or above, the average 56.7 millimetres normally recorded for the entire month. PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS A pedestrian seeks shelter under his umbrella while others sprint for cover during Wednesday afternoon's rush hour rain storm. The deluge is responsible for closing the doors at Wolseley's iconic Tall Grass Prairie Bakery. Environment Canada warning preparedness meteorologist Natalie Hasell said the city typically receives an average of 56.7 mm of precipitation in May, and Wednesday's rain nearly matched that in one fell swoop in certain areas. The Weatherlogics meteorological firm reported 74.2 mm in North River Heights. "It all depends where in the city you were," said Environment Canada warning preparedness meteorologist Natalie Hasell. "It went all the way down to almost nothing in the south of the city." Hasell said the far west end of the city just inside the Perimeter Highway was also extremely wet after receiving about 51 mm of rain. The storm came during one of the driest springs in the city's history. Rainfall on May 13 brought 32 days of drought to an end, but meteorologists at the time described it as more like a mist than a rainfall. Another 1-2 mm fell last Friday. Tabitha Langel, one of the four owners of Tall Grass Prairie Bakery on Westminster Avenue, said when the rain began pouring outside Wednesday it wasn't long before it began pouring inside their business. "My husband and I first knew about it when an employee phoned and said, 'please come,'" Langel said. "We walk in and it was like a movie. It was like Noah's Ark." Langel said there was water on the first and second floors. "Thankfully, it was not sewer backup... it was clean rain water," she said. Langel said repairs will be done quickly and they hope to reopen in about two weeks. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "We will sweetly rise to the occasion," she said. David Driedger, the city's manager of corporate communications, said that in the wake of the storm the city received reports of one basement flooding, plugged catch basins on 20 back lanes and 38 streets, 21 incidents of sewer backup with clean water and 13 incidents of sewer backup with raw sewage. Many motorists' drive home from work were stymied at Jubilee underpass on Pembina Highway, which was impassible for a time. Driedger said that can happen during periods of heavy rainfall when the underpass drainage systems are temporarily overwhelmed. The city's combined sewer system became overwhelmed and raw sewage had to be discharged into the river instead of being directed through a treatment plant. Driedger said the only traffic signal to malfunction during the storm was at Ness Avenue and Madison Street. kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca A Member of the Armed Forces stationed in Winnipeg has been charged with sexual assault, among other offences, after a series of crimes were reported in the summer of 2017. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 31/5/2018 (1230 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A Member of the Armed Forces stationed in Winnipeg has been charged with sexual assault, among other offences, after a series of crimes were reported in the summer of 2017. Jonathan Hunt, a second lieutenant who is stationed at 17 Wing, has been charged with sexual assault, overcoming resistance by choking and four counts of assault. Hunt allegedly committed the assaults on the base, against civilian victims, during a two-week period while there for a training program, a spokeswoman for 17 Wing said. Since completing his training, hes been stationed at the base and remains actively employed in the food services area, she said. "Just so were absolutely clear on this: where he was stationed at the time (of the alleged offences) is not where hes stationed at now," the spokeswoman said. The counts of sexual assault and overcoming resistance by choking stem from a single incident with a single victim, a military spokesman said. The four counts of assault stem from four incidents involving three people, one of whom was allegedly assaulted on two occasions. The alleged offences have no place in the military, Lt.-Col. Kevin Cadman, commanding officer of the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service, said in a news release. "Everyone in the defence community deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. The alleged offences of the accused have no place in our community and I thank the individuals who come forward to report such incidents and help us ensure those responsible for such acts are brought to justice," Cadman said. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The sexual assault was reported to military police in Winnipeg in August 2017, and was referred to the investigation service, which probes serious and sensitive matters. During its investigation into the first alleged sexual assault, four other alleged assaults against three people came to light. The accusations have not been proven in a military court. Numerous military spokesmen would not reveal any details regarding the age and gender of the victims, nor would they reveal information about Hunts age and the length of time hes served in the Canadian Armed Forces. Sexual assault and assault are the two most common violent crimes committed in the Canadian Armed Forces, according to statistics from 2014-16 compiled by the Canadian Military Police. In 2016, there were 175 sexual assault and 164 assault charges laid against military members. ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @rk_thorpe In April, Ontario New Democratic Party hopeful Matt Soprovich was booted from the partys nomination contest in Kenora. Soprovich claimed he had been given the thumbs-down by party officials over past content on his social media accounts, including a scandalous photo in which his bare buttocks were visible to the camera. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 1/6/2018 (1230 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion In April, Ontario New Democratic Party hopeful Matt Soprovich was booted from the partys nomination contest in Kenora. Soprovich claimed he had been given the thumbs-down by party officials over past content on his social media accounts, including a scandalous photo in which his bare buttocks were visible to the camera. In another post, Soprovich complained of a severe hangover the day after New Years Eve. Reflecting on his ejection from the nomination, he sardonically observed, "It would appear that five years ago I enjoyed New Years Eve so much that I drank excessively and as a result experienced a hangover so awful that I would still be paying for it over half a decade later." There was more to come. Last week, social media comments from another NDP candidate, Laura Kaminker, were unearthed criticizing the use of the poppy to commemorate Remembrance Day. "I just wear my peace button on my jacket as always and wait for the collective brainwashing to blow over," she wrote. Kaminker also worried about poppies filling up landfills, and sarcastically volunteered to sign up for "a war on Christmas." Obviously, these statements were inflammatory to veterans and their families. But NDP Leader Andrea Horwath nevertheless declined to turf Kaminker as a candidate, noting that her party "value(s) free speech." Its hard to explain why Soprovichs bare bottom got him ejected but Kaminkers remarks were defended by the leader. The best I can come up with is that this was a question of timing: Soprovich was disallowed long before the campaign began, whereas Kaminkers comments were unearthed at a point when it would be difficult to find a replacement candidate in her seat. This contrast illustrates how managing candidates including when to keep them and when to dump them is far from a science. Political parties have professionalized in countless ways. They are often well-oiled machines, well financed with slick leaders and spokespeople. But the necessity of recruiting a full slate of candidates can throw sand into the gears of even the best electoral machine. A masters student in political studies at the University of Manitoba, Colin Fingas, used his thesis to explore the phenomenon of parties giving their candidates the boot. In the 2015 federal election, Fingas found that social media played a key role in embarrassing incidents involving candidates. The result was that the media focused on these spectacles and demanded the party leaders comment on them. Instead of talking about lower taxes in the middle of the campaign, for example, former Conservative leader Stephen Harper was forced to answer questions related to how one of his candidates urinated in a customers coffee cup during a service call. Fingass more intriguing finding relates to the type of candidates who tend to get into trouble and are eventually shown the door. This is a phenomenon largely related to not-particularly-impressive candidates running in places where their party has only a long shot of winning. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Parties have no trouble recruiting impressive, professional candidates in safe seats. But in hopeless seats, parties recruit what University of Calgary political scientist Anthony Sayers refers calls "stop-gap candidates" those who have little chance of winning but who run as a service to their parties or to build up their own personal profiles. Fingas convincingly argues that these stop-gap candidates are more likely to subsequently cause problems for their party. What can be done? One solution is for parties to ramp up their vetting procedures for potential candidates. Candidates already have to fill out invasive questionnaires and often be interviewed by nomination committees before being allowed to run for office. But parties will also have to turn their attention to candidates social media histories. Imagine that: sorting through hundreds of nomination candidates social media posts going back 10 years across multiple platforms. It would be the biggest summer-job program in the history of the country. The solution I prefer is for parties to just stop running candidates in unwinnable seats. The orthodoxy in Canada is that a truly national party has to run candidates in every riding in the country. This thinking is both outdated and silly. Instead, parties should decline to nominate stop-gap candidates in long-shot seats, which would be likely to have the effect of cutting back on some of the nomination problems they experience. Or we could simply be more tolerant of candidates social media shenanigans, especially the more innocuous incidents involving bare bottoms and descriptions of hangovers. After all, in the future its likely that well all have something to be embarrassed about lurking somewhere online. Royce Koop is an associate professor and head of the department of political studies at the University of Manitoba. For several years, my family has headed south to Belize during the depths of our winter. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 1/6/2018 (1230 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. For several years, my family has headed south to Belize during the depths of our winter. Its a joyous break from our harsh cold to warm up in the beautiful climate and with the people of Belize City. When were there, we work alongside a pastor couple who work with two churches and a vibrant feeding program for the less fortunate in their city. Pastor Ernest and Carolyn graciously open their home to us. DEB MARTENS Belizean visitors Ernest and Carolyn reminded columnist Deb Martens to appreciate all that we take for granted here in Canada. We were recently honoured to host this couple in our home. When they arrived, we headed to Birds Hill Park and had lunch at Pineridge Hollow. Their eyes were wide in awe of the beauty of the land and they were surprised by the "hills" in Manitoba. We went to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and they were speechless as we took in the profound history presented. A walk around The Forks followed our visit to the museum and we were later welcomed by a local Hutterite colony and took a tour with our Belizean friends. Their wonder never ceased as they took in the industry and agriculture that surrounded them. Stay informed The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 delivered to your inbox every weeknight. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. What I appreciated most during their visit were the rich conversations in our home. Ernest and Carolyn lived with an attitude of celebration. They marvelled at the "large" bed in their room (queen size), the spacious and sunny recreation room, and at a barbecue steak dinner (apparently it had been years since theyve eaten steak). They called our home a "beautiful retreat centre." Clearly Ernest and Carolyn were in desperate need of respite from the demands upon them in their city. They are incredibly giving people who dont have much according to Canadian standards. I have been reflecting on their comments and genuine appreciation. How often do I look at my home through a lens of frustration because of renovations that remain unfinished, because of the endless dust from the gravel road, or because our yard isnt pristine (due to our many projects in process)? In my eyes, I dont see a show home yet, with a minor turn of the lens of perspective, I have been humbled, yet again. Deb Martens is a community correspondent for Cartier. Please email her with questions or concerns at debsmartens@gmail.com ICICI Bank Ltd. engages in the provision of banking and financial services, which includes retail banking, corporate banking, and treasury operations. It operates through the following segments: Retail Banking, Wholesale Banking, Treasury, Other Banking, Life Insurance, General Insurance, and Others. The Retail Banking segment includes exposures of the bank, which satisfy the four qualifying criteria of regulatory retail portfolio as stipulated by the Reserve Bank of India guidelines on the Basel III framework. The Wholesale Banking segment deals with all advances to trusts, partnership firms, companies, and statutory bodies, by the Bank which are not included in the Retail Banking segment. The Treasury segment handles the entire investment portfolio of the bank. The Other Banking segment comprises leasing operations and other items not attributable to any particular business segment of the bank. The company was founded on January 5, 1994 and is headquartered in Mumbai, India. Read More Yext, Inc. is an emerging growth company engages in software development. It offers a cloud-based digital knowledge platform, which allows businesses manage their digital knowledge in the cloud such as financial information, resources and performance of these resources on a consolidated basis and sync it to other application such as Apple Maps, Bing, Cortana, Facebook, Google, Google Maps, Instagram, Siri and Yelp. It offers the Yext Knowledge Engine package on subscription basis, which has an access to Listings, Pages, Reviews and other features. The Listing feature provides customers with control over their digital presence, including their location and other related attributes published on the used third-party applications. The Pages feature allows customers to establish landing pages on their own websites and to manage digital content on those sites, including calls to action. The Reviews presence enables customers to encourage and facilitate reviews from end consumers. The company was founded by Howard Lerman, Brent Metz, and Brian Distelburger in 2006 and is headquartered in New York, NY. Read More This eight-part series first appeared on the World Socialist Web Site during MayJune 2008, on the 40th anniversary of the general strike in France. We are presenting it here unchanged, but with a new Introduction in light of intervening events. Part 1, posted May 29, deals with the development of the student revolt and the general strike up to its high point at the end of May. Part 2, posted May 30, examines how the Communist Party (PCF) and the union it controls, the CGT, enabled President Charles de Gaulle to regain control. President de Gaulle and his Fifth Republic owed their political survival in May 1968 to the Stalinist French Communist Party (Parti Communiste FrancaisPCF) and its trade union armthe General Confederation of Labour (Confederation Generale du TravailCGT). The influence of the PCF had clearly decreased, however, between 1945 and 1968. In order to strangle the general strike, the Stalinists relied on the support of other political forces that struck a more radical stance, but ensured that the PCF maintained its political dominance over the mass movement. In this respect a key role was played by the Pabloite United Secretariat, led by Ernest Mandel and its French supporters, the Revolutionary Communist Youth (Jeunesse Communiste RevolutionnaireJCR) led by Alain Krivine, and the International Communist Party (Parti Communiste InternationalistePCI) headed by Pierre Frank. They prevented the radicalisation of youth from developing into a serious revolutionary alternative, and so helped the Stalinists bring the general strike under control. At the end of the Second World War, the PCF had acquired considerable political authority due to the victory of the Soviet Red Army over Nazi Germany, and the French partys own role in the anti-fascist Resistance movement. The French bourgeoisie, in the form of the Vichy regime, had discredited itself through its collaboration with the Nazis, and there was a powerful yearning within the working class for a socialist society, which extended into the membership of the PCF. However, the leader of the PCF at that time, Maurice Thorez, used his entire political authority to re-establish bourgeois rule. Thorez personally participated in the first post-war government established by de Gaulle, and was instrumental in ensuring the disarming of the Resistance . Support gradually ebbed for the PCF, due to its role in restabilising bourgeois society in the post-war period. The party had lent its support to the colonial wars against Vietnam and Algeria, and was further discredited following the revelation of Stalins crimes in the speech made by Nikita Khrushchev in 1956. This was followed by the bloody suppression of popular uprisings by Stalinist troops in Hungary and Poland. While in 1968 the PCF was still the party with the biggest working-class membership, it had largely lost its authority among students and youth. In particular, the Communist Student Federation (Union des Etudiants CommunistesUEC) was in profound crisis. From 1963 onwards, various fractions emerged in the UECItalian (supporters of Gramsci and the Italian Communist Party), Marxist-Leninist (supporters of Mao Zedong) and Trotskyistwhich were then expelled and went on to establish their own organizations. This period marked the origin of the so-called extreme left, whose appearance on the political scene marked the emerging break by an active part of the militant youth with the PCF, according to the historian Michelle Zancarini-Fournel in her book about the 1968 movement. [1] The authority of the CGT was also under increasing pressure in 1968. Rival trade unionssuch as Force Ouvriere and the CFDT (Confederation Francaise Democratique du Travail)at that time under the influence of the left-reformist Parti Socialiste Unifie (PSU)struck militant postures and challenged the CGT. The CFDT in particular was able to garner support in the service sector and public services. Under these circumstances the Pabloites, organised in the United Secretariat, played a very important role in defending the authority of the Stalinists and making the sell-out of the general strike possible. The origins of Pabloism The Pabloite United Secretariat emerged in the early 1950s as the result of a political attack against the program of the Fourth International (FI). The secretary of the FI, Michel Pablo, rejected the entire analysis of Stalinism that had formed the basis for the founding of the Fourth International by Leon Trotsky in 1938. Following the defeat of the German proletariat in 1933, Trotsky concluded that the extent of the Stalinist degeneration of the Communist International made any policy based on the reform of the International untenable. Proceeding from the political betrayal of the German Communist Party, which had made possible Hitlers assumption of power, and the subsequent refusal of the Communist International to draw any lessons from the German disaster, Trotsky concluded that the Communist parties had definitively gone over to the side of the bourgeoisie. He insisted that the future of revolutionary struggle depended on the building of a new proletarian leadership, and wrote in the founding program of the Fourth International: The crisis of the proletarian leadership, having become the crisis in mankinds culture, can be resolved only by the Fourth International. Pablo rejected this view. He concluded, from the emergence of new deformed workers states in Eastern Europe, that Stalinism could play a historically progressive role in the future. Such a perspective amounted to the liquidation of the Fourth International. According to Pablo there was no reason to construct sections of the Fourth International independently of the Stalinist mass organizations. Instead, the task of Trotskyists was reduced to entering existing Stalinist parties and supporting the presumed leftist elements in their leaderships. Pablo ended up rejecting the entire Marxist conception of a proletarian party, which insists on the necessity of a politically and theoretically conscious avant-garde. For Pablo, the role of leadership could be allocated to non-Marxist and non-proletarian forces, such as trade unionists, left reformists, petty-bourgeois nationalists and national liberation movements in the colonial and former colonial countries, which would be driven to the left under the pressure of objective forces. Pablo personally put himself at the service of the Algerian National Liberation Front, the FLN (Front de Liberation Nationale), and following its victory even joined the Algerian government for a period of three years. Pablos onslaught split the Fourth International. The majority of the French section rejected his revisions and was bureaucratically expelled by a minority led by Pierre Frank. In 1953, the American Socialist Workers Party (SWP) responded to the Pabloite revisions with a devastating critique and issued an Open Letter calling for the international unification of all orthodox Trotskyists. This became the basis for the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), which included the French majority. However, the SWP did not maintain its opposition to Pabloism for long. During the next 10 years, the SWP increasingly dropped its differences with the Pabloites and eventually joined them to form the United Secretariat (US) in 1963. In the meantime, the leadership of the US had been taken over by Ernest Mandel. Pablo played an increasingly secondary role and left the United Secretariat soon afterwards. The basis for the reunification in 1963 was uncritical support for Fidel Castro and his petty-bourgeois nationalist 26th of July Movement. According to the United Secretariat, the seizure of power by Castro in Cuba amounted to the setting up of a workers state, with Castro, Ernesto Che Guevara and other Cuban leaders playing the role of natural Marxists. This perspective served not only to disarm the working class in Cuba, which never had its own organs of power; it also disarmed the international working class by lending uncritical support to Stalinist and petty-bourgeois nationalist organizations and strengthening their grip on the masses. In so doing, Pabloism emerged as a secondary agency of imperialism, whose role became even more important under conditions where the older bureaucratic apparatuses were increasingly discredited in the eyes of the working class and the youth. This was confirmed in Sri Lanka, just one year after the unification of the SWP and the Pabloites. In 1964, a Trotskyist party with mass influence, the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP)joined a bourgeois coalition government with the nationalist Sri Lankan Freedom Party. The price paid by the LSSP for its entry into government was to abandon the countrys Tamil minority in favour of Sinhala chauvinism. The country is still suffering the consequences of this betrayal, which reinforced the discrimination of the Tamil minority and led to the bloody civil war that plagued Sri Lanka for three decades. The Pabloites also played a crucial role in France in helping maintain bourgeois rule in 1968. When one examines their role during the key events, two things are striking: their apologetic stance with regard to Stalinism, and their uncritical adaptation to the anti-Marxist theories of the New Left, which predominated in the student environment. Alain Krivine and the JCR The Fourth International had considerable influence in France at the end of the Second World War. In 1944, the French Trotskyist movement, which had split during the war, reunited to form the Parti Communiste Internationaliste (PCI). Two years later, PCI had around 1,000 members and put up 11 candidates in parliamentary elections, who received between 2 and 5 percent of the vote. The organisations newspaper La Verite was sold at kiosks and enjoyed a broad readership. Its influence extended into other organizations; the entire leadership of the socialist youth organization, with a total membership of 20,000, supported the Trotskyists. Members of the PCI played a prominent role in the strike movement which rocked the country and forced the PCF to withdraw from the government in 1947. In subsequent years, however, the revolutionary orientation of the PCI came under repeated attack from elements inside its own ranks. In 1947, the social-democratic SFIO (Section Francaise de lInternationale Ouvriere) moved sharply to the right, dissolved its youth organization and expelled its Trotskyist leader. The right wing of the PCI, led by its secretary at the time, Yvan Craipeau, reacted by junking any revolutionary perspective. One year later this wing was expelled, after it had argued in favour of dissolving the PCI into the broad left movement led by the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre (Rassemblement Democratique RevolutionnaireRDR). Many of the leading figures in the expelled wing, including Craipeau himself, re-emerged later in the PSU. In the same year, 1948, another groupSocialisme ou barbarie (Socialism or Barbarism), headed by Cornelius Castoriadis and Claude Lefortquit the PCI. This group reacted to the start of the Cold War by rejecting Trotskys analysis of the Soviet Union as a degenerated workers state, arguing that the Stalinist regime represented a new class within a system of bureaucratic capitalism. Based on this standpoint, the group developed a number of positions hostile to Marxism. The writings of Socialisme ou barbarie were to have considerable influence on the student movement, and one its members, Jean Francois Lyotard, later played a leading role in developing the ideology associated with postmodernism. The biggest blow to the Trotskyist movement in France, however, was delivered by Pabloism. The PCI was both politically and organizationally weakened by the liquidationist policy of Michel Pablo and the subsequent expulsion of a majority of the section by the Pabloite minority. The PCI majority, led by Pierre Lambert, will be dealt with in the final part of this series. The Pabloite minority, led by Pierre Frank, concentrated after the split on providing practical and logistical support for the national liberation movement, the FLN, in the Algerian war. During the 1960s it had largely lost any influence inside the factories. It did have support in student circles, however, and played an important role amongst such layers in 1968. Its leading member, Alain Krivine, was one of the best known faces of the student revolt, alongside figures such as the anarchist Daniel Cohn-Bendit and the Maoist Alain Geismar. Krivine had joined the Stalinist youth movement in 1955, at the age of 14, and in 1957 was part of an official delegation attending a youth festival in Moscow. According to his autobiography, it was there that he met members of the Algerian FLN and developed a critical attitude towards the policies of the Communist Party, with regard to Algeria. One year later, he began to collaborate with the Pabloite PCI on the Algerian question. Krivine claims he was initially unaware of the background of the PCI, but this is highly unlikely, since two of his brothers belonged to the leadership of the organisation. In any event, he joined the PCI at the latest in 1961, while continuing to officially work inside the Stalinist student organization, the UEC (Union des etudiants communistes). Krivine quickly rose inside the leadership of the PCI and the United Secretariat. From 1965, the 24-year-old Krivine belonged to the top leadership of the party, the Political Bureau, alongside Pierre Frank and Michel Lequenne. In the same year he was appointed to the executive committee of the United Secretariat as a substitute for Lequenne. In 1966, Krivines section of the UEC at the University of Paris (La Sorbonne) was expelled by the Stalinist leadership for refusing to support the joint presidential candidate of the left, Francois Mitterrand. Together with other rebel UEC sections he went on to establish the JCR (Jeunesse Communiste Revolutionnaire), which consisted almost exclusively of students and, unlike the PCI, did not expressly commit itself to Trotskyism. In April 1969, the JCR and PCI then officially merged to form the Ligue Communiste (from 1974, Ligue Communiste RevolutionnaireLCR) after the French interior minister had banned both organisations a year previously. In retrospect, Krivine has sought to present the JCR in 1968 as a young and largely naive organization, characterised by heady enthusiasm but little political experience: We were an organization of some hundred members, whose average age barely corresponded to the legal age of adulthood at that time: twenty-one years. It is hardly necessary to note that, driven by the next most important task from one meeting and demonstration to another, we had no time to think things through. In view of our modest forces we felt at home in the universities, on strike, and on the streets. The solution of the problem of government took place at another level, over which we had barely any influence. [2] In fact, such claims simply do not stand up. Aged 27 in 1968, Alain Krivine was still relatively young but had already acquired considerable political experience. He had inside knowledge of Stalinist organizations, and as a member of the United Secretariat was entirely familiar with the international conflicts within the Trotskyist movement. At this time, he had already left university, but then returned in order to lead the activities of the JCR. The political activity of the JCR in MayJune 1968 cannot be put down to juvenile inexperience, but was instead guided by the political line developed by Pabloism in the struggle against orthodox Trotskyism. Fifteen years after its break with the Fourth International, the United Secretariat had changed not only its political but also its social orientation. It was no longer a proletarian current, but instead a petty-bourgeois movement. For one-and-a-half decades the Pabloites had sought the favours of careerists in the Stalinist and reformist apparatuses and wooed national movements. The social orientation of such movements had become second nature to the Pabloites themselves. What had begun as a theoretical revision of Marxism had become an organic part of their political physiognomyinsofar as it is permissible to transfer terms from the realm of physiology to politics. In drawing the lessons from the defeat of the European revolutions of 1848, Marx distinguished the perspective of the petty bourgeois from that of the working class as follows: The democratic petty bourgeois, far from wanting to transform the whole society in the interests of the revolutionary proletarians, only aspire to a change in social conditions which will make the existing society as tolerable and comfortable for themselves as possible. [3] This characterisation applied equally in 1968 to the Pabloites. This was clear from their uncritical attitude towards anarchist and other petty-bourgeois movements, movements which had been uncompromisingly fought, at an earlier time, by Marx and Engels. It was also evident in the significance they attached at that time, and continue to attach today, to such issues as race, gender and sexual orientation; and in their enthusiasm for the leaders of nationalist movements, which despise the working class andas was the case with the Russian Populists fought by Leninorient themselves towards layers of the rural middle class. More Guevarist than Trotskyist Above all, Krivines JCR was characterised by its completely uncritical support for the Cuban leadershipthe issue that lay at the heart of the unification which took place in 1963. The author of a history of the LCR, Jean-Paul Salles, refers to the identity of an organization, which prior to May 68 appeared in many respects more Guevarist than Trotskyist. [4] On October 19, 1967, 10 days after his murder in Bolivia, the JCR organised a commemoration meeting for Che Guevara in the Paris Mutualite. Guevaras portrait was pervasive at JCR meetings. In his autobiography of 2006, Alain Krivine writes: Our most important point of reference with regard to the liberation struggles in the countries of the third world was undoubtedly the Cuban revolution, which led us to being called Trotsko-Guevarists ... In particular Che Guevara embodied the ideal of the revolutionary fighter in our eyes. [5] With its glorification of Che Guevara, the LCR evaded the urgent problems bound up with the building of a leadership in the working class. If there is a single common denominator to be found in the eventful life of the Argentine-Cuban revolutionary, it is his unwavering hostility to the political independence of the working class. Instead, he represented the standpoint that a small armed minoritya guerrilla troop operating in rural areascould lead the path to socialist revolution, independently of the working class. This required neither a theory nor a political perspective. The action and the will of a small group were crucial. The ability of the working class and the oppressed masses to attain political consciousness and lead their own liberation struggle was denied. In January 1968, the JCR newspaper Avant-Garde Jeunesse propagated Guevaras conceptions as follows: Irrespective of the current circumstances the guerrillas are called upon to develop themselves until, after a shorter or longer period, they are able to draw in the whole mass of the exploited into a frontal struggle against the regime. However, the guerrilla strategy pursued by Guevara in Latin America could not so easily be transferred to France. Instead Mandel, Frank and Krivine ascribed the role of the avant-garde to the students. They glorified the spontaneous activities of students and their street battles with the police. Guevaras conceptions served to justify blind activism at the expense of any serious political orientation. In doing so, the Pabloites completely adapted to the anti-Marxist theories of the New Left, which played a leading role amongst students, thereby blocking the path to a genuine Marxist orientation. There were hardly any recognizable political differences between the Trotskyist Alain Krivine, the anarchist Daniel Cohn-Bendit, the Maoist Alain Geismar and other student leaders who were prominent in the events of 1968. They showed up side by side in the street battles that took place in the Latin Quarter. Jean-Paul Salles writes: During the week of May 611 members of the JCR stood at the forefront and took part in all the demonstrations alongside Cohn-Bendit and the anarchistsincluding the night of the barricades. [6] On May 9, the JCR held a meeting prepared long before in the Mutualite, in the Latin Quarter, scene of the fiercest street battles at that time. Over 3,000 attended the meeting and one of the main speakers was Daniel Cohn-Bendit. During the same period in Latin America the United Secretariat unconditionally supported Che Guevaras guerrilla perspective. At its 9th World Congress held in May 1969 in Italy, the US instructed its South American sections to follow Che Guevaras example and unite with his supporters. This meant turning their back on the urban-based working class, in favour of an armed guerrilla struggle aimed at carrying the fight from the countryside to the cities. The majority of delegates at the congress supporting this strategy included Ernest Mandel and the French delegates, Pierre Frank and Alain Krivine. They held firmly to this strategy for no less than 10 years, although the perspective of guerrilla-type struggle was a source of dispute inside the United Secretariat, as its catastrophic consequences became increasingly visible. Thousands of young people who had followed this path and taken up the guerrilla struggle senselessly sacrificed their lives, while the actions of the guerrillaskidnappings, hostage taking and violent clashes with the armyonly served to politically disorientate the working class. The students as revolutionary avant-garde The utterly uncritical stance taken by the Pabloites to the role played by students is evident from a long article on the May events, written by Pierre Frank at the beginning of June 1968, shortly before the prohibition of the JCR. The revolutionary vanguard in May is generally conceded to have been the youth, Frank wrote, and added: The vanguard, which was politically heterogeneous and within which only minorities were organized, had overall a high political level. It recognized that the movements object was the overthrow of capitalism and the establishment of a society building socialism. It recognized that the policy of peaceful and parliamentary roads to socialism and of peaceful coexistence was a betrayal of socialism. It rejected all petty bourgeois nationalism and expressed its internationalism in the most striking fashion. It had a strongly anti-bureaucratic consciousness and a ferocious determination to assure democracy in its ranks. [7] Frank even went so far as to describe the Sorbonne as the most developed form of dual power and the first free territory of the Socialist Republic of France. He continued: The ideology inspiring the students, of opposition to the neo-capitalist consumer society, the methods they used in their struggle, the place they occupy and will occupy in society (which will make the majority of them white-collar employees of the state or the capitalists) gave this struggle an eminently socialist, revolutionary, and internationalist character. The struggle by students demonstrated a very high political level in a revolutionary Marxist sense. [8] In reality, there was no trace of revolutionary consciousness in the Marxist sense on the part of the students. The political conceptions that prevailed amongst students had their origin in the theoretical arsenal of the so-called New Left and had been developed over many years in opposition to Marxism. The historian Ingrid Gilcher-Holtey writes on the 68 movement in France: The student groups driving the process forward are groups, which explicitly base themselves on the intellectual mentors of the New Left or were influenced by their themes and critique, in particular the writings of the Situationist International, the group around Socialisme ou barbarie and Arguments. Both their strategy of action (direct and provocative), and their own self conception (anti-dogmatic, anti-bureaucratic, anti-organizational, anti-authoritarian) fit into the system of coordinates of the New Left. [9] Rather than regarding the working class as a revolutionary class, the New Left saw workers as a backward mass fully integrated into bourgeois society via consumption and the media. In place of capitalist exploitation the New Left emphasised the role of alienation in its social analysisinterpreting alienation in a strictly psychological or existentialist sense. The revolution was to be led not by the working class, but rather by the intelligentsia and groups on the fringe of society. For the New Left, the driving forces were not the class contradictions of capitalist society, but critical thinking and the activities of an enlightened elite. The aim of the revolution was no longer the transformation of the relations of power and ownership but social and cultural changes, such as alterations to sexual relations. According to the representatives of the New Left, such cultural changes were a prerequisite for a social revolution. Two of the best-known student leaders in France and Germany, Daniel Cohn-Bendit and Rudi Dutschke, were both influenced by the Situationist International, which propagated a change of consciousness by means of provocative actions. Originally formed as a group of artists with roots in the traditions of Dada and Surrealism, the Situationists stressed the significance of practical activities. As a recent article on the Situationists puts it: Activist disruption, radicalisation, the misuse, revaluation and playful reproduction of concrete everyday situations are the means to elevate and permanently revolutionize the consciousness of those in the omnipotent grip of the deep sleep arising from all-pervasive boredom. [10] Such standpoints are light-years removed from Marxism. They deny the revolutionary role of the working class, which is rooted in its position in a society characterised by insurmountable class conflicts. The driving force of the revolution is the class struggle, which is objectively based. Consequently the task of Marxist revolutionaries is not to electrify the working class with provocative activities, but rather to elevate its political consciousness and provide a revolutionary leadership capable of enabling it to take up responsibility for its own fate. Not only did the Pabloites declare that the anarchist, Maoist and other petty bourgeois groups, which played the leading role in the Latin Quarter, demonstrated a very high political level in a revolutionary Marxist sense (Pierre Frank), they put forward similar political points of view and took part in their adventurous activities with enthusiasm. The anarchist-inspired street battles in the Latin Quarter contributed nothing to the political education of workers and students and never posed a serious threat to the French state. In 1968 the state had a modern police apparatus and an army that had been forged in the course of two colonial wars, and could rely on the support of NATO. It could not be toppled by the sort of revolutionary tactics used in the 19th centuryi.e., the building of barricades in the streets of the capital city. Even though the security forces were, in the main, responsible for the huge levels of violence that characterised the street battles in the Latin Quarter, there was an undoubted element of infantile revolutionary romanticism in the way the students eagerly assembled barricades and played their game of cat and mouse with the police. To be continued Notes: 1. Michelle Zancarini-Fournel, 19621968: Le champ des possibles in 68: Une histoire collective, Paris: 2008 2. Daniel Bensaid, Alain Krivine, Mai si! 1968 1988: Rebelles et repentis, Montreuil: 1988, p. 39 3. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, Speech to the Central Authority of the Communist League 4. Jean-Paul Salles, La Ligue communiste revolutionnaire, Rennes: 2005, p. 49 5. Alain Krivine, Ca te passera avec lage, Flammarion: 2006, pp. 9394 6. Jean-Paul Salles, ibid., p. 52 7. Pierre Frank, Mai 68: premiere phase de la revolution socialiste francaise 8. Pierre Frank, ibid 9. Ingrid Gilcher-Holtey, Mai 68 in Frankreich in 1968: Vom Ereignis zum Mythos, Frankfurt am Main: 2008, p. 25 10. archplus 183, Zeitschrift fur Architektur und Stadtebau, May 2007 La Izquierda Diario, the publication of the Argentine Socialist Workers Party (PTS), has denounced the ongoing strike of Brazilian truck drivers, calling it a right-wing provocation that workers must oppose. This places the PTSand its Brazilian affiliate, the Movimento Revolucionario de Trabalhadores (MRT)in the same camp as the right-wing government of Michael Temer. By urging its supporters to oppose the strike, the PTS is providing support for the armed military detachments that are running scab convoys through blockades with their assault rifles pointed at the picket lines. In a May 29 article, Izquierda Diario calls the strike a movement directed by the employers with a program that has no popular element. Politically, we can say that the balance of the movement is one thing only: the strengthening of the candidacy of ultra-right-wing Jair Bolsonaro, ferocious enemy of the rights of workers, women, blacks and the LGBT community. On May 30 La Izquierda Diario wrote, There is nothing contradictory in the protests and therefore the position of workers must be clear: reject the blockades separate yourselves from this movement and its leadership of employers. The PTS position is absurd on its face. The truckers strike is an immensely contradictory phenomenon, involving hundreds of thousands of brutally exploited workers in a revolt against increasingly intolerable conditions of life. It includes salaried drivers, autonomous or owner-operators, as well as a shutdown by private trucking companies. The transportation corporations and the far-right supporters of the fascistic Bolsonaro did not launch the strike nor do they direct it. The strike provoked fear in national and international ruling circles precisely because of its spontaneous and independent character, free from the stranglehold of the trade unions. The strike developed in a conscious struggle by truckers against the unions, which had been collaborating with the government to block opposition to the hike in gas prices. For this reason, the strike has tapped into widespread opposition among the working class, which is deeply resentful after a decade of austerity, growing inequality and corporate-government corruption. A poll this week shows nearly 90 percent of Brazilians support the strike. On Wednesday, the countrys oil workers joined the truckers and went on strike against gas price hikes and the privatization of Petrobras, only to have their union call for a return to work within 24 hours as the courts imposed punishing fines. The bourgeois press has warned of a revolt if strikes spread to other industries. The PTSs politics reflect the interests of the roughly 10 percent of the affluent population that is less personally impacted by the rise in gas prices and on this basis opposes both the truckers strike and the growing movement toward a general strike. La Izquierda Diarios May 30 article states that strikers demand for a lowering of the cost of gas and tolls is neither a workers nor a popular [demand]: it favors particularly and principally an important sector of the countrys businesses, which is the transport companies and also a petty-bourgeois section of autonomous [i.e., independent contractor] truckers. This statement exposes the PTS as supporters of austerity adjustments and cost-of-living hikes. The sizable share of the 500,000 striking truckers who are autonomous or owner-operators work brutal hours and under unsafe conditions, making on average the equivalent of between one and three minimum wages, barely enough to survive. This layer, dismissed by the PTS as petty-bourgeois. initiated the walkout. By the PTSs logic, the Brazilian government is not only right to send troops against the truckers, but was also correct to violently repress 2013 protests over hikes to bus fares. Similarly, the Mexican government was justified in suppressing 2017 Gasolinazo protests over cuts to gas subsidies. Nor can Argentinian workers trust the PTSs claims to oppose the Tarifazo price hikes in their country. La Izquierda Diario blames the strike on much confusion fed by fake news and Whatsapp groups. According to the PTS, workers have no right to speak to one another freely or to challenge the dictatorship of the trade unions. But the strike only took place because truckers planned their actions outside of the unions through the social networking application Whatsapp, coordinating demonstrations and roadblocks and building support among family and friends. In contrast to the PTSs claim that there is nothing contradictory in the protests, all genuine Marxists understand that the class struggle necessarily develops according to contradictions of the capitalist system, which have sharpened enormously in Brazil, a country of 200 million people, undermining every political institution while creating deepening social misery for the broad masses. The Workers Party (PT) ruled the country from 2003 to 2016 and imposed austerity measures while falsely labeling itself left-wing and even socialist. Under these conditions, it is hardly surprising that some strikers (though by most press accounts only a minority) have been susceptible to interventions by right-wing populist blowhards like Bolsonaro and calls for military intervention in the false belief that corruption and not capitalism is to blame for the collapse of living standards. While there is always a danger that a faction of the ruling class will seek to inflame backward sentiments and manipulate genuine social protests to further right-wing goals, it is the task of socialists to encourage strikers to broaden their appeal to the working class to block such efforts. By opposing the strike, the PTS acts to drive workers into the arms of far-right demagogues by giving them reason to associate left politics with suppression of the class struggle. There is a growing resurgence of the working class across the world, including in the United States, where teachers in state after state (where Donald Trump received the most votes) are rebelling against the teachers unions to demand large wage increases and funding for public education. Across the world, workers are abandoning the old left bourgeois and social democratic parties, mostly opting for abstention from bourgeois elections but in some cases supporting demagogic right-wing candidates who posture as opponents of the political establishment, including Donald Trump in the US, Marine LePen in France, and, to a lesser extent, Bolsonaro in Brazil. But underpinning this contradictory process is a fundamental tendency toward a coalescence of the class struggle worldwide. Workers are making use of social media to organize their struggles outside the control of the trade unions. The PTSs role in the Brazilian strike wave corresponds to a universal process. Pseudo-left groups representing affluent sections of the upper-middle class are intervening in strikes to block social opposition and direct it back into the trade unions where it can be controlled, isolated and suppressed. For the governments and their pseudo-left supporters, Internet censorship becomes a chief mechanism for preventing workers from communicating with one another across industries, national boundaries and even from one workplace to another. In a globally interconnected world economy, the chief strategic task facing the working class is to expand and connect their struggles on an international level to conduct a common fight against the capitalist system. Groups like the PTS serve as conscious obstacles to the development of the international class struggle and must be opposed. The Israeli government is deepening its crackdown on human rights activists and academics critical of the criminal policy being carried out by Tel Aviv in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. It has initiated unprecedented proceedings to deport Human Rights Watch (HRW)s Israel and Palestine Director Omar Shakir from Israel, while carrying out similar actions against other human rights advocates. While a Jerusalem District Court issued an interim injunction on May 23 pausing the deportation, court proceedings on the deportation order are set for next month. Shakir had his work permit revoked and was given a 14-day notice to leave Israel on May 7. The Interior Ministry ordered Shakirs deportation after compiling an extensive dossier on his activities stretching back over a decade to his time as a student at Stanford University. The dossier includes tweets and petitions Shakir has signed and alleges that he is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign. Neither HRW nor Shakir actively promote BDS, and HRW has noted that only a handful of other countries, including North Korea and Sudan, have restricted their activities. The injunction was based on the fact that the information used by the Interior Ministry to order Shakirs deportationalleged support for BDSwas known before his work permit was granted in the first place. The mere existence of the dossier will have a chilling effect, as it indicates that other human rights activists and academics in Israel, or who merely publish writing on Israel, have had their political activities monitored by the Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs. A May 25 piece by Shakir in Haaretz notes that Israel claims to be the regions only democracy, yet it is deporting a rights defender over his peaceful expression, and that HRW has offices in Lebanon, Jordan and Tunisia and other countries in the region. Shakir has previously been expelled or blocked from entering other countries due to his activities. In 2009, Syria denied me a visa after an official said that my writing reflected poorly on the Syrian government, he notes. In 2014, I was forced to leave Egypt after I wrote a report for Human Rights Watch documenting the Raba Massacre, one of the worlds largest single-day killings of protesters. A year ago, Bahrain held me for 18 hours and denied me entry after I identified myself as working for Human Rights Watch. The temporarily delayed deportation of Shakir is in line with Israels other recent actions aimed at restricting the movement of human rights activists and even elected officials. Israeli authorities denied entry to Katherine Franke, a human rights activist and professor at Columbia University, on April 29 due to her political views. An anonymous spokesman for the Strategic Affairs Ministry confirmed to Haaretz that she was prevented from entering the country because of her alleged prominent role with Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), which supports BDS. Franke was one of four human rights activists detained for 14 hours by Israeli immigration authorities before being deported. The four were part of the Justice Delegation, consisting mostly of American activists who went to visit Israel and Palestine and speak to organizations and activists. Franke, who is the chair of the board of the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), was to lead the delegation along with Vincent Warren, CCRs executive director. The other two deported activists asked not to be identified. Franke is the Sulzbacher Professor of Law, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Columbia University in New York City, and is also a member of the Executive Committee of Columbias Center for Palestine Studies. Her faculty page notes that she works regularly in Palestine, most recently serving as an academic mentor for the human rights faculty at Al Quds University in East Jerusalem. Warren, formerly an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, said: The Israeli government denied us entry, apparently because it feared letting in people who might challenge its policies. This is something that we should neither accept nor condone from a country that calls itself a democracy. During her interrogation, Franke was presented with supposed proof of her ties to BDS-supporting organizations, in the form of what she believes were articles taken from right-wing Zionist websites that post information about critics of Israel. Franke told Democracy Now! that the security personnel of the Israeli government have assigned to private, right-wing, unreliable trolls the job of deciding who is a security risk and who isnt. She was also told that she was going to Palestine to promote BDS, which she pointed out was falsethey were there to witness human rights violationsand illogicalpromoting BDS in Palestine does not make sense, as BDS takes place elsewhere. After being harshly interrogated and fingerprinted, Franke was told that she has been banned from Israel for five years, although her deportation order does not mention a ban. Warren told the press that he was told that he would be deported even before his interrogation. The Israeli government absurdly claims that Warren left voluntarily. Franke has previously supported Steven Salaita, whose appointment as a professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign was revoked because of his tweets protesting the Israeli slaughter of Palestinians during the 2014 war against Gaza. Less than two weeks after Franke was deported, Israel launched air strikes against Iranian positions in Syria, highlighting the acute risk of a regional war involving at least Israel and Iran, and potentially Saudi Arabia and the United States. The ultimate aim of Tel Aviv, backed to the hilt and encouraged by Washington, is regime change in Tehran. Moreover, Frankes deportation came only weeks before the expected culmination of weeks of protests by Palestinians in Gaza. Palestinians are protesting the apartheid-like conditions under which they live, including the debilitating blockade by Israel and Egypt. The Israeli response has been to kill over 100 protesters and injure thousands more. Notorious videos depict unarmed protesters shot by Israeli sniper fire. In April, Israeli authorities denied Patrice Leclerc, the mayor of Gennevilliers, France, entry to the West Bank due to his support for BDS. The same month, they attempted to deny Dublin Lord Mayor Micheal Mac Donncha entry, but due to a clerical error he was let through. Before returning to Ireland, Mac Donncha signed a document saying he would not reenter the country without permission. The crackdown by the Zionist state on its critics, including BDS proponents and human rights officials, is symptomatic of the growing crisis of the Israeli ruling class as it attempts to divert growing social contradictions outward in the form of war. The last act in the formation of a far-right government in Italy took place on Thursday night, after a protracted period of three months dominated by a political impasse and intense social and financial instability. After days of a volatile atmosphere both domestically and on world markets following President Sergio Mattarellas veto on the appointment of euro-skeptic economics professor Paolo Savona for the post of Minister of Economy and Finance, the far-right Lega and the Five Star Movement (M5S) finalized a list of ministers, headed by new Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, that was approved last night by Mattarella. The new government will be sworn in today. On Tuesday, financial circles had reacted starkly to the prospect of an economy minister who would call into question the future of the euro zone. There are substantial concerns in ruling circles that an exit by the European Unions third-largest economy would cause a domino effect, hitting a substantial portion of European banks. The uncertainty of the political crisis in Italy has already produced the worst day for Italian bonds, according to analysts worse than during the 2008-2011 financial and debt crisis. Last Tuesday, the two-year yield spiked from 0.3 percent to 2.73 percent, signaling a potential destabilization of financial markets. The main difference between the new Conte administration and the previous list vetoed by Mattarella is the Minister of Economy and Finance. The replacement of Savona with Giovanni Tria, an economics professor, consultant for the World Bank and proven defender of the euro zone, satisfies the concerns of European and international capital over secessionist tendencies within the EU. Savona will head the Ministry for EU Affairs. The most prominent feature of the new government is its anti-worker program. The policies adopted reflect the neo-fascist character of Lega as well as the law-and-order approach of M5S. At one point on Thursday, M5S was open to appointing Giorgia Meloni, leader of the fascist Fratelli dItalia, to head the defense ministry: If we stick to the contract [the name given to the Lega-M5S program] the discussion is open to all and we could also have Fratelli dItalia in the government, said M5S Congressman Carlo Sibilia. The newly formed cabinet is headed by Conte, a lawyer with past affiliation to the bourgeois left, who has embraced M5S, explicitly rejecting the socialist perspective for which millions of working people fought throughout the 20th century, declaring that the ideological schemes of the 1900s are no longer adequate. The jurists selection to head the cabinet underscores the importance of the repressive legal framework being created by the new government: the principle of certainty of punishment replaces the long-established democratic conception of presumption of innocence. There is more than a parallel to the Nazi jurist Carl Schmitts nulla crimen sine poena. One of the most striking and revealing features of the new governments program in terms of wealth redistribution is the introduction of a flat tax of 15 percent (or 20 percent for those above a yearly income of 80,000). This measure will have the double effect of transferring massive amounts of wealth from the bottom to the top and of depriving crucial social programs of vital funds. Budget allocation for programs such as public health care and public education will be inevitably affected. A particularly alarming provision is on defense, which the program prioritizes in anticipation of new military involvements. The Mediterranean Sea is the focus of attention under the guise of combating Islamic terrorism and uncontrolled migrant traffic. In particular, the anti-immigrant policies announced in the program follow the rabid xenophobic appeals of Lega (and to a large extent M5S) and will target some of the most vulnerable sections of the working class. The program explicitly paves the way for nearly 500,000 deportations. A climate of chauvinistic hysteria has been promoted by all of the political forces, starting from the anti-immigrant measures implemented by previous governments headed by the Democratic Party. Now, the far-right in the Conte government feels emboldened to engage in open persecution of refugees, in an attempt to paint them as responsible for the crisis of world capitalism and divide the working class along national lines. Another sign that the Conte government is preparing for the militarization of Italian society in anticipation of mass upheavals and opposition to its reactionary policies is the planned increase of police forces and weaponry. Under the Defense section of the program, Lega-M5S also make it clear that they intend to increase Italys participation in international missions for national interest. The new Minister of Defense, Elisabetta Trenta, is a military and intelligence expert with a career in war. Her statement about Italys participation in the crimes committed in Iraq, specifically in Nasiriya, fits perfectly in the imperialist program adopted by the major participants in that war under the banner of humanitarian intervention. Praising Italian soldiers for having assisted a few Iraqi casualties, she commented: These are our soldiers: professionalism and heart! On foreign policy, the program will inevitably produce conflict with other imperialist countries, especially the US. While it confirms the privileged relationship with the US through NATO, it specifically points to Moscow as a partner and calls for the repeal of international sanctions on Russia. In recent years, the NATO alliance has been weakened by increasing international tensions. Now, under the pressure of sharp contradictions, the entire framework established in the postwar period for the restabilization of world capitalism is collapsing. Italys pro-Russia policy will exacerbate such frictions. A notable policy thats been the flagship of M5Ss populist appeals to workers is the so-called Reddito di Cittadinanza, or citizenship income. Its basic function is to provide a low-paid job (780 a month) to the unemployed (provided they are Italian citizens) by giving three job choices. Should the applicant refuse them, he or she would lose the income right. The scheme is a gift to corporations, which will be able to employ a cheap labor force. In fact, an entire generation of youthItaly still suffers a 33.1 percent youth unemployment ratewill know the measly citizenship income as the new normal. The measure resembles the Hartz policy of the German government in 2003, which created a mass of low-wage workers. M5S leader Luigi Di Maio will be Minister of Labor and Economic Development, therefore overseeing this and all other policies pertaining to workers employment. M5S leader Beppe Grillo set the tone in 2013, when he suggested, lets eliminate trade unions, they are as old as political parties. In more recent months, Di Maio himself offered a glimpse of his approach when he threatened that trade unions either reform themselves, or we will take care of it when we take power. In the context of a government inclusive of neo-fascist forces, there is more than a passing similarity with how the fascists in the 1920s and 1930s smashed the unions using similar slogans. Today it would be somewhat different, because of the history that followed the fascist regime and the role of the trade unions in collaborating with the state and big business. However a restructuring of social relations can be expected as the bourgeoisie increasingly finds it impossible to solve the contradictions of capitalism. Finally, Matteo Salvini, leader of the neo-fascist Lega and co-sponsor of this government with De Maio, will be the Minister of the Interior, effectively enforcing the repressive measures typical of a police state. His European co-thinkers are neo-fascist Marine Le Pen of Frances National Front, Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch far-right Party for Freedom, and the ultra-right Alternative for Germany. There is not one progressive provision in the Lega-M5S contract. It is the compounded result of years of betrayals and defeats by a so-called center-left that has opened and in fact paved the way to the entry of neo-fascist forces into power, 73 years after the collapse of fascism. One thing is certain: the ruling classes of Europe are preparing for mass upheavals and will not object to the drastic anti-worker measures adopted by the Conte government. On the contrary, in their eyes, the Italian working class will become an example of how repression is necessary for the survival of capitalism. The most urgent task of Italian workers is to build their own independent party, armed with a socialist perspective that is based on international unity among workers and rejects all forms of nationalism and imperialism, in a struggle for workers power worldwide. 404 This page could not be found . The International Youth and Students for Social Equality held campaigns at universities across New South Wales (NSW) this week to promote the June 17 demonstration at Sydney Town Hall Square, called by the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) in defence of Julian Assange. Students enthusiastically supported the SEPs demand that the Australian government act immediately to secure the WikiLeaks editors freedom, with a guarantee against extradition to the United States. They spoke about the impact that WikiLeaks has had on their political knowledge and understanding, through its exposure of wars and diplomatic intrigues. The IYSSE held speak-outs advertising the rally at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), one of the largest in Sydney, and the University of Newcastle. Reed Pasara addressing the UNSW speak-out At the UNSW speak-out, Reed Pasara, the president of the IYSSE club on campus, declared: Any student or worker that defends democratic rights must take up the struggle to free Julian Assange. The situation he faces is the sharpest expression of a campaign to silence any opposition to war and social inequality. At the University of Newcastle, John Davis, the IYSSE club president warned: The situation with Assange has now reached a critical turning point. He reviewed Ecuadors decision to cut-off Assanges access to the Internet and visitors at its London embassy and the attempts to force him into British and US custody. Akisha At the University of Newcastle, Akisha said Assange was under attack because he threatens the major governments. They want to keep people ignorant. He exposed how the US government tampers with elections all over the world and interferes in other countries. Assange showed the war crimes they have carried out in the Middle East and warned us about the new wars they are planning. He is threatening the legitimacy of governments in the eyes of the population. Akisha noted: You hear very little about whats happening to Assange from the mainstream media. They want us to forget about what he did and stop us from doing something similar. Hes a journalist and hes telling the truth. What is the mainstream press saying? They arent telling the truth. They barely even report that civilians are being gunned down by Israel in Gaza and that hospitals are being bombed. Akisha denounced Swedens bogus investigation into sexual assault allegations against Assange, which it dropped last year. The rape allegations were never true, she said. It wasnt the real issue. The most important thing is that Assanges actions are part of a fight for freedom of speech and democracy. The US, in particular, is against people releasing and distributing the truth. Walter Walter, a PhD student in occupational and environmental health, said: The focus of the US is on global dominance, not protecting human rights. Their attacks against Edward Snowden for exposing mass spying are similar to what theyre doing to Assange. They say America is the most democratic country in the world, but we can still see human rights being violated there. A lot of people now recognise that with elections, its just two puppets on a stage. Its important that people tell the government what they want and speak up against these attacks on democratic rights. Kieran Kieran, a surveying student, said: Assange is trying to keep the government in check, but the government doesnt want to be in check, especially in America. He is similar to Goldstein from George Orwells 1984. Hes not a dupe. The government is trying to make it seem as though he has done the wrong thing, when he is actually a figure for freedom today. He tries to get the truth to people. At UNSW, Shrohith, an IT student originally from India, said: Assange and WikiLeaks are doing what normal journalists should do. It is a big thing now because governments are trying to trample on it. Noam Chomsky said the deadliest weapon the US exports is American democracy. In the name of democracy, they change leaders, subvert elections and invade countries. When WikiLeaks releases information exposing this, they feel that theyre being threatened. The perception of people, which is already changing, shifts even more rapidly. Shrohith Asked about the implications of the attacks on Assange, Shrohith stated: This can happen to anyone, not just Julian Assange. In India, if someone tweets something critical about the president, like a group of 19-year-old kids recently did, they can be arrested. One day, maybe if someone tweets something against the Australian prime minister they could be arrested too. The situation can get to a point where no one can speak out against what the governments and big business are going. Wen, a Chinese international student, commented: I think the Australian, US and the UK governments are doing something very bad. Assange is not doing something for himself. What he is doing is telling people what actually happened. I heard that the Ecuadorian government might be negotiating with the US about how to deal with Assange. He is in danger right now. I am worried that the Ecuadorian government is sacrificing Assange for their own interests. I think there is a connection between the escalating danger of war and the acceleration of the attacks on Assange. There are more conflicts between the US, Russia and other governments. That is why Assanges life is in more danger. Santiago At Western Sydney University, Santiago, a business student, said: I think its spineless that Australian governments have joined the attacks on Assange. Thats the kind of thing weve come to expect from them. They wont even support one of their own citizens. Its because of the nature of what hes exposed and the links between Australia and the US. When it comes to sending Australian troops abroad or bringing US troops here, it always happens. There shouldnt be any wars. They are all for the pursuit of land, resources and profit. Santiago stated: The governments know that by attacking Assange, it will have a ripple effect. They want every single student who is against war and anyone who wants to expose what governments are doing to be intimidated. Declan, a business student, said: What Assange did required great determination and conviction. There are freedom of information acts in most countries. Under those laws, what he did is right. Theyve tried to turn him into a villain, when all he is doing is exposing the facts. Hillary Clintons emails, which were published by WikiLeaks in 2016, showed a lot of wrongdoing. They were very incriminating. It was interesting that she had been involved in selling uranium to Russia, and then she claimed she lost the election because Trump colluded with Russia. It was completely hypocritical. Clinton also rigged the Democratic Party primary against Bernie Sanders. If they had gone for Bernie, I think he would have won against Trump. He had support from young people. But at the end of the day, they are both war parties. Its the same in this country. Theyre all getting funding from big business and military contractors. Thats where people like Assange are so important. Mary, an arts student, said it was disgraceful that the Australian government has not done anything to bring Julian Assange back. She stated: Hes been stuck in a tiny room at the embassy for almost seven years, knowing that if he leaves, he will be charged. It is inhumane. They are attacking Assange to try and stop people going against their governments. But we will still rally and protest and they wont stop us. On May 18, five thousand people attended the ninth anniversary memorial of the Sri Lankan army massacre at Mullivaikal. They mourned the ruthless massacre of over 40,000 Tamilsincluding civilians, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fighters, and the entire LTTE leadershipthat brought an end to the 26-year Sri Lankan civil war. Overshadowing the event, nearly a decade after the end of the war, were the continuing hardships endured by the population of northern Sri Lanka. It still under military occupation, political prisoners have still not been released, and capitalists in Sri Lanka and internationally see it as a haven to find cheap labor, policed by the army and IMF austerity measures. As relatives of the victims and parents of children kidnapped by the state grieved, the army sent intelligence officials to block the distribution of food and drink and harass the mourners. The event exposes the political bankruptcy of Tamil nationalism. While the Socialist Equality Party (Sri Lanka) unflaggingly opposes the regime in Colombo, fighting to unite the working class across Sri Lanka and the Indian subcontinent in struggle, the Tamil nationalist groups now serve as props of Washington and the Colombo ruling elite. There is broad disaffection and explosive anger in northern Sri Lanka with the bourgeois Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the TNA-led Northern Provincial Council (NPC), and its collaboration with the Sri Lankan government and US imperialism. TNA leaders Mavai Senathirajah and Sritharan and other NPC parliament members were thrown out of the main event. The Jaffna University Students Union opposed the TNA-led Northern Provincial Council (NPC) organising the event alone. However, as they joined the event, they declared they were confident in Northern Province Chief Minister C. Wigneswaran in regard to genocide and the political aspirations of the Tamil people. Wigneswaran was chosen because he was the only speaker the mourners would accept, due to his occasional criticisms of the TNA. However, Wigneswarans speech faithfully echoed the TNA, which collaborates with IMF austerity and US imperialisms pivot to Asia aimed at isolating China, cynically presenting this as a way to get help from the international community. Wigneswaran was silent on the war danger and on the TNAs support for IMF austerity against workers across Sri LankaSinhala, Tamil and Muslim alike. He criticized Colombos unfulfilled promises to war victims and its disregard for UN resolutions, and presented five proposals, of which three were appeals to the international community to intervene and mediate with Colombo. Explaining his policy, he said: Any person who is familiar with the history of this island during the last 70 years is aware that without pressure from the international community or internal political pressure, no government is prepared to tread the path of progress towards a political solution for the national question. I make bold to call upon the international community on this occasion to resolve to give political pressure upon our Sri Lankan government to coax them to fulfil their obligations. Wigneswarans bold appeal to the international community is a dead end, part and parcel of the politics of Tamil nationalism ever since formal independence from Britain 70 years ago. At that time, it was the line of the pro-British Tamil bourgeoisie in their parliamentary maneuvers with the Sinhala bourgeois parties. There are definite echoes of this policy in the TNAs role today. After a US-backed regime-change operation installed President Mathripala Sirisena in 2015 on a program of aligning Sri Lanka with the pivot to Asia against China, the TNA supported the Sirisena regime from the opposition benches. It abandoned any struggle for the release of Tamil political prisoners and mounted no opposition to Sirisenas IMF austerity measures despite mounting protests and popular opposition. It has proved bitterly hostile to democratic rights and to the working class. The historic alternative to the bankruptcy of Tamil nationalism is the proletarian internationalism of the SEP. The perspective of armed struggle by Tamil bourgeois nationalists arose in the 1970s, due to the Pabloite betrayal of Trotskyism by the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP). But while the SEP and its forerunner, the Revolutionary Communist League (RCL), opposed the LSSPs betrayal from the left, based on a defense of Trotskyism and a struggle for the unity of the working class, the Tamil nationalists attacked the LSSP from the right. After formal independence, the LSSP had won broad support in the working and toiling masses, including Tamils, despite the vehement anti-communist attacks of the Tamil nationalists. But in 1964, having broken with Trotskyism and the perspective of the October Revolution, it entered into the bourgeois government of Sirimavo Bandaranaike and went on to back a Sinhala-chauvinist constitution. This was a capitulation to the bourgeoisie and its strategy of using racist attacks and appeals to turn Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim workers against each other. It was a horrific blow to the working classpaving the way for Stalinists, Maoists and bourgeois nationalists to dominate in the working class across the region, including among Tamils, and ultimately leading to the eruption of a bloody civil war in Sri Lanka. From the beginning, the LTTEs military strategy centered on getting the international community to force Colombo to the negotiating table. For a time, before the Stalinist dissolution of the Soviet Union and the opening of India to finance capital in 1991, layers within the Tamil nationalist movement could present this as a socialist alliance with progressive states. A quarter century after the dissolution of the USSR and after a nearly a decade of an oppressive peace, however, the pro-capitalist and pro-imperialist orientation of Tamil nationalism can no longer be hidden. Each visit from the US ambassador or US naval officials to the TNA or Wigneswaran underscores the close link between US military strategy in Asia and the Tamil nationalists attempts to exploit the strategic position of Sri Lanka along the Indian Oceans main shipping lanes. The driving force behind Tamil nationalism is the class interest of the tiny layer of Tamil capitalists. Wigneswaran made this clear in a statement he issued the day after his speech. He complained: J.R.s open economy created massive economic developments and opportunities, many Tamil businessmen intended to return to the country to start business, but what happened? J.R. Jayewardene, having won the 1977 elections, introduced economic reforms to promote an open economy, creating Free Trade Zones that made substantial concessions to international capital and permitted unlimited exploitation of the working class. Faced with large-scale opposition among workers, including a mass strike of the public sector in 1980, the Jayewardene government and UNP goons organised the pogrom against the Tamils in July 1983. This led to the outbreak of the Sri Lankan civil war. Looking back at Jayewardenes record, however, Wigneswarans main complaint is not his policy of racist attacks on the Tamils, but that the Tamil businessmen did not get their share in the profits made from Jayewardenes attack on Sri Lankan workers. The growing popular opposition to the TNA and to the Colombo regime vindicates the struggle of the RCL and its successor, the SEP, for Trotskyism. The RCL-SEP has an unblemished record of fighting for the social and democratic rights of the entire population, including the Tamil minority. Amid the political disintegration of the TNA, the SEP reasserts Trotskys Theory of Permanent Revolution: the democratic rights of the masses and agrarian reforms can only be accomplished under the leadership of the working class, fighting for power in an international socialist revolution. The way out of the dead end of Tamil nationalism for the workers and youth is the struggle to build the SEP and the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE). Since the beginning of the yearfive monthsfive workers, taxi or livery drivers, have committed suicide due to dramatic income declines caused by competition from ride-share companies. The latest apparent suicide is Yu Mein Chow, a 56-year-old Yellow Cab driver, who disappeared on May 11, and was found floating in the East River near the Brooklyn Bridge on Wednesday. In recent years, traditional taxi and livery services have been subject to severe and effectively unregulated competition from ride-share companies such as Uber and Lyft. The latter are part of the so-called gig economy in which workers are treated as private contractors, subject to super-exploitation, with few or no protections or benefits. Traditional taxis, which must display a medallion, are regulated by the city. Many medallions are owned by large companies, which deploy fleets of cabs. Others, however, were purchased by individuals or small groups. Until recently costing hundreds of thousands or even more than a million dollars, these medallions have now plummeted in value, wiping out the investments of many individual owners. This is in addition to the precipitous drop in income due to the dramatically increased competition, forcing cabbies to work much longer hours in an attempt to make ends meet, not to speak of repaying the substantial debts incurred in purchasing medallions. Chow had bought his medallion for $700,000 in 2011 and was having increasing difficulty in making payments on the loan. He was also burdened by medical bills due to his wifes diagnosis of Stage 4 cancer last fall. Evidently, these crushing financial difficulties led to his death. His brother, Richard Chow, told the Daily News, My brother lost hope as many other medallion owners looking for justice and fairness have. For many decades, the number of medallion taxis in the city had ranged around 12,000 to 13,000. Since the arrival of Uber and other ride-sharing companies, however, the total for-hire vehicles operating in the city has risen to over 100,000. Prices for rides have, as a consequence, decreased dramatically. Between 2013 and 2016, the income of a typical taxi driver dropped nearly $20,000. Thousands of New York City taxi and livery drivers are suffering bankruptcies, foreclosures, and evictions due to their collapsing incomes. The growing number of suicides among these workers is a symptom of their destroyed lives. In February, a livery driver in his early 60s, Doug Schifter, shot himself to death in front of City Hall. In a Facebook posting, made shortly before his death, he stated that he now had to work more than 100 hours a week just to survive, blaming both the corporations and politicians. Drivers for the ride-sharing app companies, such as Uber and Lyft, are no better off. A 2017 survey of app-based drivers found that 57 percent earn less than $50,000 per year, and 22 percent earn less than $30,000 per year. This, in one of the most expensive cities in the world. Several taxi drivers recently spoke to the World Socialist Web Site about the pressures they face. Luis Carotti, a taxi driver with 30 years of experience, said, Uber is sucking everything out of this job. They lower their prices in the morning and let them go up later around rush hour. You cant make money driving a cab in the morning anymore. The medallions also really took a dip in price. I think they used to be around a million dollars, and now it is at $200,000. You cant really afford to raise a family as a taxi driver any more. I want to retire in the next few months. Right now, Im only working to pay my bills. Anthony, who has worked part-time for nine years and recently became a full-time driver, explained, My parents used to own three medallions, but because of Uber changing the industry, we couldnt pay for them. The bank has taken two of them away. Now my mom is driving part-time and my dad is working every day. When we bought the medallions, it was a great investment. But Uber is now running without any regulation. Im not sure who benefited from this, but it is clear that the medallion owners were the ones that lost. Asked about the response from the political establishment, he added, Politicians have their hand in this, and the mayor or governor should have done something to regulate this [Uber and similar apps]. I dont usually follow politics, but this is affecting me and my family. We know Uber is the future, and they need some regulations. When the Green cabs [which are a type of taxi in New York City that requires different regulations] were introduced, it was nice because they were regulated. We understood that it provided an opportunity for more people. Now, most our work is in Mid-town [Manhattan] or the airports, and Uber is moving in there. Even when Uber first came out it was a nice job. You could make $100,000 a year. Now everyone is making the same money, but we are all working harder and harder. Reacting to the recent spate of suicides, Syed Haider, a driver with nine years of experience, noted, If someone is suicidal it is because of a problem. Right now, all the medallion owners are depressed. It is like the medallions are at zero. It is a problem for them, and it must be very scary. There is too much competition in the city, and in places like Westchester you dont even need a special license. Cab drivers have to work very hard to make enough money here. Rent is high and everything is expensive in the city. Im working a minimum of 10 hours a day. The politicians get donations from Uber. Money speaks in America, Haider concluded. Successive Democratic and Republican administrations have welcomed the arrival of the ride-sharing companies with open arms, leaving them effectively free of regulation, and have done nothing to address the brutal conditions facing any of the workers in this industry. As a response to the recent deaths, some token measures have been proposed, but have been fiercely opposed by the ride-share companies and will amount to cosmetic changes, at best. This is not an aberration, but rather one aspect of the decades-long drive by the ruling class to casualize all work, stripping workers of the last vestiges of stability and benefits that were won in an earlier period. 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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 House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy criticized Google for listing Nazism as an ideology of the California Republican Party less than a week before the states primary. Google displayed the information in the knowledge panel next to search results, which listed Nazism alongside fiscal conservatism and market liberalism as ideologies of the state GOP. The search giant issued a statement saying the information had been retrieved from Wikipedia, which had been vandalized. It since has removed the erroneous information. We have systems in place that catch vandalism before it impacts search results, but occasionally errors get through, Google said. And that is what happened here. But the incident nonetheless fanned perceptions of the tech industrys liberal bias. Sadly, this is just the latest incident in a disturbing trend to slander conservatives, the California congressman tweeted. These damaging actions must be held to account. McCarthy is a leading contender to succeed House Speaker Paul Ryan, and the California Republican has been outspoken on the red-meat issue of social media bias. Story continues Earlier this week, McCarthy posted a two-minute segment of a speech in which he claimed conservative Christians are belittled or forced out of the public square and accused social media companies of attempting to discredit or silence voices on the political right. I believe if we get criticized for our speech, or if they try to deny it, we should say it louder and more often, McCarthy said in a video that, ironically, was circulated via social media. McCarthy went on to cite a Gizmodo report of Facebook news curators suppressing stories of interest to conservative readers from the social networks trending news section, and of Twitter rejecting a campaign ad from a Tennessee Republican in which she claimed to have stopped the sale of baby body parts a reference to her opposition to fetal-tissue research. Twitter deemed the ad inflammatory. Related stories Warren Buffett Says He Missed On Amazon, Google - Calls Cryptocurrency "Rat Poison Squared" Google Parent Alphabet's Earnings Beat Expectations, Investors Still Worry About Advertising Outlook, Gov't Regulation - Update Warner Bros. Taps Google's Michelle Slavich As EVP Global Publicity & Strategy By Sierra Brown A 58-year-old Florida man was found by police lying in a pool of blood Tuesday,(May 29) after suffering a gun shot to the head. Authorities discovered his wife fired the potentially fatal shot all because she didnt like his tone. The Miami Herald reports Tony and Lawanda Brown, 57, who operate a consulting business together, were working in their loft. Tony reportedly asked her to do a Google search to find a template for a project they were working on however Lawanda said she didnt like the way he asked her. Lawanda said he walked out the loft and it was all a blur after that. A .38-caliber revolver was found in the couples bedroom. Tony is suffering from gunshot wound to the head and is in critical condition at the UF-Health Hospital in Jacksonville, according to WPTV. Lawanda was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and booked into the Nassau County Jail, reports the New York Post. Her bail is being held at $500,002. Tony was nominated in 2001 by former president George W. Bush for a spot in the US Treasury Department. This post Florida Woman Shot Her Husband In The Head Over His Tone Of Voice first appeared on Vibe. A Kansas woman arrested after leading a private investigator to a body believed to be that of her 5-year-old stepson was released from jail Wednesday and currently faces no charges in the case, Segwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett announced Wednesday. Emily Glass, 27, of Wichita, wore sunglasses and refused to answer reporters questions after she was released from jail. The investigation remains open while authorities await autopsy results on the remains, which authorities believe are those of the boy, Lucas Hernandez, Bennett said at a Wednesday press conference. No charges are being filed today while investigators continue to follow up on newly-developed leads, and await the results of the forensic examination, Bennett said. The autopsy report will not be final until the results of a toxicology exam are complete, he said. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click hereto get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. I appreciate the exhaustive investigation in this case conducted by law enforcement and this office will actively continue to work with law enforcement until the case is resolved, Bennett added, declining to comment further on the ongoing investigation. Emily Glass Lucas Hernandez The news of Glass release angered Lucas relatives and other observers, local station KSN reports. How could you release her? cried one woman who was waiting outside when Glass was released. This is a joke. How are you going to know exactly where his body is? It was the scandal that rocked Americas most storied political family and changed the course of presidential history. PEOPLEs first-ever podcast, Cover-Up, dives into the Chappaquiddick scandal and attempts to piece together what happened in the hours after Ted Kennedys car went over a narrow wooden bridge, killing his passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play or wherever podcasts are available. Story continues Lucass mother, Jamie Taylor Orr, cautioned against jumping to hasty conclusions. Everyone, Take a deep breath, step back and chill, she wrote in a statement, KAKE reports. Theres a reason for this because of whats to come. Let go, let god, Let WPD most of all. They got this, Lucas will get his justice. Momma On May 24, Glass was arrested and charged with one count of interfering with a law enforcement officer and obstruction after officers found Lucass body under a bridge in rural Harvey County, local station KAKE reports. Prior to that, Glass led private investigator David Marshburn, who specializes in finding missing persons, to the area, Marshburn told KAKE in an interview. In February, shortly after Lucas went missing, Glass was arrested on child endangerment charges related to her 1-year-old daughter, ABC News reports. She was acquitted of those charges in May. On the day Lucas was reported missing, Glass told police she last saw the boy in his bedroom at about 3 p.m. before she took a shower and fell asleep, police said at the time. She said that when she woke up, he was gone. Related Video: Body of Missing Kansas Boy Likely Found Under Bridge Kanye Wests new music is set to be unleashed. After holing up for weeks in Jackson Hole, Wyoming to put the finishing touches on his eighth studio album, West is finally ready to reveal his latest work. The rapper, 40, and his new team have invited select friends, colleagues and press out to Jackson Hole for a listening party to be held Thursday, May 31. I talked to him yesterday and hes so happy and excited to present the music in the place that inspired it and where it was created, says a source close to West who will be in attendance. RELATED: Family Time! Kim Kardashian & Kanye West Explore Wyoming with Kids North & Saint Kanye West, Kim Kardashian and family in Wyoming. Its a happy time for West, who had a rocky return to the spotlight in April before escaping to Jackson Hole with wife Kim Kardashian, daughters North and Chicago and son Saint. After going on a headline-fueling Twitter spree he received backlash from fans and famous friends alike for making a controversial statement about slavery, before clarifying on Twitter. Most recently, West drew criticism for licensing a photo of Whitney Houstons drug-strewn bathroom to use as the cover of rapper Pusha Ts new album. RELATED: Kanye West Spent $85,000 on Photo of Whitney Houstons Drug-Covered Bathroom for Pusha Ts Album Kardashian West has largely been by her husbands side through it all. She and their kids joined him in Jackson Hole but has kept up her commitments, stepping out with her mom and sisters at The Met Gala and most recently visiting the White House to meet with President Trump about prison reform. RELATED VIDEO: Kim Kardashian Rocks a Power Suit for White House Meetings About Prison Reform Though sources told PEOPLE earlier this year that the rapper was struggling with his mental health again and there was strife between him and mother-in-law Kris Jenner, the source says hes currently feeling better than ever. With the upcoming album, reportedly titled Love Everybody, He feels like hes really tapped into his creativity, using everything hes learned and all the skills hes honed up until this point, says the West source, adding that He said when you get to this stage as an artist its really possible to tap into magic. The New York Post sparked outrage after sharing a photo of an upcoming cover commenting on Kim Kardashian Wests meeting with Donald Trump to discuss prison reform. The Keeping Up with the Kardashians star, 37, met with the 71-year-old commander in chief on Wednesday to discuss a possible pardon for Alice Johnson, a 62-year-old great-grandmother serving a life sentence for a first-time, nonviolent drug offense. The news made the cover of the New York Post, which referred to the meeting as Trump meets Rump and The other big a summit, a reference to Trumps postponed meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The cover also referred to Kardashian West as Kim Thong Un. RELATED: Donald Trump Says He Had a Great Meeting with Kim Kardashian as They Pose in Oval Office Disgusting headline, @nypost, wrote Charmed alum Alyssa Milano. @KimKardashian was meeting with President Trump about a critical issue and you lead with her ass? This is unacceptable sexism. No woman deserves this, she added. Thank you for using your platform to raise awareness for the issue of prison reform, Kim. Washington Post columnist Karen Tumulty added, Can we just stand back for a moment and acknowledge the sexism of this headline? @KimKardashian is far from the first celebrity to understand the power of using her spotlight to call attention to a serious issue. Disgusting headline, @nypost. @KimKardashian was meeting with President Trump about a critical issue and you lead with her ass? This is unacceptable sexism. No woman deserves this. Thank you for using your platform to raise awareness for the issue of prison reform, Kim. https://t.co/P43Vq2mPLR Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) May 31, 2018 woman uses her considerable celebrity influence to talk directly to the president about important and vital prison reform@nypost: yeah but did you see her bum???https://t.co/RpzjFHEnLl Alex Bruce-Smith (@alexbrucesmith) May 30, 2018 This seems very mean spirited against someone who was just trying to advocate for criminal justice reform https://t.co/Cr7hG5iOAX Saagar Enjeti (@esaagar) May 30, 2018 Can we just stand back for a moment and acknowledge the sexism of this headline? @KimKardashian is far from the first celebrity to understand the power of using her spotlight to call attention to a serious issue. https://t.co/qLMaLIJLrz Karen Tumulty (@ktumulty) May 31, 2018 Im not the biggest Kim K fan, but this is in poor taste and sexist. Amineh (@ZanesMyBae) May 31, 2018 Donald Trump Jr. also weighed in on the cover, claiming that if Kardashian West had this meeting when former president Barack Obama was in office, it would have been lauded. Story continues RELATED VIDEO: Kim Kardashian Rocks a Power Suit for White House Meetings About Prison Reform Hate to always have to point out the obvious but you never got this kind of hate [when] Obama did his parading of celebs through The White House. When he did it they were all amazingly subject matter experts. Why the continued double standard? he wrote. Here a woman @Kim Kardashian who happens to be a celeb has spent years on one case researching it, funding legal defense funds, but because she met with @realdonaldtrump about the issue that shes taken very seriously, shes mocked and criticized, he continued. The BS from the media and left wing agenda just really needs to stop. RELATED: Kim Kardashian Is Talking to Jared Kushner About a Pardon for Great-Grandma Jailed for Life After calling attention to Kardashian Wests previous political work in advocating for gun control and Planned Parenthood, journalist Yashar Ali claimed that he was told the KKW Beauty moguls decision not to smile in the photograph documenting her visit with Trump was intentional. Want to keep up on the latest from PEOPLE? Sign up for our daily newsletter to get our best stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox. Im told her decision to not smile was intentional. https://t.co/fHYzIoXZXU Yashar Ali ???? (@yashar) May 30, 2018 Following their meeting, the president shared a photo of the pair behind the Resolute desk in the Oval Office. Great meeting with @KimKardashian today, talked about prison reform and sentencing, Trump tweeted. Missing from the photo was Trumps son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner, whom the KKW Beauty mogul was scheduled to speak with, according to CNN and Vanity Fair. Meanwhile, Kardashian West shared a photo of the presidential seal on the White House carpet with the caption: Happy Birthday Alice Marie Johnson. Today is for you. Great meeting with @KimKardashian today, talked about prison reform and sentencing. pic.twitter.com/uOy4UJ41JF Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2018 RELATED: Kim Kardashian Rocks a Power Suit for White House Meetings About Prison Reform The mother of three shared the same comment on Twitter in honor of Johnson, who was incarcerated in October 1996 after she helped facilitate communications in a drug trafficking case. I would like to thank President Trump for his time this afternoon. It is our hope that the President will grant clemency to Ms. Alice Marie Johnson who is serving a life sentence for a first-time, non-violent drug offense, she later tweeted. We are optimistic about Ms. Johnsons future and hopeful that she and so many like herwill get a second chance at life, she wrote in a follow-up tweet. I would like to thank President Trump for his time this afternoon. It is our hope that the President will grant clemency to Ms. Alice Marie Johnson who is serving a life sentence for a first-time, non-violent drug offense. Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) May 31, 2018 We are optimistic about Ms. Johnsons future and hopeful that she and so many like herwill get a second chance at life. Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) May 31, 2018 In a personal essay published on CNN earlier this month, Johnson opened up about what Kardashian Wests help has meant to her, including the spotlight that has been placed on her case. Some refer to prison as a place where hope dies. Some days Ive found that to be almost right, Johnson wrote. Each time that Ive come close [to giving up], God has restored my faith. So when the unlikely voices of Kim Kardashian West and Jared Kushner came together to shine a spotlight on my case, I could only thank God, for he works in mysterious ways, she continued. Search of kidnapping suspects home could take days if not longer after 3 bodies found: DA The search of a kidnapping suspects Massachusetts home is likely to go on for days if not longer than that after authorities found three bodies there, a county district attorney said. Police began searching the Springfield residence of Stewart Weldon Wednesday and found the bodies "in and around" the home Thursday, Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said at a news conference Friday. "Our expectation is that we are going to be here for days if not longer than that," Gulluni said. PHOTO: Authorities have erected a tent where three dead bodies have been discovered at a Massachusetts home associated with a kidnapping suspect. (WCVV) Authorities are using ground-penetrating radar technology to assist in their search, he added. The sophisticated technology is being used to search below the surface, Gulluni said, though not saying exactly what searchers are looking for. Weldon, 47, was arrested Sunday after a police chase. He had tried to drive away from officers who stopped him over a broken tail light, according to ABC Boston affiliate WCVB-TV. PHOTO: Authorities at the scene where three dead bodies have been discovered at a Springfield, Massachusetts home associated with a kidnapping suspect. (WCVV) The police were reportedly able to box him in after the short chase. After apprehending Weldon Sunday, WCVB reported, officers found a woman in his car who told them he had held her captive for a month and raped her in his home. Police noted that the woman had bruises and a hospital diagnosed her with stab wounds, a fractured jaw and bruising from being hit with a blunt object, according to WCVB. The woman, who has not been identified, is recovering in the hospital and is not in any life-threatening condition, Gulluni said Friday. PHOTO: A mugshot of Steward Weldon who was arrested Sunday after a police pursuit. The Springfield, Mass. home, where where three dead bodies have been discovered, is the last known residence of Weldon, according to ABC-affiliate WCVB. (WCVB) Other people were living in the house, authorities said, declining to identify them. Neither police nor the district attorney has responded to ABC News request for comment. Weldon had been charged Sunday with armed kidnapping, failure to stop for police and reckless driving. He is being held on $1 million bail Tuesday after pleading not guilty, WCVB reported. The public defender who represented Weldon at his arraignment did not immediately respond to the stations request for comment Thursday. He had not been charged in connection to the bodies allegedly found at his home, according to WCVB, and authorities have released no details about the remains. The D.A. also did not say whether Weldon was suspected of having any connection. Weldon had also been wanted on three active warrants for traffic infractions and had a revoked drivers license, according to WCVB. These photos of fallen soldiers newborn daughter with dad's old Army buddies will melt your heart The newborn daughter of a fallen soldier took part in a photo session with his former Army unit to honor the childs birth. Spc. Chris Harris, 25, was killed in Afghanistan in August by an improvised explosive device (IED) just days after he learned he was going to be a father. Christian Michelle Harris was born March 17. PHOTO: Christian Harris, the daughter of Army Specialist Chris Harris who was killed last year, took part in a special photo shoot with some of Harris' former comrades. (Pinehurst Photography) PHOTO: Christian Harris, the daughter of Army Specialist Chris Harris who was killed last year, took part in a special photo shoot with some of Harris' former comrades. (Pinehurst Photography) He was an unforgettable personality, Britt Harris, the mother of Christian and widow of Chris, told ABC News. Being in the Army was his second biggest goal in life. Number one was being a dad. Harris joined the Army in 2013 and was eventually assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, according to a statement by the division. His deployment to Afghanistan was his first tour. PHOTO: Christian Harris, the daughter of Army Specialist Chris Harris who was killed last year, took part in a special photo shoot with some of Harris' former comrades. (Pinehurst Photography) PHOTO: Christian Harris, the daughter of Army Specialist Chris Harris who was killed last year, took part in a special photo shoot with some of Harris' former comrades and her mother, Britt Harris. (Pinehurst Photography) The photo session was a chance for the soldiers who served with Harris to meet his daughter for the first time. "Knowing that we could come home to a baby girl, that was awesome," Sgt. Nathan Arthur Bagley, who served with Chris, told ABC Durham, North Carolina, station WTVD-TV. "When everyone came home, that was the day she was born so that made it 10 times better." PHOTO: Christian Harris, the daughter of Army Specialist Chris Harris who was killed last year, took part in a special photo shoot with some of Harris' former comrades. (Pinehurst Photography) PHOTO: Christian Harris, the daughter of Army Specialist Chris Harris who was killed last year, took part in a special photo shoot with some of Harris' former comrades. (Pinehurst Photography) Those are the people she should know and be able to see how much they all loved her right from the beginning, Britt Harris said. Theyve been a part of her life before she was even born and I know theyre going to be around for the rest of her life. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have been married for less than two weeks and theyre already making public appearances (such is the life of a royal, of course). The couple just signed on for their first royal tour, and it turns out theyll be spending time with some of Meghans Suits co-stars in Australia. Meghan has remained super close with much of the Suits cast even though shes no longer starring on the show, so its not a huge surprise that shes carving out some QT for her former co-stars as she and Harry travel the globe. According to reports, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be traveling to Australia in October for the 2018 Invictus Games, an annual sporting event Harry started in 2013 for injured and wounded veterans. A source told The Mirror that the royal couple will spend some post-royal wedding time with Suits stars Gabriel Macht and Jacinda Barrett at their Queensland home in the beachside resort of Noosa. Fellow Suits star Sarah Rafferty will reportedly be joining the foursome for a few days after the Invictus Games (before Meghan and Harry embark on their first official tour of New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga)and, umm, can we come? This all sounds insanely magical. Macht and Barretts home is apparently an incredible place and will be perfect for [Harry and Meghan] to chill out before they go on what is likely to be a fairly non-stop tour. The source added, Theyll have a great time and theyll have a chance to see the real Australia after the bustle of Sydney. Though it seems the newly married couple isnt getting too much relaxation time in their first days of marriage, we certainly hope they enjoy the quality time with their Suits pals. All in a days work being a royal, right? A new book shows the ex-president grappling with how it all went so wrong. Barack Obama has kept a low profile since leaving the White Houseor, relatively low profile, for someone unveiling portraits and announcing deals with Netflix. But the former president thus far seems to have taken a hands-off approach to public life under Donald Trump. While that's left some pining for him to come back, it's also fueled a lot of curiosity about how Obama is taking the Trump presidency. Now, we at least have some insight into how Obama reacted in the aftermath of Trump's election. The New York Times has reported on excerpts from a forthcoming book by former deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes, opening with a scene of Obama just days after the election: What if we were wrong? he asked aides riding with him in the armored presidential limousine. He had read a column asserting that liberals had forgotten how important identity was to people and had promoted an empty cosmopolitan globalism that made many feel left behind. Maybe we pushed too far, Mr. Obama said. Maybe people just want to fall back into their tribe. Following the election, Obama seemed to go through a lot of conflicting emotional states that seem in line with someone either grieving or struggling to make sense of a disaster: The next day, Mr. Obama focused on cheering up his despondent staff. At one point, he sent a message to Mr. Rhodes saying, There are more stars in the sky than grains of sand on the earth. But days later, Mr. Obama seemed less sanguine. I dont know, he told aides. Maybe this is what people want. Ive got the economy set up well for him. No facts. No consequences. They can just have a cartoon. He added that were about to find out just how resilient our institutions are, at home and around the world. That was certainly a prescient point, considering that since Trump took office he's repeatedly tried to undermine things like the free press and the justice system. And Obama wasn't even the only world leader shaken by Trump's election: according to the book, German Chancellor Angela Merkel decided to run for reelection in part to serve as a check against him. Story continues But there's one detail in the Times story that's less dramatic but still extremely noteworthy: Obama's reasoning for not going on the offense and campaigning harder for Hillary Clinton. He noted that Mr. Trump was already claiming that the election would be manipulated if Hillary Clinton won. If I speak out more, hell just say its rigged, Mr. Obama said. This is the kind of excessive caution that now seems ingrained in Democrats, and it makes no sense. When Trump himself believed that he would lose the election, he declared the entire thing a sham, long before a single vote was cast. He was already accusing the establishment of rigging the election against him, and Obama choosing to not campaign hard didn't make him stop. Hell, Trump won the election and he's still lying to this day that a scourge of nonexistent voter fraud cost him the popular vote. Hopefully, Democrats can digest this idea moving forward. Regardless of what they actually do, Republicans are going to attack and malign them. So why give them what they want in the hope that they'll stop? Photo: Saylaurenn via Twitter Lauren Spencer, an 18-year-old from Atlanta, just graduated from high school, in the top 5 percent of her class and with 15 college-credit hours under her belt. She accomplished all this while pregnant with her son. Im so proud of myself, Spencer wrote in an essay for Love What Matters. And who could blame her? In her essay, Spencer writes that until last year she was the good child who always played by the rules and that her family was shocked when she got pregnant during her senior year of high school. The feeling of disappointing my family was definitely new for me, being that I had been a straight-A student who stayed out of trouble. Spencer knew that pregnancy meant that getting her high school diploma would be that much more difficult, but she refused to stop pursuing her dreams. At that moment, I decided I did not have to become a disappointment because I was pregnant, she wrote. I could still keep my grades up and go on to do big things. It would just be more of a challenge with a baby. It was far from easy, battling with pregnancy symptoms while being a full-time student, Spencer wrote. I remember nights being extremely exhausted but having to stay up to finish lab reports, essays, etc. Can I brag a little ? I finished high school a semester early with 15 college credit hours . Had my son and still graduated in the top 5% of my class Proud of myself pic.twitter.com/4GBUst6TSr Lauren (@saylaurenn) May 21, 2018 At the time Spencer became pregnant, she was enrolled in both high school and college courses she was doing so well that she was able to finish classes in winter months ahead of graduation. My counselor let me know that I qualified to graduate in December, she wrote. I jumped at this opportunity. I was able to rest and prepare for my little one until my due date in March. And her final average was 94. This put me in the top 5 percent of my class. Story continues Many on social media have been impressed by Spencers success. Her tweet announcing her graduation has 41,000 likes. The new mom will be starting college in the fall at Georgia State University. I know it will be challenging, but I am determined to make not only myself but my son proud, she wrote. I am not in any way encouraging teen pregnancy; I just want to encourage others who are in the same situation, she wrote. I want them to know it is not the end of the world, and they can still go on to accomplish great things, which is exactly what I plan to do. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. Normally when 8-year-old boys stop traffic, its because they forget to look both ways before crossing the street. Thats not the case with Maurice Adams Jr., who was riding in the back of his moms car in Milledgeville, Georgia, when he noticed an elderly woman making her way across the street by herself, WSB-TV reported Wednesday. He asked, Can I go out there and help her up the steps? Contricia Hill, the boys mother, told the local news outlet. His mother pulled over and Adams Jr. jumped out to help her. He can be seen in a video captured by a passerby, helping her up a set of steps as she maneuvered her walker, both carefully taking each step one at a time. When they reached the top, the pair hugged and Adams Jr ran back to the car. His mother was proud of her sons actions, telling WSB-TV: (It just shows) respect and raising your kids right goes a long way. The video was captured by Riley Duncan who pulled out his camera when he saw the boy stop traffic. He kept filming, as Adams Jr helped the woman up the stairs. It was such a sweet moment starring a well-mannered boy, that he wanted to share the moment, posting it to a local Facebook group. While Adams Jr did the act of kindness out of the goodness of his heart, he may have a financial reward coming to him, too. Duncan told CBS News that he plans to meet with Maurice and give him $100 for his good deed. SheKnows Its been a while since weve seen Tom Cruise on American soil, hes been busy filming Mission: Impossible 7 overseas for several years. So when we saw him at the baseball game, up close and personal, in San Francisco on Saturday, he was almost unrecognizable to many fans. His face looked different? Former ESPN reporter [] Dubai (AFP) - Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has warned Saudi Arabia's reformist Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over his "sinful projects", in a bulletin released Friday. Prince Mohammed has spearheaded a string of policy changes in ultraconservative Saudi Arabia, including reinstating cinemas and allowing women to drive. "The new era of Bin Salman replaced mosques with movie theatres," the Yemen-based jihadist group said in its Madad news bulletin, picked up by the SITE Intelligence Group. He "substituted books that belonged to the imams... with absurdities of the atheists and secularists from the east and the west and opened the door wide for corruption and moral degradation," it said. The Sunni jihadist group AQAP has flourished amid a complex war in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia heads a military alliance battling Shiite Huthi rebels. In its statement, AQAP slammed April's WWE Royal Rumble event in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah, near the Islam's most holy sites in Mecca. "(Foreign) disbelieving wrestlers exposed their privates and on most of them was the sign of the cross, in front of a mixed gathering of young Muslim men and women," it said. "The corruptors did not stop at that, for every night musical concerts are being announced, as well as movies and circus shows," SITE quoted it as saying. AQAP in southern Yemen is the target of a long-running drone campaign by the United States, which regards it as the most dangerous branch of the extremist group. Yemen's conflict has left nearly 10,000 people dead, tens of thousands wounded, and millions on the brink of famine. The United Nations has called Yemen world's worst humanitarian crisis. Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in the war between Yemen's Huthi rebels and the government of now-exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in 2015. They have landed on a United Nations blacklist over the killing and maiming of children. Story continues The Huthi rebels, linked to Iran, have also come under fire for neglecting to protect civilians and targeting the press and minorities. The rebels have controlled the capital Sanaa since 2014. Video: Mohammed bin Salman Says Jared Kushner 'In His Pocket' For more news videos visit Yahoo View. Were just one episode into the new season of The Bachelorette and one of the contestants is already apologizing for his off-camera behavior. Garrett Yrigoyen, a medical sales rep from Nevada, was called out on social media ahead of the shows Monday premiere by former Bachelor contestant Ashley Spivey. She cited a series of social media memes that Yrigoyen had liked that criticized feminists, mocked transgender people, joked about throwing immigrant children over the planned border wall, and suggested high school student and antigun advocate David Hogg is an actor. Can we do a better job of social media deep dives on the dudes that try out for #thebachelorette FYI douchebags we can see your likes. Ashley Spivey (@AshleySpivey) May 24, 2018 Spiveys critique obviously didnt affect this seasons Bachelorette star, Becca Kufrin, who gave Yrigoyen the all-important First Impression Rose. But the call-out obviously got Yrigoyens attention. He posted a lengthy apology on Instagram on Thursday. A post shared by Garrett Yrigoyen GY (@gy_yrigoyen) on May 31, 2018 at 4:22pm PDT In his statement, Yrigoyen explained that he never realized the power behind a mindless double tap on Instagram and how it bears so much weight on peoples lives. He insisted his likes were not a true portrait of him. Yrigoyen also explained that hes taken down his old account and started a new one. So far, hes only posted a photo of himself promoting the show and the apology. He will, he said, take better care moving forward to support all walks of life. Story continues Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: Munich (Germany) (AFP) - A controversial decree requiring Christian crucifixes to be put up at entrances of most public buildings in Bavaria came into force Friday, sparking accusations of identity politics ahead of elections in the southern German state. Markus Soeder, Bavaria's conservative state premier, had initiated the measure in April, saying "the cross is a fundamental symbol of our Bavarian identity and way of life". But the order sparked an outcry, with critics accusing Soeder of politicising a religious symbol as his CSU party battles to claw back voters who have turned to the far-right and Islamophobic AfD ahead of state election in October. "Soeder has misused the cross for an election manoeuvre," the region's Social Democrat chief Natascha Kohnen told the Augsburger Allgemeine daily. Soeder was also widely mocked, including by the state premier of neighbouring Baden-Wuerttemburg, Winfried Kretschmann, who said a photo of his Bavarian colleague holding the cross made him "think of a vampire film". But among the harshest condemnation was that from Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the president of the German Bishops' Conference, who warned Soeder that "if the cross is viewed only as a cultural symbol, then it has not been understood." "Then the cross is being expropriated by the state," said Marx in an interview with Sueddeutsche daily, adding that it must not be used as a tool to exclude. Amid the push-back, Soeder's office had sought to tone down the decree, saying that while it was compulsory for buildings like police stations, courts or ministry offices, it was merely recommended for higher educational institutions, museums and theatres. - 'Shaped by Christian values' - Defending his cross decree on Friday, Soeder told Bavarian radio that "we are shaped by Christian values, with Christian holidays." The Protestant state premier, speaking from the Vatican where he had an audience with the Pope, stressed that the majority of Bavarians backed the move. Story continues After scoring the worst result since 1949 in September elections, Soeder's CSU -- sister party of Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU -- has been desperately seeking to woo voters back from the far-right. Campaigning on an anti-Islam platform, the AfD has capitalised on German fears of the arrival of more than a million asylum seekers, many from Muslim countries. After becoming the biggest opposition force in parliament, the AfD is poised to enter Bavaria's state legislature. The increasingly fragmented political landscape in Germany means that the CSU may for the first time lose its absolute majority in Bavaria, prompting it to take an increasingly hard line on issues related to immigration or religion. Former Bavarian premier Horst Seehofer, now Germany's interior minister, has stated that "Islam is not part of Germany", even though more than four million Muslims call Europe's biggest economy home. For the Augsburger Allgemeine, the "CSU appears to be wooing AfD supporters by taking on its rhetoric on refugees, Islam and of course, the cross." For eight years, climate change activists lobbied President Obama to address global warming with everything from stronger regulations on greenhouse gases to rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline. The efforts often if not always succeeded. But under the Trump Administration, they have all but given up on changing the presidents mind. Instead, theyre refocusing their efforts on cities and states, hoping to make global warming a local issue. Our goal has been to shift the zeitgeist on climate, says Thanu Yakupitiyage, an activist at the climate group 350.org. The way we have to frame climate is really personal. In order to talk about climate you have to talk about it with other issues. To do that, activists have brought together a diverse array of groups. Unions like the SEIU and civil rights groups like the NAACP have joined activist groups like 350.org and the Sierra Club for this years climate march. Each group brings a different lens to climate change to help people across the country understand the effects of global warming on them. The mobilization will feature most prominently a large-scale rally in San Francisco timed ahead of California Gov. Jerry Browns Global Climate Action Summit in September. The summit, which is planned for September 12, is expected to draw high-profile public figures from across the globe. The Peoples Climate March in San Fransisco will take place on September 8 and planners say they expect tens of thousands of participants. Planners say San Fransisco is the centerpiece, but not the only focal point. The national mobilization will also include satellite events across the country that focus on the local effects of warming everything from the threat to property to water pollution rather than global temperatures or end-of-century changes. Likewise, organizers hope to provide avenues to influence local policymaking at a time when work on climate change has slowed or stopped at the federal level. Story continues The approach will vary from place to place, planners say. In Miami, the effort focuses on resiliency following extreme weather events like the hurricanes that have wrecked havoc on the state in recent years and could worsen in severity as a result of climate change. In Michigan, where Flint was plagued by lead tainted water organizers have honed in on clean air and clean water. This isnt cookie cutter, says Jon Barton, deputy director of SEIU. Collaboration between different activist groups is nothing new, but the focus on local issues marks a significant change from past rallies which tended to take a more national or even global outlook. Last years Peoples Climate March highlighted the Trump Administrations reversal of climate change policies enacted during the Obama presidency. The first Peoples Climate March, hosted in 2014, was meant to build momentum for a United Nations meeting on climate change. But political and policy dynamics across the globe have changed largely in response to Trumps election in 2016. Since then, the focus of climate change efforts broadly has moved from national governments to cities, states and other local governments. Governors, mayors and other local officials have committed to addressing climate change and a slew of coalitions have popped up for like-minded communities. Now, activists are following suit to push for more aggressive action. The model is rooting climate change in the local issues and engaging people where they live, says Paul Getsos, an organizer with Peoples Climate March. With a Trump Administration and a Republican Congress, the opportunities to make change are rooted locally. Ottawa (AFP) - Canadian farmers in the Quebec region of Charlevoix, where G7 leaders are scheduled to meet next week, have been asked to avoid spreading manure on their fields ahead of the summit. The aim is to make a good impression -- in order to boost tourism -- on Canada's G7 guests and not expose the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States to unpleasant odors. But local lawmakers are making a stink on behalf of farmers. "We ask for your cooperation so that the stay of our guests on our province is as pleasant as possible," said a letter sent by Quebec's agriculture ministry to the local farming association, seen by AFP Friday. A long winter meant farmers could not access their fields until last week -- later than usual -- to start preparing the ground for seeding. They are now being asked not to spread manure from June 1 to 9. "Asking farmers to stop their operations puts their crops at risks," Andre Villeneuve, a member of a Quebec opposition party, told the provincial legislature on Thursday. Quebec's agriculture minister, Laurent Lessard, shot back that the G7 presented a tremendous opportunity to showcase the region to the leaders and journalists from around the world covering the June 8-9 summit. It's "an extraordinary opportunity to present Quebec products," he said. SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Though China has made progress tackling water pollution, it is still struggling to impose unified standards, especially in poorer, water-scarce regions, a government researcher said on Thursday. China has been slowly cleaning up its water after years of indiscriminate dumping of industrial and household waste, overmining and the overuse of pesticides and fertilisers. With water scarcity seen as a potential growth bottleneck, the government is also desperate to make polluted rivers and lakes clean enough to support agriculture and manufacturing, but it still has a long way to go. "Though overall national water quality is getting better, the pollution load far exceeds environmental capacity and the capacity of the water treatment industry in some regions," said Wen Yuli, a researcher with the China Academy for Environmental Planning, a think tank in the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. Speaking at a forum on the sidelines of the Aquatech expo in Shanghai, Wen said around 9 percent of China's groundwater remains "below grade V", which means it has "lost function" and is unfit even for industry and irrigation. While China is working to bring it down to 5 percent by 2020, some regions still lacked an adequate "safeguard capability", he said. In data published last August, the environment ministry said water in the first half of 2017 had improved, with more than 70 percent fit for human contact, up 1.2 percentage points on the year. But 27 sites, including in Hebei and the capital Beijing, saw quality decline. "China's water quality has improved last year, but 8.3 percent of sampled sites were still below grade V," said Liu Youbin, spokesman of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, at a briefing on Thursday. He also said 77.9 percent of sampled sites were in the first three grades, which means the water was suitable for human contact. Multinational corporations speaking at the forum said they were committed to raising discharge standards in their Chinese supply chains, but regional imbalances posed problems. Luc Desbrun, technical manager with the sourcing unit of Nestle in Shanghai, said his company's relatively high discharge standards have made it easier to comply with tougher Chinese controls. However, he said one factory was located in a region with phosphorus discharge standards "way below" its own, forcing it to make modifications. "It is an issue of competitiveness all around the world when corporate standards are higher than local standards," he said. "There is a gap and it depends on the region." Henry Zhuang, who works on sustainability with Ikea in China, said the furniture maker's local suppliers welcomed the company's higher standards, saying they served as a "firewall" against competitors. "Costs are definitely higher, but after raising their standards, they also have a stable order book, he said. (Reporting by David Stanway; Editing by Christian Schmollinger) Photo credit: Getty/jetcityimage - Getty Images From Car and Driver Conspicuously absent from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles five-year plan presentation today at its proving grounds in Balocco, Italy, was any future talk about three brands: Fiat, Chrysler, and Dodge. No, theyre not dead, but according to CEO Sergio Marchionne, they lack global relevance. Marchionne emphasized that the four brands about which we heard detailed future plans-Alfa Romeo, Jeep, Maserati, and Ram-represent the majority of the companys global revenue and thus will be where FCA will focus its investments going forward. Whats going to happen to the companys two namesake brands and the hugely historic Dodge brand in the United States, then? Marchionne did shed some light on how he sees Fiat, Chrysler, and Dodge developing over the next five years, so weve summarized what we learned about their status in the United States and whats to come until 2022. Chrysler: The Minivan Brand North America is just about the only place where Chrysler vehicles are still sold, and even in the States, only two Chrysler vehicles exist: the 300 sedan and the Pacifica minivan. Marchionne described Chrysler as a people-carrier brand going forward and mentioned the Pacificas role in FCAs autonomous-driving efforts, since self-driving Pacifica hybrids are a key part of the automakers partnership with Googles Waymo division. The 300s future is less certain, and Marchionne seemed to suggest it could be supplanted by some sort of crossover. Seventy percent of the market is already non-sedan, so to try to build a position in sedans is not helpful, he said. A three-row Chrysler crossover built on the same platform as the Pacifica had been discussed in the past, but its unclear if that will come to fruition. Dodge: All Performance All the Time The last five-year plan, laid out in 2014, emphasized Dodges status as a performance brand, and it has launched enough Hellcat and SRT variants of its lineup in the ensuing years to back up that claim. Marchionne said he thinks Dodge should stay this course. Story continues When asked about replacements for the Charger and Challenger, he took the air out of previous rumors that the next-gen sedan and coupe would use the rear-drive architecture from the Alfa Romeo Giulia. Instead, he suggested that the current cars LX platform-which dates back to the mid-2000s-could be reworked to remain competitive. By the time we finish this architecture, you will not recognize it in terms of its origins, Marchionne said. The Alfa platform reflects more European performance; [the LX platform reflects] the American heritage of Dodge. Never mind that the LX platform was originally created during the DaimlerChrysler tie-up with Mercedes-Benz. While the aging Durango SUV has gotten a shot in the arm thanks to its new SRT version, the Journey crossover and Grand Caravan minivan would appear to be staring mortality in the face. Neither fits into the brands performance missive, and both are well past their sell-by date, the Journey having arrived for 2009 and the Grand Caravan for 2008. They do still sell in decent numbers, but a good chunk of that volume is low-profit fleet sales. Successors were not mentioned. As for a new Viper, despite our boisterous boosterism, Marchionne said, Its not in the plan, noting that the model never sold well or made much money. Fiat: Not Ready to Give Up on America Theres no sugarcoating the fact that Fiat has not performed well in the U.S., and Marchionne admitted this. To speak about significant volumes for the Fiat brand would be a waste of time, he said. Instead, he hinted that Fiat could reposition itself with more of an emphasis on eco-friendliness, since city cars like the 500 are a hard sell to Americans. To that end, the company confirmed that there will be a next-generation all-electric 500e, which seems poised to come to the States. The Fiat 124 Spider also will stick around, as FCA remains in its agreement with Mazda, which builds that Miata-based droptop in Japan. The 500X crossover has become Fiats best seller in the U.S. market, so we dont think it will be axed anytime soon, but the ugly-duckling 500L could be sent packing. You Might Also Like By Karl P. Mueller North Korea is not like Libya. And those who think that Washington should look to the North African nation as a precedent for either denuclearization or regime change in Pyongyang are heading either for confusion or disappointment. U.S. National Security Adviser John Boltons endorsement of the Libya model in which Muammar Qaddafis regime abandoned its longstanding quest to develop nuclear weapons in 2003 and was overthrown in 2011 following a Western military intervention recently caused a diplomatic flurry, drawing a sharp rebuke from Kim Jong Un and a contradiction from President Trump. In reality, the two situations have little in common. Boltons comments as well as subsequent remarks about the Libya model from Vice President Mike Pence minimize the differences between Libya under Qaddafi and North Korea under Kim Jong Un. The most fundamental distinction is that Libya never possessed nuclear weapons, though readers of some reports saying that Qaddafi agreed to give up nuclear weapons in 2003 might easily imagine that it did. Libya pursued its weapons of mass destruction programs enthusiastically but ineffectually for years, and when it finally succumbed to the pressure of Western sanctions it was still far from becoming a nuclear power. Qaddafi thus abandoned his WMD ambitions in exchange for the benefits of restoring ties with the West, but he was not sacrificing either the protection or the status associated with a nuclear arsenal, and the deal did not pave the way for the destruction of his regime by Libyan rebels and NATO airpower eight years later. In fact, a number of states have abandoned once-active nuclear weapons programs in the past 70 years, including Canada, Sweden, Brazil, Egypt and South Korea. However, only one nation has actually developed and then given up nuclear weapons: South Africa, which announced in 1993 that it had decided to dismantle its small arsenal four years earlier. In addition, Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan inherited possession of Soviet nuclear weapons (but not the ability to launch them) when the USSR dissolved, and later returned the weapons to Russia. It is notable that none of these countries perceived a serious outside threat of invasion or regime change, although at least one observer at the time predicted that for Ukraine this state of affairs was unlikely to last. Thus, North Korea giving up its nuclear arsenal after sacrificing so much to create it would be unprecedented. And when considering what rewards and guarantees might persuade Kim to denuclearize, U.S. leaders should not expect Libya to be a guide. Nor should anyone imagine that a military effort to disarm or destroy the North Korean regime if it refuses to denuclearize would resemble the campaign that overthrew Qaddafi. In 2011, during the heady early months of the Arab Spring, mostly-Western airpower protected Libyan rebels from being crushed by regime forces and then enabled them to win the ensuing civil war in a seven-month effort that cost the United States just a few billion dollars and no U.S. servicemembers lives. Libya was a small country with a relatively fragile regime facing considerable internal opposition, and it had virtually no ability to strike back at its foreign enemies. In contrast, North Koreas population is almost four times as large as Libyas, its regime and its huge army are well-entrenched, and it could inflict enormous damage beyond its borders with either conventional or nuclear weapons even without the ability to reach the continental United States with a ballistic missile. Where, then, should we look for a better analogy for the denuclearization effort with North Korea? A more relevant precedent would be the 2015 nuclear deal that froze Irans nuclear weapons program, from which the United States officially withdrew in early May. Unlike Libya, Iran was on a path to being able to build a significant nuclear arsenal, and like North Korea it had good reason to think that doing so might provide insurance against superpower attack. Negotiating the Iran nuclear deal was a long process in which both sides had to settle for less than they wanted in order to strike a deal. It would be naive to expect that North Korea will be more willing to sacrifice a real nuclear arsenal than Iran was to relinquish the prospect of a hypothetical one. (Karl P. Mueller is a senior political scientist at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation and a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School.) Tiny Christian Michelle Harris will never meet her father, who was killed in action in Afghanistan before she entered the world. But the 2-month-old will always have the love and support of her dad's U.S. Army Airborne unit, whose members gathered this week for a photo shoot, holding her little body in their highly trained hands. "I wanted to let everyone meet Christian together," North Carolina mom Britt Harris told InsideEdition.com Thursday. She wanted her daughter to "have these special and formal photos... to show her the men and women that served alongside her father." Spc. Chris Harris was killed by an Afghan suicide bomber in August 2017, just days after learning he was going to be a dad. Christian was born on March 17. Since then, her mother has been in contact with her dad's fellow soldiers, arranging a date and time when they could gather to see the baby girl whose intensely blue eyes are an exact match of her father's. "Those are the people she should know, and be able to see how much they all loved her right from the beginning," said Britt. The men and women who served with Chris arrived in their dress uniforms, and they took turns holding Christian, wearing a white onesie emblazoned with "My daddy's my hero." Her father's dog tags hung from her teeny neck. Perhaps the most profound shot of the day came when the soldiers stood in a circle, holding Christian with the palms of their hands as if offering her up as a blessing. "I had this image in my head of them supporting her," said photographer Kendra Lee, a friend of Britt's who did the shoot. She wanted to recreate that imagery in real life, but didn't know if her infant subject would cooperate. Christian's eyes were closed as she was held aloft. Then she opened them and looked straight into the lens. "I couldn't hold back my tears," Kendra said. "She looked just like her dad." Story continues Her mother says she will never let her daughter forget her father, or her military family. "No matter where the Army takes them all, I will be able to show Christian how they all came together for her." RELATED STORIES Soldier Who Lost Leg in Iraq Gifted Brand New Home to Help Him Get Around Wisconsin Boy Writes Letter to Soldier, Who Years Later Ends Up Being His Boss Soldier Surprises Girlfriend With Proposal During Military Ceremony: 'It Couldn't Have Gone Better' Related Articles: Denmark became the latest European country to ban full-face veils on Thursday, effectively outlawing the burqa and niqab worn by some Muslim women. The countrys parliament voted 75 to 30 to implement a law that prohibits wearing veils in public, the BBC reported. The law does not specifically mention burqas or niqabs, but it is commonly known as the burqa ban, according to The Guardian, and is seen as being aimed at Muslim women. The law will go into effect August 1, and fines will range from 1,000 Danish kroner ($157) to 10,000 kroner for repeated violations. Once it is in place, police will be able to tell women wearing a veil to remove it or order them to leave public places, according to Reuters. Danish officials have described covering faces as incompatible with Danish values. In terms of value, I see a discussion of what kind of society we should have with the roots and culture we have, that we dont cover our face and eyes, we must be able to see each other and we must also be able to see each others facial expressions, its a value in Denmark, Denmarks Justice Minister Sren Pape Poulsen said, according to BBC News. Opponents of the ban have argued it infringes on the rights of women to choose how they dress and present themselves. All women should be free to dress as they please and to wear clothing that expresses their identity or beliefs. This ban will have a particularly negative impact on Muslim women who choose to wear the niqab or burqa, Amnesty Internationals Europe Director Gauri van Gulik said, according to The Guardian. While some specific restrictions on the wearing of full-face veils for the purposes of public safety may be legitimate, this blanket ban is neither necessary nor proportionate and violates the rights to freedom of expression and religion. Denmark joins France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Bulgaria and the German state of Bavaria in imposing its ban. The country has struggled with how to integrate immigrants, especially as many refugees have arrived from the Middle East in recent years. The Danish Parliament is banning full-face veils in the country as of Aug. 1. (Photo: Ritzau Scanpix Denmark / Reuters) The Danish Parliament voted on Thursday to ban clothing that covers the face, including the niqab and burqa worn by some Muslim women. Denmarks center-right government enacted the law with a vote of 75-30, with 74 absent, The Associated Press reported. The decision puts the country in league with France, Austria and Belgium, which have adopted similar laws. The government said that the law is not aimed at any specific religion. Along with Islamic full-face veils, balaclavas would also be banned, Agence France-Presse reported. The law does not ban headscarves, turbans, Jewish skull caps or face coverings worn for a recognizable purpose during cold weather or while riding a motorcycle. Still, the law has become known as a burqa ban directed at Muslim women who wear veils as part of their spiritual practice. The burqa covers the face completely, leaving a net screen for women to see through, while the niqab leaves the area around the eyes open. Women in niqabs observe the Danish Parliament as it bans face veils in public in a vote Thursday at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen. (Photo: Ritzau Scanpix Denmark / Reuters) Most Muslim women in Denmark do not wear full-face veils. In fact, a 2009 study from the University of Copenhagen suggests that the number of Muslim women who wear niqabs in Denmark ranges from 100 to 200. After the law goes into effect on Aug. 1, first-time offenders face a fine of 1,000 kroner ($156). Repeat offenders could risk fines of up to 10,000 kroner ($1,571), plus jail time of up to six months. Anyone who forces another person to cover their face could be thrown in jail for up to two years. Justice Minister Soeren Pape Poulsen said that police officers will be trusted to use common sense when they see people violating the law. He told Reuters that officers would fine the violators and tell them to go home. In February, when the Danish government formally proposed the face veil ban, Poulsen said that such veils were disrespectful to the community. With a ban on covering the face, we are drawing a line in the sand and underlining that in Denmark we show each other trust and respect by meeting face to face, Poulsen said. Story continues Muslim activists have claimed that European governments attempts to ban face veils are more of a symbolic stance that frames Muslim women and their religious beliefs as antagonistic to European societies. Lamia El Amri, chair of the international advocacy group European Forum of Muslim Women, told HuffPost earlier this year that burqa bans are a reflection of a dangerous rise in Islamophobic political rhetoric in Europe. We can see that nothing or very little has been done by these governments in ... protecting women against Islamophobic hate crimes, Amri, a resident of Sweden, told HuffPost. We would be happy to see governments addressing real problems and security issues that Muslim women face in their everyday life. Women wearing niqabs sit in the gallery at the Danish Parliament in Copenhagen on Thursday. (Photo: MADS CLAUS RASMUSSEN via Getty Images) A Pew Research Center study published this week found that Danish Christians are more likely than religiously unaffiliated Danes to say that Islam is fundamentally incompatible with Danish culture and values. Fifty-five percent of Christians in Denmark who go to religious services at least once a month agree that Islam is incompatible with Danish culture. Amnesty Internationals Europe director Gauri van Gulik said that the ban fails to protect womens rights and instead criminalizes women who choose to wear face veils. All women should be free to dress as they please and to wear clothing that expresses their identity or beliefs, he said. This blanket ban is neither necessary nor proportionate, and violates the rights to freedom of expression and religion. Also on HuffPost Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. The Hijab A hijab is a head covering only. It can be worn many different ways including as a simple wrap around, shown here, or Al Amirah style. Regular clothes that cover the arms, shoulders and legs may be worn with the hijab. Women who wear the hijab are Muhajaba, which means they are wearing it for religious purposes. Hijab in Action Sheila & Abaya An abaya is a long black, loose fitting cloak that often zips or buttons up the front. The sheila is a rectangular scarf that covers the head. Usually made of light silk material and most often found in black, but can be as simple or elaborate as the wearer so chooses. Generally these garments are part of a region's traditional dress, and are therefore worn for cultural reasons rather than religious purposes. The Niqab Often mistaken for a burqa, the niqab fully covers the body, but only partially covers the face, leaving a narrow opening for the eyes. Driving while veiled: now a misdemeanor in France. The Batula The Batula is a face covering generally worn by older women in the Gulf region. This is a style that is slowly being depleted and not carried forward by younger generations. The Burqa Burqas come in many colors and fully covers the wearer, often there is a net window over the eyes so the wearer can see out, but no one can see in. Burqas & Bicycles This particular burqa is called the chadri, the light blue color and style is native to Afghanistan. Doa Gaun "Doa gaun" or "dress for praying." This dress slips over the clothing of women in two pieces...the gown and the headscarf. It is very common in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. The doa gaun is usually carried with women when they are on the go. They can stop in the nearest Masjid, or suaru (a place for prayer), slip this over the clothing they are wearing, worship and take it off to continue the day. The Chador The Chador is more common to Iran. It is a long billowing dress that leaves the face open but covers the wrists and ankles. Chador's in a more plain black color with less decorative embellishments. The Birquini Fully covering beachwear made of lightweight swimsuit material. Baywatch: Abu Dhabi This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Heres a look at some of the companies the Yahoo Finance team will be watching for you. Deutsche Bank (DB) CEO is trying to reassure employees after a credit downgrade from S&P. Christian Sewing put out a message to the staff today admitting many workers there are sick and tired of bad news. But he says the bank will succeed with its turnaround plan. Just last week, Deutsche Bank announced major cutbacks, including slashing about 7,000 jobs. Google (GOOG) is blaming vandalism after a search incorrectly linked the California Republican Party to Nazism. Someone had edited a Wikipedia entry Thursday to include Nazism on the list of the California GOPs ideologies. The change was quickly reversed, but still made it onto Googles results. Google says that despite having systems in place to catch vandalism, sometimes errors get through. Apple (AAPL) is gearing up for its big worldwide developers conference next week. While it is expected to unveil new gadgets, part of the focus will be on using tech a little less. Apple engineers are reportedly working on a series of new tools to help monitor how much time you spend with devices. Walmart (WMT) is getting into the concierge game with a new personal shopping service. The service, called Jetblack, is letting select members join in New York City as part of a pilot program. And its not just for items sold at Walmart. The personal shoppers will scour specialty retailers to find gifts or pretty much anything and deliver it the same or next day. But it comes at a price $50 a month. Rome (AFP) - Italy's new minister of economic development and joint deputy prime minister, Five Star Movement chief Luigi Di Maio has been derided as an empty-headed puppet by his opponents, but the telegenic young gun has lifted his party from anti-establishment insurgent to co-leader of the country's new populist government. With boyish good looks and an easy-going manner, the 31-year-old was sworn in as minister on Friday after leading his party to astonishing electoral success on March 4, propelling the grass-roots mavericks to the forefront of Italy's political scene for the very first time. With almost 33 percent of the vote, Five Star became the largest single party in parliament, although it fell short of a majority. Tasting power, the ambitious Di Maio looked right and left for a coalition partner, finally striking not one but two separate deals with the nationalist League party that take Five Star to the big time. His willingness to jump into bed with both the centre-left Democratic Party, who Five Star has spent years ferociously criticising, and the far-right League, who in June 2017 Di Maio said he "had no intention" of allying with, caused critics to accuse him of putting power before policies. But the young Neapolitan insists it is his desire to begin "to take care of Italy's problems" that drives him, even renouncing the role of premiership, which he has long eyed, in a compromise to form a government with the League. Di Maio has instead settled for his ministerial pick of minister for economic development, pledging to breath new life into Italy's stagnating economy. Charming and clean-cut, his election as party leader in 2017 represented an important shift for Five Star -- from the frantic conspiratorial ranting of iconoclast founder and stand-up comedian Beppe Grillo to a new measured, reassuring style. "He is very popular among the party faithful and his strength lies precisely in being completely different from Beppe Grillo, both in his communication style and in his appearance," said Alberto Castelvecchi, a professor at Rome's Luiss University. Story continues - 'Reassuring to mums' - But despite the apparent differences, the southern upstart is very much a Grillo disciple. He has been involved with Five Star since its creation in 2009, campaigning against corruption and the European Union while promoting political transparency and direct democracy. Following the February 2013 election, Five Star won a spectacular quarter of the vote and Di Maio, then aged just 26, was among 108 M5S candidates elected to the Chamber of Deputies -- the lower house of the Italian parliament. A month later he became the chamber's youngest ever deputy speaker. His stunning ascent did not go unnoticed and the nature of his elevation to rank of prime ministerial candidate raised eyebrows. Selected via an online vote, in which Di Maio's competitors were relative unknowns, many commentators branded his election as a coronation organised by "puppet-master" Grillo. "Is it the man who is being chosen or his readiness to take orders and advice?" asked newspaper La Stampa at the time. Others questioned his political authenticity, accusing him of being a hybrid creation of Grillo and consultants. "Di Maio was created to be moderate, reassuring to mums," according to Italian political journalist Jacopo Iacoboni. - 'Riding a wave' - Di Maio was born on July 6, 1986 into a well-to-do family in Avellino near Naples. His father Antonio had a small construction business and was an activist for the now-defunct neo-fascist party Italian Social Movement, while his mother Paola was a Latin teacher. The eldest of three children, Di Maio studied computer engineering at Naples University, later switched to law and never completed a degree. According to a CV posted on M5S's website, Di Maio founded his own web and social media marketing business while studying, as well as working on video projects. That focus on marketing and presentation helps explain why Five Star has managed to shift its tone on key issues with Di Maio at the helm. The party had consistently called for Italy to leave the single currency eurozone, but Di Maio has moderated their stance, making conciliatory overtures to the bloc, which could complicate future policy decisions with the strongly eurosceptic League. His reaction was also noted following the murder of a teenage girl, blamed on a Nigerian, and a far-right revenge shooting that left six African migrants injured in the central town of Macerata in February. Amid public outcry, Di Maio stayed silent on the gun rampage and instead focused on former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi for creating the "ticking social time bomb of immigration". "On matters like ethics and immigration," wrote Catholic weekly Famiglia Cristiana, Di Maio's ideas are "like those of a surfer riding a wave". FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Dialog Semiconductor said Apple now planned to source the main power management chips (PMICs) for one of its three new iPhone models from two suppliers instead of just from the German chipmaker. That means that Apple will order 30 percent fewer of the chips from Dialog this year than it had initially expected, Dialog said in a statement on Thursday. The news sent its shares 3.9 percent lower in late Frankfurt trade. Dialog's stock has lost more than half of its value over the past year on investor concerns that Apple is working on its own battery-saving chips for iPhones. Analysts reckon Dialog derives more than half its revenue from supplying Apple with PMICs. The reduced order volume for the PMICs will shave 5 percent off the chipmaker's 2018 revenues, but Dialog said it still expected its 2018 revenues to grow year-on-year. The impact on 2019 revenues is likely to be similar, Chief Executive Jalal Bagherli told analysts on a conference call. He said Apple had not provided a reason for the change in its sourcing of chips. "If you think about the fact that we are qualified for all three phones, that means there is no performance-related issue. It might be a statement of intent to reduce risk on having one supplier and have an alternative source," he said. He also said Apple had not told him who the second, new supplier of the main PMICs was but said he saw it as very likely that it was an in-house source at Apple. Apple did not change the projected order volume for the other power management chip that Dialog is supplying for the new iPhone models - the sub-PMIC - nor for all other PMICs, including those for tablets, wearables and notebooks. Dialog said it would continue to explore new mixed-signal opportunities outside of power management for future Apple products. (Reporting by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Adrian Croft and Alexandra Hudson) Ankara (AFP) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held talks Thursday with the envoy on Syria of Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin official's second visit to Ankara in a week as cooperation deepens. Erdogan hosted Alexander Lavrentiev for talks at his Ankara palace, the Turkish presidency said, without elaborating on their discussion. Lavrentiev last visited Ankara on May 24, when he had come directly from talks the day earlier in Damascus with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, an eye-catching itinerary that startled analysts. On that occasion he met with Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin and top foreign ministry officials. In Moscow, the foreign ministry said only they had discussed "tasks aimed at advancing the political solution in Syria". Erdogan and Putin also held the latest in a series of phone conversations on Tuesday, discussing issues including Syria. Turkey and Russia have been on opposing sides of the civil war in Syria since the conflict broke out in 2011, with Moscow the key backer of Assad and Turkey pressing for his ouster. But since Russia's military intervention in Syria began to tip the balance especially from late 2016, Ankara and Moscow have been working increasingly closely to find a peaceful end to the civil war. Turkey's official policy remains to oppose Assad, whom Erdogan has repeatedly denounced as a "murderer". But Ankara has softened its rhetoric against Damascus since the cooperation with Russia began, prioritising the fight against Kurdish militia in northern Syria deemed by Turkey to be terrorists. Some analysts have speculated that Russia would like to see a rapprochement between Erdogan and Assad in order to lay the foundation for a peaceful and stable postwar Syria, although there have been no signs of this coming to fruition. Yet Turkey was likely to have been pleased with comments by Assad in an interview broadcast on Thursday suggesting he is prepared to use force against the Kurdish militia in northern Syria despised by Ankara. Prior to the civil war, Erdogan, then prime minister, and Assad enjoyed a relatively warm relationship frequently exchanging visits up to 2010. Their wives Emine and Asma also have cordial public ties. Brussels (AFP) - The EU on Thursday vowed unity and to retaliate swiftly against the Trump administration's harsh tariffs on steel and aluminium imports as Europe blasted Washington's 'America First' protectionism. European powers had for months hoped to lure US President Donald Trump away from his tariff threat, but now faced the harsh reality of a looming trade war with their transatlantic ally. German Chancellor Angela Merkel slammed the shock duties as "illegal" and said they risked sparking a disastrous "spiral" of retaliatory measures. Europe will respond in a "firm and united" way to US tariffs, Merkel said with the pressure higher than ever to mend differences within the EU on how to tackle the Trump threat. Export powerhouse Germany is highly reluctant to deepen the trade war, and until the last minute hoped to reason with Trump. Instead, the American president ignored Germany's pleas and doubled down on protectionism by threatening a separate wave of duties on car imports in a direct affront to German automakers. France had defended a tougher line, rejecting any serious talks on trade with the US until the tariff threat lifted. But now,"it is important that the European response is as coordinated as possible," a French ministry source said. - 'Bad day' - "This is a bad day for the world trade," European Commission President Juncker told a conference in Brussels after Washington said new tariffs would be effective from 0400 GMT Friday. "The European Union cannot react to that without any kind of reaction," said Juncker, whose commission handles trade matters for the 28 member states. In anticipation, the EU already drew up a long list of counter-measures against the US, which include equivalent duties on a whole range of products including cranberries, motorcycles and bourbon whiskey. As a precautionary measure, the commission, notified the World Trade Organization of eventual counter duties on May 18 that could come into force 30 days later and would affect some 2.8 billion euros in products. Story continues The commission is now detailing those measures, but the final decision to greenlight the counter-measures falls to the EU's 28 member states, where the split views will be tested. - 'Europe united' - Juncker said that the EU would also launch a dispute settlement procedure against the United States at the WTO, a legal process that could take years. Juncker's trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said the EU had tried "everything to avoid this outcome" in talks with President Trump's administration over the last two months. "I have argued for the EU and the US to engage in a positive transatlantic trade agenda, and for the EU to be fully, permanently and unconditionally exempted from these tariffs," the Swedish commissioner said. "This is also what EU leaders have asked for," she added. Malmstrom said the US side tried to use the threat of sanctions as "leverage to obtain concessions" from the EU but added "this is not the way we do business," especially between longstanding allies. "Now that we have clarity, the EU's response will be proportionate and in accordance with WTO rules," she added. In Washington, US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the Trump administration was following through on its threat to impose metal tariffs on not just the EU, but also Canada and Mexico. Ross said talks with the EU had failed to reach a satisfactory agreement to convince Washington to continue the exemption from the tariffs imposed in March. This effort included a failed offer by European leaders to negotiate a limited EU-US trade deal as well as open up the European market to US natural gas -- but only if an exemption was granted. (Reuters) - Former Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe wrote a confidential memo last spring recounting a conversation that provided "significant behind-the-scenes" details on the firing of former FBI director James Comey, the New York Times reported on Wednesday. The Times reported that McCabe had turned in his memo to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating whether Moscow colluded with President Donald Trump's campaign to meddle in the 2016 U.S. election. Comey's firing is one part of Mueller's inquiries into whether Trump tried to obstruct the investigation. McCabe and the Justice Department declined to comment to the Times. The Times reported, citing several people familiar with the discussion, that in the document McCabe described a conversation at the Justice Department with Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein after Comey was abruptly fired. Rosenstein had played a main role in Comey's May 2017 dismissal, writing a memo in which he rebuked Comey over his handling of an investigation into Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton during the election campaign. But in the meeting at the Justice Department Rosenstein added a new detail: that Trump had originally asked him to reference Russia in his memo, The Times reported, citing the sources familiar. Rosenstein did not elaborate on what Trump had wanted him to say, according to the newspaper. Trump's lawyers have cited Rosenstein's involvement in Comey's firing as proof that there was no effort to obstruct justice, the Times reported. The Times reported that Trump wanted Rosenstein to mention that he was not personally under investigation in the Russia probe, but Rosenstein did not include the reference. Until his dismissal, Comey had been leading an investigation into the Trump campaign's possible collusion with Russia. The Kremlin has denied meddling in the election and Trump has denied that there was any collusion between his campaign and Moscow officials. (Shalini Nagarajan in Bengaluru; editing by Grant McCool) By Shihar Aneez COLOMBO (Reuters) - Talks between China and Sri Lanka for a free trade agreement have hit major hurdles, mainly because Beijing will not agree to Colombo's demand for a review of the deal after 10 years, Sri Lanka's top negotiator said. China has invested billions of dollars building ports and roads and power stations in the Indian Ocean island nation just off the southern toe of India as part of its Belt and Road Initiative to increase its trade and other connections across Asia and beyond. But concerns have grown in recent months that such investments can drive the country of 21 million people deeper into debt and undermine its sovereignty, prompting greater scrutiny of deals with China. China's exports to Sri Lanka dwarf the trade that goes in the other direction, leaving Colombo with a big deficit with Beijing. Sri Lanka's chief trade negotiator K.J. Weerasinghe said this week that Colombo was insisting on a right to review the free trade pact after 10 years, but China was not ready to agree that. Ministerial level discussions about an agreement have not been held since March last year. Lower-level discussions between officials have made little progress, according to Weerasinghe. "The talks have come to a standstill. China wants to remove the review clause," Weerasinghe told Reuters. Beijing was opposed to such an option because it wanted longer-term stability, he said. The review clause that Sri Lanka wants would allow it to change some of the deal terms if they were hurting the island nation's businesses. China's commerce ministry did not respond to Reuters requests for comment. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters in Beijing that China attached a great deal of importance to its relationship with Sri Lanka, and that they are willing to continue with cooperation in all areas including trade and business. "We are also willing to play a constructive role in Sri Lanka's sustainable development and economic diversification," Hua said. ANOTHER CONTENTIOUS ISSUE Weerasinghe said another point of contention was that China wanted zero tariffs on 90 percent of goods the two countries sold to each other as soon as an agreement is signed while Colombo would rather it started with zero tariffs on only half of the products concerned and expanded gradually over 20 years. China has been pushing for free trade pacts with countries in the region and last year sealed an agreement with the Maldives that drew criticism from opposition political groups in the tropical island nation. They said it had been rushed through parliament with less than an hour of debate. Sri Lanka has previously said it wanted more time to negotiate the free trade deal with China as it is concerned about the economic impact of a rushed deal on its economy. Sri Lanka imported $4.2 billion worth of Chinese goods in 2016, mostly raw materials for garments, machines and electronics, metals, transport equipment and chemicals. Its exports to the world's second largest economy were just $211 million the same year, which included textiles, tea and vegetables, footwear and rubber. The 2017 figures for China trade have still not been released by the Sri Lankan authorities. The trade deficit with China accounted for nearly half of the nation's total deficit in 2016, adding pressure on the country's current account deficit, central bank data showed. Sri Lanka's foreign debt rose nearly 17 percent to 4.72 trillion rupees ($30 billion) last year, a fifth of that coming from loans from China to finance the massive construction program across the island. Colombo is separately negotiating a trade pact with India, but that is also moving slowly because Sri Lankan businesses fear they will face competition from a flood of cheap goods made by Indian firms. (Reporting by Shihar Aneez; Additional reporting by Yawen Chen and Ben Blanchard in BEIJING; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani and Martin Howell) Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. Being physically active can lift mood, help you maintain a healthy weight, and keep your muscles strongand mounting evidence suggests that working out may have brain benefits as well. Now, a study published this week in the journal Neurology: Clinical Practice, is helping to determine how much exercise you may need for better brain power. Based on reviews of 98 randomized controlled trials, researchers from Brazil, Spain, and the U.S. found that people started to show some improvement in brain functionthey were unable to pinpoint exactly how muchafter a minimum of 52 hours of exercise. Their findings were true for those with cognitive impairment as well as those with normal cognition. Once youre around that 50-hour mark, you would expect to see some increase in mental sharpness, says Joyce Gomes-Osman, P.T., Ph.D., the studys lead author and an assistant professor in the departments of physical therapy and neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. In the studies reviewed, exercise programs lasted about six months on average, but that doesnt mean its necessary to get those 52 hours over a half-year. Whats more important, Gomes-Osman says, is understanding that it takes a while for any thinking-related benefits of exercise to take hold. These are things that happen slowly, she says, with consistent exercise over time. Another takeaway from the new studyand some previous onesis that while most of the research on the exercise-brain connection has been on aerobic workouts, other kinds of exercise also appear to be beneficial. For example, a recent analysis from the University of Canberra in Australia found that some nonaerobic activities can also help improve brain function in people older than 50. Even when people did have some level of decline already, they were actually able to improve their cognitive function, says the Canberra studys author, Joseph Northey, a Ph.D. candidate in sport and exercise science. Story continues Here, for Alzheimers and Brain Awareness Month, is advice on how to optimize your exercise routine to help brain health. Take a Brisk Walk If you dont exercise now, its easy to start. Just walk out your door and keep going. Its fine to start small. Build up from 10 minutes walking a day until you get to at least 30, says Elissa Burton, Ph.D., a research fellow in the school of physiotherapy and exercise science at Curtin University in Australia. And if you can, pick up your pace. Getting your heart rate up will maximize the benefits to your brain, according to Helen Macpherson, Ph.D., a dementia research fellow at Deakin University in Australia. That means you should be exercising at an intensity where you start to find it difficult to have a conversation. Do More Than the Minimum The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that older adults get 150 minutes of this sort of moderately intense aerobic exercise each week, which is five 30-minute workouts. But the biggest boost in brain health in the Canberra study was linked to exercise sessions of 45 to 60 minutes. So try consolidating some workouts into a longer session. Or gradually work up to 45 to 60 minutes, five days per week. Try Tai Chi This Chinese martial art, which consists of slow, rhythmic movements, was one of several types of exercise tied to improved cognitive functioning in the recent Canberra study. Plus its low-impact, which can be good for people who havent been active in a while, Northey says. Its also easy on your joints. To learn the proper technique, its best to seek out a local class, Northey says. You can find instructors near you who are certified by the American Tai Chi and Qigong Association. Resistance Training Can Help, Too Resistance training, exercise that causes muscles to contract, is meant to strengthen, but it may also help protect against cognitive decline. And you dont have to use weights or other equipment, Northey says. The CDC recommends resistance training at least twice per week. Here are three tips to get you started: Stand up, sit down, repeat. As long as youre steady on your feet, try standing up from a chair without using your hands. Do this in sets of five or more any time you find yourself sitting around the house. Make daily tasks harder. Choose stairs over elevators and escalators. Youll get an aerobic workout and build muscle at the same time. Join a class. Northeys study found that group programs incorporating resistance and aerobic training were beneficial for the brain. Check out the offerings at your local YMCA or senior center, and remember to talk with your doctor before you start any new exercise program. Editors Note: This article also appeared in the September 2017 issue of Consumer Reports On Health. It has since been updated to reflect new research on exercise and brain health. More from Consumer Reports: Top pick tires for 2016 Best used cars for $25,000 and less 7 best mattresses for couples 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. By Alastair Macdonald BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belarus has no plans to allow Russia to base troops on its territory, its foreign minister said on Thursday, but could review that if, for example, Poland were to host a permanent U.S. military presence. Vladimir Makei, in Brussels to press a case for expanded cooperation with the European Union, told reporters that Minsk wanted to reduce tensions in the region and maintain good relations with the West and with its former rulers in Moscow. It felt a U.S. base in Poland would increase regional "mistrust". Asked if Polish proposals to host a U.S. base amid fears of Russian aggression could prompt Belarus to revise its rejection of any Russian base, Makei said: "I think there will be some reaction to this intention to deploy a new military air base. "Nothing is impossible ... As of today ... we are not going to deploy new foreign military bases on the territory of Belarus because we would like to contribute to security in our region and we don't want to be a troublemaker. "So we are not going to deploy right now new military bases. But looking to the future we should take into account the future steps which will be taken by our neighbors." Makei stressed that Belarus, under Alexander Lukashenko who has been president of the former Soviet republic for 24 years, wanted to keep open "military dialogue" in the region, including maintaining "hot lines" to control tensions. Belarus was still willing to provide peacekeeping forces to help resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, he said, an offer Lukashenko first made four years ago. A company of about 100 troops was ready and Belarus could send more, Makei said, adding there was new interest among the various parties. After meeting EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, who repeated Brussels' demands for human rights improvements including an end to the death penalty as a condition for more EU aid, Makei said Belarus was intent on reforms toward democracy and on reducing state control of its economy to improve ties. It was, however, keen to avoid hasty changes that might prove destabilizing. Belarus remained eager to deepen its trade and other ties with Russia but also wanted to diversity its markets, including in trade with China, as well as with the EU and other countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. "China is a very important partner for us," Makei said, noting a major Chinese investment in the Great Stone industrial park near Minsk, part of Beijing's "new Silk Road" project promoting its trade routes to Europe. Where 51 percent of Belarussian trade was currently with Russia and 27 percent with the EU, Makei cited a target of a balance of about a third of trade with Russia, a third with the EU and a third with the rest of the world. He said that discussions with Europe's EBRD development bank indicated that two Belarussian banks could be ready for privatization in a few months. Other privatization candidates included cement and building materials firm Krasnoselskstroymaterialy and the Krinitsa brewery. (Editing by Lisa Shumaker) Berlin (AFP) - Five dangerous big cats -- two lions, two tigers and a jaguar -- escaped their enclosures in a flooded German zoo Friday for several hours but were later reported back "in their cages". Local residents near the zoo close to the Luxembourg border were warned to stay indoors while the predators were on the loose. A bear, which also broke out of its enclosure at the Eifel Zoo in Luenebach, was shot dead, a spokesman for local authorities said. Officials were verifying if the fences and cages are secure, said the spokesman. Overnight heavy thunderstorms had sparked flash floods in the area and completely flooded the private zoo, which is located on a riverbank. The high waters had damaged the cages, allowing the animals to go on the run. Local newspaper Trier Volksfreund said the cats were still within the sprawling 30-hectare grounds of the zoo when they were finally located by a drone. While emergency services including firefighters and police were deployed to hunt down the predators, inhabitants of the town were told to stay indoors and to keep their windows and doors closed. Many residents were Friday busy clearing muddy water from their cellars and removing trees downed by the severe storm. Part of a local motorway had also been blocked off due to high waters. Owned by the Wallpott family, the zoo is home to around 400 animals, also including a Siberian tiger. Friday's escape came two years after a similar case in eastern Germany, when two lions broke out of their cages at the Leipzig zoo. One of the lions was shot dead while the other was eventually brought back into captivity. In 2015, an orang-utan was shot dead after escaping from the Duisburg zoo, and a bear escapee from Osnabrueck suffered the same fate in 2017. Related Video: Outrage Over Caged Tiger at Florida Prom For more news videos visit Yahoo View. (WASHINGTON) French President Emmanuel Macron is calling the U.S. decision to levy tariffs on the European Union illegal and a mistake. Macron said that he deplores the U.S. action and that he plans to speak with U.S. President Donald Trump later Thursday telling him just that. The French president said the tariff move does not in line with international trade law that the United States, France and Europe have subscribed to. He stressed that there would be a European response. Macron, who was the first foreign leader invited by Trump to a state visit, said the U.S. presidents decision is a mistake because it creates economic and commercial nationalism. He ominously recalled the pre-World War II period saying, Economic nationalism leads to war. This is exactly what happened in the 1930s. The head of the World Trade Organization is expressing very real concern about rising trade tensions and the risk of escalation. The comments from Director-General Roberto Azevedo come in the wake of U.S. trade penalties on imported steel and aluminum. But he says the global trading system was built to resolve these problems in a way that prevents further escalation. The European Union says it plans to bring its case against new U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum to the World Trade Organization on Friday. If that happens, the 28-nation EU would join China and India in triggering the WTOs dispute settlement mechanism over the American trade penalties. Turning to the WTO would give the EU a second response to the tariffs. Its already prepared $1.6 billion in retaliation against U.S. goods including steel, orange juice, motorcycles and bourbon whiskey. WTO proceedings could open the door to further penalties and increase pressure on Washington, though the process traditionally takes many months and in some cases, years. Berlin (AFP) - German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas warned Thursday against the threat of protectionism in global trade ahead of a deadline for steep US import duties on steel and aluminium imports from Europe. Maas told reporters that international partners could have "no interest in the clock being turned back in trade policy" as a Friday deadline for the new tariffs ticked down. "To put it clearly: protectionism and isolation with regard to free trade must be kept from getting the upper hand again," he said after talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. Trade officials from Washington and Brussels have continued discussions to find a solution, such as import quotas, that would convince US President Donald Trump to extend the exemption for the European Union from the 25 percent tariff on steel and 10 percent on aluminium. But The Wall Street Journal cited people familiar with the matter saying a last-minute deal appeared unlikely, and the tariff announcement could come as early as Thursday. Trump imposed the tariffs in March to address global oversupply of the metals, but though it was largely aimed at China it hit US allies as well. - 'Unprecedented, deep changes' - Wang said Beijing shared Berlin's concerns about upheaval in the international order. "We both think that there are unprecedented deep changes in global affairs," he said. "There are many problems -- unilateralism, protectionism. China and Germany as responsible countries... must help provide stability." Wang said China aimed to "deepen dialogue and coordination" and announced a visit to Germany in July by Premier Li Keqiang. The EU has vowed to hit back at the US with tariffs on American goods, including iconic items such as Harley-Davidson motorbikes, blue jeans and bourbon whiskey. Germany, the EU's top economy, would be particularly vulnerable to the steel and aluminium tariffs due to its heavy reliance on the auto industry. The German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK), which has calculated that autos and car parts accounted for over a quarter of Germany's 111.5 billion euros ($130.3 billion) in exports to the United States last year, said the US move "should almost be seen as a provocation". German carmakers exported nearly half a million vehicles to the US in 2017, but they also built over 800,000 cars at American factories where they employ some 36,500 people -- and car parts producers around 80,000 more. If youre a Kansas City Chiefs fan that lives near Kansas City or if youre raring to go on a road trip you can get Chiefs gear, some worn by Alex Smith on the sidelines, and help a local charity at the same time. Bag loads of gear On Thursday, Smiths wife, Elizabeth, announced on Twitter that the couple had sent bag loads of Chiefs gear to Claudias Closet, a boutique thrift store, in Lees Summit, Mo. The items, Elizabeth Smith wrote, include new and gently-used apparel, including some game-worn sideline apparel. Smith spent five years with Kansas City before being traded to Washington during Super Bowl week, so its not hard to imagine how much stuff Smith accumulated in that time. Hes in new gear, you can get his old gear: Alex Smith and his wife have donated dozens of Kansas City Chiefs items to a Kansas City-area thrift store, and sales will benefit a local non-profit. (AP) Among the items: t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and pants with the Chiefs logo, other collectibles, and a bedazzled jersey custom made for Elizabeth that says Mrs. Smith on the back. The items will go on sale beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday. Proceeds will help foster children Claudias Closet is owned by Summer Youngkin; Elizabeth Smith was good friends with Youngkins husband growing up in Northern California. When Alex Smith was traded to Kansas City in 2013, the friends reconnected, and their families became close. [Yahoo Fantasy Football leagues are open: Sign up now for free] When the Smiths offered to donate gear to Youngkins shop, which selects a different local charity each month to donate its proceeds to, Youngkin wanted to pick a non-profit that Alex would find meaningful. So she chose Cornerstones of Care, a behavioral health group, and specifically Cornerstones Youth Educational Success program, which helps foster children further their education. Smiths personal foundation helps foster teens transition to adulthood. This was a way for him to continue his legacy of what hes doing in Kansas City, Youngkin told the Washington Post. Hes a very humble guy. Hes very generous and hes got a big heart, and I want people to know that. Its kind of hard when someones only known for their on-the-field stuff. More from Yahoo NFL Sports: One month in, how are the first-round quarterbacks doing? Seahawks Russell Wilson, wife Ciara want to help bring Major League Baseball to Portland Paylor: NFL coaches rallying to keep kickoffs in the game (Photo: Jacques Brinon/POOL New / Reuters) A small group of Google employees, in response to a company contract with a Pentagon-backed program called Maven, have discussed the idea of staging a protest at a conference in July. Employees fear that the project, which provides artificial intelligence tools to the military, could be used in fatal drone strikes. The protest, as discussed in preliminary exchanges over Googles internal communications platform, would take place at a Google Cloud conference in San Francisco, according to messages obtained by HuffPost and an interview with an employee. More than a dozen Google employees have resigned over the project, according to Gizmodo, and thousands of employees have signed a letter protesting it. Now Google employees are debating showing resistance in a more active way, through a potential demonstration. Discussions regarding the possibility of a protest took place this week on an internal thread devoted to criticism of Maven. The thread, called maven conscientious objectors, includes hundreds of employees, but only a small percentage of those were active in the discussion. The debate about staging a physical demonstration took place on Wednesday and Thursday and was started by a departing engineer. The employee called the project the greatest ethical crises in technology of our generation and suggested that Maven protesters go to the conference with the aim of making some noise. The employees last day was Friday, but by late morning, someone from human resources had asked them to leave immediately due to their recent statements related to the conference. As such, were going to move up your exit by a few hours and weve ended access, effective immediately, the HR person wrote. In response to the initial thread, another employee called the engineer an agent provocateur. Someone else said such an action would be enough reason to fire us lot with popular support. The debate became heated and personal, with some employees questioning whether their colleague who originally suggested the idea of a physical protest should even belong in the conscientious objectors group. Story continues But there were a few employees who supported the idea, calling the discussion legitimate topics for this mailing list. Another said that while they were not based in San Francisco and were thus unable to join the action, they personally thought the protest was a good idea since it increases Googles PR cost of getting involved in military projects. Representatives for Google did not respond to HuffPosts request for comment. The Intercept reported Friday afternoon that Google will not renew its contract to work on Project Maven, though the company plans to work on the project through June 2019 and has not ruled out taking on similar work in the future. This isnt the first round of discord from Google employees. In an April petition to Google CEO Sundar Pichai protesting the Pentagon contract and signed by thousands, petitioners referenced Dont be evil, Googles famous former unofficial motto, as an argument for canceling the contract. This contract puts Googles reputation at risk and stands in direct opposition to our core values. Building this technology to assist the US Government in military surveillance and potentially lethal outcomes is not acceptable, the signers of the petition wrote. Hundreds of academics subsequently wrote a letter to Google co-founder Larry Page, as well as Pichai and other company leaders, supporting the petitioning employees. The academics expressed concern that Project Maven will help the military become just a short step away from authorizing autonomous drones to kill automatically, without human supervision or meaningful human control. The letter also cited recent Cambridge Analytica scandals as demonstrating growing public concern over allowing the tech industries to wield so much power. At a recent companywide meeting, Sergey Brin, one of Googles co-founders, reportedly responded to a question about the project and addressed some of the controversies, according to The New York Times. Brin explained that he thought it was better for the worlds militaries to be partnered with an international company like Google, rather than nationalistic defense contractors. The employee who started the discussion about protesting Googles involvement with Maven implied on the thread that they gave notice due to a violation of their own ethical standards. The time to protest is now or never, the employee wrote. Are you a Google employee who wants to talk about your experience with Maven? Email rebecca.klein@huffpost.com. This story has been updated with information from The Intercepts report. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Sleeping in your makeup is never a good idea. (Photo: Getty Images) Whether youre stumbling through the door after a night on the negronis or youre Just. Too. Tired after a Netflix binge, taking off your makeup before bed can often slip down the must-do list. Not cleansing the face of makeup at night is known to be a bad skin care habit. But if you need further evidence that you really shouldnt go to bed in your mascara, youll do well to listen to the warning by Theresa Lynch. As documented in a recent article published by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Lynch, a 50-year-old from Sydney, revealed that she was almost left blind after failing to remove her mascara properly for a period of 25 years. The photographic evidence is pretty graphic. Heres why you should totally remove your mascara before bed. (Photo: Caters News Agency) After seeking medical advice for eye irritation, discharge, and an uncomfortable sensation beneath her eyelids, Lynch, a mother of two, was horrified when doctors discovered she had calcified bumps, known as concretions, underneath her eyelids caused by years of mascara buildup. These were consistent with years of mascara use, with fragments of unwashed mascara depositing under her eyelids over the years. The lumps posed a serious risk to her vision, and it took general anesthetic and a 90-minute procedure to remove them. Theresa Lynch could have been left blind by not removing her mascara properly over a long period. (Photo: Caters News Agency) Now Lynch and her ophthalmic surgeon, Dana Robaei, MBBS, want to raise awareness about the dangers of sleeping in makeup by releasing the gruesome images of her infected eyes. The lumps were embedded so deep that particles were building up on top of each other, Lynch said. I was so uncomfortable. My eyelids were swollen and heavy because I left it for so long. Like many people, Lynch had fallen into a bad habit of wearing makeup and not washing it off properly before bed. I should never have let it get this far, she said. Its so important to properly take your makeup off every single night. You cant miss a single day. The mascara had caused lumps to build up on her eyelids. (Photo: Caters News Agency) Robaei, who is consultant ophthalmologist at Australias Forest Eye Surgery, said the case should serve as a warning to others. Story continues Every time Theresa was blinking, these bumps were rubbing on the surface of the eye, and they pose a risk to her vision, Robaei told the Daily Mail. If the scratch on the surface of the eye got infected, there is a risk this could be potentially blinding, but that would be rare. And even though the surgery was successful, Lynchs eyes could continue to cause her discomfort. She has suffered permanent scarring on her eyelid and the surface of her cornea, Robaei continued. The symptoms are like somebody throwing a handful of sand in your eye its constantly irritating. Theresa Lynch hadnt removed her mascara properly for 25 years. (Photo: Caters News Agency) Shahriar Nabili, MB ChB, a leading ophthalmologist at Glasgow, Scotlands BMI Ross Hall Hospital who subspecializes in oculoplastics (eyelid surgery), told Yahoo Style U.K. that mascara and eyeliner can cause irritations and infections. In some patients, makeup on the eyelid can cause problems such as irritation and infection of the surface of the eye and also damage to eyelashes, he said. Some patients can also develop problems with the tear duct and watery eye. Nabili said that removing makeup properly is vital to help maintain good eye health. The best way to prevent such problems is to clean off the makeup from the eyelids before going to bed, he noted. I would also advise against eyelash extensions, as these can damage the eyelids and eyelashes. But its not just about having a clean face before bedtime; you should also be removing all traces of makeup before you hit the treadmill. Exercise promotes circulation, Preethi Daniel, medical director of the London Doctors Clinic told Yahoo Style U.K. It opens the blood vessels near the surface of your skin and causes you to sweat. This not only helps you cool down, but it also helps push impurities out of your skin. Now imagine some foundation, setting powder, blush, and some contour is covering all of these sweat glands? Sweat and natural skin oils can clog these pores and cause overgrowth of bugs such as Propionibacterium acne, which can cause [pimples]. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: 10 beauty products to help you glow like Meghan Markle, no royal wedding required Shoppers threaten to boycott Lush over controversial campaign calling police officers liars Is pricey makeup worth the splurge? Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. Sebastien Roblin Security, We break it down. Iran's Submarines: A Threat to the Navy or Paper Tiger? A weapon that may be closer to entering service is the Hoot (Whale) supercavitating torpedo, which reportedly can attain speeds of over two hundred miles per houraround four times faster than a typical modern torpedo. This is achieved by using rocket exhaust heat to vaporize water in the path of the torpedo, allowing it travel in a gas bubble with minimal drag resistance. The first Hoot tests were broadcast on Iranian TV back in 2006, and the weapon reportedly underwent new trials in 2015 and May 2017, though the outcome of those tests is unknown. Defense analysts believe the Hoot to be reverse engineered from the Russian Shkval torpedo. The Iranian military has long planned for a defensive naval war in the Persian Gulf, in which it would leverage its large fleet of fast attack boats toting antiship missiles to launch swarming hit-and-run attacks on adversaries in along Persian Gulf, with the ultimate goal of shutting down passage through the Straits of Hormuz. Supporting this naval guerilla-warfare strategy are twenty-one indigenously produced Ghadir-class mini submarines, derived from the North Korean Yono class. The 120-ton vessels can poke around at eleven knots (thirteen miles per hour) and each carry two 533-millimeter torpedoes. All in all, shallow littoral waters are very favorable for mini-submarine operations, with interference from rocky shallows and loud surf reducing sonar detection ranges and giving mini submarines abundant opportunities to hide and wait in ambush. On the high end of the capability spectrum, Iran operates three much larger and more capable Kilo-class diesel-electric submarines purchased from Russia in the 1990s. These can comfortably hunt in the waters of the Indian Ocean. Recommended: Could the Battleship Make a Comeback? Four years ago, Iran also launched its own domestically built Fateh-class submarine. The homemade vessel may lack modern features such as antiship missiles or quiet Air Independent Propulsion system, but it does seem to be the genuine articlenot something one should take for granted with reports of new Iranian weapons. Story continues Recommended: 5 Worst Generals in U.S. History Why would Iran invest considerable sums in building its own submarines instead of shelling out for off-the-shelf hardware in Russia or China? The reason is doubtlessly related to Tehrans jarring education in how shifting international alliances can throw defense planning askew. Prior to the Iranian Revolution, the government of the shah was lavished with large quantities of top-shelf U.S. weapons, which became rather difficult to maintain after that one little incident in the 1979 involving the American embassy. When Iraq invaded Iran in 1980, Tehran found itself on the outs with both America and the Soviet Union, and turned to the Chinese for armsas well as backdoor dealings with Reagan administration officials. Recommended: 5 Reasons No Nation Wants to Go to War with Israel This tumultuous history has created a tremendous impetus for military self-sufficiency in Iran, even if the results in the short term are nothing special compared to extant foreign weapon systems. (This first appeared in the summer.) The semi-heavy Fateh (Conqueror) measures between forty and forty-eight meters long, and is claimed to displace about six hundred tons submergedputting it in a similar weight class as the small German Type 205 and 206 coastal defense submarines launched in the 1960s and 70s. It appears to be an elongated version of the Iranian-built Nahang, an unarmed prototype that may currently be serving as a special-operations submarine. Fateh has four bow torpedo tubes with likely access to six to eight reloads, with a circular sonar array situated under the tubes. Fateh can operate up to two hundred meters below the surfacemore than adequate for the shallow waters of the Persian Gulf. Sources variously place its maximum speed while submerged at between fourteen and twenty-three knots (sixteen to twenty-six miles per hour), with the lower estimate seeming more likely. The Fars news agency claims that Fateh can also operate up to five weeks at sea at a range of up to 3,100 miles, giving it the endurance to venture further afield into the Arabian Sea. However, its less clear how long the diesel-electric submarine can sustainably swim underwater without surfacing or snorkeling to recharge batteries. You can see some media footage of Fateh in the clip below, including what appear to be deck plans at the two-second mark and the interior of the vessel at thirteen seconds. The website Covert Shores also offers a detailed analysis of the imagery here. Despite being launched from the Bostanu shipyards in 2013, Fateh still appears to be undergoing sea trials and has yet to be declared fully operational. Janes claimed a second Fateh-class submarine was spotted in satellite photos under construction at the Bandar Anzali naval base on the Caspian Sea, but its current status is unknown. Also nebulous are Tehrans plans to produce two sixty-meter-long Besat- or Qaem-class submarines displacing 1,200 to 1,300 tons, armed with six torpedo tubes. Other claimed specifications include a three-hundred-meter diving depth and a maximum speed of twenty-three miles per hour. This new design was announced in 2008, and was to enter service in 2015. A distinct lack of follow-up reports or imagery since that announcement give the impression the project has either been abandoned or is beset by major delays. However, an Office of Naval Intelligence report published in March 2017 treats the Besat class seriously, and claims it will enter service with the Iranian Navy with the capability of firing submarine-launched cruise missiles in the next five years. Theoretically, such weapons would significantly increase the striking range of Tehrans submarine fleet. However, such technology might prove difficult for Iran to develop independently. A weapon that may be closer to entering service is the Hoot (Whale) supercavitating torpedo, which reportedly can attain speeds of over two hundred miles per houraround four times faster than a typical modern torpedo. This is achieved by using rocket exhaust heat to vaporize water in the path of the torpedo, allowing it travel in a gas bubble with minimal drag resistance. The first Hoot tests were broadcast on Iranian TV back in 2006, and the weapon reportedly underwent new trials in 2015 and May 2017, though the outcome of those tests is unknown. Defense analysts believe the Hoot to be reverse engineered from the Russian Shkval torpedo. Past experience demonstrates that Tehran routinely exaggerates and obfuscates the scale of its defense projects, and the timeline in which they will be completed. Nonetheless, the submarine Fateh is tangibly real and looks like it could usefully expand the medium-range capabilities of the Iranian submarine fleet. While the status of the Besat class is more difficult to assess, if it is ever deployed it would mark another capability improvement. Though the new Iranian boats may remain far from the cutting edge of submarine design, they could still prove dangerous adversaries in the confined and shallow waters of the Persian Gulf. More importantly, the ongoing effort to domestically produce larger and more capable submarines and submarine-deployed weapons provides more evidence that Tehran is investing long-term efforts into becoming a self-sufficient military power. 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. This first appeared several years ago and is being reposted due to reader interest. Read full article Brussels (AFP) - European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has said Italians need to work harder, be less corrupt and stop blaming the EU for the problems of the country's poor south. The controversial comments were immediately followed by a demand by European Parliament President Antonio Tajani, an Italian, for a denial from Juncker, warning on Twitter that his words would be "unacceptable" if true. Tajani did not specify which comments he was referring to but Juncker said only a few sentences about Italy on Thursday during a question-and-answer session at a conference on the future of Europe in Brussels. Asked what Europe could do to help young people in regions like the south of Italy, Juncker said he was "in deep love" with the country but added: "I no longer accept that everything which is going wrong in South of Italy... is explained by the fact that the EU or the European Commission would not do enough." "Italians have to take care of the poor regions of Italy. That means more work, less corruption, seriousness," he said. He urged Italy not to "play this game" of holding the EU responsible, adding: "Nations first, Europe second." Far-right leader Matteo Salvini, whose League party on Thursday formed a populist coalition with the Five Star Movement after months of political uncertainty, condemned the comments, labelling them "shameful and racist", according to Italian media. A European commission spokeswoman told AFP that "the words attributed to President Juncker on Italy have been taken out of context". "The absorption of EU funds could be improved (in southern Italy) so that people can feel the results faster on the ground," she said, adding that "the EU will continue to engage with Italy to ensure that help arrives where it is needed most." Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday spoke out against rumors that the Trump administration will consider tariffs as high as 25 percent on new cars shipped to the U.S. from abroad. "It's hard for Japan to understand and we cannot accept it," Abe reportedly told the Japanese parliament, adding that tariffs such as those floated by U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross would fall outside parameters set by the World Trade Organization. The prime minister and President Donald Trump are set to meet in Washington on June 7 to discuss North Korea. It's not clear if their discussion will also cover international trade between the two countries. After Mexico, Japan is the second-largest exporter of new cars to the U.S. and it builds some of the most popular new cars sold here such as certain versions of the Toyota RAV4. Last year, the RAV4 was Toyota's most popular model in the U.S. and it outsold all passenger cars other than full-size pickups. The Commerce Department launched a Section 232 investigationa provision of a 1962 trade law that grants the president the ability to control products built abroad that could "impair the national security." A similar investigation earlier this year resulted in tariffs as high as 25 percent on certain raw materials imported to the U.S., although negotiations continue with some U.S. allies. Amman (AFP) - Jordan's King Abdullah II ordered the government on Friday to freeze new price hikes on fuel and electricity, officials said, after angry protests across the cash-strapped country. Past price hikes have triggered riots in Jordan, a country of 9.5 million with few resources, burdened by poverty and unemployment. Late Thursday and early Friday, hundreds of Jordanians demonstrated in Amman and other cities, calling for the "fall of the government" as they blocked roads with cars and blazing tyres. That came after the government decreed rises of up to 5.5 percent on fuels and a 19 percent hike in electricity prices, as well as laying out plans for a new income tax. But early Friday, the king ordered the government to shelve hikes set to take effect that day as the country's Muslim majority observe the holy month of Ramadan, official Petra news agency said. Price have steadily risen in Jordan over recent years as the cash-strapped government pushes reforms demanded by the International Monetary Fund. The country has a public debt of some $35 billion (30 billion euros), equivalent to 90 percent of its gross domestic product. In 2016, it secured a $723-million three-year credit line from the IMF to support economic and financial reforms and was told it must drop subsidies and raise taxes to meet conditions for future loans. Earlier this year, Jordan as much as doubled bread prices after dropping subsidies on the staple, as well as hiking value-added taxes on several goods including cigarettes. The price of fuel has risen on five occasions since the beginning of the year, while electricity bills have shot up 55 percent since February. According to official estimates, 18.5 percent of the population is unemployed, while 20 percent are on the brink of poverty. More than 1,000 demonstrators rallied outside the prime minister's office in central Amman late Thursday, chanting: "The people want the government to fall". In the northern cities of Irbid and Ajlun, some protesters cut off roads with burning tyres, while in the Tabarbur suburb of Amman motorists blocked roads with their cars. A federal court jury has awarded the family of a man who was fatally shot by a Sheriff's Deputy in the garage of his own home $4 in a wrongful death suit. Gregory Hill Jr, a 30-year-old black man, was fatally shot by Christopher Newman, a white deputy with the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office, at his home in Fort Pierce, Florida ,in January 2014 after Newman responded to a noise complaint about loud music, TCPalm.com reported. st lucie St Lucie County Sheriff's Office Trending: Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Blackout Test Map Was 144 Square Miles Newman and his partner, Deputy Edward Lopez, had reportedly knocked on Hill's garage door to investigate the noise complaint. When the garage door eventually opened, Hill was standing by it with his left hand on the door and his right hand by his side. It is still unclear what exactly happened in the seconds that unfolded, as Newman drew his gun and fired four times toward Hill as the garage door started to go down. However, when a SWAT team arrived, they found Hill dead. He had been shot three times, including once in the head. Toxicology reports had shown Hill had been intoxicated at the time of the incident and the SWAT team found a gun in the 30-year-old's back pocket, but it was not loaded, TCPalm reported. Don't miss: Allison Mack Admits Branding Women in Keith Raniere's NXIVM 'Sex Cult' Was Her Idea: Tattoos 'Mean Nothing' On the second anniversary of Hill's death, the 30-year-old's mother, Viola Bryant, launched a lawsuit for wrongful death. Her battle for justice ended last Thursday, when the jury came to the conclusion that Newman had not used excessive force in the incident following 10 hours of deliberation. The jury did find that St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara had been negligent in his role, but determined him to be liable by just 1 percent, the New York Times reported. Story continues Hill, the jury said, was responsible for 99 percent of the negligence in the case. Most popular: Michael Avenatti Says Michael Cohen Tapes Feature Donald Trump's Voice: 'I Know For a Fact' As a result, the jury awarded $4 in damages to Hill's family, with $1 going towards funeral expenses and $1 going towards each of Hill's three children for their loss. The family's lawyer, John M. Philips told the Times he would have preferred the jury to have found no negligence than award such insignificant damages, calling the award "hurtful." "I think they were trying to insult the case," Philips said. "Why go there with the $1? That was the hurtful part." Mascara said that his office was "pleased to see this difficult and tragic incident come to a conclusion," in a statement posted on Facebook. "Deputy Newman was placed in a very difficult situation and like so many fellow law enforcement officers must do every day, he made the best decision he could for the safety of his partner, himself and the public given the circumstances he faced," Mascara said, adding: "We appreciate the jury's time and understanding." This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek A Florida family is calling for justice after a federal jury cleared a sheriffs deputy of using excessive force in the 2014 shooting of Gregory Hill Jr. and awarded the family $4 in damages for funeral expenses and pain and suffering. Hill, an African-American father of three, was fatally shot in 2014 after a white sheriffs deputy responded to a noise complaint, CNN reported. A mother picking up her child at a school across the street from Hills home heard Hill playing music in his garage and called in the complaint. When St. Lucie County Deputies Christopher Newman and Edward Lopez showed up at Hills house, they knocked on his garage door and front door, according to the lawsuit filed by Hills mother in 2016. After Newman knocked on the doors, the garage door opened revealing Hill within the comfort of his own garage and home, the lawsuit said. Upon information and belief, Deputy Lopez indicated loudly that Hill had a gun and then the garage door closed. Despite the door being closed, Newman fired his handgun approximately four times and killed Hill. Two bullets hit Hill in the abdomen and one hit him in the head. A SWAT team arrived and released chemical agents into the house, and then authorities realized Hill was dead. He was found with an unloaded handgun in his back pocket. Newman said he fired at Hill because the man had been holding the gun during their interaction, but Hills family disputed that claim. Jurors spent 10 hours deliberating last week and initially said they were unable to reach a verdict, according to the New York Times. But after continued deliberations, they found that Newman had not used excessive force and that St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara had shown some negligence. The verdict form said Mascara was 1% responsible for Hills death and that Hill himself was 99% responsible. The jury awarded $1 for funeral expenses and $1 for each childs loss. But because the jury found Mascara only 1% responsible, it reduced the award to four cents. And because a toxicology report showed Hill was drunk at the time of the encounter, the Times reported the award would be reduced to nothing. The familys attorney, John Phillips, has said he was confused by the verdict, according to CNN. Hills family has launched a GoFundMe page to raise money to support his children, and Phillips plans to file a motion for a new trial. He told the network he wondered whether the jurors were trying to send the family a message: That a black childs pain is only worth a dollar is exactly the problem with the plight of the African-American right now. This says, black lives dont matter, he said. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called President Donald Trumps tariffs on steel and aluminum totally unacceptable and suggested that the move is a turning point in the longtime relationship between the two neighboring allies. After months of negotiation, the Trump administration finally imposed much-talked about tariffs Thursday morning on the United States' closest alliesMexico, Canada and the European Union. The trade penalties, which included a 25 percent tax on imported steel and a 10 percent tax on imported aluminum, will be in effect starting Thursday at midnight. While the tariffs were originally announced on March 1, Trump allowed the trio of top trading partners to exempt from the rule while negotiations regarding NAFTA were ongoing. Trending: #WearOrange To Do Something About America's Gun Crisis | Opinion Trump has claimed that the tariffs relate to issues of national security, but Trudeau scoffed at such reasoning during a press conference, pointing to several instances where Canadian personnel and U.S. troops fought side by side, most notably in both major world wars and Afghanistan. Canada also offered aid immediately after the terrorist attacks on 9/11. "These tariffs are an affront to the long-standing security partnership between Canada and the United States, and in particular, to the thousands of Canadians who have fought and died alongside American comrades-in-arms," he said. Trudeau also noted that currently the U.S. has a $2 billion U.S. dollar surplus in steel trade with Canada and that Canada buys more American-made steel than any other country in the world. In fact, they account for half of U.S. steel exports. Don't miss: Blood Test Detects Cancer Months to Years Before Patients Have Any Symptoms RTS1G3R2 Jonathan Ernst/Reuters In retaliation to these tariffs, Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canada would impose surtaxes and other similar measures on steel imports, aluminum imports, and other products from the U.S. The surtaxes will cover $16.6 billion dollars, the exact amount of money made from Canadian exports of steel and aluminum to the U.S. in 2017. The trade restrictions will take effect on July 1 and will remain enforced until Trump eliminates his own tariffs on our North American neighbor. Story continues Trudeau wrote on Twitter: American tariffs on Canadian aluminum & steel are unacceptable. As we have said, we will always stand up for our workers, and today were announcing retaliatory measures to this attack on our industry. Most popular: CIA Tries and Fails to Recruit Russian Speakers on Twitter American tariffs on Canadian aluminum & steel are unacceptable. As we have said, we will always stand up for our workers, and today were announcing retaliatory measures to this attack on our industry. Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) May 31, 2018 When asked if the U.S. tariffs represented the beginning of a trade war, Trudeau responded that Canada will continue to put pressure on the U.S. and attempt to convince Trump that imposing the measures will put an undeniable strain on their relationship. Going forward, he added, he hopes the two countries can find common ground so to mutually benefit their economies and their people. Trudeau is hosting this years G-7 summit in early June and President Trump is expected to attend. One of the five major themes of the summit will be how countries can find economic growth. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Good afternoon everyone. Thank you for joining us. Today we find ourselves the target of punitive tariffs on Canadian aluminum and steel, under pretext of a 232 national security provision. Let me be clear: These tariffs are totally unacceptable. For 150 years, Canada has been Americas most steadfast ally. Canadians have served alongside Americans in two world wars and in Korea. From the beaches of Normandy to the mountains of Afghanistan, we have fought and died together. Canadian personnel are serving alongside Americans at this very moment. We are partners in NORAD, NATO, and around the world. We came to Americas aid after 9/11 as Americans have come to our aid in the past. We are fighting together against Daesh in Northern Iraq. The numbers are clear: The United States has a $2 billion US dollars surplus in steel trade with Canada and Canada buys more American steel than any other country in the world, half of U.S. steel exports. Canada is a secure supplier of aluminum and steel to the U.S. defence industry, putting aluminum in American planes and steel in American tanks. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a news conference in Ottawa, Ontario on Thursday, May 31, 2018. (Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press via AP) That Canada could be considered a national security threat to the United States is inconceivable. These tariffs will harm industry and workers on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border, disrupting linked supply chains that have made North American steel and aluminum more competitive around the world. Beyond that, these tariffs are an affront to the long-standing security partnership between Canada and the United States, and in particular, to the thousands of Canadians who have fought and died alongside American comrades-in-arms. The ties of commerce, friendship and, in many cases, family between Americans and Canadians are undiminished indeed, they have never been stronger. The Government of Canada is confident that shared values, geography and common interests will ultimately overcome protectionism. Story continues As we have consistently said, we will always protect Canadian workers and Canadian interests. Minister Freeland is here to outline retaliatory measures. This morning, I called the Opposition leaders to notify them of our response. In closing, I want to be very clear about one thing: Americans remain our partners, friends, and allies. This is not about the American people. We have to believe that at some point their common sense will prevail. But we see no sign of that in this action today by the US administration. Kanye West has brand-new music, and the internet is here for it. The album Ye is the rappers eighth studio effort his first full-length project since The Life of Pablo was released in 2016. Keeping true to form, Kanye gets personal in the seven-track effort. He raps about his relationship with Kim Kardashian West, and how she nearly left him after a recent string of controversial comments. He mentioned the ongoing drama between his sister-in-law Khloe Kardashian and her babys father, Tristan Thompson. He also went deep into his bipolar diagnosis, all while dropping a few clever cultural references including the #MeToo Movement and Stormy Daniels. Fans got their first listen during a star-studded live stream event held in Wyoming last night, which was attended by Scott Disick, Chris Rock, Jonah Hill and several music critics. The reactions came pouring in on social media, and people overwhelmingly praised the album. Many were not expecting this kind of admiration for Kanyes recent work given his recent social commentary. The rapper received heavy criticism for a slew of controversial opinions, which included outspoken support of President Trump and saying slavery sounds like a "choice" on a live interview segment with TMZ. But after the albums release, fans who very recently denounced the artist seemed to forgive him for his missteps, and proudly took to Twitter to announce their love. Photo: Getty Images Kanye West revealed his new album, Ye, in Wyoming on Thursday evening, and people are already buzzing about the lyrics. In the album, West addresses his marriage, the #MeToo movement, controversial comments he has made, and his mental health. On the track Extacy West reveals that he has bipolar disorder and calls the mental health condition his superpower before saying, aint no disability Im a superhero. Bipolar disorder (aka manic-depressive illness) is a brain disorder that can cause a person to have unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out daily tasks, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Bipolar disorder is classified by extreme mood swings that cause manias (i.e., highs) and depressive episodes (lows), per the Mayo Clinic. About 2.6 percent of the U.S. population has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, the National Alliance on Mental Illness says. People had mixed reactions on social media about Wests view on his mental health condition as a superpower: Kanye calling Bipolar his superpower was inspiring. Danboy (@Not_Even_Odd) June 1, 2018 Quite a way to end Mental Health Awareness Month to have Kanye West, one of the biggest people on the planet, reveal he's dealing with bipolar disorder, and to call it a superpower. Cory Woodroof (@CoryWoodroof47) June 1, 2018 Look, Im not gonna tell someone how they should feel and talk about their mental illness. But someone with Kanyes platform glorifying bipolar disorder as a superpower and potentially discouraging folks from seeking treatment and help is not good Burner SZN (@MJK_NY31) June 1, 2018 if Kanye say my bipolar disorder is a superpower then gahdammit it's a superpower CENSORED dialogue (@censoredialogue) June 1, 2018 Apparently psychologists are just as divided. Its a double-edged sword, Eric Youngstrom, PhD, acting director of the Center for Excellence in Research and Treatment of Bipolar Disorder at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. On the one hand, West talking about his mental health reduces the shame and stigma around it, Youngstrom says. The messaging of this is that having a mental health condition doesnt mean youre ill or broken, and thats extremely powerful. Story continues People with bipolar disorder also tend to be highly creative, Jed Magen, DO, an associate professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Michigan State University, tells Yahoo Lifestyle, and it could simply be that West wants to celebrate that. However, bipolar disorder is a serious condition. It has the potential to shut people down, to destroy lives, and end lives, Youngstrom says. Referring to bipolar disorder as a superpower could make other people less likely to seek help if they suffer from the condition as well, licensed clinical psychologist John Mayer, PhD, author of Family Fit: Find Your Balance in Life, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. Saying it is a superpower denies your need to cope and accept your illness, he says. The way someone views having mental illness ultimately has to be about balance, Magen says. Viewing it only as a good thing can lessen the likelihood of developing important coping skills to help get through the bad parts of the condition, he says. But, on the flip side, viewing it as only a bad thing isnt helpful either. You have to be clear-eyed about it and say there are parts of this that can be helpful to me and clearly there are parts that are unhelpful, he says. You have to realistic about it. Youngstrom stresses the importance of treatment for bipolar disorder. If people think they dont need treatment and only focus on the good, the other side of the coin is going to come around and create major problems very quickly, he says. But if you struggle with a mental illness and can see the good in it while still acknowledging the bad, it can be incredibly helpful, Mayer says. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. Kiev (AFP) - Ukraine on Friday said that its sting operation involving the staged murder of Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko had resulted in it uncovering a list of 47 people, mostly journalists, who were potential targets for further attacks. Prosecutor-General Yuriy Lutsenko wrote on Facebook that the controversial operation, which involved top officials lying in public about Babchenko's death, had helped security services uncover a list of 47 people, mainly Ukrainian and Russian emigre journalists, who "could be the next victims of terrorists." Lutsenko said they had all been informed and arrangements were being made for their safety. Kiev-based journalist Matvei Ganapolsky, who works for Russian Echo of Moscow radio, told the station that he and another prominent journalist Evgeniy Kiselev had both been summoned by the Ukrainian security service and warned of potential risk to their safety by its head Vasyl Grytsak and Lutsenko. Ganapolsky said he was also shown additional materials on the Babchenko attack that showed "this is all serious and a real attack was in fact being prepared, they were planning to kill him." Earlier Ukrainian authorities said that the Russian secret services had envisaged killing not only Babchenko but some 30 others. - Western diplomats briefed - Ukrainian law enforcement chiefs including Lutsenko earlier on Friday met Western diplomats to brief them on Kiev's decision to stage a contract-style killing of Babchenko, which has prompted widespread criticism. Around a dozen diplomats went to Ukraine's Prosecutor-General's Office for a meeting with Lutsenko and Grytsak behind closed doors that lasted nearly two hours, AFP journalists saw. The diplomats were told that staging Babchenko's murder over more than 12 hours from Tuesday to Wednesday -- with law enforcement officials and even the country's president issuing false statements -- allowed them to "prevent the journalist's death," the Prosecutor-General's Office said in a statement. Story continues The Ukrainian authorities were also able to "fully document the organiser's criminal actions," gaining information on "possible potential victims, against whom it is likely terror attacks and murders were being planned," the statement said. Lutsenko told diplomats his officers had carried out a "large-scale and complex operation" and the public would be informed of the details as far as possible during the criminal investigation. Diplomats attended from the Group of Seven countries -- Germany, Canada, the United States, France, Britain, Italy and Japan -- as well as Australia, Norway, and the European Union and Council of Europe. Ukrainian police announced on Tuesday evening that Babchenko, a Russian emigre journalist known for his outspoken anti-Kremlin views, had been shot dead, only for him to reappear alive and well at a news conference at the SBU headquarters the following day. The SBU and the Prosecutor-General's Office then revealed that the announcement of his death, which prompted a grief-stricken reaction around the world, had been made as part of a sting operation. Kiev has said the move was justified to foil a real plot to assassinate Babchenko and confirm the link between the killer and the organiser. The way the murder was staged has attracted much criticism, particularly from organisations representing journalists, which questioned the need for such extreme tactics. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, who was visiting Kiev on Friday, said ahead of his visit that it was "indispensable to shed light on what happened" and called on Ukraine to clarify the situation in order to "encourage trust". Russian foreign ministry spokesman Artyom Kozhin said at a briefing in Moscow on Friday that Kiev's actions "have definitively undermined trust in Ukrainian sources of information, including official ones". He noted however that "We are in principle glad that Babchenko is alive." (TOKYO) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un complained of U.S. hegemonism to Russias visiting foreign minister on Thursday, as one of his top lieutenants was in New York trying to pave the way for a summit with President Donald Trump. Kim told Sergey Lavrov that he hopes to boost cooperation with Russia, which has remained largely on the sidelines in recent months as Kim has reached out diplomatically to the United States as well as to South Korea and China. As we move to adjust to the political situation in the face of U.S. hegemonism, I am willing to exchange detailed and in-depth opinions with your leadership and hope to do so moving forward, Kim told Lavrov. Kim has previously made harsher comments and even threatened to launch nuclear attacks on the United States numerous times. But his comments Thursday come at a sensitive moment, when a senior North Korean official was in New York for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the planned summit. After his meeting with North Korean senior envoy Kim Yong Chol, Pompeo said real progress has been made in the last three days toward setting the conditions needed for Trump and Kim Jong Un to have a successful summit in Singapore. Still, Pompeo said he doesnt yet know whether the meeting will proceed on the announced date of June 12 and that he believes North Koreas leaders are contemplating a different path forward that would allow their nation to more fully integrate into the international community. Kim Yong Chol, the highest-level North Korean official to visit the United States in 18 years, plans to travel to Washington to convey a personal letter by Kim Jong Un to Trump. Kim Jong Uns comment on U.S. hegemonism wasnt carried by the Norths official Korean Central News Agency, which targets an external audience. The agency quoted Kim as saying that the Norths willingness for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula still remains unchanged but also that the process should be stage-by-stage basis by founding a solution to meet the interests of each other. Story continues Since January, Kim has significantly toned down his rhetoric against Washington and Seoul and tried to reach out to them following a year of heightened nuclear tensions that saw increased fears of war on the Korean Peninsula. But continuing differences led Trump to abruptly cancel the planned summit last week, and then quickly announce it might still be held as scheduled. Despite having a border with North Korea and relatively cordial relations that President Vladimir Putin has seemed to want to develop further, Russia has kept a surprisingly low profile as Kim has emerged onto the world stage this year, meeting twice with Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Lavrovs visit suggests Russia wants to become involved and make sure North Korea informs it of its intentions and is mindful of Moscows concerns. In their talks, Lavrov relayed Putins warmest regards and best wishes for Kims big endeavors on the Korean Peninsula. He also expressed Moscows support for an agreement Kim reached with Moon at a summit last month that focused on measures to ease hostilities and increase exchanges between the two Koreas. Video of the beginning of their meeting also showed Lavrov inviting Kim to Moscow. According to Russian media, he also discussed ways to expand relations during a meeting with Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho. We welcome the contacts that have been developing in the recent months between North and South Korea, between North Korea and the United States, Lavrov said in comments to the media. We welcome the summits that already took place between Pyongyang and Seoul as well as planned meetings between North Korean and U.S. leadership. He vowed Russias support for denuclearization and a broader effort to create a stable and long-lasting peace in the region, but indicated that Moscow believes sanctions can be eased while the process is in progress, which diverges from the U.S. position that denuclearization must come first. Its absolutely obvious that when a conversation starts about solving the nuclear problem and other problems of the Korean Peninsula, we proceed from the fact that the decision cant be complete while sanctions are still in place, he said. The Daily Show With Trevor Noah discussed Kim Kardashian's recent trip to the White House. Kardashian visited with President Trump to discuss prison reform as well as the pardoning of 62-year-old drug offender Alice Marie Johnson. Noah pointed out that the meeting made sense. He said They have so much in common: both are reality stars, big on social media, Kanye loves both of them, and they believe in employing everyone in their family no matter how useless they are." Noah also hoped that Kardashian had a chance to talk to Trump about other important politically issues. Noah said, "She could probably teach Donald Trump about diplomacy." Noah impersonated Kardashian while theorizing on what advice she could give. He said, "She could be like, 'You should, like, treat China the same way we treat Blac Chyna, because she's an outsider, no one trusts her but we've learned to co-exists." BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon is working with Damascus for the return of thousands of refugees who want to go back to Syria, a Lebanese official said on Thursday. As the Syrian army backed by Iran and Russia has recovered territory, Lebanon's president and other politicians have called for refugees to go back to "secure areas" before a deal to end the war - at odds with the international view that it is not yet safe. Lebanon hosts around 1 million registered Syrian refugees according to the United Nations, or roughly a quarter of the population, who have fled the war in neighboring Syria since 2011. The government puts the number at 1.5 million. "There are contacts with the Syrian authorities about thousands of Syrians who want to return to Syria," Major General Abbas Ibrahim, a top Lebanese state figure and the head of the General Security agency, told reporters on Thursday. "The stay of Syrians in Lebanon will not go on for a long time. There is intensive work by the political authority." He did not give a time frame for returns, but suggested at least some would take place soon. UNHCR, the U.N. refugee agency, said it was "aware of several return movements of Syrian refugees being planned to Syria". "UNHCR is in regular contact with the General Directorate of the General Security on this issue," it said in an emailed statement in response to a question from Reuters, referring to a Lebanese security agency. In April, several hundred refugees were bussed back to Syria from the Shebaa area of southern Lebanon in an operation overseen by General Security in coordination with Damascus. UNHCR, in a statement at the time, said it was not involved in organizing these returns or other returns at this point, considering the prevailing humanitarian and security situation in Syria. A conference on Syria hosted by the European Union and co-chaired by the United Nations in April said conditions for returns were not yet fulfilled, and that present conditions were not conducive for voluntary repatriation in safety and dignity. President Michel Aoun has called the crisis an existential danger to Lebanon, reflecting a view that the presence of the mainly Sunni Syrian refugees will upend the balance between Lebanese Christians, Sunni Muslims, Shi'ite Muslims and other sectarian groups. Saad al-Hariri, who is prime minister of the outgoing Lebanese government and has been designated to form the next one, has said Lebanon is against forced returns of refugees. Aoun has said that "many" areas of Syria are now secure, though he has also said the principle of voluntary return must be respected. Lebanon's General Security was also setting up 10 special centers where Syrians could legalize their status, Ibrahim said. UNHCR said it was working closely with General Security to equip centers to process "the legal stay of refugees in the country". (Reporting by Tom Perry, Laila Bassam and Angus McDowall; Editing by Alison Williams) Barcelona (AFP) - Catalonia's new separatist government will be sworn in Saturday, the regional presidency announced, which will spark the automatic end of Madrid's direct rule over the region. Before being toppled by a no-confidence vote in parliament on Friday, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy gave the green light to a new executive in Catalonia that does not include jailed or exiled former ministers. The new ministers will take up their posts on Saturday, the regional government announced. This will automatically lift direct rule imposed by Madrid after Catalonia's now-deposed leaders tried to break from Spain in October. The central government last month recognised the powers of newly-elected Catalan president Quim Torra but refused to ratify his choice of councillors because four of them face charges linked to the failed independence drive, calling their nomination "a new provocation". But earlier this week, Torra nominated a new administration which did not include them. The regional government also said Friday that Torra had filed an official complaint against Rajoy for abuse of power for having blocked the formation of his first government, an "arbitrary decision" without "legal basis," according to him. Beirut (AFP) - Fewer civilians died in May than in any other month of Syria's seven-year war, a monitor said Friday, with less than 250 civilians killed across the country. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 244 civilians were killed last month, including 58 children and 33 women. It was the "lowest monthly death toll for civilians since the start of the Syrian revolution" in 2011, the Britain-based monitor said. It comes after government troops secured a string of areas around Damascus, including the former rebel bastion of Eastern Ghouta in April as well as several towns to the capital's northeast and south. Those wins came with fierce bombing campaigns over several months that left hundreds dead and even more wounded, but ultimately ended in regime victory. War fronts were relatively quiet in May, with the regime focused on ousting the Islamic State (IS) group from a pocket of southern Damascus. But government bombardment was still behind the highest proportion of casualties, according to the Observatory. Regime shelling and air strikes killed 77 civilians in May, it said, while 19 had died in air raids by regime ally Russia. Thirty-nine civilians lost their lives in air strikes by the US-led coalition fighting IS, while two were executed by the jihadists. All sides claim they do their utmost to avoid civilian casualties. The Observatory recorded 395 civilians killed across Syria last April, while it counted 400 civilian deaths in April 2011, the first full month of the conflict. Syria's war has killed a total of more than 350,000 people and displaced millions since it started in mid-March 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests. Now that ABC has axed "Roseanne," its actors, some of whom now breakout stars, are looking for gigs. Jayden Rey, 9, and Ames McNamara, 12, are the child stars from the series revival. Rey played Mary Conner, Roseanne's adorable granddaughter. McNamara portrayed Mark, Roseannes gender fluid grandson. Their starring roles on the ABC sitcom made them overnight sensations. Before they landed the landmark roles, they were trying to make it in showbiz. A YouTube video of Rey when she was 4 years old, singing into a hair brush while she still had her sights set on Hollywood, has resurfaced now that she has become famous. Last year, she appeared in a Marc Jacobs ad alongside Beyonce. When she found out she would be starring on "Roseanne, it was a dream come true. "Been having the best time shooting Roseanne," she posted on Instagram late last year. Following Roseanne Barr's Twitter meltdown earlier this week, both child actors have been denied their chance at a season two of the show. Always something beautiful on the horizon," a hopeful McNamara posted on social media after learning of the show's cancellation. Lauren Moraski, the managing editor of HuffPost's culture section, spoke to Inside Edition about the effect of the show's end on their young careers. "Very few shows get the ratings that 'Roseanne' did," she said. "I think they will be hard pressed to find something at this level, but give them some time and they will find their footing." RELATED STORIES Roseanne Barr Blames Ambien for Tweet That Got Her Show Canceled As 'Roseanne' Returns to TV, Her Political Beliefs Take Center Stage The Cast of 'Roseanne': Where Have They Been? Related Articles: The 8-year-old boy who requested a hug from President Trump is revealing how the situation that warmed hearts across the country came about. Inside Edition caught up with young Jordan McLinn and his mom, Laura. Jordan, who is from Vice President Mike Pence's home state of Indiana, battles muscular dystrophy and was present as Trump signed the "Right to Try Act" into law Wednesday. The legislation allows patients with terminal illnesses access to experimental drugs and treatments not yet approved by the FDA. After Trump signed the act into law, the little boy tried a few times to hug the president. "So Jordan did go in for the hug, just to say thank you, and the president didn't really realize it, so it took like three times, but Jordan didn't give up on that hug," his mom told Inside Edition. "It was the sweetest thing. It was kind of like a grandpa just reaching down and giving the most natural, the sweetest hug ever." Jordan has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a degenerative genetic disease. Children are generally wheelchair bound by age 12 and are not expected to live past 25. Jordan says the president was envious of one thing, telling Inside Edition, "He said he wanted my hair." "If I had that head of hair, I would've been president so long ago," Trump told the boy during the meeting. RELATED STORIES 20 Very Strange Medical Conditions: View the Gallery Kim Kardashian Visits Trump at the White House Melania Trump Spotted in Public for the First Time in 20 Days Related Articles: Meghan McCain, daughter of Arizona Senator John McCain, slammed a photoshopped picture on MSNBC host Joy Reid's blog that depicted her father as the Virginia Tech shooter, calling it beyond "disgusting and disgraceful." It's the latest in a string of offensive posts uncovered on the now-defunct blog, which Reid claimed was hacked. The manipulated photo, first surfaced by Buzzfeed News, showed John McCain's face atop the body of Virginia Tech Shooter Seung-Hui Cho, who killed 33 people at the university in 2007 in one of the deadliest shooting rampages in the country. The title of the October 7 post, which has since been removed along with all other contents of the blog, read "Baghdad John Strikes Again." The picture and its accompanying text can still be viewed via the Internet Archive. Aside from the clearly photoshopped picture, the post railed against McCain for comments he made while running as the GOP presidential nominee, namely the assertation that he would follow Osama bin Laden "to the gates of hell" and "shoot him." John McCain later backtracked, noting that he didn't intend to personally shoot bin Laden. Trending: Nolan North on His BAFTA Award Win and the Future of Nathan Drake Meghan McCain, who took a break on Friday from co-hosting duties at The View to stay in Arizona with her family, blasted the photograph on Twitter. She also retweeted calls for Reid and MSNBC to respond to the blog post. Prior to Friday, both the network and its star had stayed relatively mum on the subject, attributing the numerous offensive posts to an unknown hacker earlier this year. Other incendiary entries from The Reid Report include a spattering of anti-LBGT posts and at least one promoting a 9/11 conspiracy theory. In a Friday statement, she took appeared to take responsibility for the posts and did not blame it on the work of hackers. She apologized to the communities target in her screeds and specifically said she would be reaching out to John and Meghan McCain. Story continues While I published my bog, starting in 2005, I wrote thousands of posts in real time on the issues of the day, she said. "There are things I deeply regret and am embarrassed by, things I would have said differently and issues where my position has changed. Don't miss: 'Hogwarts Mystery' Devs Discuss Year 4, Forbidden Forest, Charlie Weasley Friendship and More Upcoming Features To be clear, I have the highest respect for Sen McCain as a public servant and patriot and wish him and his family the best." The statement marks a turn from her April appeal in which she said she tacitly denied writing the posts. I genuinely do not believe I wrote those hateful things because they are completely alien to me, Reid said on her show AM Joy. But I can definitely understand, based on things I have tweeted and have written in the past, why some people dont believe me. Ive not been exempt from being dumb, or cruel or hurtful to the very people I want to advocate for. I own that. I get it. And for that I am truly, truly sorry. Most popular: Man Who Called 911 on Black Golfers: Other Than Her Mouth, Theres Not Any Weapons Reid hired a cybersecurity expert to look into a possible hacking, although the expert provided no conclusive evidence to support her claim. MSNBC, meanwhile, has defended Reid, who has stayed on-air while an investigation unfolds. Her lawyer also confirmed in April that the FBI is looking into a possible hacking on her blogalthough no mention of that investigation was released with the Friday statement. "We have received confirmation the FBI has opened an investigation into potential criminal activities surrounding several online accounts, including personal email and blog accounts, belonging to Joy-Ann Reid, her lawyer, John H. Reichman, said in a public statement. Our own investigation and monitoring of the situation will continue in parallel, and we are cooperating with law enforcement as their investigation proceeds. Aside from the newly unearthed post about McCain, the controversy surrounding the years-old blog posts resurfaced this week after ABC canceled Roseanne Barr's eponymous sitcom over racist tweets penned by the conservative comedian. Defenders of Barr pointed to Reid and comedian Samantha Bee, also embroiled in a controversy surrounding offensive statements, as an example of a pervasive double standard in the treatment of conservative and more progressive celebrities. Barr, too, attempted to draw a connection between the two cases. 04_27_18_JoyReidMuslim Kris Connor/Getty Images for BET This story has been updated to include a statement Reid released on Friday, wherein she apologized to the McCain family. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Michael Cohen leaves federal court in New York on Wednesday. (Photo: Peter Foley/Bloomberg via Getty Images) WASHINGTON While the FBI raid on President Trumps longtime attorney Michael Cohen and subsequent court proceedings have received extensive press coverage, the public still doesnt have a straight answer to a very basic question about the case. Is Cohen still the presidents lawyer? In the many media appearances hes made since joining Trumps legal team, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has given conflicting accounts of Cohens status. In an appearance on This Week With George Stephanopoulos on May 6, Giuliani flatly said Cohen was no longer Trumps personal lawyer. Of course not, Giuliani said. He went on to suggest it would be inappropriate for Cohen to remain Trumps attorney amid his own legal drama. It would be a conflict right now for him to be the presidents attorney, Giuliani said of Cohen. But Giuliani was less definitive on May 11 when he told Politico that Cohen isnt the presidents lawyer anymore as far as we know. And thered be nothing for him to do right now, he added. Though hes not normally press shy, Giuliani hasnt responded to multiple questions about Cohen from Yahoo News. Given the confusion, Bloomberg White House Correspondent Shannon Pettypiece tried to ask about the matter at press secretary Sarah Sanderss briefing on May 17. She began by noting that the question had already been asked and not answered several times before. I know weve asked this a few times, but Pettypiece began. Sanders cut her off. Thats OK, Sanders said. Thats kind of what we do here, ask the same question over and over and over again. But Sanders still didnt answer. Can you say yet when Michael Cohen stopped being the presidents personal lawyer? Pettypiece asked. Im not going to get into anything on that matter. Youd have to reach out to the presidents outside counsel, Sanders responded. Pettypiece was incredulous. But you still havent been able to answer that, Pettypiece said. Sanders ignored her and moved on to another questioner. Story continues Michael Cohen, personal lawyer for President-elect Donald Trump, at Trump Tower in December. (Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Since then, Yahoo News has tried to ask multiple members of Trumps legal team whether Cohen remains the presidents attorney. Like Giuliani, they have not responded. Cohen and his lawyers also havent answered the question despite multiple attempts to press them on it. Cohen has been spending almost all his time dealing with his own legal situation, as a target of an investigation by federal prosecutors in New York. The presidents legal team for the special counsel investigation into the 2016 campaign includes Jay Sekulow, Emmet Flood and White House counsel Don McGahn. Giuliani appears to function primarily as a sounding board and confidante for the president and a defender in the media. Cohen spent more than a decade working for Trump. In that time, he earned a reputation as one of the presidents fiercest loyalists. During the 2016 campaign, Cohen had no official role on the campaign, but he served as an outside adviser and television surrogate who took a special interest in Trumps minority outreach. The FBI search of Cohens office and home was part of a criminal investigation into the lawyers personal businesses, payments to two women who alleged having affairs with Trump, and his efforts to build a Trump-branded skyscraper in Moscow. Cohen was working to build a Trump Tower in the Russian capital up until at least May 2016, just as Trump was clinching the Republican nomination and far later than Cohen initially acknowledged to congressional investigators. Cohen has not been charged with a crime. The material seized in the FBI raid is being reviewed by lawyers for Cohen, Trump and Trumps business to flag items that may fall under attorney-client privilege. A court-appointed special master is overseeing the process. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood, who is presiding over the case, held a hearing at a federal courthouse in New York City to discuss the progress. While the lawyer representing adult film actress Stephanie Clifford (aka Stormy Daniels) was the focus of much of the hearing, discussions of the documents showed the enormous scope of the materials the FBI took from Cohen. Cohens attorneys said they have gone through about 1.3 million of the 3.7 million files they received from the government. Cohen attorney Todd Harrison said this included information taken from 13 separate mobile devices that belonged to Cohen and 19 different digital devices including thumb drives and hard drives. Cohens team asked to have until mid-July to go through the items. Wood said she wanted the review concluded by June 15. Harrison pleaded for more time, saying Cohens team was moving heaven and earth to complete the process as quickly as possible. He claimed to have people working around the clock, sleeping in his office, and even one associate who developed a tremor while going through the documents and went back to work the next day. Wood was unmoved, noting it was Cohens representatives who requested a special master in place of the standard procedure in these cases: authorizing a government taint team to review possibly privileged documents in isolation from the prosecutors actually working on the case. She said Cohens lawyers would have until June 15 and that the balance of any material not reviewed by then would be given to a taint team. At the hearing, prosecutors also revealed they still have three items from the raid to hand over to Cohens team. The remaining materials include two BlackBerries the government hasnt been able to open and the contents of a paper shredder that investigators are working to piece together. Read more from Yahoo News: Its 1 a.m. on a Saturday, and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is asking for votes at a hookah bar in Dearborn, Mich. Making the rounds with the 20-and-30-somethings out for the night, hes wearing a sharp suit and trailed by a young aide with a stack of voter-registration forms. When the waitress brings El-Sayed his order, he points at her and says, August 7th? The date of the Michigan gubernatorial primary is in her calendar already, she says. Shell be voting for him. El-Sayed grins. One day youll be able to say you quenched the Governors thirst for an avocado smoothie, he says. El-Sayed, 33, is the former Detroit health commissioner and one of three candidates running for the Democratic nomination in Michigans gubernatorial race. Hes up against Gretchen Whitmer, a veteran legislator who led Democrats in the state Senate, and Shri Thanedar, a wealthy chemical-testing entrepreneur, in a race that will help shape the future of the Democratic Party in a state that voted first for Bernie Sanders and then for Donald Trump in 2016. The primary offers a glimpse at how the party can chart a path forward in a former Democratic stronghold that flipped unexpectedly to Trump. Michigan is one of most anti-establishment states in the nation, but the race is a window into several national trends. The outcome of the midterms depend on the Democrats ability to field compelling candidates who can speak to both voters of color and working-class whites. Women are running for office in unprecedented numbers, progressives are trying to capture the insurgent energy of Sanders campaign, and political outsiders are jumping into the arena. All these themes are colliding in a Michigan primary that features a young Muslim progressive; a battle-tested female politician and an Indian-born business mogul. The race is playing out in a state whose residents have developed a justifiable mistrust of government, and where government transparency and accountability is the worst in the nation, according to a 2015 ranking from the Center for Public Integrity. Michigan is a state that allowed thousands of Flint children to drink tainted water, where Larry Nassar was able to molest hundreds of girls while on a state-university payroll, where a Republican legislature passed a right-to-work law in a historic union stronghold. The battle for the Democratic nomination isnt just about who will get to represent the party on the ballot in the fall; its about who can restore Michiganders faith in the system again. Story continues On policy, theres not much daylight between the Democratic candidates on the main issues in the race. All the candidates support a $15 minimum wage, oppose a pipeline being built under the Great Lakes, promise to clean up the drinking water and want to get rid of Michigans right-to-work law that crippled organized labor in the state. As a result, the race may boil down to style more than substance. Thanedar, an Indian immigrant and self-made millionaire, has surged in early polls after spending $6 million of his own money on his campaign, including more than $1 million on TV ads (the other two candidates havent invested heavily in TV advertising yet.) He says he supports single-payer health care and refuses corporate donations, and his ads call him the most progressive Democrat in the race. Thanedar has billed himself as a fiscally savvy Bernie, and shrugs off his opponents allegations that hes a millionaire trying to buy the race. The fact that I am a person of wealth should not be held against me, Thanedar says. A person who is successful in running a business can also be very progressive. While the ads have raised his profile, Thanedars campaign has also run into obstacles. Hes being sued in federal court for business fraud after allegedly inflating the value of his company before it was sold in 2016 (Thanedar says this was just a business dispute) and hes come under fire for alleged mistreatment of dogs and monkeys who were reportedly abandoned at one of his chemical-testing facilities. Opponents have questioned his political history: he donated to John McCains campaign in 2008, attended a political rally for GOP Senator Marco Rubio in 2016 and allegedly considered running for Governor as a Republican, according to consultants he met with. Which is part of the reason why Whitmer is still widely considered the Democratic frontrunner. The five-term state legislator been endorsed by Emilys List, the Michigan AFL-CIO, the United Auto Workers and Detroit mayor Mike Duggan. Whitmers powerful testimony about her own sexual assault during a 2013 speech could help her in a year when women candidates have the wind at their backs thanks in part to the power of the #MeToo movement. I have been the leader of the Resistance the whole time I was in public life, Whitmer says, pointing to her years heading a Democratic minority in the state Senate. Ive been known for speaking truth to power and taking on people in power when theyre wrong. Whitmer is running on kitchen-table issues like jobs and fixing Michigans roads (she called her infrastructure tour Fix the Damn Roads.) But shes also the only candidate who has stopped short of adopting the Sanders-style progressivism helped him win the Michigan primary in 2016: she hasnt rejected money from corporate PACs (Blue Cross Blue Shield raised money for her campaign) and shes the only candidate who isnt calling for single-payer health care (although Whitmer takes credit for putting together the Senate votes to pass Michigans Medicaid expansion bill, which gave health coverage to 680,000 people.) She also lags behind her opponents in name recognition. That leaves El-Sayed, the underdog. Hes borrowing the Sanders playbook, from his policy positions (free college, marijuana legalization) to a young, digital-savvy staff led by several former Sanders staffers. El-Sayeds only political experience is as health commissioner: under his watch, the city tested the water at every Detroit school and daycare, blocked a major polluter from increasing its emissions, and provided free eyeglasses to any Detroit kid who needed them. He also clashed with Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan over water shutoffs and housing demolition. Duggan ended up endorsing Whitmer. El-Sayed knows he has an uphill battle. Hes a little young, a little brown, a little Muslim, as he puts it, and hes currently polling at around 6%. But he also boasts an enthusiastic grassroots base made of mostly young volunteers, a fresh face, and oratorical chops that spur comparisons to a young Barack Obama (although El-Sayed disavows the comparison.) I dont have all the right friends, I dont have all the right money that Ive made in questionable ways, El-Sayed tells an association of black voters in Detroit. What I do have is a message. Even some Trump voters see the appeal. A fresh face shakes off the political establishment, says Sean Elkhatib, 28, who voted for Trump in 2016 (he calls it a chaos vote) but now plans to vote for El-Sayed. Whatever happens in August, the Michigan primary is a test of whether Democrats can engage the voters that turned out to vote for Sanders in the 2016 primary but then voted for Trump or stayed home in the general election. And reaching those voters, while keeping the ones who showed up for Clinton, will be a key to winning the midterms. Friday, June 1, 2018 What to watch today The Bureau of Labor Statistics employment situation report for the month of May is expected to show 190,000 jobs were added to the economy in May with the unemployment rate expected to stay put at 3.9%. Economists will also be closely watching wage data, with average hourly earnings expected to rise 0.2% over last month in May and 2.6% over the prior year. Recall that in April headline job gains disappointed, with nonfarm payrolls expanding by 164,000, about 30,000 below expectations. Read More Top news US opens criminal probe into trading in Fannie, Freddie bonds: The U.S. has opened a criminal investigation into whether traders manipulated prices in the $550 billion market for corporate bonds issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, according to people familiar with the matter. The probe, parts of which were described by four people familiar with it, shows that investigations by the Obama Justice Department into market manipulation by bank traders are continuing under President Donald Trump. [Bloomberg] Costco shares fall as accelerating sales fail to boost margin: While sales at Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST) remain strong, investors may be concerned that profitability is taking a hit. The shares fell as much as 3.5 percent in late trading Thursday after a quarterly report showed gross margin shrinking from a year earlier a sign that higher sales arent translating into more cash for shareholders. Shares later pared some of the decline. [Bloomberg] Facebook investors grill Zuckerberg: Facebooks (FB) shareholder meeting on Thursday was a heated affair, as investors vented their frustrations over the social networks handling of recent scandals. Investors harsh remarks stemmed from recent controversies, including the Cambridge Analytica scandal that engulfed the company earlier this year. [Yahoo Finance] Deutsche Bank downgraded: Deutsche Banks (DB) CEO is trying to reassure employees that the banks turnaround will succeed despite more negative news including a credit downgrade from Standard & Poors. Christian Sewing acknowledged in a message Friday to staff that many of you are sick and tired of bad news but assured them that the bank has solid capital buffers. [AP] Story continues For more of the latest news, go to Yahoo Finance Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a news conference in Ottawa, Ontario on Thursday, May 31, 2018. The Trump administration announced Thursday that it will impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Europe, Mexico and Canada. Trudeau said: These tariffs are totally unacceptable. Canada announced plans to slap tariffs on $16.6-billion Canadian (US$12.8 billion) worth of U.S. products, ranging from steel to yogurt to toilet paper. (Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press via AP) Yahoo Finance Originals Trumps fatal flaw is becoming dangerous even to him Why the $375 billion US-China trade deficit can be totally misleading The smart money is heading overseas to cash in on the eSports bom Sports app Fancred launches live NBA Finals show with actor Michael Rapaport Facebook employee morale is low Editors Note: The Morning Brief newsletter is taking a temporary break. While you wont be receiving the newsletter in your inbox every morning you can go to Yahoo Finance at 6:30 a.m. ET to get the mornings top news stories, a synopsis of what to watch in markets and the best of Yahoo Finance Originals. Well be back very soon! Danish lawmakers voted on Thursday to join several other European nations in banning garments that cover the face, a decision seen as targeting conservative Muslim women who wear face veils known as niqab and burqa. Despite opposition, the decision passed with a 75-30 vote and 74 absentees. Violators will be fined 1,000 kroner, about $157, for the first offense. After four or more offenses, individuals will be fined up to 10,000 kroner ($1,567). GettyImages-474382674 JERRY LAMPEN/AFP/Getty Images Trending: China and the European Union Pledge to Uphold Implementation Of Iran Nuclear Deal The new law, which will block conservative Muslim women from wearing face veils, does not explicitly address Islamic clothing. It instead broadly outlaws garments that cover the face. As a result, Denmarks government argues the ban does not target any particular religion and protects individual freedom. Islamic face veils are perceived by many as oppressive toward women. However, opponents see the legislation as targeting the religious freedom of conservative Muslim women. Although the burqa and niqab are not worn by most Muslim women and many Muslims oppose the garment, some believe women are religiously bound to wear the veil. All women should be free to dress as they please and to wear clothing that expresses their identity or beliefs. This ban will have a particularly negative impact on Muslim women who choose to wear the niqab or burqa, Gauri van Gulik, Amnesty Internationals Europe director, told The Guardian. While some specific restrictions on the wearing of full-face veils for the purposes of public safety may be legitimate, this blanket ban is neither necessary nor proportionate and violates the rights to freedom of expression and religion, van Gulik added. Story continues Don't miss: Mastercard's Anti-child Hunger Campaign with Leo Messi and Neymar Hit by Social Media Backlash Supporters disagree, arguing that face veils do not belong in Danish society. Of course, we have individual freedoms we must protect. But some people use them to promote an ideology that, if they are successful, will mean many more lose their freedoms, Danish Peoples Party spokesperson on immigration issues Martin Henriksen said, according to The Local DK. GettyImages-111976663 Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images The countrys justice minister, Sren Pape Poulsen, previously explained that police officers would not forcibly remove face coverings on the streets. Most popular: Avenatti Turned to Democrats for Help in Stormy Daniels Lawsuit I do not want police officers pulling items of clothing off peopleburqas or otherwise. That is not going to happen, Poulsen said before the ban passed. If they live nearby, they will be asked to go home. But if an individual violating the ban does not live close by, they may be required to go to a nearby police station and wait for a relative to come get them. Across Europe, several countries have moved to ban face veils in recent years, with France in 2011 becoming the first to do so in Western Europe. Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Bulgaria have since implemented full or partial bans. In North America, the Canadian province of Montreal also banned face veils last October. However, in December, a judge partially suspended the ban. Last March, the European Court of Justice handed down a major ruling that allows for employers to ban "any political, philosophical or religious sign" at work. This means all employers in the European Union can legally require employees to remove crosses, hijabs (Muslim headscarves), kippahs (Jewish skull caps), dastars (Sikh turbans) or any other religious item they may wear. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek With LGBTQ Pride Month beginning June 1 a month chosen to honor the history of activism epitomized by the Stonewall Riots of June 1969 celebrants around the world will be getting ready for parades and other tributes. Symbols such as the rainbow flag and the pink triangle will abound; for example, Nike has announced a new line of LGBTQ history-themed sneakers, including two that boast pink triangles. The brightly colored symbol is now often worn proudly, but it was born from a dark period in LGBTQ history and world history. Just as the Nazis forced Jewish people to wear a yellow Star of David, they forced people they labeled as gay to wear inverted pink triangles (or die Rosa-Winkel). Those thus branded were treated as the lowest of the low in the camp hierarchy, as one scholar put it. The roots of the Nazi persecution of gay people are deep. Since German unification in 1871, a section of the countrys criminal law widely known as paragraph 175 had said that men who engaged in acts of unnatural indecency could go to jail. In 1877, the German Supreme Court of Justice clarified that to mean evidence of an intercourse-like act. But the law was only enforced sporadically. And the fact that it was almost impossible to convict anyone unless he confessed to such a crime in court meant that police just kept a watchful eye on gay bars and events, and Germany ended up becoming home to a vibrant gay community. Historian Robert Beachy argues that, ironically, the law spurred scientific interest in the study of sexual preferences, and that research tended to encourage a more scientific understanding of human sexuality, which further allowed the idea of gay rights to flourish. According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM), that changed when the Nazis came into power in the 1930s. Hitler saw gay men as a threat to his campaign to purify Germany, especially because their partnerships could not bear children who would grow the Aryan race he wanted to cultivate. During that period, gay-friendly bars and clubs started being shut down, authorities burned the books at a major research institution devoted to the study of sexuality, and gay fraternal organizations were shuttered. These efforts only increased after the Night of the Long Knives, the 1934 purge of Nazi leaders who were accused of trying to overthrow Hitler; they included Storm Troopers leader Ernst Rohm, whom the SS murdered, later citing his homosexuality as justification for his murder. A Nazi revision of the 1871 law took effect in September of 1935, outlawing anything as simple as men looking at or touching one another in a sexually suggestive way, and enabled authorities to arrest people even if they had only heard rumors that people had been engaging in such behavior. (Lesbians, however, didnt face the same criminal penalties.) The Gestapo began to keep pink lists of violators. Story continues Between 1933 and 1945, by the USHMMs count, an estimated 100,000 men were arrested for violating this law, and about half went to prison. Its thought that somewhere between 5,000 and 15,000 men were sent to concentration camps for reasons related to sexuality, but exactly how many died in them may never be known, between the scant documentation that survived and the sense of shame that kept many survivors silent for years after their ordeal. From the few survivors and prison guards who have shared their stories, its been learned that those sent to concentration camps were segregated, for fear that their sexual preference was contagious. Many were castrated. Some were used as guinea pigs in various medical experiments to find a cure for typhus fever and a cure for homosexuality, the latter of which led the SS to inject them with testosterone to see if it would make them straight. At the same time, some Kapos (prisoners selected by the SS to keep fellow prisoners in line) are said to have demanded sexual favors from prisoners, who were known as doll boys, in exchange for extra food or protection from hard labor. Yet in the post-war years, fear of arrest and imprisonment didnt go away. The Nazi law stayed in place until a 1969 West German law decriminalized gay relationships among men over 21. As one of the USHMMs curators has pointed out, even as the Allied powers carefully worked to scrub Nazism from Germany, they left that part alone perhaps because they had anti-gay and anti-sodomy laws of their own. Paragraph 175 wasnt repealed until 1994. Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter As the gay liberation movement grew in America in the 70s and the 80s, so did awareness of the persecution of gays during the Holocaust, as books and data about period started being published. Former doll boy Heinz Hegers 1972 memoir The Men With The Pink Triangle described SS guards torturing prisoners by dipping their testicles in hot water and sodomizing them with broomsticks. Data on these victims started to be cited in 1977, after a statistical analysis by sociologist Rudiger Lautmann of Bremen University claimed that as many as 60% of the gay men sent concentration camps may have have died. The first reference to pink triangles in TIME also appeared that year, in a story about gay-rights activists in Miami who attached the symbols to their clothes as a show of solidarity while protesting a vote to repeal a law protecting gay people from housing discrimination. When the magazine noted that the symbol was reminiscent of Nazi-era yellow stars, a reader wrote in to note that they were in fact analogous, not reminiscent, as both the star and the triangle were real artifacts of that time. Gay people wear the pink triangle today as a reminder of the past and a pledge that history will not repeat itself, he added. And while the Miami effort did not succeed, the activists did succeed in bringing national attention to the way they had reclaimed the pink triangle as a symbol of solidarity. In 1979, Martin Shermans play Bent, inspired by Hegers memoir, opened on Broadway; in the play, one of the characters trades in his pink triangle for a yellow star, which gives him preferential treatment over the homosexuals, as TIMEs review put it. The magazine called the play audacious theater and a gritty, powerful and compassionate drama. Sherman later said that he had also based the play on research by Holocaust scholar Richard Plant, who was having trouble finding a publisher who would turn it into a book, as the topic was still considered taboo. It was later published as The Pink Triangle: The Nazi War Against Homosexuals. By that time, the gay community was facing a very different threat: HIV and AIDS. The activists who formed the organization ACT-UP to raise awareness about this public health crisis decided to use the pink triangle as a symbol of their campaign and alluded to its history when they declared, in their manifesto, that silence about the oppression and annihilation of gay people, then and now, must be broken as a matter of our survival. Avram Finkelstein is credited with designing the campaigns pink triangle which is right-side up, instead of the Nazi-era upside-down pink triangle after conservative pundit William F. Buckley suggested that HIV/AIDS patients get tattoos to warn partners in a 1986 New York Times op-ed. Earlier this year, Finkelstein said that the op-ed was a galvanizing moment, at a time when there was public discussion of putting gay men into concentration camps to keep the epidemic from spreading. This bolder stance required a more boldly colored triangle. He explained that the triangle in the middle of the campaigns signature Silence=Death poster was fuchsia instead of pale pink, as a nod to the punk movements adoption of the New Wave color. (He said the background of the poster is black because everyone in lower Manhattan wore black.) More recently, pink triangles have been visible during gay rights demonstrations worldwide that were sparked by reports that gay men were being persecuted in Chechnya. For example, outside of the Russian embassy in London on April of 2017, protesters scattered pink triangles with messages written Stop the death camps. Three months later, the German parliament voted unanimously to pardon gay men convicted of homosexuality during World War II, awarding 3,000 to the 5,000 men still living, and 1,500 for each year they were imprisoned. The vote came about 15 years after the issuing of an official apology and almost a decade after the unveiling of a memorial to gay Holocaust victims in Berlin. Another well-known memorial is the Pink Triangle Park in the Castro district in San Francisco, which calls itself the first permanent, free-standing memorial in the U.S. to gay Holocaust victims. The last death of someone forced to wear the pink triangle during the Nazi era is believed to have come in August of 2011, with the death of Rudolf Brazda at the age of 98. The symbols of pride that will be proudly worn around the world this month are a reminder of both what he survived and the pride that came after. Managua (AFP) - Funerals took place across Nicaragua on Friday for 16 people killed in one of the bloodiest days of protest in the country where weeks of anti-government demonstrations have left more than 100 dead. There seemed little prospect of an early return to negotiations Friday between the government of President Daniel Ortega and the opposition after more than six weeks of near continuous protests. Ortega has rejected calls to step down and the Catholic Church, which has tried to mediate the conflict, has refused to resume the talks for as long as government "repression" continues. A group of 21 former Latin American leaders urged the Organization of American States and the Lima Group of Latin American states to take "urgent measures" in the face of "serious attacks" against democracy and human rights in Nicaragua. "The anti-democratic reality of which Nicaraguans are victims is sustained and aggravated," said the former presidents, including Colombia's Andres Pastrana, Mexico's Felipe Calderon, and Spain's Felipe Gonzalez, part of the Democratic Initiative in Spain and the Americas. Hundreds of people packed into a church in Managua for the funeral of 14-year-old high school student Orlando Cordoba. He was hit by a bullet while marching in a protest at the Central American University on Wednesday. The teenager's body was draped with a blue and white scarf bearing the legend "Nicaragua Libre." "Lord give me peace in my heart....I never expected this," his weeping mother Yadira Cordoba said as she clung to his coffin while it was being closed. Policeman Armando Reyes asked police to leave the funeral of his son Francisco Reyes, 34, who was shot in the head during Wednesday's march. "It wasn't a dog that died," he said. "I am very hurt, I never imagined that they would take the life of my son, they murdered him without a problem, they are murderers," the dead man's mother, Guillermina Zapata told AFP: Story continues Similar emotional scenes were repeated at other funerals as victims were laid to rest after what protest umbrella group Civic Alliance described as the "worst massacre" since protests started on April 18. - Mediator gets 'death threats' - Silvio Jose Baez, the auxiliary bishop of Managua mediating the stalled talks, had received "death threats" and his life was in danger, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) warned in a statement released in Washington. "Massacre! Shots are being fired against peaceful demonstrators," Baez wrote on social media late Wednesday, the night of the Mothers' Day protests in which the latest round of killings took place. The Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights said the killings occurred in the capital Managua and the cities of Esteli and Masaya, while incidents also took place in Leon. "The aggressors were the repressive police and shock forces" who report to Ortega and his wife, according to the rights group. The government and opposition had agreed on Monday to resume peace talks mediated by the Catholic Church that stalled last week. But the Nicaraguan Bishops' Conference announced Thursday that it will not resume the dialogue as long as "the people continue to be repressed and killed" by "groups close to the government." OAS chief Luis Almagro on Thursday condemned the killings by "repressive forces and the armed forces," and called on Ortega's government to stop the violence. The US State Department issued a statement condemning the "government's violent response to peaceful Mother's Day marches in Managua and other cities yesterday, including assaults on mothers mourning their children killed since protests began April 18." - Ortega decries 'conspiracy' - Ortega, meanwhile, denounced a "conspiracy" by the opposition aimed at "terrorizing" the people, referring to Wednesday's unrest. "There are no shock forces or paramilitaries close to the government, so we cannot accept that we are accused of tragic and painful events that we have not provoked and we would never provoke," he said in a statement. In its statement in Washington, the IACHR said it had received reports that Bishop Baez and his relatives "are on a list of people who need to be 'wiped out' and that suspicious persons are constantly watching his family home." "The Commission has been able to check pictures that show, on Facebook, not only various messages to discredit Silvio Jose Baez Ortega -- which in this specific context create a particularly hostile atmosphere against the beneficiary -- but also photos that concretely show a person who had allegedly threatened to kill the auxiliary bishop, with a firearm." "The Commission also noted the intimidating effect that such a situation could have on his own and other participants' involvement in the ongoing talks." (Reuters) - Shares of NXP Semiconductors NV fell 5 percent on Wednesday after China's latest warning against U.S. trade threats dulled hopes of an early approval by Beijing for Qualcomm's $44 billion acquisition of the chipmaker. The company's shares gained about 9 percent since May 18 on media reports that the chances of the deal winning approval were looking "optimistic" as a U.S.-China trade spat cooled. Also helping was a deal the U.S. government reached to put Chinese telecommunications company ZTE Corp, back in business. Qualcomm lawyers were expected to meet this week in Beijing with China's antitrust regulators in a final push to secure clearance, three sources told Reuters on Sunday. The meeting was expected before U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross arrived in China on Saturday, the sources briefed on Qualcomm's discussions had said. However, the team of lawyers remained at the company's San Diego headquarters, as of late Tuesday, a source familiar with the matter said. "On hold now," another person familiar with Qualcomm's talks with the Chinese government said on Wednesday, declining to be identified as the negotiations are confidential. The deal, announced in October 2016, has been approved by eight of the nine required global regulators, with China the only one pending. Shares of NXP were down 1.2 percent while Qualcomm stock was marginally up premarket. (Reporting by Arjun Panchadar in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila) Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - A young Palestinian woman was shot dead by Israeli soldiers near the Gaza border fence on Friday, in another day of protests and violence, Palestinian medical sources said. Razan al-Najjar, 21, was shot near Khan Yunis in the south of the territory, health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said, bringing the toll of Gazans killed by Israeli fire since the end of March to 123. According to Qudra, Najjar was a volunteer with the ministry, wearing the white uniform of a medic when she was shot in the chest. An army spokesman said they were looking into the report. But the military said in a statement that "thousands of rioters" had gathered at five locations along the border, "burning tires adjacent to the security fence and attempting to damage security infrastructure". Shots were fired at an army vehicle and a Palestinian had crossed into Israel, planted a grenade and returned to Gaza, it said, stressing soldiers were acting "in accordance with the rules of engagement". An exchange of fire on Tuesday night started with a barrage of rocket and mortars into Israel from Gaza, prompting Israel to respond with strikes on 65 militant sites in Gaza. It was the worst flare-up since the 2014 war in Gaza and followed weeks of deadly demonstrations and clashes along the border, beginning on March 30. The protests have demanded that Palestinians who fled or were expelled in the 1948 war surrounding Israel's creation be allowed to return to their former homes, now inside the Jewish state. They peaked on May 14 when at least 61 Palestinians were killed in clashes as tens of thousands of Gazans protested the US transfer of its embassy in Israel to the disputed city of Jerusalem the same day. Low-level demonstrations have continued since. Paul R. Pillar Security, Middle East For Irans regional rivals, the Trump administrations policies have been an unalloyed gift. The Pompeo Plan for Iran Is Doomed to Fail Secretary of State Mike Pompeos recent speech on Iran, although titled After the Deal: A New Iran Strategy, was in fact not new at all. It was something else-- a tedious recitation of the same arguments, with the same fallacies and red herrings, that have become numbingly familiar in attacks on the deal in question: the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the multilateral agreement that restricts Irans nuclear program and closes all possible paths to an Iranian nuclear weapon. The fallacies are easy to point out, as many knowledgeable analysts have done. Consider one of the most frequent topics in the talking points of JCPOA opponents: the sunset clauses under which some of the restrictions on Irans activity are loosened after ten or more years. Pompeo said nothing about how the most important provisions of the JCPOAincluding the intrusive inspection regime and the prohibition on bomb-making or any other military use of nuclear materialare permanent. He did not mention how expiration dates, even of important provisions, are standard fare in arms control agreements, including successive strategic arms limitations agreements to which the United States has been a party. He did not address the obvious observation that without the JCPOA, Iran would be free to do right away everything that under the agreement it cannot do for a decade or more. He did not explain why an issue that, however it gets addressed, would make no difference whatsoever for a decade or more should be a reason for tearing up an agreement that imposes meaningful and important restrictions today. What Pompeo did say on the subjectthat after the countdown clock ran out on the deals sunset provisions, Iran would be free for a quick sprint to the bomboverlooked that if Iran were to do so, this would be a blatant violation of the permanent provisions of the JCPOA (as well as of Irans obligations under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty). So why all the fuss about fine print in the JCPOAabout expiration dates or about anything elseif the operative scary contingency is one in which Iran would have to violate the agreement anyway? Pompeo also failed to say that, thanks to the JCPOA, any sprint to a bomb would be several times longer (as well as being, because of the intrusive inspections, much more detectable) than it would have been without the JCPOA. Story continues Impasse as the Inevitable Result What Pompeo offered was a list of a dozen inflexible demands. They will not be met. The JCPOA was laboriously and carefully negotiated over more than two years. Whatever leverage each side could bring to the negotiations was exploited to the max. And this was with the United States as part of a broad international coalition (even broader than the states at the negotiating table, as reflected in a unanimous United Nations Security Council endorsing the JCPOA). The earlier approach of pressuring without negotiating, of piling more and more sanctions on Iran, was met by Iran spinning more and more centrifuges and enriching more and more uranium. The notion that a better deal could have been struck is pure moonshine, then and now. Whatever leverage the United States enjoyed back then, it has less now. With the Trump administration reneging on the agreement, it is the United States, not Iran, that is isolated. The administration hopes to use secondary sanctions to coerce private business in Europe, but the governments other than the United States that are party to the agreement have stated their determination to resist the United States and preserve the agreement. Some of those parties, especially China, are able to take concrete measures to circumvent the sanctions. The United States not only has less coercive leverage than before; it is less able to offer positive incentives. Trump has badly damaged U.S. credibility by reneging on the JCPOA. The Iranian supreme leader is exclaiming how right he was in his earlier cautions about negotiating with perfidious Americans. Iranian leaders of every ideological persuasion know they would be fools to argue today for striking a new deal with the same bunch of Americans who just reneged on an existing deal that Iran has been scrupulously observing. Pompeos list of demands reflects little sense of reality as to what is attainable and what is not. A goal of zero uranium enrichment was tried before and proved to be unattainableeven when the Iranian nuclear program was far less advanced than it was when the JCPOA was negotiated. Some of the other demands amount to saying that Iran should supinely defer to the United States in determining whom in the Middle East Iran can and cannot associate with. The extreme nature of the demands perhaps becomes apparent when thinking about what an equivalent list of Iranian demands to the United States might look like. The result of this new strategy thus will be continued tension and impasse. Issues involving Iran will not be resolved; grievances will not be eliminated. Even if the other parties to the JCPOA succeed in keeping the accord alive, other disadvantages of the U.S. reneging will ensue. A political boost has been given to Iranian hardliners and to the hardline polices they favor. The risk of escalation to military conflict has increased. The chances for follow-on agreements to address issues of concern to both the United States and Iran have been killed. U.S. relations with the Europeans have been poisoned; the United States will be waging economic warfare against not only Iran but also important U.S. allies, with possible follow-on implications for wider issues of trade and economic retaliation against the United States. If the JCPOA dies, then in addition to these consequences there will be the further one of Iran becoming free to produce as much fissile material as it wants as fast as it wants, and to do so with little scrutiny of international inspectors. The Iran nuclear issue would be back to where it was before the JCPOA, with the specter of an Iranian nuclear weapon widely cited as the leading security threat facing the United States. Multiple Explanations The question arises: why would any U.S. policymaker want such an outcome? What could possibly be the motivation to pursue a strategy destined to lead to these undesirable results? There are several possible answers to this question. Their applicability varies from individual to individual, and they are not necessarily mutually exclusive even for any single policymaker. One explanation, which applies especially to Donald Trump, is that the policy has been made only with a rhetorical moment and applause lines in mind and with little or no attention given to larger and longer-term consequences. For Trump, berating and destroying whatever Barack Obama had wrought continues to be the most consistent theme of his policies. Toughness, or rather the simulacrum of it, and claims of superior deal-making ability take precedence over any actual results of actual deals. And no American politician has lost votes by sounding tough on Iran. This alternative can be called the dont-care explanation. A second explanation is that policymakers really believe that a pressured Iran will at some point cave and give in to even the most extreme U.S. demands. Various elements of American culture and history, and an inability to understand foreign perspectives, underlie this belief. But the belief is badly mistaken as applied to the current situation, for all the reasons mentioned above. A third possibility is a belief that pressure and hostility will lead the Iranian regime not to cave, but to fall. The dream of regime change shows through in some lines in Pompeos rhetoric, including his speech this month. One might think that all American politicians would have learned sobering lessons about regime change from recent experiences involving Iraq, but they havent. As for present-day Iran, it is not in a pre-revolutionary situation, and what Trump has done to the JCPOA has put it even farther away from one. Iranian hardliners have been pleased to note how the U.S. reneging on the agreement has made it easier to blame the United States for economic problems inside Iran. If regime change were nonetheless to become feasible, the most likely possibility would be the Revolutionary Guard imposing martial law, an event that would imply Iranian policies even less to the liking of the United States than current policies. A fourth explanation, and one that may be at least as valid as any of the other three, is that policymakers want to have unending impasse and high tension with Iran. A subset of the policymakers in question, possibly including national security adviser John Bolton, would go even farther and welcome not only increased tension with Iran but war. Their preference raises a whole different order of hard-to-answer questions about motivationsand who can adequately explain what drives chickenhawks? A different and probably larger subset of people to whom this explanation applies do not seek waralthough their policies increase the chance of one breaking outbut instead want perpetual enmity in which Iran serves forever as a bete noire. Iran is a handy choice for playing this role in American rhetoricfor several reasons, such as memories of the hostage crisis of 1979-1981. Having such a bete noire serves the purposes that foreign foils have long served for leaders of many countries, not just the United States. The political benefits include rally-around-the-flag effects, deflecting blame away from the true source of troubles, distracting attention from ones own faults and failures, and providing an opportunity to look tough against a supposed threat. For Trump, who has been criticized for softness toward foreign authoritarians, the opportunity to display toughness is especially attractive. Note that, as with the dont-care explanation, none of this has anything to do with the interests of the United States but instead only with the narrower political interests of individual politicians and administrations. Subcontracting Policy to Foreigners The attraction of forever keeping Iran as a bete noire for the United States is even more obvious for Irans regional rivals. This especially means Saudi Arabia, along with its sometime ally the United Arab Emirates and its satellite Bahrain, and Israel. Those regimes are content to see a dead-end U.S. policy toward Iran that offers no prospect of any thawing of relations between Washington and Tehran. Such a policy assures that Washington always will take their side in their local disputes. It means continued U.S. cover for their own excesses and contributions to regional instability, with blame always focused on Iran. Thus Saudi leaders were delighted to hear Pompeo demand an end to Iranian aid to Houthi rebels in Yemen, while he said nothing in his speech about the far larger role of Saudi bombardment in turning Yemen into a humanitarian disaster. Israeli leaders were delighted to hear demands about ending Iranian aid to Hamas, in a speech that made no mention of the role of the Israeli military in the killing of scores and the wounding of thousands of what were overwhelmingly unarmed protesters in the Gaza Strip. That Trumps Iran policy is so much to the liking of Irans regional rivals raises the relevance of a story, fleshed out by recent reporting by The New York Times, of the role of those rivals (and of their sympathizers and supporters within the United States) in getting Trump elected. Amid the justified attention to Russias role in the 2016 election, this other story of foreign interference in the same election has been largely overlooked. Indeed, what was looked upon as one of the earlier chapters in the Russia storyformer national security advisor Michael Flynn admitting that he lied to the FBI about a meeting he had with the Russian ambassadorwas really more of an Israel story. Flynns objective in the meeting was to get Russia's help in killing a resolution of the United Nations Security Council that criticized Israels building of settlements in occupied territory. The issue of Russian interference in the election and dealings with the Trump campaign is still very important, and Trumps frantic efforts to derail the investigation by the special counsel strongly suggest that there is more fire yet to be uncovered underneath the voluminous smoke that already is visible. But to compare the significance of the different sources of foreign interference in American politics, consider the reason any such interference should concern U.S. citizens: the possible bending of U.S. policy to serve the interests of the interfering foreign government rather than the interests of the United States. For Russia, it is a mixed picture. Vladimir Putin no doubt believes he got his moneys worth from his interference in the discrediting of American democracy and the damage to U.S. credibility and alliance relationships that Trumps presidency has entailed. As for bilateral U.S.-Russian relations, however, the political toxicity of being seen to make nice to Moscow under the Trump administration has meant that the relationship is not a lot different than it may have been under Hillary Clinton. For Irans regional rivals, however, the Trump administrations policies have been an unalloyed gift. Expressions of concern in the U.S. Congress about the carnage in Yemen have not caused the Trump administration to abandon its support for the Saudi air war there. Mild administration criticism of the Saudis has centered more on trying to heal the Saudi rift with Qatar, and the healing effort itself has an anti-Iran thrust. Saudi crown prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman is still the favorite chum of favorite Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner. As for Israel, Trumps policies could hardly have been more to the liking of that countrys government if Benjamin Netanyahu had dictated them himself. Those policies have included the reneging on the JCPOA, the gift of a U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, apparent abandonment of any two-state solution worthy of the name, and unqualified diplomatic cover provided by U.N. votes and administration rhetoricnotwithstanding the damage all this causes to wider U.S. standing and relationships. The dead-end policy toward Iran embodied in Pompeos speech thus has several roots, but perhaps the most conspicuous one involves a subcontracting of U.S. policy to Irans regional rivals. This practice could be called other things, but it certainly cannot be called America First. Paul R. Pillar is a contributing editor at the National Interest and the author of Why America Misunderstands the World. Image: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reads aboard his plane after departing Tel Aviv, Israel, on April 29, 2018, during his first trip as Secretary of State. The Secretary traveled to Brussels, Belgium; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Tel Aviv Israel; and Amman, Jordan April 26 through 30, 2018. (State Department photo/ Public Domain) Read full article President Donald Trump has announced that hes pardoning conservative commentator Dinesh DSouza for federal campaign contribution limit violations that DSouza pleaded guilty to in 2014. Meanwhile, the Presidents personal lawyer Michael Cohen is under investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for similar federal campaign finance law violations. The nonpartisan organization I help lead, Common Cause, alleged those violations, related to the 2016 Stormy Daniels hush-money payment funneled through Cohen, in complaints filed with the DOJ and Federal Election Commission (FEC) in January. Recent statements by the Presidents lawyer Rudy Giuliani implicate Trump himself in these campaign finance law violations. It is worth asking: Is the DSouza pardon an attempt by the President to normalize campaign finance law violations? Is the intent to make it so that a DOJ conclusion that Cohen and perhaps the President himself violated campaign finance laws wont look so bad? So that a pardon of Cohen for campaign finance violations might draw less scrutiny? Heres what we know. Back in 2012, Dinesh DSouza made $20,000 in illegal campaign contributions to a U.S. Senate candidate. The contributions were illegal because DSouza had already contributed the legal maximum of $10,000 to the same candidate on behalf of himself and his wife. Knowing he had maxed out in contributions to the candidate, DSouza directed his professional assistant and a woman with whom he was romantically involved to each make $10,000 contributions to the candidate on behalf of themselves and their spouses on the condition that DSouza would reimburse each individual for their contributions. They did, and he did. Federal campaign finance law limits how much a person can give to a candidate. In 2012, the limit was $2,500 per election, with the primary and general elections treated as separate elections. Federal law clearly states that no person shall make a contribution in the name of another person. This provision, known among election lawyers as the straw donor ban, is the most basic of campaign finance law. You cant get around the contribution limit by having your friends contribute your money and saying its theirs. If you could, contribution limits would be meaningless. Story continues The contribution-limits and straw-donor ban serve the interests of everyday people. They make it harder for wealthy individuals and special interests to corruptly buy political access and influence the rest of us cant afford, and they ensure that the public knows whose money is really funding political campaigns. DSouzas $20,000 straw donor contribution reimbursement scheme clearly violated laws that protect democracy. He was properly prosecuted. It was no surprise that he pleaded guilty. President Trump, in announcing his intention to pardon DSouza via a tweet, claimed that DSouza was treated very unfairly by our government! Before pleading guilty, DSouza argued to the court that he was a victim of politically motivated selective prosecution. But the court rejected the argument, ruling that there was no evidence to support DSouzas allegation. Fast-forward to 2018. In January, the public learned through some great investigative journalism that in October 2016 then-candidate Trumps personal lawyer paid adult-film star Stormy Daniels $130,000 to stay quiet about an affair she allegedly had with Trump years earlier. The payment occurred mere weeks before the presidential general election. Daniels was negotiating with major media outlets to go public with her story, and the Trump campaign was reeling from the Access Hollywood tape scandal. Strong evidence suggests that Cohens payment to Daniels was for the purpose of influencing the election and, consequently, an illegally large in-kind contribution from Cohen to the Trump campaign. Several weeks ago, Rudy Giuliani revealed that President Donald Trump reimbursed Michael Cohen for the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels. Trump then acknowledged his reimbursement of Cohen on his personal financial disclosure form. Trumps reimbursement of Cohen is strong evidence that the President knew about Cohens payment to Daniels at the time it occurred or soon thereafter and that the President knowingly and willfully caused his presidential campaign committee to violate the law by failing to disclose this political expenditure to Daniels, the in-kind contribution from Cohen and his reimbursement to Cohen on the committees reports filed with the FEC. Knowing and willful violations of campaign finance laws are obvious criminal acts. In early April, the F.B.I. raided Cohens office and home, executing search warrants and seizing millions of documents and digital records as part of the DOJs investigation into possible campaign finance law violations by Cohen. At this very moment, the Presidents lawyers and Cohens lawyers and DOJ lawyers are battling over which of these millions of records can become evidence in the DOJs investigation and which are shielded by the attorney-client privilege between Cohen and Trump. In other words, President Donald Trump and his lawyer Michael Cohen are facing serious campaign finance law problems. The Presidents pardon of Dinesh DSouza looks like an effort to dismiss his own apparent violations as no big deal. But violating campaign finance laws is a big deal, and no one is above the law not even the President. (WASHINGTON) President Donald Trumps administration is planning to impose tariffs on European steel and aluminum imports after failing to win concessions from the European Union, a move that could provoke retaliatory tariffs and inflame trans-Atlantic trade tensions. The tariffs are likely to go into effect on the E.U. with an announcement by Fridays deadline, according to two people familiar with the discussions. The administrations plans could change if the two sides are able to reach a last-minute agreement, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Trump announced in March the United States would slap a 25 percent tariff on imported steel, and a 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum, citing national security interests. But he granted an exemption to the E.U. and other U.S. allies; that reprieve expires Friday. Europe has been bracing for the U.S. to place the restrictions even as top European officials have held last-ditch talks in Paris with American trade officials to try to avert the tariffs. Realistically, I do not think we can hope to avoid either U.S. tariffs or quotas on steel and aluminum, said Cecilia Malmstrom, the European Unions trade commissioner. Even if the U.S. were to agree to waive the tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, Malmstrom said, I expect them nonetheless to want to impose some sort of cap on E.U. exports. European officials said they expected the U.S. to announce its final decision Thursday. The people familiar with the talks said Trump could make an announcement as early as Thursday. U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross attended meetings at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris on Wednesday, and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer joins discussions in Paris on Thursday. The U.S. plan has raised the threat of retaliation from Europe and fears of a global trade war a prospect that is already weighing on investor confidence and could hinder the global economic upturn. Story continues If the U.S. moves forward with its tariffs, the E.U. has threatened to impose retaliatory tariffs on U.S. orange juice, peanut butter and other goods in return. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire pledged that the European response would be united and firm. Besides the U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs, the Trump administration is also investigating possible limits on foreign cars in the name of national security. Unilateral responses and threats over trade war will solve nothing of the serious imbalances in the world trade. Nothing, French President Emmanuel Macron said in an impassioned speech at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris. In a clear reference to Trump, Macron added: These solutions might bring symbolic satisfaction in the short term. One can think about making voters happy by saying, I have a victory, Ill change the rules, youll see. But Macron said those who waged bilateral trade wars saw an increase in prices and an increase in unemployment. Tariffs on steel imports to the U.S. can help local producers of the metal by making foreign products more expensive. But they can also increase costs more broadly for U.S. manufacturers who cannot source all their steel locally and need to import the raw material. That hurts the companies and can lead to more expensive consumer prices, economists say. Ross criticized the E.U. for its tough negotiating position. There can be negotiations with or without tariffs in place. There are plenty of tariffs the E.U. has on us. Its not that we cant talk just because theres tariffs, he said. He noted that China has not used that as an excuse not to negotiate. But German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier insisted the Europeans were being constructive and were ready to negotiate special trade arrangements, notably for liquefied natural gas and industrial goods, including cars. Macron also proposed to start negotiations between the U.S., the E.U., China and Japan to reshape the World Trade Organization to better regulate trade. Discussions could then be expanded to include other countries to agree on changes by the end of the year. Ross expressed concern that the Geneva-based World Trade Organization and other organizations are too rigid and slow to adapt to changes in global business. We would operate within (multilateral) frameworks if we were convinced that people would move quickly, he said. Ross and Lighthizer seemed like the odd men out at this weeks gathering at the OECD, an international economic agency that includes the U.S. as a prominent member. The agency issued a report Wednesday saying the threat of trade restrictions has begun to adversely affect confidence and tariffs would negatively influence investment and jobs. (WASHINGTON) President Donald Trump said Thursday that hes considering commuting the sentence of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was convicted of corruption, and pardoning lifestyle maven Martha Stewart, who did a stint in federal prison after she was convicted of charges related to a stock sale. Hours earlier, Trump said on Twitter that he will pardon conservative commentator and Obama critic Dinesh DSouza, who pleaded guilty to campaign finance fraud. As he left Washington to fly to Texas, Trump tweeted: Will be giving a Full Pardon to Dinesh DSouza today. He was treated very unfairly by our government! DSouza, an outspoken critic of former President Barack Obama, had claimed that his prosecution by the Obama Justice Department was politically motivated, but the presiding federal judge said DSouza had failed to prove it. Trump later shared with reporters aboard Air Force One his thoughts on Blagojevich and Stewart. Blagojevich, the Democratic former governor, began serving a 14-year prison sentence on corruption convictions in 2012. His scheduled release date is 2024. Blagojevich was also a contestant on Trumps Celebrity Apprentice reality television show in 2010. Stewart was convicted in 2004 of obstructing justice and lying to the government about why she unloaded stock just before the price plummeted. She served five months in prison. Trump also told reporters accompanying him to Texas that no one asked him to pardon DSouza, whose case had become a cause in conservative circles. Trump said he only knew DSouza from TV and reading his works. He said he telephoned DSouza on Wednesday night. The filmmaker, author and speaker was sentenced in September 2014 in federal court in New York to five years of probation after he admitted making illegal contributions to a U.S. Senate candidate in New York. Eight months of the first year was to be served in a community confinement center. DSouza was also sentenced to an eight-hour day of community service every week of the five-year term, weekly counseling, and was ordered to pay a $30,000 fine along with a $100 special assessment. Story continues White House spokesman Raj Shah echoed DSouzas claim of selective prosecution. Dinesh DSouza is an individual who, you know, has made restitution and accepted responsibility for his actions. But these are infractions and crimes that are rarely prosecuted, and many believe that he was the subject of some selective prosecution from the previous administration, Shah said on Fox News Channel. Nonetheless, hes accepted responsibility and the president thinks its appropriate that he receive a pardon after community service, paying a fine and doing other things that the judge has required, Shah said. DSouza acknowledged that he had two close associates each contribute $10,000 to the Senate campaign of Republican Wendy Long with the understanding that he would reimburse them. Individual contributions to any one candidate were limited to $5,000 at the time. Long lost to Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. DSouza, who made the documentary 2016: Obamas America, entered the plea a week after the federal judge overseeing the case rejected his claim that he was selectively prosecuted. The judge said DSouza had shown the court no evidence that he was targeted. The government said in court papers that DSouza faced overwhelming evidence of guilt and now seizes upon the fact that he is an outspoken critic of the Obama administration as an excuse to avoid the consequences of his actions. DSouza is a former policy analyst under President Ronald Reagan and a prolific author well-known for works critical of Obama. He retweeted Trumps tweet about the forthcoming pardon but did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment sent to his media company, DSouza Media. In February, DSouza apologized for sending a tweet that made fun of students from a high school in Parkland, Florida, who were upset after the Florida House voted down a proposed ban on a type of semi-automatic rifles known as assault weapons. The students had lost 17 classmates and teachers in a shooting that month. DSouza said in one of the tweets that it was the worst news since their parents told them to get summer jobs. In another tweet, he wrote Adults 1, kids 0. His tweets about the Parkland students have been sharply criticized by some Florida Republicans, including Gov. Rick Scott. Despite the backlash, DSouza is scheduled to speak at a two-day event being put on next month by the Republican Party of Florida. Scott, who is running for U.S. Senate, has not yet decided whether he will attend A Texas man and his wife allegedly hired someone to kill the mans jeweler father but the suspects mother believes her son is innocent. Nicolas Shaughnessy and Jaclyn Edison, both 19, have been charged with solicitation to commit capital murder in the death of Nicolas father, Theodore Shaughnessy. Shaughnessy is currently being held at the Travis County Jail on a $3 million cash bond while Edison is being held on a $1 million cash bond, according to online jail records. At 4:45 a.m. on March 2, Shaughnessys mother Corey called 911 to report an intruder inside her Austin-area home, police said, according to a report by the Associated Press. When Travis County deputies arrived to the scene, they discovered Theodore Shaughnessy, a jewelry store owner, dead from multiple gun shot wounds, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by the Austin American-Statesman. The parents Rottweiler was also fatally shot. At the crime scene, there was no evidence of a forced entry. The doors and windows were locked, except for one: Nicolas Shaughnessys childhood bedroom window, the affidavit states. 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. Additionally, the homes security system had been deactivated remotely from College Station, Texas where Nicolas and Edison live. The only people with access to the alarm system were Ted, Corey and Nicolas, the affidavit states, according to the American-Statesman. It was the scandal that rocked Americas most storied political family and changed the course of presidential history. PEOPLEs first-ever podcast, Cover-Up, dives into the Chappaquiddick scandal and attempts to piece together what happened in the hours after Ted Kennedys car went over a narrow wooden bridge, killing his passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play or wherever podcasts are available. Story continues In late April, a post on Gallerie Jewelers Facebook page announced Nicolas Shaughnessy would be taking over the family business, according to a report by local TV station KXAN. We are happy to announce that Nicolas, Teds son, will be carrying on his legacy here at the Gallerie, it states. In the course of the investigation, an informant allegedly told detectives Nicolas Shaughnessy had approached the informant about killing his parents, police allege. Nicolas allegedly told the informant he would pay $10,000 per month, according to the KXAN report, though it was unclear how long the alleged payments would last. On Wednesday, following the couples arrest, the familys attorneys, Perry Minton and Rick Flores, released a statement to local reporters. We have been working with the Shaughnessy family over the last several months as they mourn the loss of Ted, the statement reads. These allegations are not consistent in any way with the young man we have come to know. Nick has been living with his mother since the tragedy occurred. Ms. Shaughnessy stands firmly behind her son. We will review the evidence as it becomes available to us. Attempts to reach the couples attorneys were unsuccessful. Gun suicides declined significantly in two states after they passed laws allowing police to temporarily confiscate firearms from individuals determined to be a threat to themselves or others, according to new research. A study published Friday in the journal Psychiatric Services examined years of death data following the passage of red flag laws in Connecticut, which became the first state to enact this sort of law in 1999, and Indiana, which followed suit in 2005. In Indiana, the study found a 7.5 percent reduction in firearm suicides in the decade following the red flag laws enactment. The link was less pronounced in Connecticut, at least initially. Gun suicides fell only 1.6 percent in the years after the laws enactment, but enforcement of the law appeared to spike in 2007 following the mass shooting at Virginia Tech, leading to a 13.7 reduction in firearm suicides from 2007 to 2015. One of the studys authors says the research should give fuel to the state-led push for similar laws around the country, which advocates have held up as vital tools to prevent gun violence. Our data shows that when red flag laws are utilized, they have the effect of preventing large numbers of suicides, Aaron Kivisto, an assistant professor of clinical psychology at the University of Indianapolis, told HuffPost. To measure the effect of red flag laws, researchers created a model using data from other states as well as from Connecticut and Indiana in the years before they implemented their laws. After controlling for other factors known to affect suicide, including rates of gun ownership, unemployment and alcohol consumption, they were able to extrapolate what the suicide rate would have been in Connecticut and Indiana without the laws. Our estimates here were between 300 and 400 gun suicides prevented in the 10 years after Indiana enacted its law, and a little over 100 in Connecticut, said Kivisto. A new study finds there were declines in gun suicides in Connecticut and Indiana in the years following the states' implementation of red flag laws. (Photo: Gleb Garanich / Reuters) These declines translated to a decrease in overall suicides in Indiana. In Connecticut, however, the lower number of firearm suicides was offset by an increased number of suicides by other means. Story continues Red flag laws have emerged as one of the most popular legislative responses to the February massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in which 17 people were killed. The suspect in that shooting, a 19-year-old former student at the school, had attracted the attention of local police on numerous occasions before his attack, but officers had no authority to take his firearms. Eight states now have red flag laws on the books, and Florida is among the four to have joined those ranks since the Parkland shooting. Other states are still considering legislation and appear poised to enact laws this session. Most of these measures allow for law enforcement, family members or roommates to petition for a red flag, also known as a gun violence restraining order, against an individual whom they believe to be dangerous. This initiates a court process that can lead to the temporary confiscation of that persons firearms and an order that they remain away from all guns for a period of time. The standards of evidence and investigation required to authorize that seizure vary somewhat by state. All of the state measures include some level of judicial oversight and due process, but some critics of red flag laws say firearms should never be taken unless the owner is found guilty of a crime. Although much of the current debate around red flag laws has revolved around their ability to disarm a potential mass murderer and give them time to cool off, Kivisto said that in states where these statutes have been in effect the longest, theyve been used primarily on people who appear to pose a threat only to themselves. Red flag laws tend to be introduced in response to oftentimes a mass homicide, but in practice what we realized is they are not used very often to seize guns from people thought to be at risk of homicide, Kivisto said. Data out of Indiana showed that in some years about 80 percent of all gun seizures under red flag laws involved a perceived risk of suicide, added Kivisto. Any link between the laws and other forms of gun violence, such as homicide or intimate partner homicide, likely wouldnt have been strong. Trends in the use of red flag laws may reflect a lack of awareness among law enforcement or the public. Advocates for red flag laws in other states have expressed concerns that theyre not being sufficiently utilized, in part because there hasnt been enough of a push to educate people on how and when to petition for someones firearms to be confiscated. With red flag laws gaining broader acceptance across the country, often with bipartisan support from lawmakers and approval among both gun owners and non-gun owners, its possible that researchers will soon have enough data to begin measuring what effect they have on other types of shootings. Until then, Kivisto said, studies like his show that the measures are worth pursuing. Policymakers should take advantage of the data available, said Kivisto. There isnt a lot yet, but what we do have tends to suggest that these can make a positive difference. If you or someone you know needs help, call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You can also text HOME to 741-741 for free, 24-hour support from the Crisis Text Line. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention for a database of resources. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Thomas J. Mace-Archer-Mills Esq. was frequently featured as a royal expert ahead of Meghan Markle and Prince Harrys May 19 wedding. (Photo credit: Danny Lawson/AFP/Getty Images) Move over, Markles. Theres a last-minute contender for the most bizarre royal wedding headline. As the Wall Street Journal was the first to report, a man claiming to be a British expert on the royal family with the plummy accent and triple-barreled name to match has been revealed as an Italian-American from New York. Though he billed himself as Thomas J. Mace-Archer-Mills Esq. and spoke with a British accent, the royal wedding commenter is actually Thomas Tommy Muscatello, who hails from upstate New York. Muscatello, who gave numerous interviews to international news outlets ahead of the royal wedding and even offered advice on how Meghan Markle could fit in with the British way, told the paper that he considers himself to be more of a Brit than an American. Final live commentary of the evening BFMTV France under the gorgeous sights of eindsor Castle. What a long day but a wonderfully Royal one! #royalwedding Happy to be heading back to London @BMSF_UK @SchaumburgLippe @cpecq @toryshulman @TheRoyalExpert pic.twitter.com/TPOR7faly7 Thomas J. Mace-Archer-Mills (@ThomasJMMADM) May 19, 2018 He added that his professional name is derived from the names of friends and distant relations, and two elderly Brits have agreed to be honorary grandparents. Family and acquaintances described Muscatello as a longtime fan of royal history who first tried out a British accent while performing in a high school production of Oliver! Story continues I said to Tommy: Cant you speak in your regular American accent?' his father, Thomas Muscatello Sr., told the paper. He said its hard for him. This is his accent now. Muscatello also reportedly ends conversations by saying, God save the queen. But though the Bolton Landing, N.Y., native has often boasted of his numerous interviews, his latest brush with fame appears to have left him cold. According to the U.K. Guardian, he has issued a statement denouncing the Wall Street Journal article as inaccurate. The paper is standing by its reporting, however. The Wall Street Journal breached journalistic trust, omitted truths, and mis-sold what the initial interview was for, he said. Many of the facts in the article are inaccurate and the Wall Street Journal itself was given many opportunities to ensure that the article was published with the most accurate information available. The WSJ chose not to adhere to the facts or their integrity. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: What is Meghan Markle wearing in the queens cute personal photo? Meghan Markle reportedly made wedding guests cry with a love poem Shop 8 fashion items Meghan Markle wore that are back in stock Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit China soon as Moscow and Beijing boast of closer ties than ever before, despite relations with Washington growing more tense for both nations. Speaking at a conference in the Chinese capital dedicated to relations with Moscow, a top Russian diplomat announced that Putin will visit China next month and said ties between the two countries are undergoing their best period in all of history. The Russian-Chinese partnership serves as an island of stability in the midst of a raging ocean, Igor Morgulov, a deputy of Russias foreign minister, told state news agency Itar-Tass on Tuesday. Trending: Russia Is Arresting Jehovahs Witnesses and Holding Them in Lengthy Pre-trial Detention, Group Says Related: Russian supersonic bombers to patrol Arctic off the Alaskan coast The U.S. government imposed a series of sanctions on Russia and pro-Kremlin businesses following Putins annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. Moscow has long tried to convey that its collapsing relationship with the U.S. and its allies has not been very costly, thanks to its improving ties with China. "China, as you are well aware, has steadily established itself in the role of the leading trade and economic partner of our country, Morgulov said. I believe that realizing the bilateral trade target of $200 billion by 2020 set by both leaders is totally reachable. Don't miss: Who Is Garrett Yrigoyen? Becca Kufrins Bachelorette Frontrunner Accused of Liking Controversial Posts 05_29_Putin_Xi Jorge Silva/AFP/Getty Images Story continues Morgulov spoke on Tuesday, echoing comments made by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who last month said relations with Russia are at the best level in history. Although experts have warned that historical mistrust between Moscow and Beijing makes a wide-reaching partnership between the two unlikely, Chinas relationship with the U.S. has also begun to sour in recent months. Most popular: Americans Really Can't Spell 'Beautiful' and These Other Surprising Words President Donald Trumps administration has angered both the Russian and Chinese governments by implementing increased sanctions on Russia and also by announcing tariffs on aluminum and steel that will greatly affect Beijing. Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Russia last year. Putin is likely to return the favor during the first half of next month, when China hosts a large international summit in Qingdao City. The summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organizationof which both Russia and China are memberswill be attended by Central Asian countries and Iran. It will be Putins first foreign visit since his re-election in March and the ninth since he returned to the presidency in 2012. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Dave Majumdar Security, Would this work? Russia Would Destroy the A-10 Warthog in a War. The F-35B Could Take Its Place. The United States Air Force recently issued a request for proposals (RFP) for a program called the A-10 Thunderbolt Advanced-Wing Continuation Kitor ATTACKto fit new wings onto the venerable close air support jet. Once the Air Force selects a vendor, there would be a contracting period followed by five years of firm orders plus options for two more years of production. The Air Force intends to order the kit as an indefinite quantity contractwhich the service defines as having contract minimum of the first article plus three Low Rate Initial Production articles. The maximum production number would be 112 each of wing sets and 15 kits. The winning bidder would not have to deliver the first low rate production kits until 2029. The kits would not be sufficient to re-wing all of the so-called thin wing A-10s, but the order quantity and timing would be enough to keep enough Warthogs flying in six super-sized squadrons into the 2040s. That means that out of the roughly 280 A-10s in service, about 80 jets would be retired eventually. But the Air Force is only keeping the Warthog in service because of pressure from the U.S. Congress, which has refused to allow the service to retire the A-10. Instead, the Boeing F-15C Eagle is likely going to be on the chopping block. Recommended: How China Plans to Win a War Against the U.S. Navy Recommended: How the Air Force Would Destroy North Korea Recommended: 10 Reasons No Nation Wants to Fight Israel Retaining the A-10 will help the Air Force to preserve to preserve the Warthog communitys hard won close air support skills and expertise. However, the A-10 is only really survivable in a low to medium threat environment, thus it will likely be most valuable in counter-insurgency fights. Those types of wars are likely to be with us for decades to comethe United States will likely be in Afghanistan for at least another generation under the current policy. The A-10 could serve as a high-end complement to whatever aircraft is selected for the OA-X program (assuming that effort moves forward into a procurement program) for those types of missions. Story continues That being said, the A-10 is not suitable for a high-end fight against a peer level threat such as Russia or China. In a military confrontation against the Kremlin in the European theatre, the A-10 would not be able to get close enough to a Russian Ground Forces motor rifle brigade (MRB)the most common Russian mechanized unitto engage because of their heavy organic air defenses. Indeed, such Russian MRBs are essentially mobile anti-access/area denial zones. Each Russian motor rifle brigade consists of roughly 4,500 troops. In each brigade, there are three motor rifle battalions with roughly 510 soldiers and 43 MT-LBV, BMP-2 or BMP-3 armored personnel carriers and eight 2S12 120mm towed mortars. There is also an armor battalion consisting of 41 tanks and two self-propelled artillery battalions, each with 18 self-propelled guns such as the 2S19 Msta-S. Those are accompanied by a significant air defenses in the form of a battalion of Tor-M2 or Buk M2 or M3 air defenses and another battalion of shorter-range point air defenses including the Tunguska M1 missile and gun system. Those are backed by a support battalion, which includes formidable electronic warfare capabilities and BM-21 multiple launch rocket artillery systems, and another battalion of towed artillery. Essentially, each MRB is a self-contained battle group that can fight completely independently without air support. The main threats to conventional non-stealth aircraft when dealing with a Russian motor rifle or tank brigade are the mobile Buk M2 and M3 surface-to-air missile batteries. The new Buk M3which has a range greater than 70 kilometers or about 44 nautical milescan hit targets flying as low as 50 feet or as high as 115,000ft. Moreover, the Russians claim that the missile system has a probability of kill of better than 0.95. Of course, the Buk-M3 only comes into play if the incoming aircraft survives area air defenses provided by the Russian Ground Forces 250 nautical mile range S-300V4 that cover those formations from a distance. Alexey Ramm, editor for military affairs at Russias Izvestia newspaper, says that the Buk M3 (and presumably the S-300V4) is able to engage even stealth aircraft such as the F-22 and F-35. However, that claim must be taken with a health dose of skepticism. But the fact remains, approaching a Russian Ground Forces mechanized brigade from the air in a conventional aircraft such as the A-10 is likely to result in very heavy losses. Moreover, with Russia having mastered long-range precision strike capability with its sea-based Kalibr cruise missiles and air launched X-101 cruise missiles, the Kremlin would be able to target most bases such aircraft might launch from. Thus, NATOs conventional military airfields might not be available during a full-up conflict. A potential solution to the problem is the Lockheed Martin F-35B short takeoff vertical landing (STOVL) version of the Joint Strike Fighter, which is currently operated by the U.S. Marine Corps. The United States Air Force could revisit the idea of buying several wings of F-35B aircraft modified for its specific needs to replace some number of A-10 squadrons in order to provide close air support capability in a high-end fight in the European theatre. The STOVL F-35B could operate from partially destroyed runways or even highways converted into semi-prepared airstrips much as NATO planned to do during the closing stages of the Cold War in the mid-1980s. Further, the F-35B could penetrate into the mobile anti-access/area denial bubble that the Buk M3 (and S-300V4) representswhich is something the A-10 cannot do. Based relatively close to the front line in dispersed makeshift bases (similar to the USMC distributed operations), the F-35B could generate rapid sorties carrying eight 250lbs Small Diameter Bomb IIs to strike at each invading Russian mechanized column. A single flight of four F-35Bs each carrying eight SDB IIswhich is a projected capability for the jet for 2022would be able to destroy 32 enemy armored vehicles in a single sortie. One of the key performance parameters for the F-35B is to generate four sorties per day. Thus, assuming the F-35B is able to survive against Russian air defenses, four jets flying four sorties per day could potentially devastate a Russian armored brigade. If the number of aircraft were doubled to eight, the effect would be multiplied. Thus, given the Russian threat, the United States Air Force should consider adopting some number of F-35B wings for the European theater. Dave Majumdar is the defense editor for The National Interest. You can follow him on Twitter: @davemajumdar. Read full article Samantha Bee has taken to Twitter to apologize following a vulgar insult she hurled at Ivanka Trump during Wednesday nights episode of Full Frontal." Bee was criticizing the first daughter and White House senior adviser for posting a loving photo with her son as her father is accused by critics of tearing immigrant families apart. Do something about your father's immigration policies, you feckless c***," Bee exclaimed. By Thursday afternoon, she had issued an apology. I would like to sincerely apologize to Ivanka Trump and to my viewers for using an expletive on my show to describe her last night. It was inappropriate and inexcusable. I crossed a line, and I deeply regret it. Samantha Bee (@iamsambee) May 31, 2018 White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders called Bee's language "vile" and "vicious. Many on social media are calling for Bee's show to be canceled just like "Roseanne," which was axed by ABC earlier this week after a racist Twitter rant by Roseanne Barr. Hold Bee accountable TBS! one angry tweet read. Despite the backlash, it doesn't appear that TBS will take any action against Bee or her show. "Samantha Bee has taken the right action in apologizing for the vile and inappropriate language she used about Ivanka Trump last night," the network tweeted Thursday. "Those words should not have been aired. It was our mistake too, and we regret it." Howard Kurtz, the host of Fox News "Media Buzz," pointed out that the outcome may have been far different if the word was uttered by a male TV host. "If a man had used that word against Ivanka Trump or anyone else, they would be gone," he told Inside Edition. Bee's attack came just hours after the first daughter and her husband, Jared Kushner, had dinner with Kim Kardashian inside their Washington D.C., home. Story continues Dinner with the Kushners followed Kardashians oval office meeting with President Trump where she spoke to him about clemency for a great-grandmother serving a life sentence for a first time, nonviolent drug offense. The inmate, 63-year-old Alice Johnson, has been behind bars for 21 years in Alabama. RELATED STORIES Can 'Roseanne' Continue Without Roseanne Barr? Fan Suggestions Pour In President Trump Rips ABC in Tweet About Roseanne Barr Fiasco Roseanne Barr Blames Ambien for Tweet That Got Her Show Canceled Related Articles: Samantha Bee has apologized for calling Ivanka Trump a feckless c**t on her show Full Frontal With Samantha Bee on Wednesday night. In a statement to HuffPost, Bee said: I would like to sincerely apologize to Ivanka Trump and to my viewers for using an expletive on my show to describe her last night. It was inappropriate and inexcusable. I crossed a line, and I deeply regret it. The apology comes after White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders singled Bee out for criticism and called the hosts language vile and vicious. The collective silence by the left and its media allies is appalling, Sanders said in a statement to The Wrap. Her disgusting comments and show are not fit for broadcast, and executives at Time Warner and TBS must demonstrate that such explicit profanity about female members of this administration will not be condoned on its network, the press secretary added. In a statement to HuffPost, TBS also apologized: Samantha Bee has taken the right action in apologizing for the vile and inappropriate language she used about Ivanka Trump last night. Those words should not have been aired. It was our mistake too, and we regret it. TBS, which airs Full Frontal, is a part of media conglomerate Turner, owned by Time Warner. The channel initially had the clip of Bees segment available online and has since taken it down. Bees apology has garnered huge and varied reactions on social media: . @iamsambee please do not apologize. Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) May 31, 2018 Please do not be hard on @iamsambee for apologizing. While I was hoping she wouldnt, I know first hand what its like being put through the Trump wood chipper..what shes going through right now is crazy. All for a bleeped word. Comics held to higher standards than the president https://t.co/4kUkHpP8hl Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) May 31, 2018 Still no apologies from Trump's remarks regarding... well, everything. https://t.co/SkzsklcNPo Charlotte Clymer (@cmclymer) May 31, 2018 Samantha Bees comment about @IvankaTrump was vile and disgusting. Samanthas cruel and inexcusable commentary should not be given a platform! Kayleigh McEnany (@kayleighmcenany) May 31, 2018 If Samantha Bee should immediately be barred from TV for on one occasion using the c-word to describe another woman, how quickly should a president be impeached for sexually assaulting 19 women, defrauding contractors for decades, taking bribes and collaborating with our enemies? Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) May 31, 2018 1. Cunt is PRIMARILY used to describe women & we get to fucking use it. 2. If you're more shocked by Samantha Bee's tweet & less the fact that Ivanka has zero experience & is using her position to line her and her family's pockets. Then what you stand for is hollow. Jen Saunderson (@JenSaunderson) May 31, 2018 I am all for free speech, but people who say disgusting and divisive things shouldnt be given a platform. They should be sent to the corners of extremist-memelord twitter to scream into the void where nobody hears/cares about what they say. Thats where Samantha Bee belongs. https://t.co/dAGnGWcu13 Nicholas (@happy_catholic) May 31, 2018 If you're more upset with @iamsambee for using a bad word to describe Ivanka and the Trump administration's ruthless immigration policy than you are about the Trump administration's ruthless immigration policy, you're telling on yourself. Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) May 31, 2018 Samantha Bee's joke is only drawing Roseanne comparisons because y'all are fucking idiots who let racists define what racism is or isn't. Ira (@ira) May 31, 2018 Time Warner did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Story continues Also on HuffPost Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. When she called out Marco Rubio's claims that Hillary Clinton supports abortions on babies' due dates. That is literally the stupidest thing I have every heard. Removing the baby on the due date isnt an abortion, its a cesarean... Keep telling your cabal of fetus fanatics that Hillary Clinton wants us to carry to term and then deliver our babies directly into a Vitamix, so Planned Parenthood can sell it to Whole Foods. Brilliant. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. A campaign that British beauty brand Lush says is meant to highlight abuse that people face when their lives have been infiltrated by undercover police has sparked backlash over claims that it brands law enforcement officers as liars. Lush has teamed up with activists for Police Spies Out of Lives, which offers support to those negatively affected after having intimate relationships with undercover police officers. The brands site features a blog post sharing one womans experience of dating a man she later learned was an undercover officer. She claims he was spying on her and the activist group to which she belonged. One of Lushs London stores. (Photo: Rahman Hassani/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Lush stores in the U.K. have also been outfitted with posters promoting the campaign. The imagery shows a man wearing both street clothes and a police uniform, with the tag line: Paid to lie. Today our new postcard campaign goes live at Lush stores across the UKhttps://t.co/ShQvHn9UE5#spycops @copscampaign pic.twitter.com/gPVHEO8FLv Police Spies Out (@out_of_lives) June 1, 2018 Undercover police officers have infiltrated the lives, homes, and beds of activists since 1968. Their roles were to infiltrate political groups and collect intelligence about planned demonstrations and the individuals involved. 1/3 #SpyCops pic.twitter.com/llIfzNWGsv LUSH UK (@LushLtd) June 1, 2018 While activists have praised the beauty brands efforts to raise awareness about spy cops, many shoppers say the campaign goes too far. Story continues @LushLtd Whats the reasoning behind this campaign. Im all for speaking your mind and understand we all have different opinions, but to brand all police as liars and spies seems extreme. #lush #enoughtoputmeoffLush pic.twitter.com/LPulY0YFDO Kath (@kathmott) May 31, 2018 As the widow of a police officer murdered on duty I am appalled at the campaign by @LushLtd the police service should be supported and respected. Who do Lush call when they have a shoplifter, their staff are abused or their stores broken into? Hang your heads in shame. Christine Fulton (@CFMBE) June 1, 2018 The latest "advertising" campaign by LUSH UK.. You might now expect a 100% reduction in calls to the Police, given that they're displaying their contempt in their shop windows pic.twitter.com/LGXCZ5o7BG UK Cop Humour (@UKCopHumour) May 31, 2018 The retailer addressed one shoppers concerns on Twitter, insisting that the provocative imagery was not intended as an anti-police campaign. Hello, Thanks for getting in touch with us. To clear this up, this isn't an anti-police campaign, it's to highlight the abuse that people face when their lives have been infiltrated by undercover police. https://t.co/MJGFMzPZGk ~ Tasha LUSH UK (@LushLtd) June 1, 2018 That defense hasnt done much to stem the outrage, with many shoppers calling for a boycott. Others have flooded the brands Facebook page with negative reviews. Going to put all my bath bombs down the toilet after your disrespectful and cheap shots at those who keep us all safe, read one angry review. I find this campaign deeply offensive not only to myself but police officers up and down the country. What ever the message was intended to say it has been missed and you have got this very wrong @PFEW_Che @PFEW_HQ Jayne Willetts@PFEW (@willetts_jayne) June 1, 2018 Wow @LushLtd what a disgraceful display. Ill never spend another penny in any of your stores and Ill actively encourage other people to boycott you too #lush #BoycottLush pic.twitter.com/knogiSZAJ5 Sarah (@sarahmacniven) May 31, 2018 #Lushpolice Boycott lush ! Will they call the police if you shoplift ? Will the police turn up ? Name the person behind this campaign . Jack Flash (@npcone) June 1, 2018 Police Spies Out of Lives has responded to the controversy by retweeting messages supporting their mission. Yes, the campaign from Lush is bold and provocative. But it's very clearly about #spcyops and about the years of abuse political campaigners received from the state. It's very targeted and doesn't mention all cops at all! https://t.co/KVtV4xRw99 Emily Apple (@emilyapple) June 1, 2018 That's why the campaign has bravely been launched by Lush..to give people an idea of enormity of abuses committed by undercover police units over past 50 yrs. These abuses are shocking..anyone with intelligence will ask more questions..not tar all officers with the same brush. CarouselBaby (@TheCarouselBaby) June 1, 2018 #Spycops WERE paid to lie. No amount of "fury" can change this incontrovertible fact https://t.co/1mJWlw5qJu Netpol (@policemonitor) June 1, 2018 For more information about the #SpyCops campaign, read Lushs press release on the goals. The brand has also issued a statement with the same content to clarify the campaigns message: This is not an anti-state/anti-police campaign, it reads. We are aware that the police forces of the U.K. are doing an increasingly difficult and dangerous job while having their funding slashed. We fully support them in having proper police numbers, correctly funded to fight crime, violence, and to be there to serve the public at our times of need. This campaign is not about the real police work done by those frontline officers who support the public every day it is about a controversial branch of political undercover policing that ran for many years before being exposed. Our campaign is to highlight this small and secretive subset of undercover policing that undermines and threatens the very idea of democracy. There is an age-old understanding that our government and public institutions are there to protect and preserve the rights and safety of the public. In the case of these secretive undercover units, their work went well beyond the boundaries of acceptable police tactics and is now the subject of an ongoing public inquiry, which was instigated by {U.K. Prime Minister] Theresa May during her time as Home Secretary when the scale and scope of the breaches of protocols started to become clear. This public inquiry needs help from the public to keep it on track and ensure that this one opportunity for full honesty and disclosure is not lost or squandered. All citizens should be concerned when human rights are abandoned by those in power. The police themselves have admitted, in their public apology to seven of the females deceived into long-term relationships with police spies, that these actions were a violation of the womens human rights, an abuse of police power, and caused significant trauma. In a recent court case the police admitted the actions amounted to inhumane and degrading treatment breaching Article 3 of the European Declaration of Human Rights. Those victims are now asking that the public inquiry demands that the undercover units release a full list of the undercover names used by their operatives, release a list of which campaign groups were targeted, and also that they release the information and data entries they hold on individuals whose lives and homes were infiltrated during these operations. Without this full disclosure there is no way of knowing the full extent of what happened during the dark years of this renegade secret policing operation and that full disclosure might not happen unless the public demand it. Updated, 9:20 a.m.: Lushs statement has been added to the original article. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Anne Hathaway says shes body-shamed all the time Kim Kardashian stars in Princess Jasmine makeup tutorial and you wont recognize her at all Curvy women bare all to recreate Pink Floyds famous Back Catalogue poster Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. Bratislava (AFP) - Slovakia's culture minister on Friday criticised what she termed political "interference" in public media, a day after 12 journalists quit RTVS public radio and TV, accusing its management of bowing to political pressure. Media freedom has come under scrutiny in EU member Slovakia in the wake of the February murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak. He was gunned down in his home gangland-style as he was about to publish an investigative report into corruption and alleged ties between politicians and the Italian mafia. The murder and Kuciak's last explosive report plunged the eurozone country of 5.4 million people into crisis, sparking weekly mass protests that forced the government to resign in March. "It is unacceptable for politicians to interfere in the functioning of a public institution and to abuse the news subjects that are in RTVS jurisdiction," Culture Minister Lubica Lassakova said in a statement following Friday talks with RTVS head Jaroslav Reznik. He has come under heavy criticism after several RTVS journalists were let go, triggering others to leave in protest earlier this month. Twelve more handed in their notices on Thursday, claiming that RTVS management was not giving them enough protection from political pressure. Reznik has flatly denied bending to politicians or censorship. More than 200 journalists from various Slovak media outlets signed an open letter in April expressing their concern over the situation at RTVS. "Those trying to silence the media are first and foremost meddling with the right of the public to know what is happening in the country," they said, accusing RTVS management of "bullying, restricting or getting rid of experienced reporters." Filip Minich, one of the twelve journalists who quit, told AFP on Friday that a string of events led to his decision. "It has been a long lasting-problem. There has been no cooperation or support from management," he said, adding that "the straw that broke the camel's back was when four of our colleagues were sacked" in April. Liberal Slovak President Andrej Kiska called the allegations made by journalists "extremely serious". In this article: Madrid (AFP) - Key dates in the life of Mariano Rajoy, who was ousted as Spanish prime minister by parliament on Friday in a no-confidence vote sparked by a corruption scandal. - March 27, 1955: Born in Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia. - 1977: Joins the conservative People's Alliance (AP), the party founded by ministers of former dictator Francisco Franco, which later becomes the Popular Party (PP). - 1979: Survives a serious car crash. - 1981: Elected deputy in parliament of Galicia. - 1986: Becomes deputy in the Spanish parliament. - 1996: Rajoy marries Elvira Fernandez. They have two sons: Mariano and Juan. - 1996-2003: Minister in the governments of Jose Maria Aznar. - October 2004: Becomes president of the Popular Party. - 2005: Emerges from a helicopter crash with only a broken finger. - December 21, 2011: After losing two previous general elections to the Socialists, Rajoy finally becomes prime minister. - 2013: Former PP treasurer Luis Barcenas accuses Rajoy of having received money from illegal party financing. - 2015: PP loses its absolute majority in general elections while Rajoy seeks a second term as premier. - October 2016: Wins back power after a political crisis lasting ten months during which time Spain is without a fully-functioning government. - October 27, 2017: Imposes direct rule on Catalonia after a failed secession bid - June 1, 2018: Rajoy is ousted as prime minister after a no-confidence vote in parliament following a corruption scandal involving the PP. The Canadian government has a message for U.S. President Donald Trump: Back off or pay the price. On Thursday, the U.S. slapped new steel and aluminum tariffs on Canadian exports to the U.S., but in a rousing speech, which highlighted Canadas long and storied history with their steadfast ally, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed to slap back. Let me be clear: These tariffs are totally unacceptable, a stern Trudeau said at a Thursday afternoon news conference. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland followed suit by unveiling Canadas plan the strongest trade action in the post-war era against the U.S. that includes dollar-for-dollar countermeasure tariffs on up to $16.6B worth of U.S. imports starting July 1 until the Trump administration relents its position. Canadas retaliatory goal would be to include products such as maple syrup, beer kegs, whisky and toilet paper, according to CBC News. This is a very strong response, it is a proportionate response, it is perfectly reciprocal. This is a very strong Canadian action in response to a very bad U.S. decision, Freeland said. The move follows through on a U.S. threat to impose tariff of 25 per cent on imported steel and 10 per cent on imported aluminum. The U.S. has opted to withdraw its exemption for its NAFTA partners, Canada and Mexico, and the new tariffs will come into effect on June 1. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland have announced Canada is imposing dollar-for-dollar tariff countermeasures on up to $16.6 billion worth of U.S. imports. Photo from The Canadian Press. From steadfast ally to sour grapes Trudeau and Freeland were particularly incensed by the U.S. decision to invoke Section 232 of U.S. for its decision, citing national security concerns. Freeland called the U.S. move specious and unprecedented use of Section 232, adding the decision is more significant than the administration realizes. Section 232 investigations fall under the U.S. Trade Expansion Act of 1962. These probes are undertaken by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce in order to determine how imports are affecting U.S. national security. The secretary can make recommendations to the president, and if the president agrees, he can implement changes to adjust imports. Story continues But Trudeau shot down the notion that Canada could possibly be viewed as a threat to U.S. national security. After all, the prime minister had previously reminded the Trump administration theres Canadian aluminum in American jets and Canadian steel in U.S. armoured vehicles. That Canada could be considered a national security threat to the United States is inconceivable, he said. For 150 years, Canada has been Americas most steadfast ally. The prime minister acknowledged the long history these two countries share as allies with a powerful reminder. From the beaches of Normandy to the mountains of Afghanistan, we have fought and died together. Trudeaus gloves are off with Trump Trudeau called the tariffs an affront to the long-standing security partnership between Canada and the United States while insisting the retaliatory actions were not about punishing the American people. As we have consistently said, we will always protect Canadian workers and Canadian interests, the prime minister explained. Before he concluded his statement, Trudeau had a parting shot for Trump. We have to believe that at some point their common sense will prevail, but we see no sign of that in this action today by the U.S. administration. What do you think of Canadas response to U.S. tariffs on imported steel and aluminum from Canada? Do you think the Trudeau administration reacted strong enough, or do you think an even mightier stance is necessary to defend Canadian industries and workers? What does the future hold for Canada-U.S. relations? Let us know what you think by voting in the poll above or by having your say in the comment section below. Ryan Costello Security, Middle East U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to announce his intention to withdraw from the JCPOA Iran nuclear agreement during a statement in the Diplomatic Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., May 8, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst With Iranian hardliners vindicated by Trumps decision, it is likely that any recent caution will soon evaporate. Trump's Decision to Kill the Iran Deal Will Make Things Worse In announcing his intent to kill the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) President Trump argued that Iran's "bloody ambitions have grown only more brazen" under the Iran deal. Trump cited a 40% increase in Iranian military spending as evidence of Irans supposedly worsening behavior and later claimed Iran is trying to take over the Middle East by whatever means necessary. Now, that will not happen! In his speech detailing a new Iran strategy, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo doubled down on these assertions, stating Iran advanced its march across the Middle East during the JCPOA. However, claims that the Iran nuclear deal resulted in a dramatic escalation of Irans confrontational behavior, or a drive to conquer the Middle East, have never been matched by the facts. Trump and Pompeo are not the inventors of this false narrative. But by putting it at the center of their argument for killing the Iran nuclear deal, they are providing a deceptive and dangerous cover for efforts that will not just unravel hard-won constraints on Irans nuclear program, but likely make Irans regional behavior far more challenging. Irans economy did rebound under the nuclear accord, leading to increased spending - including on Irans military. However, as the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency testified last year, the preponderance of Irans relief from sanctions under the deal went to economic development and infrastructure. That directly undercuts Pompeos assertion that Irans leaders refused to try to boost the economic aspirations of the Iranian people. According to data from SIPRI, as a share of overall government spending, Iranian military expenditures also remained almost the same: 15.8% in 2017, compared to 15.4% in 2015. In 2012, amid the height of sanctions pressure against Iran, the rate was 19.3%. So, while Iran increased military spending, it appears to be consistent with government spending increases across the board. Story continues Moreover, there are two other factors that should be considered when thinking about Irans escalated military spending. First any state that verifiably restricts its ability to get nuclear weapons is likely to invest in its conventional capabilities, as the Obama administration indicated would be the case when defending the JCPOA. Its hard to argue that the U.S. has been worse off with Iran seeking conventional rather than nuclear capabilities. Second, Irans spending has not occurred in a vacuum, but as the U.S. sells Saudi Arabia billions in weaponry amid a regional proxy war. American assistance to Saudi Arabia means that even with Irans increased defense spending, Iran remains outspent militarily by Saudi Arabia alone at a 5:1 rate. Irans sporadic ballistic missile testing - accentuated by threats against Israel - has been one of the more inflammatory steps Iran took amid the deals implementation. Yet, Iran had largely paused its missile testing amid the nuclear negotiations, and then resumed its testing at a frequency largely consistent with past practices once the deal began to go into effect. Moreover, Iran appears to have prioritized shorter-range systems aimed at regional deterrence and restrained its fielding of longer-range missile systems better suited for nuclear weapons delivery. In fact, by dramatically reducing the risk of Iran obtaining fissile material and potentially slowing Irans missile development, the JCPOA significantly reduced the threat of Irans missile program. Terminating the JCPOA will only make the program more dangerous, not less. JCPOA critics have also focused on Irans backing of Assad in Syrias civil war, and the Assad coalitions improving position in recent years, as evidence of Irans hegemonic ambitions since the nuclear deal went into effect. However, Irans backing of Assad in the civil war preceded the start of nuclear negotiations. Given Irans long-standing interest in avoiding the overthrow of one of its only geopolitical allies, it is difficult to argue that Irans support for Assad would have been any different if nuclear negotiations never began or the JCPOA was never struck. Moreover, opponents to the Iran deal conveniently ignore perhaps the biggest factor that shifted the tide of war- Russias entry into the conflict, which had little to do with Iran or the nuclear accord. Instead, deal critics might have a better case to make in Yemen, as Houthi rebels seized the capital Sanaa in late 2014 amid ongoing nuclear negotiations. However, that seizure was over Iranian objections, and while Iran appears to have increased its once limited backing of the rebels as the conflict has dragged on, that support is still comparatively low cost. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has escalated its bloody and brazen bombing campaign of Yemen with the full backing of the Trump administration. Further complicating the narrative of an increasingly dangerous Iran is that Iran and its proxies were vital to the rollback of U.S. arch-enemy ISIS. Moreover, this cooperation with Iran was pocketed by the U.S. and is now conveniently ignored by the Trump administration. Additionally, there were several signs that Iran took steps to reduce the risk of escalation in recent months. Iran had abstained from testing missiles since last summer, paused their harassment of U.S. naval ships in the Persian Gulf and avoided striking back in response to Israeli strikes on Iranian positions in Syria until Trump shredded the deal. With Iranian hardliners vindicated by Trumps decision, it is likely that any recent caution will soon evaporate. The nuclear deal contained Irans nuclear program and contrary to Trumps claims did not significantly alter Irans regional ambitions or activities. It is critically important for policymakers concerned that Trump has re-opened the door to an Iranian nuclear weapon and war not to back down in the face of Trumps hyped threats or, worse, to accede to the administrations efforts to punish Europe for seeking to uphold the nuclear accord. Policymakers have already seen the consequences of accepting hyped threats as fact in the lead-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. With Iran, there is little excuse for policymakers who fail to rein Trump in and doom themselves to repeating history. Ryan Costello is assistant policy director of the National Iranian American Council. Image: U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to announce his intention to withdraw from the JCPOA Iran nuclear agreement during a statement in the Diplomatic Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., May 8, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst Read full article (Get this roundup directly in your inbox each weekday sign up for The Morning Email here.) TOP STORIES Friday, June 1 STEELY DON Mexico has hit back at the tariffs on steel and aluminum that Trump announced Thursday, imposing its own tax on pork, apples, grapes, cheeses and steel all products from U.S. Heartland states that supported Trump in the 2016 election. Canada and the European Union said they would also fight the tariffs, sparking fears of a global trade war, while the head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce warned that Trumps position could put 2.6 million American jobs at risk. [Reuters] PEDOPHILE PREACHES BENEVOLENT WHITE SUPREMACY Nathan Larson is a 37-year-old accountant from Charlottesville, Virginia, who is running for Congress as an independent candidate in his native state. He is also a pedophile, as he admitted to us on Thursday. Larsons campaign manifesto includes protecting gun ownership rights, establishing free trade and protecting benevolent white supremacy, as well as legalizing incestuous marriage and child pornography. [HuffPost] BARR AT THE END OF THE WORLD Roseanne Barr claims she begged the president of the Disney-ABC Television Group to not cancel her show after she posted a racist tweet mocking former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett. Asked for reaction to the shows cancellation, actor John Goodman said: I would rather say nothing than to cause more trouble. [HuffPost] CLEMENCY CLOWN CAR Conservative activist Dinesh DSouza will be pardoned by Trump for a campaign finance violation he pleaded guilty to in 2014. Here are some of the racist cranks greatest hits. [HuffPost] FIELDS OF GOLD Sally Field had a strong take on the uproar about late-night host Samantha Bee calling Ivanka Trump that word. Earlier, Chelsea Clinton highlighted the hypocrisy in the right-wing outrage after advertisers fled Full Frontal and the White House leaned on TBS to cancel the show. [HuffPost] WHEN THE PUNISHMENT FEELS LIKE A CRIME Read our latest Highline longread on convicted rapist Brock Turners twisted legacy and a Stanford professors relentless pursuit of justice. [HuffPost] Story continues WHATS BREWING HATE 24-7 We expose Amy Jane Mekelburg, Trumps loudest anti-Muslim Twitter troll, who tweets hate 24-7 from Fishkill, New York. [HuffPost] THERE IS NO REPUBLICAN PARTY Former House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said the Republican Party is taking a nap somewhere, claiming There is no Republican Party Theres a Trump Party. [HuffPost] HOO JOY! MSNBC host Joy Reids infamous and now-defunct blog is back in the news after BuzzFeed unearthed two controversial posts she apparently wrote in 2006 and 2007 which feature a 9/11 conspiracy theory and a manipulated image of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) as a mass shooter. So far, the network has remained silent on the new controversy. [HuffPost] RED FLAG RESEARCH A study on data from Connecticut and Indiana found a link between Red Flag laws and a decline in gun suicides. [HuffPost] WHAT IM GOING TO DO TO YOU IS GOING TO BE F****** DISGUSTING Thats how Trump attorney Michael Cohen threatened a reporter in response to a question about a rape claim. [HuffPost] WE NEED PROBLEM SOLVERS AND LEADERS The most interesting Democratic primary no one is talking about is in New Mexico, where big money is shaking up a clash between veterans, Latinas and Native Americans. [HuffPost] BEFORE YOU GO And love this newsletter? Share it with a friend! Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. President Trump on Friday called for the firing of Samantha Bee, the host of TBSs Full Frontal, over her vulgar comments about his daughter Ivanka Trump. Why arent they firing no talent Samantha Bee for the horrible language used on her low ratings show? the president tweeted. A total double standard but thats O.K., we are Winning, and will be doing so for a long time to come! Bee called Ivanka Trump a feckless c*** for refusing to speak out against her fathers immigration policies. The remark drew widespread criticism from both sides of the political aisle, something the White House, which called Bees language vile and vicious, apparently did not notice. The collective silence by the left and its media allies is appalling, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement. Her disgusting comments and show are not fit for broadcast, and executives at Time Warner and TBS must demonstrate that such explicit profanity about female members of this administration will not be condoned on its network. Donald Trump, Samantha Bee. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images, Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, Donald Trump via Twitter) Bee apologized on Thursday afternoon. I would like to sincerely apologize to Ivanka Trump and to my viewers for using an expletive on my show to describe her last night, Bee said on Twitter. It was inappropriate and inexcusable. I crossed a line, and I deeply regret it. TBS issued a statement in support of Bees apology. Samantha Bee has taken the right action in apologizing for the vile and inappropriate language she used about Ivanka Trump last night, the network said on Twitter. Those words should not have been aired. It was our mistake too, and we regret it. The controversy came a day after Roseanne Barr was fired by ABC for making a racist comment about former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett. Samantha Bee accepts an award at the Television Academy Honors on Thursday in Los Angeles. (Photo: Dan Steinberg/Invision for the Television Academy/AP) Bee further addressed the controversy in a speech while accepting an award at the Television Academy Honors in Hollywood on Thursday night. Every week I strive to show the world as I see it, unfiltered. Sometimes I should probably have a filter. I accept that. I take it seriously when I get it right and I do take responsibility when I get it wrong, Bee said, according to IndieWire. Stories about 1,500 missing unaccompanied migrant children flooded the news cycle over the weekend. So last night we aired a segment on the atrocious treatment of migrant children by this administration and past administrations. Sometimes even the ones who look best in swim trunks do bad jobs with things. Our piece attracted controversy of the worst kind. Story continues She continued: We spent the day wrestling with the repercussions of one bad word, when we all should have spent the day incensed that as a nation we are wrenching children from their parents and treating people legally seeking asylum as criminals. If we are okay with that then really, who are we? Trump responded to ABCs firing of Barr by twice noting he never received an apology from the head of ABCs parent company, Disney chief executive Bob Iger. Bob Iger of ABC called Valerie Jarrett to let her know that ABC does not tolerate comments like those made by Roseanne Barr, Trump tweeted on Wednesday. Gee, he never called President Donald J. Trump to apologize for the HORRIBLE statements made and said about me on ABC. Maybe I just didnt get the call? The president repeated his complaint on Thursday morning. Iger, where is my call of apology? Trump tweeted. He did not denounce Barrs slur. At the White House, Sanders told reporters that Trump was pointing out the hypocrisy in the media before she read a lengthy statement citing examples of alleged bias. Where was Bob Igers apology to White House staff for Jemele Hill calling the president and anyone associated with him a white supremacist, to Christians around the world for Joy Behar calling Christianity a mental illness? Sanders said. Where was the apology for Kathy Griffin going on a profane rant on The View after a photo showed her holding the presidents decapitated head? And where was the apology from Bob Iger for ESPN hiring Keith Olbermann after his numerous expletive-laced tweets attacking the president as a Nazi and even expanding Olbermanns role after that attack against the presidents family? This is a double standard. Trump himself has a long history of using crude, vulgar or offensive language without apologizing. As a candidate, he did apologize once, memorably. After Trump was caught bragging about forcing himself on women on the notorious Access Hollywood tape made public in October 2016, he issued a videotaped statement of apology. Ive never said Im a perfect person, nor pretended to be someone that Im not, Trump said in that statement. Ive said and done things I regret, and the words released today on this more than a decade-old video are one of them. Anyone who knows me knows these words dont reflect who I am. I said it, I was wrong, and I apologize. Read more from Yahoo News: President Donald Trump appeared to signal that the Bureau of Labor Statistics would release a strong monthly jobs report. Looking forward to seeing the employment numbers at 8:30 this morning, Trump tweeted at 7:21 a.m. ET. Given the presidents penchant for self-promotion, many assumed this meant a strong report was coming because Trump is one of a few federal officials who sees the report on Thursday before its released to the public. This is a big deal because the jobs report, also referred to as the nonfarm payrolls (NFP) report, is one of a handful of reports with the power to move global financial markets. Indeed, U.S. stock futures took the hint, pointing to a higher market open on Friday. (Its worth noting that investors were also optimistic as Italy announced late Thursday that it would be able to form a government.) The U.S. added 232,000 jobs in May, which was much stronger than the 190,000 expected by economists. And the unemployment rate dropped to 3.8%, the lowest rate since the late 1960s. Employees of the Executive Branch shall not comment publicly on the data The White Houses Council of Economic Advisers briefs the president on the jobs numbers the afternoon before they are released. Its standard procedure. The NFP numbers go to the Treasury Secretary, the Fed Chairman, chair of the Presidents [Council of Economic Advisors] & [National Economic Council] Director, tweeted former U.S. Treasury official Tony Fratto. Its up to them to brief the POTUS if he wants it, and we should assume he has been. Why do this if theres a risk of a leak? The idea is if theres data happening that might cause a problem or require alerting the Federal Reserve chair, the CEA chair has the legal authority and responsibility to inform others [including] the president, said CEA Chair Kevin Hassett to Yahoo Finance. I can tell you President Trump really cares about the economic data. The jobs report probably is the most important data item for him. Story continues There is a federal law governing when the officials who have early access to the report can speak about it publicly. Theyre required to wait at least an hour, a rule Trump has broken already. Fridays tweet, however, was the first time hes ever spoken about the jobs report before it was released. The rule states: All employees of the Executive Branch who receive pre release distribution of information and data estimates as authorized above are responsible for assuring that there is no release prior to the official release time. Except for members of the staff of the agency issuing the principal economic indicator who have been designated by the agency head to provide technical explanations of the data, employees of the Executive Branch shall not comment publicly on the data until at least one hour after the official release time. It remains to be seen if regulators will take any action. Dion Rabouin is a markets reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter:@DionRabouin. Follow Yahoo Finance on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with a senior North Korean envoy on Friday, the White House said, as efforts continued to get a U.S.-North Korean summit initially planned for this month back on track. Kim Yong Chol, who was previously blacklisted by the United States because of his role in his country's military establishment, was expected to hand deliver a letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to Trump. (Reporting by Jeff Mason; Writing by Lisa Lambert; Editing by Tim Ahmann) By Doina Chiacu and Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Thursday pardoned a conservative commentator and said he was considering pardoning lifestyle maven Martha Stewart and commuting a former Illinois governor's prison sentence, prompting critics to accuse him of subverting the rule of law. Trump announced on Twitter his decision to pardon pundit and filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza, who pleaded guilty in 2014 to U.S. campaign finance law violations and was an outspoken critic of Democratic former President Barack Obama, saying he had been "treated very unfairly by our government!" The Republican president then told reporters on a flight to Houston he was also considering a pardon for Stewart, who was convicted in 2004 on charges of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and making false statements in an insider-trading probe. James Comey, whom Trump fired as FBI director last year and has repeatedly assailed, was the lead federal prosecutor in Stewart's case and played a role in the prosecution of Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the chief of staff to former Vice President Dick Cheney. Trump pardoned Libby in April. Trump also said he might commute the 14-year prison sentence of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat convicted of corruption charges, and was considering pardoning a woman convicted of a drug-related charge after reality TV star Kim Kardashian discussed the case with him on Wednesday. White House spokesman Hogan Gidley, briefing reporters on Air Force One as Trump later flew to Dallas for Republican fundraising events, denied that celebrity was a consideration in whom the president decides to pardon. "Look, there are plenty of people the president is looking at right now under the pardon process," he said. The U.S. Constitution gives the president the power to issue pardons, and Trump sometimes has used that authority to benefit convicted figures revered by some on the political right such as former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio and Libby. After D'Souza's pardon, some constitutional scholars, legal analysts and Democratic lawmakers accused Trump of undermining the rule of law with pardons based on political considerations. 'SENDING A MESSAGE' Critics said the president was sending a message to people caught up in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into whether Trump's 2016 presidential campaign colluded with Russia, including his longtime private lawyer Michael Cohen, whose business dealings are separately under scrutiny in New York. "Trump's Dinesh D'Souza pardon today, on top of his pardons of Scooter Libby and Joe Arpaio, make sense only as an elephant-whistle to Michael Cohen & all who know damning things about Trump: protect me & I'll have your back. Turn on me & your goose is cooked. More obstruction!" Harvard Law School constitutional law professor Laurence Tribe wrote on Twitter. "As with the pardon of Joe Arpaio, Trump is sending a message that he will reward political allies for loyalty with get-out-of-jail-free cards," Democratic U.S. Representative Don Beyer said on Twitter. "He doesn't care about the rule of law." Trump denies any collusion with Russia and has called Mueller's probe a "witch hunt." D'Souza, 53, admitted in 2014 he illegally reimbursed two "straw donors" who donated $10,000 each to the unsuccessful 2012 U.S. Senate campaign in New York of Wendy Long, a Republican he had known since attending Dartmouth College in the 1980s. He was sentenced to five years of probation after telling the judge he was ashamed of his actions and contrite. "I cannot believe how stupid I was, how careless, and how irresponsible," D'Souza wrote in a statement to the judge. Some conservatives complained of selective prosecution of D'Souza. The prosecutor, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, was an Obama appointee later fired by Trump. On Thursday, D'Souza thanked Trump in Twitter posts that also slammed Bharara. "KARMA IS A BITCH DEPT: @PreetBharara wanted to destroy a fellow Indian American to advance his career. Then he got fired & I got pardoned," D'Souza wrote. Bharara earlier said on Twitter: "The President has the right to pardon but the facts are these: D'Souza intentionally broke the law, voluntarily pled guilty, apologized for his conduct & the judge found no unfairness. The career prosecutors and agents did their job." Stewart and Blagojevich both were involved with Trump's "Apprentice" reality TV television show. Blagojevich was convicted of corruption offenses including soliciting bribes for appointment to the U.S. Senate seat Obama vacated after being elected president in 2008. Last August, Trump pardoned Arpaio less than a month after his conviction for criminal contempt in a case involving racial profiling of Hispanics. Arpaio was known for his crackdown on illegal immigrants in Arizona's Maricopa County. Libby was convicted in 2007 of lying in an investigation into the unmasking of a CIA agent. Trump last week posthumously pardoned boxer Jack Johnson, the first black world heavyweight champion, who was jailed a century ago because of his relationship with a white woman. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Steve Holland; Additional reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Will Dunham and Peter Cooney) By Jeff Mason and Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump, in a complete reversal, said on Friday he will hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on June 12 in Singapore in the latest twist in the high-stakes diplomacy over eliminating Pyonyang's nuclear arms programme. Eight days after cancelling the unprecedented summit, citing Pyongyang's "open hostility," Trump welcomed North Korea's former intelligence chief - currently under punitive U.S. sanctions - to the White House Oval Office, afterward exchanging smiles and handshakes, patting his arm in a friendly gesture. "Good meeting today. I think it's a great start," Trump said after conferring for about 90 minutes with Kim Yong Chol, who became the first North Korean official to visit the White House in 18 years and who the U.S. president called "the second most powerful man in North Korea." Trump said he expected an eventual "very positive result" with North Korea but dampened expectations for a breakthrough in Singapore. "We're not going to go in and sign something on June 12th, and we never were," Trump told reporters on the White House lawn. "We're going to start a process. And I told them today, 'Take your time, we can go fast, we can go slowly,' but I think they'd like to see something happen." Trump said it could take several meetings to reach an agreement, but he was convinced Kim Jong Un is committed to denuclearisation. "He'd like to see it happen," Trump said. It was an extraordinary change in tone from a president who last year threatened to rain "fire and fury like the world has never seen" on North Korea because of the threat its nuclear weapons and missiles posed to the United States. Trump even backed away from the words "maximum pressure" that his administration had used to describe its approach to North Korea, combining the toughest-ever U.S. and international economic sanctions with diplomatic actions and the Republican president's military threats and preparations. Story continues 'GETTING ALONG' "We're getting along, so it's not a question of maximum pressure," Trump said. "At some point, hopefully ... for the good of millions of people, a deal will be worked out." Trump said one thing that could come out of the summit is an agreement formally ending the 1950-53 Korean War, which was concluded only with a truce, not a peace treaty. "We are going to discuss it prior to the meeting. That's something that could come out of the meeting," Trump said when asked if a document ending the war was bring prepared. The visiting North Korean official, linked by U.S. intelligence to a high-profile cyber attack on Sony Pictures in 2014, delivered a letter from Kim Jong Un to Trump. A White House official said Trump had read the letter but did not reveal its contents. Trump wants North Korea to "denuclearize," meaning to get rid of its nuclear arsenal, in return for relief from economic sanctions. But North Korea's leadership is believed to regard nuclear weapons as crucial to its survival and has rejected unilaterally disarming. A senior member of Trump's Republican Party sounded a note of caution. Speaking in Kentucky, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he expected the North Koreans to make "every effort they can to get sanctions and other relief and give up as little as possible." "For these situations to work, you have to not want the deal too much," McConnell said. "You fall in love with the deal and it's too important (to) you to get it, and the details become less significant, you could get snookered," McConnell said. North Korea, whose nuclear ambitions have been a source of tension for decades, has made advances in missile technology in recent years but Trump has sworn not to allow it to develop nuclear missiles that could hit the United States. Wall Street took news of the summit's revival in stride. While Trump sounded conciliatory towards North Korea, Kim used Cold War-style language about Washington during a televised encounter with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Pyongyang on Thursday, referring to "U.S. hegemonism." Referring to the Lavrov meeting, Trump said he "didn't like it." 'TOTALLY OVER THAT' Trump abruptly called off the summit on May 24 after North Korea sharply criticized U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Trump's national security adviser, John Bolton. "I think we're over that, totally over that," Trump said on Friday. While Trump has put great importance on sealing a nuclear deal with North Korea, and secured the return of three Americans detained there, he has bucked traditional U.S. foreign policy and alienated America's European and NATO allies and trading partners. He snubbed France, Germany and Britain by pulling out of a nuclear agreement with Iran and upset the Europeans, as well as neighbours Canada and Mexico, with protectionist trade policies. The North Korean envoy, Kim Yong Chol, was the highest-level figure from the reclusive country to hold talks at the White House since a senior envoy visited former President Bill Clinton in 2000. He is vice chairman of the ruling Workers' Party's Central Committee. Trump walked the envoy out of the Oval Office to the lawn, posing for photographs as his beaming secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, looked on. Trump said North Korea's human rights record was not discussed at the meeting. Kim Yong Chol once served as a bodyguard to the current leader's father, Kim Jong Il, and was previously chief of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, a top North Korean military intelligence agency. In 2015, then-U.S. director of national intelligence James Clapper described Kim Yong Chol as "the guy who ultimately would have to okay the cyber attack against Sony" in 2014. North Korean hackers allegedly infiltrated Sony's systems and destroyed computers and laptops, apparently in retaliation for the entertainment company's comedy movie "The Interview" that parodied North Korea's leadership. Kim Yong Chol has featured on lists of North Korean officials targeted by U.S. Treasury sanctions, including for supporting his country's nuclear and missiles programs and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the cyber attack. He was granted special permission to travel to the United States for meetings this week with top U.S. officials, the State Department said. He was accused by South Korea of masterminding deadly attacks on a South Korean navy ship and an island in 2010. North Korea denied any involvement in either incident. (Addiitonal reporting by David Brunnstrom and Matt Spetalnick; Writing by Alistair Bell and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Yara Bayoumy and Will Dunham) Mr Trump embraces a child with muscular dystrophy after signing the right to try law: AP President Donald Trump has signed a so-called right to try bill that will allow terminally ill patients in America to receive experimental treatments before they finish clinical trials required by the Food and Drug Administration. Mr Trump was flanked by a eight-year-old boy with muscular dystrophy, a degenerative genetic disease, while signing the bill, and said that the new law will give patients like the child hope. There are no options, but now you have hope. You really have hope, Mr Trump said during the signing ceremony. Mr Trump had previously promised to create a national right to try bill during his State of the Union in January. Similar legislation is already the law in 38 states across the country, allowing people who are too sick for clinical trials to receive the experimental procedures. During the ceremony, Mr Trump said that existing FDA guidelines which give the FDA discretion to approve applications for experimental treatments did not go far enough to help patients whose time on earth may be limited. For countless patients, time is not what they have, Mr Trump said. With the right to try, patients with life-threatening illnesses will finally have access to experimental treatments that could improve or even cure their conditions. While supporters say that the law will give terminally ill patients the greatest chance possible to receive effective treatments, opponents question the wisdom of cutting the FDA out of the process, and question whether patients will actually get greater access to the experimental drugs, since pharmaceutical companies would still need to sign off on the exception. Mr Trump had called for a version of the bill that would benefit the people, and not insurers or drug manufacturers. Washington (AFP) - Human rights groups planned protests in dozens of cities across the United States Friday against the Trump administration's policy to separate asylum-seeking Central American immigrant children from their parents. The White House is drawing accusations of human rights abuse over a policy the government sees as a necessary deterrent to illegal immigration, but the critics say is cruel to migrants fleeing violence in Central America. "These families are not trying to sneak in, they're coming to the borders, presenting themselves, and asking for our help," said California Congressman Jimmy Gomez at a rally Thursday in Los Angeles. "There is nothing illegal about coming to our border and asking for asylum." The backlash has placed President Donald Trump, who has promised to halt illegal immigration, on the defensive. He blames the previous administration of president Barack Obama for the separation policy, as well as Democrats in Congress, despite the Republicans' majority. "Separating families is more than cruel and unnecessary -- it's torture," said the American Civil Liberties Union, which has sued to stop the practice. Trump's own daughter Ivanka was blasted across social media last week when she posted a photograph of herself with her son in her arms. Critics labeled her insensitive to the experiences of immigrant mothers. "It must be nice you get to hug your child. What about the numerous children that were torn from their mothers' arms?" said one Twitter commentator @whiskyogi. - Surge of asylum requests - The policy aims to stem a surge of poor families mostly from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras pouring into the United States. Citing the daily violence in their home countries, thousands each week cross the US-Mexico border and immediately turn themselves in to authorities asking for asylum. They are part of a broader rebound in illegal immigration that has deeply angered Trump. Story continues In April alone, 50,924 people were detained after crossing the border without papers, including 4,314 unaccompanied children and 9,647 family units, according to the US Customs and Border Patrol. With detention centers and the court system already overwhelmed, the Obama presidency processed asylum requests and released the applicant families together into the country while they awaited adjudication, which can take more than one year. Beginning late last year, though, the Trump administration began separating some illegal border crossers from their children, sending the youngsters to holding facilities for several weeks before either transferring them back to parents or to relatives already living in the United States. From October to April about 700 children were separated from their parents. That has not deterred the flow. On May 7 Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a "zero tolerance" policy that will see every unauthorized border crosser charged with a crime even before they can request asylum. "Today we are here to send a message to the world: we are not going to let this country be overwhelmed.... If you cross this border unlawfully, then we will prosecute you," Sessions said. "If you are smuggling a child, then we will prosecute you and that child will be separated from you as required by law," he said, adding: "If you don't like that, then don't smuggle children over our border." - Migrants fleeing real dangers - In the two weeks after Sessions' announcement, authorities arrested 658 children together with 638 adults, according to Richard Hudson, deputy chief of operations at the US Border Patrol. But Hudson, testifying last week to Congress, did not say whether the families were separated. The administration says the families who send or bring their children across the border are working with organized human smugglers who teach them exactly what to say to be placed into the asylum processing. That gives an incentive for people to head to the United States, they argue. The immigrants say they are fleeing real dangers in their home countries. Yanira Lopez Lucas, a Guatemalan, said at a San Antonio, Texas rally late Thursday that the government didn't need to treat them so harshly. "All we want to do is protect our families. We are refugees trying to escape everything that is going on in our countries," she said. By Vanessa Johnston WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Every school day, Zion Kelly passes by the locker once used by his slain twin brother, Zaire, who was shot in the head during an attempted robbery in their Washington, D.C. neighborhood last September. Zaire is one of more than 170,000 youths between the ages of 5 and 24 that have been killed by gun violence in the United States since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began collecting data in 1981. A statistical analysis released on Friday by the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics shows the rate of gun deaths among adolescents aged 10 to 19 rose between 2014 and 2016 after a seven-year decline. In the wider 5 to 24 age group, gun deaths in 2016 reached their highest level since 2006. Since his twin's killing, Kelly, 17, has made it his mission to draw attention to the scourge of urban gun violence that disproportionately affects racial minorities but often does not get the same media attention as mass shootings. "After the rally, a lot of people understood that students just like me face gun violence a lot more than students in Parkland," Kelly, who is black, said, referring to a speech he gave at the March For Our Lives rally on March 24. The event in the nation's capital was organized by survivors of the February shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people were killed. In 2012, for example, 90 people in the United States were killed in mass shootings. That same year, 6,000 black men were killed by firearms, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a legal advocacy group for gun control. The number of 10- to 19-year-olds killed by guns has fluctuated in recent years, the CDC said in its analysis, which did not discuss reasons for rises and falls. The figure declined from 2,115 killed in 2006 to 1,354 in 2014, but rose again by about 25 percent to 1,706 in 2016, the last year for which data is available. The data excludes unintentional shooting accidents and suicides. Zion Kelly's brother is one of two students shot fatally in separate incidents in the past year at Thurgood Marshall Academy, a school attended predominantly by black students that is a short drive across the Anacostia River from the U.S. Capitol. Their empty lockers sit just down the hall from one another, the facades now adorned with messages from grieving students. The Kelly family has proposed the Zaire Kelly School Zone Amendments Act, a law that increase protection for students traveling to and from school. Along with more gun-free zones, it would expand the definition of a student to include those in secondary school through vocational school and university. Zion Kelly has also become a local public advocate for changes to gun laws, sharing his brother's story at speaking engagements around the city. While Kelly takes comfort in his newfound activist role, he is still haunted by the events leading to the murder of his brother, with whom he ran track and called "my best friend." "It's like a roller coaster, because ... through grief you never know when you could be triggered by something," he said. "Especially in school, I can't focus." The events of that night are etched in his memory: A man with a gun tried to mug him as he walked home from school, but he ran. Once safe, he texted his brother, warning him to be careful. Zaire texted back: he would be fine; he had a knife. After that, Zion Kelly never heard from his brother again. Just steps from their home, Zaire was killed by the same man who had confronted the twin earlier. The assailant also died after being stabbed by Zaire. Now, just weeks from graduation, Kelly is preparing to pass into adulthood without him. He wants to attend college in Florida in the fall but hopes to keep pressing his message of gun reform. "I think that my brother would be very proud of me," Kelly said. "I just wanted to try to do something for him, so I can make change." Graphic https://tmsnrt.rs/2JpLeRM on this story (Additional reporting by Jonathan Allen and Christine Chan in New York and Wen Foo and Han Huang in Singapore) The Pentagon said it was prepared to take on both China and North Korea as Defense Secretary James Mattis headed to Singapore for a major international security conference. Marine Corps Lieutenant General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., joint staff director at the Defense Department, told reporters Thursday that, although he would not compare the threats posed to the U.S. by China and North Korea, "we are prepared for both." The two Asia-Pacific allies have drifted apart in recent years as Pyongyang accelerated its nuclear program, but China remains a staunch opponent of expanding U.S. military activity in the region and especially in the South China Sea. "We take both threats seriously. Certainly, China has a much larger nuclear capability and you've got to take that into account, China has a much larger economic engine that you have to take into account so the threats are very different," McKenzie told reporters at the Pentagon. Trending: Dinesh DSouza Taunts Obama Administration on Twitter, Television After Donald Trump Pardon "When you consider North Korea, the first thing you look at is their capricious and unpredictable behavior spanning back several decades," he added. ChinaH6HBomberGoldenDart Yang Pan/China Military Online Both countries are likely to be high on the agenda of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies' annual Shangri-La Dialogue, scheduled to begin Friday. Among those set to speak at the event are Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Singapore's President Halimah Yacob along with the defense ministers of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, Qatar, the Seychelles, South Korea, Sri Lanka, the U.K, the U.S. and Vietnam. Story continues A number of the nations involved shared U.S. concerns about Chinese activity in the South China Sea, where Washington has accused Beijing of militarizing a set of disputed islands to enforce vast territorial claims. Mattis said Tuesday he planned a "steady drumbeat" of freedom of navigation and other naval operations in the contested waters and would "confront what we believe is out of step with international law," according to the Associated Press. Don't miss: Sarah Sanderss Press Briefings Are Getting Shorter as Trumps Rate of Mistruths Is Growing Related: China May Get World's Largest Gas Field Because of U.S. Sanctions Against Iran Among other experts and top military officials, Chinese Lieutenant General He Lei, Senior Colonel Zhao Xiaozhou and Senior Colonel Zhou Bo were also set to make an appearance at the Shangri La Dialogue. China has countered U.S. claims by asserting sovereignty over the disputed islands and arguing any military installations there were necessary to maintain self-defense against a much more powerful U.S. military posture. "From my point of view, by playing up the so-called China's militarization in the South China Sea, certain people in the US are staging a farce of a thief crying 'stop thief,' Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters Thursday in response to Mattis's remarks. "The U.S. military presence in the South China Sea far exceeds the total military strength of China and other littoral countries. "Straying away from the wide sea lanes in the South China Sea, the U.S. warships deliberately trespass into the neighboring waters of China's relevant islands or reefs from time to time," she added. "They prettify it as 'freedom of navigation operation.' Does the U.S. truly want the freedom of navigation entitled under the international law? Or does it just want the freedom to do whatever it likes as a hegemon?" Most popular: Fortnite Showdown Blitz Guide: Tips To Survive The Storm RTX4IAX9 U.S. Government/World Resources Institute/Reuters In a separate press conference Thursday, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang asserted that "China has indisputable sovereignty over relevant islands in the South China Sea and their adjacent waters. It is the legitimate right of a sovereign state to build and deploy some necessary defense facilities on its own territory." When asked about the U.S. military's capability to battle China on the South China Sea islands, McKenzie told journalists that "the U.S. military has a lot of experience in the Western Pacific taking down small islands," a reference to Pacific theater against the Japanese Empire during World War II. The U.S. defeated Japan in 1945 and subsequently occupied the southern half of the Korean Peninsula, the northern half of which was taken by fellow Allied power and future Cold War foe, the Soviet Union. The U.S. and the Soviet Union formed opposing satellite states that went to war in the 1950s, creating the current hostility between the U.S. and North Korea, which has since developed nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles. North Korea's latest and youngest supreme leader, Kim Jong Un, has offered to denuclearize and meet face-to-face with President Donald Trump in another Singapore summit set for June 12. Trump canceled the talks last week after a diplomatic spat between U.S. and North Korean officials, but has suggested they may be back on as top North Korean official Kim Yong Chol met with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in New York. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek By John Irish and Arshad Mohammed PARIS/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The remaining parties to the Iran nuclear deal have warned the United States that its decision to withdraw from the pact jeopardizes Russian and Chinese efforts to limit Iran's ability to develop atomic weapons, Western diplomats told Reuters. In pulling out of the 2015 deal, U.S. President Donald Trump triggered the revival of sanctions against the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), which oversees the Arak heavy water research reactor and the Fordow fuel enrichment plant. Under the deal, the Arak reactor was to be redesigned to render it unable to make bomb-grade plutonium under normal operation, while the Fordow plant was to stop enriching uranium and be converted into a nuclear, physics and technology center. The restoration of U.S. sanctions on AEOI would expose non-U.S. companies to the risk of punishment by the United States for dealing with it, including Chinese state-owned China National Nuclear Corp. and Russia's Rosatom, which are doing nonproliferation work respectively at Arak and Fordow. Neither company responded to requests for comment. At a meeting in Vienna last Friday, the non-U.S. parties to the deal - Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and Iran - discussed the subject extensively, with Beijing and Moscow stressing their concerns, three European diplomats said. One senior European diplomat called the situation "crazy" and said the U.S. withdrawal risked triggering a proliferation problem because its sanctions may halt work on Arak and Fordow. "It may force the interruption of the dismantling of Irans nuclear sites. It's completely absurd," the diplomat said. Iranian officials were not immediately available for comment. Asked how Washington planned to address the concerns about AEOI being sanctioned and how it would serve U.S. interests not to carry out the nonproliferation work at Arak and Fordow, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Ford said the U.S. was aware of the other parties' positions regarding AEOI. "These questions are all under active consideration by the U.S. government," he said in a statement relayed by a spokeswoman. "Our posture towards Iran will be geared towards obtaining enduring nonproliferation benefits and constraining the full range of its malign activities." "AN IRONY" The 2015 agreement between Iran and world powers lifted international sanctions on Tehran. In return, Iran agreed to restrictions on its nuclear activities, increasing the time it would need to produce an atom bomb if it chose to do so. Trump abandoned the agreement on May 8, arguing that he wanted a bigger deal that not only limited Iran's atomic work but also reined in its support for proxies in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon and that curbed its ballistic missile program. The remaining parties are trying to keep the deal alive. "Everyone is focused on preserving the economic side of the agreement," said an EU diplomat. "But if the (remaining parties) fail on the nuclear side of implementation, while Iran is trying to comply, it would really be an irony." The deal bars the production of enriched uranium at Fordow and says Russia will work with Iran there on producing stable isotopes, which do not pose a proliferation risk. On Arak, the deal specifies that the new design will aim to minimize the production of plutonium and to prevent the production of weapon-grade plutonium in normal operation. It also specifies the fuel Arak must use and says its spent fuel for the reactor's lifetime must be shipped out of Iran. Sanctions that would prevent companies from dealing with AEOI are due to be reimposed no later than Nov. 5. The three European diplomats said Russia and China had been especially vocal at the Vienna meeting, with one saying that the two nations indicated they were determined to carry out the nuclear projects but stressed their worries on U.S. sanctions. Two other Western officials also confirmed that the subject was discussed at the meeting. The U.S., which initially led a working group to redesign the Arak reactor with China, did not attend the Vienna talks. Beijing's envoy to the talks told reporters on Friday that the parties needed to find a co-chair for Arak to move forward. Richard Nephew, a former administration official under then-U.S. President Barack Obama, said it was unlikely the U.S. would sanction state-owned Chinese or Russian companies for doing non-proliferation work with Iran, although it was a possibility. "The real problem is does this stop these countries and the companies from their work to render the Arak and Fordow facilities safer?" he said. "If it causes them to stop that work and gives Iran an excuse to restart Fordow or to rebuild Arak as a plutonium-production reactor, then we will have done real damage to our nonproliferation objectives." (Additional reporting by Alissa De Carbonnel in Brussels, Francois Murphy in Vienna, Christian Lowe in Moscow and David Stanway in Beijing; Writing by Arshad Mohammed and John Irish; Editing by Nick Tattersall) Washington (AFP) - A US air strike in Somalia killed 12 militants from the Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda affiliate that launches regular attacks on targets in the African nation, the United States Africa Command said on Friday. It said US forces conducted the strike on Thursday in conjunction with Somalia's government about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southwest of Mogadishu. The Shabaab was pushed out of Somalia's capital in 2011, and subsequently from other towns and cities, by soldiers from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). But the Islamists still hold sway in large parts of the countryside. They launch regular gun and bomb attacks on government, military and civilian targets in Mogadishu as well as ambushes on military convoys and outposts. Somali commandos often carry out operations side-by-side with the American forces that train them. Air assaults and missile strikes have increased in recent months. This was the 11th American strike against the Shabaab since the beginning of the year. United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The United States vetoed Friday an Arab-backed UN draft resolution calling for measures to protect the Palestinians after more than 100 were killed by Israeli fire during protests at the border with Gaza. Ten countries including China, France and Russia voted in favor of the draft put forward by Kuwait on behalf of Arab countries at the Security Council. Four countries -- Britain, Ethiopia, the Netherlands and Poland -- abstained. A draft resolution requires nine votes to be adopted in the 15-member council and no veto from the five permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States. US Ambassador Nikki Haley told the council the measure was "wildly inaccurate in its characterization of recent events in Gaza" by condemning Israel for the violence. The Kuwait-drafted text had called for "measures to guarantee the safety and protection" of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, and requested a UN report to propose an "international protection mechanism." Ahead of the vote, a young Palestinian woman was shot dead by Israeli soldiers near the Gaza border fence, bringing the death toll of Gazans killed by Israeli fire since the end of March to 123. It was the second time that Haley has resorted to US veto power to block a UN measure on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In December, Haley vetoed a draft resolution that rejected President Donald Trump's decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem after all 14 other council members supported it. The council has been deadlocked over how to respond to the recent violence, even as UN envoy Nickolay Mladenov warned this week that Gaza was "close to the brink of war." A barrage of rocket and mortars into Israel from Gaza on Tuesday was followed by Israeli strikes on 65 militant sites in the Gaza Strip in the worst flareup since the 2014 war. Israel has fought three wars in Gaza against Hamas, which the United States considers a terrorist organization. A Vogue cover featuring a Saudi princess behind the wheel of a convertible has prompted criticism online as its publication follows the nations arrest of nearly a dozen womens right activists. In anticipation of the Kingdoms June 24 removal of the ban on women drivers, Vogue Arabias June issue celebrates the trailblazing women of Saudi Arabia. The cover shows the Princess Hayfa bint Abdullah al-Saud in the drivers seat wearing leather gloves, high heels and a loosely tied headscarf above the headline Driving Force. This month, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is putting women in the driving seat and so are we, the magazine said in its announcement of the cover feature. The issue celebrates the women of the Kingdom and their wide-reaching achievements. Yet critics pointed out that while the royal family continues to earns accolades for efforts to modernize the conservative Kingdom, 11 activists at the forefront of a campaign to end the gendered driving ban were detained last month. They were also smeared as traitors and could face charges for undermining the countrys stability. At least four of the activists were released last week, according to Amnesty International, but others remain in detention. In the midst of the crackdown, social media users blasted the magazine cover as tone deaf. Is Vogue Arabia celebrating the wrong Saudi women? While the Saudi women who campaigned for the driving ban could face the death penalty, this Saudi Princess is on the magazine cover and being celebrated as "trailblazing" https://t.co/hsfW4dYdrJ Osha Mahmoud (@Osha001) May 31, 2018 A princess on the cover of Vogue Arabia to celebrate lifting the ban while the women driving activists are in jail for treason https://t.co/I1uqgpjlbr ???? ??????? (@Hala_Aldosari) May 31, 2018 When I said Vogue Arabia needs to feature more ethnic Arabs on their covers - this is not what I meant. pic.twitter.com/djUbhDKBi3 Rowaida Abdelaziz (@Rowaida_Abdel) May 31, 2018 I'm laughing so hard that my irony glands are about to burst. A Saudi princess is on the cover of @VogueArabia to celebrate women finally being allowed to drive. Yet, her family is currently jailing the pioneering women that actually fought for that right. https://t.co/2dLXes4v5N Biejan Poor Toulabi (@btoulabi) May 31, 2018 Some on Twitter altered the cover by replacing the princess with images of the jailed rights activists. Story continues After @VogueAlArabiya thought itd make sense to feature HRH in June 2018 issue on trailblazing women of #Saudi Arabia & their driving, Saudi women have taken to Twitter to object & replaced her image with 3 of arrested activists labeled as traitors: Aziza, Loujain, & Eman. pic.twitter.com/SOZA28YS72 Nora Abdulkarim ???? ??????? (@Ana3rabeya) May 31, 2018 Princess Hayfa, whose family has enforced the driving ban, told Vogue, In our country, there are some conservatives who fear change. Personally, I support these changes with great enthusiasm, she added. Rights groups say international outrage over the crackdown has threatened to derail the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans image as a reformer. He recently traveled around the world on a tour aimed in part at reshaping Saudi Arabias image. Rome (AFP) - Italy's new coalition government due to be sworn in Friday promises a mix of far-right, anti-establishment and eurosceptic policies, raising questions about what the future holds for the eurozone's third largest economy. As the League and Five Star Movement (M5S) prepare to take charge, here are answers to five pressing questions. - Could Italy leave the euro? - Despite outspoken criticism of the European Union from both parties and the presence in cabinet of arch eurosceptic Paolo Savona, the M5S-League government programme does not call for a unilateral exit from the eurozone. M5S has publicly abandoned the idea of a referendum on the euro, and while the League signed the programme and therefore has committed to staying in the single currency, in the past it has called the euro "a failed economic and social experiment" but proposed reforms and an eventual coordinated exit along with a number of other countries in the long term. Recent polls suggest 60-70 percent of Italians oppose a pullout. - How will markets respond? - A tumultuous campaign, inconclusive election results, political deadlock and fears of fresh elections put the markets in a spin. The prospect of a M5S-League accord was initially met with some relief -- until the coalition revealed their government programme. In reaction to the costly measures and eurosceptic tone, key financial indicators pointed to decreasing investor confidence in Italy. The spread or difference in yield between Italian and German 10-year government bonds, exceeded 300 points at the start of the week, compared to 130 three weeks ago. However it had soared to nearly 600 points in 2011 helping push out Berlusconi. - Long-term partnership? - Both Luigi Di Maio of the Five Star Movement and League leader Matteo Salvini insist they intend to stay the course for a full five-year mandate and implement their programme. But their parties only have a 32 vote majority in the Chamber of Deputies and it is wafer thin in the Senate. Story continues And they will have to keep a tight rein on their MPs -- especially those who view the new alliance with scepticism -- to go the distance. - Who is really in charge? - M5S holds more clout in the new coalition having won almost 33 percent in the March election, compared to the League's 17 percent. But Salvini is a rising star, who has seized pole in position and claims to represent the 37 percent who voted for the right-wing coalition in which he campaigned. Meanwhile the shadow of M5S founder Beppe Grillo, an outspoken former comedian, still looms large over Di Maio's party. A question mark also hangs over the fate of flamboyant former premier Silvio Berlusconi. Part of the right-wing alliance with Salvini, Berlusconi begrudgingly gave the green light for the League and M5s to make a deal without his Forza Italia party. But the ageing media tycoon disapproves of the new government programme. After a recent court ruling overturned a ban on him holding public office, he could once again be able to exert influence and has promised "reasonable and critical opposition". - What can the president do? - President Sergio Mattarella's refusal to accept Savona as economy minister forced the coalition to appoint a team that may offer greater reassurance to Brussels. Elected by a centre-left parliament, Mattarella has pointed out that not only does he have the power to veto ministers but he can also reject any law deemed financially non-viable. He is also the guarantor of Italy's international commitments and intends to keep a close eye on any move to alter Italy's role on the world stage, especially given Salvini's scathing comments on the EU and praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin. The worlds largest freshwater pearl, known as the Sleeping Lion, sold at an auction in the Netherlands Thursday for $374,000. It was the first auction in 240 years for the pearl, which is 2.75 inches in length and weighs over 5.4 ounces, BBC reports. The pearl, which was once owned by Catherine the Great, sold below its estimated value between $397,000 and $630,000, according to the Venduehuis auction house catalogue. It was auctioned by the Amsterdam Pearl Society in the Hague and bought by a Japanese trader, Agence France-Presse reports. The Sleeping Lion is believed to have formed in China between 1700 and 1760. Despite the Qing Dynastys ban on exporting large pearls, the jewel was shipped to Europe via the Dutch East India Company. The first European owner of the pearl is said to have been Hendrik Coenraad Sander, the accountant general for the company. It was then auctioned off in 1778 in Amsterdam and sold to Russian empress Catherine the Great. For the next 200 years, the pearl was sold among various jewelers and aristocrats until the Amsterdam Pearl Society acquired it in 1979. Young people sharply increased their level of political engagement after the mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla., political scientists say. But paradoxically, gun control is not among their top priorities. Only 6 percent of teens and young adults listed gun control as a top concern, in a survey conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and MTV in May. This contrasts with the 21 percent who put it as a top priority in an earlier survey conducted right after the Parkland shootings. The study found that the top two issues young Americans are most concerned about are the economy and social inequality. Olivia Bercow, a spokesperson for NextGen America, a progressive climate action committee founded by Tom Steyer, said the top four issues the organization hears about from students are college affordability, health care, racial injustice and climate change. I think that, for the most part, young people are really, really engaged on the issues and right now, were seeing what having a certain type of leadership in office looks like on issues that matter, she said. Protesters take part in a March for Our Lives rally in Parkland, Fla., last March. (Photo: Joe Skipper/AP) Thirty-seven percent of voters under 30 said they will vote in the upcoming midterms, according to the National Youth Poll conducted in April 2018 by the Institute of Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. John Della Volpe, director of polling at the Institute of Politics, said its not likely all of them will actually go to the polls, but that it was the highest level of interest the survey has recorded since 2010. He credited Parkland with inspiring the shift, but said the change began in 2016. I expect [Parkland] can be a motivating factor for millions of young people, but again, time will tell, he said. For a movement to have significant impact, it has to have both support from the bottom up, of which, it does, thanks to the young men and women around Parkland, but it needs to have support from top down. Story continues Della Volpe believes the Democratic Party, which is overwhelmingly the choice of young people, needs to do more to solidify their support, or risk losing their enthusiasm by November. I dont think weve seen the Democrat Party really choose to make young people focus on this midterm cycle, he said. Della Volpe believes young people will vote when they see the political system address their priorities, including access to higher education, structural racism and big money in politics. CIRCLE, the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University, studied where youth could have the most impact. Based on population figures, demographics and voter turnout history, they identified races in Minnesota, North Dakota and Colorado. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School survivor Carlos Rodriguez speaks as teens kick off a voter registration rally. (Photo: Rick Wilking/Reuters) Della Volpe said that Democrats need to make young people a part of their campaigns and conversations. Its not necessarily a transactional generation, he said. Its a generation that has lost a lot of faith and trust in the system and it needs to be gained. And that doesnt happen overnight. Whether or not young people actually turn out in greater numbers, there is unquestionably more attention being paid to their political impact this year, which Abby Kiesa, director of impact at CIRCLE, thinks could be significant. Part of whats interesting about this year is this earlier focus on youth and its talking about teens who are just turning 18. A lot of times thats not the focus, she said. Organizations like Headcount, Rock the Vote and NextGen America are seeking to register more young people and encourage them to vote. Each organization said it has seen increases in voter registration since the Parkland shootings. Aaron Ghitelman, director of communications for Headcount, a nonpartisan organization that does voter registration at concerts and other events, said it registered 5,000 people to vote in one day at a March for our Lives event. They have also gained the support of David Hogg, a Parkland survivor and activist. Weve seen a clear uptick in voter registration across the board, he said. If you look at our 2018 numbers next to our 2014 numbers incomparable. In Florida, NextGen America has registered almost 9,000 voters since the end of January, the highest number in its list of targeted states. Quin Coppedge, left, and Joni Coppedge attend a voter registration rally coinciding with the 19th anniversary of the Columbine (Colo.) High School shooting. (Photo: Rick Wilking/Reuters) The New York Times found that North Carolina, Florida and Pennsylvania all had increases in voter registrations among youth after the shooting at Parkland. Youth turnout in elections has been consistently low throughout the years. In 2010, only 24 percent voted in the midterm elections. In 2014, that number was 20 percent the lowest number recorded in forty years. Will young voters maintain their energy and interest through the midterms and carry it to November? Young people are energized and fired up about the elections this year, Bercow of NextGen America said. A lot of people now understand, not that they didnt before, that elections have consequences and who you put in office really matters. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: 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. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close The round of fighting ended, as expected, at 5 am Wednesday. Now, the prime minister, the defense minister and the IDF are focusing their efforts on marketing to the public that the Israeli deterrence hasnt worn out and that this is actually a success story whose magnitude the common citizen is incapable of understanding. So far, however, they are failing in this mission too. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter So what did we have this week? Two cells, an Islamic Jihad cell and a Hamas cell, which tried to infiltrate the border fence; an IDF strike which killed four of the terrorists in response; and a retaliatory attack, in which Islamic Jihad surprised Israel with the biggest barrage since Operation Protective Edge, a minute before 7 am. Yes, the terror organization felt confident enough to launch such an unprecedented attack in response to the elimination of one terrorist cell. At this point, we must ask ourselves where was the Israeli intelligence and did it provide a warning about this change of policy in Gaza? IAF strike in Gaza, Tuesday evening. The IDF wasnt sufficiently prepared for the Islamic Jihad barrages (Photo: AP) Even if its true that they were pushed into it by the Iranians, and this is a claim which should be taken with a pinch of salt, why wasnt the IDF prepared for it? And how do we know that the IDF wasnt sufficiently prepared? Because the air defense system wasnt deployed on the first day the way it is deployed today. Not a single Islamic Jihad or Hamas member was killed in any of the Air Force strikes. Not a single launching cell was attacked on the most extensive day of battle since Operation Protective Edge, a day in which the Palestinians fired more than 100 rockets and mortar shells. Security sources say they didnt want to escalate the events in the south because of the northern front. Well, this argument may have been true when the state of alert in the north was high for fear of an Iranian revenge. But since then, the alert level has dropped, after the Quds Forces planned activities failed. In other words, such continment policy would have been accepted a month ago, but not this week. Rocket that hit a storage shed in the Eshkol Regional Council, early Wednesday (Photo: Eshkol Regional Council security) There is no reason to intimidate the public with a threat like the Islamic Jihad in the strip, while the IDF is tenfold stronger. And there is no reason to make threats about occupying the strip, because between a weak response and a ground operation with three divisions, there is a lot of wiggle room for a variety of airstrikes against significant targets. Israel is saying that Hamas asked for the ceasefire. That may be true, but it did it at its best exit point: Hamas gave Islamic Jihad the green light to open fire, and it decided to end the round when it was convenient for Hamas, without suffering even one casualty. So in the meantime, Hamas has promised to stop all organizations from firing rockets, but what will happen if it keeps sending cells to the border fence tomorrow morning and they are killed by an IDF force? After all, the same Islamic Jihad set a very expensive price tag for Israel. Thats exactly why we should have only accepted the ceasefire under conditions convenient for Israel, and only after the other side understood the price of losing. Three years after a landmark government resolution decided to allocate NIS 15 billion for health, housing, employment and education in the Arab sector, Arab youth organizations alleged they never received any of the funds. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Resolution number 922adopted in December 2015 as a five-year plan for 2016-2020was, on paper, one of the most significant such decisions to be made by an Israeli government, and aimed to promote Israel's Arab population and reduce the gaps between Israeli-Arabs and their Jewish countrymen. The Israel Arab Scouts Associationthe sector's largest youth organizationhowever, claimed that the lack of promised funds forced it to shutter more than ten of its chapters, with its summer camp activities also in considerable jeopardy. Illustration. Israeli-Arab youth organizations said that despite a government resolution on the matter, they have yet to receive promised funding (Photo: Shutterstock) "We are still in the process of deciding what to do," Israel Arab Scouts Association Chairman Ali Ayoub said. "The organization used to have 4,200 members, but today it's down to 2,500." Ayoub claimed that at the Education Ministry's behest, he prepared his organization for expansion based on its new budget. "Throughout 2017 they asked me to open more chapters," he explained. "Right now, no one knows who has that money in their pockets. It never reached us, despite all of the resolutions, promises and seminars we participated in." "We've opened chapters and worked hardand the money never came. People we've employed lost faith in us. We were made out to be liars," he lamented. Israel Arab Scouts Association Chairman Ayoub said his group was forced to close down 11 chapters, and that they were made out to be 'liars' (None) Ayoub also maintained that two other Arab society youth groups did not receive the funds earmarked for them under Resolution 922. All of Israel's youth organizations are subject to the Youth and Children Organizations Act, and 18 of 20 of them are represented by the Council of Youth and Children Organizations. The law regulates the different parameters for budgeting the groups. The implementation guide for Resolution 922 stipulated that one of the goals of the special budget was to "increase the number of children and teens participating in informal education activities." Nevertheless, a letter sent by the Education Ministry to the Israel Arab Scouts Association this past December claimed the transfer of the seven million shekels earmarked for precisely that purpose by the government was not authorized. Responding to Ynet's request for comment, the Education Ministry chose not to remark on fund allocation under Resolution 922, and only said no cut was planned to the Youth and Children Organizations Act. The Council of Youth and Children Organizations said it appealed to Education Minister Bennett to reverse planned cuts to youth groups' budgets (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky) "Budgetary increments for 2018 have yet to have been received, as every year, but once they are received all youth organizations will be afforded their relative shareincluding the the Israel Arab Scouts Association," the ministry's comment continued. "It would be improper to equate the funds allocated to youth groupsincluding the the Israel Arab Scouts Associationin late 2017 with the middle of 2018. The increments for 2018 have yet to be received," the ministry iterated. The Council of Youth and Children Organizations, meanwhile, said that it will do everything in its power to prevent budgetary cuts to youth organizations' operations, which will lead to cutting down on activities planned for the coming summer. "We are in talks with the education minister to intercede on the matter," the council stated. With cautious contentment, the IDF concluded 20 hours of fighting with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, an event that has been considered the most volatile security incident in the southern sector since Operation Protective Edge in 2014. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter A senior Southern Command officer told reporters Thursday that, "Currently, the state does not want conflict in the south because there are other, wider considerations. It should be remembered that the terrorist organizations limited themselves in the range of rocket fire this week." "Our policy is to return to security stability quickly, to continue to building the barrier against terror tunnels, and to enable the IDF to cope with greater threats. We acted wisely and logically this week and are prepared for a battle greater than the previous Gaza war, to which we are closer to than ever," he added. Rocket fire from Gaza (Photo: AP) The officer then went on to say Israel should bring in other stabilizers to the conflict with Gaza, "Otherwise, we will find ourselves on a slippery slope that we have fallen down or initiated ourselves." "We can allow for small steps to be implemented that will give us a year to a year and a half of calm. We do not have to help Hamas and prop them up, but the size of Hamas's concessions will correspond to the size of the settlement," he elucidated. IAF airstrikes on Hamas targets (Photo: AFP) The senior officer noted that various options were being examined and that decisions on additional civilian relief measures for Palestinians in Gaza may soon be made beyond the continued opening of the Kerem Shalom, Erez and Rafah border crossings. "Deterrence exists but it is limited, because we are at a time of a reality in flux. We are currently standing at a fork in the road regarding Gaza and we need to make decisions," the IDF soldier revealed. Hamas is at its lowest point , and so is its army. We can sit back and be led or we can also be prepared for an escalation or to enter into Gaza; it is possible to enter into a small or large settlement. If we want to strengthen our deterrence, we can add incentives," he went on. IDF targeting Hamas in Gaza In his opinion, such a settlement must include returning the bodies of missing Israeli soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul. "Hamas is trying to think of ways to extricate themselves from collapse and they have no solution other than to come to an arrangement or engage in warfare," he added. The officer added that Southern Command is in a state of full readiness for war in the Gaza Strip, should it break out this week. He did, however, admit that the IDF had not succeeded in hitting the squadrons who fired more than 100 rocket barrages in less than 24 hours, saying, "We were instructed to locate and attack the cells, but the enemy improved, learned lessons, and much of the launchings were carried out with timers and underground. We will investigate this." Hamas policeman (Photo: AP) He dismissed the criticism voiced Thursday about the harm to Israeli deterrence in light of the fact that no terrorist was hurt, saying, "Those who use the terms 'deterrence' and 'decisiveness' these days do so demagogically and simplistically." He then termed some of the statements made regarding the weakening of deterrence "nonsense." According to him, the project to erect the underground barrier against tunnels has also advanced this week, and to date, about 11 out of 64 kilometers of the Gaza border have been completed. The work is expected to conclude in mid or late 2019. Concurrently, Southern Command's operational plan to locate and destroy tunnels that cross into Israel continues. According to the senior officer, in less than two years, 12 terrorist tunnels were identified and neutralized, the last of which was two days ago near Kerem Shalom. The officer noted that the tunnel contained United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) sacks of cement that were intended for humanitarian aid for the citizens of Gaza, but Hamas chose to use them to dig the tunnel. IDF on Gaza border (Photo: AP) According to assessments by the Southern Command, Hamas will continue with the border fence demonstrations, especially on Naksa Day next week (the anniversary of the Six-Day Wared), even though attendance is down to merely a few thousand. "The deterrence of Operation Protective Edge still resonates in the region, therefore Hamas prefers a march of return over a military campaign and in less than 24 hours they ordered a halt to the escalation," said the officer. UNRWA bag found in terror tunnel (Photo: IDF Spokesmans unit) He explained, "Hamas and Islamic Jihad commanders went underground this week and disappeared. Gaza is on edge and during its most difficult period after 140 residents were killed in seven weeks, most of them terrorists. In my view, we will not see similar numbers on Naksa Day as we have seen on Nakba Day. "There is a lot of internal criticism of Hamas inside the Gaza Strip. This week, Islamic Jihad operated with Iranian consent and Iran has an interest in escalating the situation in Gaza in light of what is happening in Syria and elsewhere, he explained. During the briefing, a photo of sacks with the words "UNRWA" stamped on them were displayed, and according to the senior officer, Hamas used them to strengthen the infrastructure of the terrorist tunnels dug into Israel, but the IDF Spokesperson's Unit later announced that there had been a mistake and these were not cement sacks. The IDF clarified that "the Hamas terror organization uses goods intended for the residents of the Gaza Strip to build terrorist infrastructures. It should be noted that a lot of cement is invested in the tunnels, while it could have been invested in civilian purposes." The Pentagon warned Syrian President Bashar Assad on Thursday not to carry out an offensive against Kurdish-led forces backed by the United States that control the countrys north-east. Any interested party in Syria should understand that attacking US Forces or our coalition partners will be a bad policy, Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, director of the joint staff, said during a press conference. His remarks came after Assad told Russian broadcaster RT he would not hesitate to use force to retake a third of the country held by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). A Palestinian woman was killed from IDF fire near the Gaza Strip border as the weekly March of Return protest resumed Friday afternoon, just two days after the conclusion of the most recent conflagration between Israel and the Palestinian Gaza terror groups. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Razan Ashraf Najjar, 21, a volunteer paramedic, was shot as she ran toward the fortified border fence, east of the south Gaza city of Khan Yunis, in a bid to reach a casualty, a witness said. Wearing a white uniform, "she raised her hands high in a clear way, but Israeli soldiers fired and she was hit in the chest," the witness, who requested anonymity, told Reuters. Razan Ashraf Najjar At her house in Khan Younis, Najar's mother collapsed in grief as she was handed her daughter's blood-stained uniform. A statement from Gaza's Health Ministry mourned Najar as a "martyr". Interviewed by Reuters interview in April, she said she would see the border protests through until their end. "I am returning and not retreating," Najar's last Facebook post said. "Hit me with your bullets. I am not afraid." She is the second woman killed in the March of Return protests. Najjar treating wounded protesters on the Gaza border The Palestinians also reported over 100 were wounded in the clashes, 40 of them from live fire. According to the IDF, thousands of rioters were protesting on the Gaza border, hurling stones, burning tires and trying to sabotage security infrastructure. Israeli forces responded with crowd dispersal measures. During the protests, an IDF vehicle came under gunfire. In addition, a suspect was spotted crossing the border fence in northern Gaza and putting down a grenade that went off as he was returning to the strip. There were no injuries among IDF soldiers. Clashes on the Gaza border ( ") X Demonstrators at Friday's protests waved Kuwaiti flags to thank the Persian Gulf state for blocking a US bid to condemn Gaza rocket fire at the Security Council earlier this week. Mahmoud Zahar, a Hamas official who joined the protest east of Gaza City, praised the turnout despite Ramadan. "Those who bet on dwindling participation are proved to be wrong today," he told reporters. This Friday's protests have been taglined "Friday from Gaza to Haifa"marking not only the dream of Palestinian return but also the attempt to break through the naval blockade on the isolated enclave earlier this week. In an effort to encourage protesters to arrive to the border area, Hamas used mosque loudspeakers to call on the public to head to the demonstration sites. Hamas also arranged transportation from all across the strip to the five return camps used as flashpoints for clashes with the IDF every Friday. Meanwhile, Palestinians continued flying incendiary kites into Israel, causing fires in the Kibbutz Miflasim and Kibbutz Kissufim. No one was hurt, and firefighters were on the scene to battle the blazes. On Thursday, incendiary kites caused fires in the Be'eri Forest, the Kissufim Forest and Kibbutz Ein HaShlosha, where damage was also caused to power lines. Since the "terror kites attacks" have begun several weeks ago, 206 fires broke out in forests and groves alone. Since May 14which saw both the opening of the new US Embassy in Jerusalem and the apex of border protestsa significant downturn in the number of demonstrators has taken place, with only several thousand people participating overall since. The beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan shortly thereafter on May 17 only encumbered further the ruling terror group's efforts to bring out people en masse, due to the combined effects of the daytime fast and the heat. Friday's protests have been titled 'Friday from Gaza to Haifa,' hinting at the failed Gaza flotilla attempt this week (Photo: MCT) Hamas's eyes now turn to Naksa Day next Tuesday, which commemorates the Palestinian defeat in the 1967 Six-Day War and Israel's taking of the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip. Naksa Day, as per the original plans, was earmarked as one of the anticipated highlights of the protest campaign, but due to the recent round of hostilities, understandings reached with Hamas and talks on a long-term settlement with the terror group, the number and manner of protests on the day remained indeterminate. The IDF's Southern Command has also estimated that Hamas will proceed with the border protests, especially on next week's Naksa Day. The Nakba Day riots on May 14 (: '') X "Operation Protective Edge's deterrence still resonates in the region, which is why Hamas has preferred marches of return over a (military) campaign and ordered to halt hostilities in under 24 hours," a senior Southern Command officer told reporters Wednesday. "Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad commanders went underground and disappeared this week," the officer continued. "Gaza is unstable and going through difficult times, with 140 people killed there in seven weeksmost of them terrorists." "It is my estimate that Naksa Day will not have the same number of people as Nakba Day. There is a lot of internal criticism towards Hamas in the strip," he added. "the Islamic Jihad operated with Iranian assent this week, and Iran has an interest in escalating the Gaza situation in light of what's been happening in Syria and elsewhere." The granddaughter of Holocaust survivor Mireille Knoll, who was murdered in an anti-Semitic hate crime in Paris two months ago, spoke at the United Nations (UN) Thursday in an event organized by Israel's ambassador to the international organization Danny Danon. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Knoll, 85 at the time of her passing, was stabbed 11 times in her home in the French capital, which was later torched by her killers. Her murder shocked France , and led to tens of thousands of people marching in her memory days later. Knoll's funeral was also attended by the country's president Emmanuel Macron. Knoll's granddaughter Keren Brosh (L) was invited to speak at the UN by Israel's Ambassador Danon (Photo: Israeli delegation to UN) Brosh, who up until recently served as a captain in the army's Military Intelligence Directorate, recounted her grandmother's story and said, "I feel today it is my duty to stand before you and urge you to wake up! The world is changing, and people must feel safe walking down the street." 85-year-old Holocaust survivor Mireille Knoll was brutally murdered in her Paris apartment "I'm proud being my grandmother's granddaughter and proud to be Jewish," she exclaimed. "My pride reached its zenith when 30,000 people came to bid my grandmother farewell at her funeral, and grew when I marched clad in the IDF's uniforms alongside the president of Israel in the ' March of the Living ' from Auschwitz to Birkenau." The Paris protest in Knoll's memory (: ) X "Now I'm asking you," she turned in an appeal to the assembled crowd, "to carry on marching alongside me." Israel's Ambassador to the UN Danon spoke at the event as well, saying, "All of Israel's people embrace and lend strength to your family and feel the pain of your grandmother's shocking death." French President Macron (R) attended Knoll's funeral "The appalling murder of Mireille, who survived the horrors of the Holocaust, has once again proven to the world that the fight against anti-Semitism is far from over," Danon declared. "Her heart-rending death should be a wakeup call for the international community to stridently and decisively act out against the blight of hatred." Parisian police arrested two suspects for Knoll's murder. The two were charged with premeditated murder relating to "the victim's religion, real or imagined," a judicial source told the AFP French news agency. They were also charged with violent robbery and destruction of property. The Paris protest in Knoll's memory was attended by tens of thousands of people (Photo: Reuters) As a child, Knoll narrowly escaped being deported to Auschwitz during World War Two, when 13,000 Jews were rounded up in July 1942 at the Velodrome d'Hiver in Paris. She continued residing in Paris after the war and the Holocaust, and married a fellow Holocaust survivor who passed away in the early 2000s. The United States is vowing to veto an Arab-backed resolution that asks the UN chief to propose measures to ensure "international protection" for Palestinian civilians. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter A vote on the measurewhich comes after weeks of urgent discussions but no agreement on any action about escalating violence in Gazawas at one point expected Thursday evening. Then diplomats said it would be delayed and now appears likely on Friday. US Amb. to UN Nikki Haley X The Kuwait-sponsored draft resolution "deplores" and demands a halt to "the use of any excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate force" by the Israeli military, while it also "deplores the firing of rockets from the Gaza Strip at Israeli civilian areas." US Amb. to UN Nikki Haley (: AFP) US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley lambasted the proposal for discussing "excessive" Israeli force while making no mention of Hamas, the Islamic militant group that rules Gaza. "It is a grossly one-sided approach that is morally bankrupt and would only serve to undermine ongoing efforts toward peace between Israelis and Palestinians," Haley said in a statement Thursday evening. Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon also has sharply criticized the proposal. Kuwait submits draft resolution to station international force at Gaza border fence amid Gaza border riots (Photo: AP, AFP) The Security Council has been deeply divided and paralyzed over dealing with the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After a series of emergency meetings about Gazathe latest just Wednesdaythe UN's most powerful body so far hasn't been able to agree even on a press statement. The draft resolution expresses "grave concern" at the escalation of violence and tensions and the deteriorating situation in the Palestinian territories, especially since the start of a series of mass protests at the Gaza border on March 30. Kuwait alleged excessive use of force by IDF (Photo: AFP) Over 110 Palestinians were killed and thousands wounded by Israeli military fire. Israel said its troops were defending its border and accused Hamas militants of trying to attack under the cover of the protest. Then Hamas and the smaller Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group bombarded southern Israel with rockets and mortars Tuesday, and Israel responded by striking targets throughout Gaza. It was the largest flare-up for violence between the sides since 2014's Operation Protective Edge. Hamas said Wednesday it had agreed to a cease-fire with Israel. The draft resolution calls for urgent steps "to ensure an immediate, durable and fully respected cease-fire." It asks UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for a written report within 60 days ways to ensure "the safety, protection and well-being of the Palestinian civilian population under Israeli occupation," including recommendations about "an international protection mechanism." Gaza riots (Photo: AFP) The draft also urges immediate, unimpeded humanitarian access and "tangible steps" toward reconciliation between different Palestinian factions. At Kuwait's request, the council has held multiple emergency meetings on the border clashes. Tuesday's torrent of rockets and mortars prompted the US to call for Wednesday's meeting, where UN Mideast envoy Nikolay Mladenov said the latest escalation in Gaza was a warning of "how close to the brink of war we are every day." Both the US and Kuwaiti ambassadors said their nations had proposed press statements on the Israeli-Palestinian issue that had been blocked in recent weeks. Israel and Hamas are bitter enemies and have fought three wars since the Islamic group seized control of Gaza in 2007. Talks between Israel and Russiaincluding Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman's Moscow trip this week to meet his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygunow deal with two separate, yet interlinked topics. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The first is Russia's aspiration to allow President Bashar Assad 's army to confront rebel groups in southwestern Syria and overtake land all the way up to the Israeli border in the Golan Heights, and the Syrian-Jordanian border. The second is Iran's strategic entrenchment in Syria, not merely limited to the Golan but throughout the territory of Israel's neighbor. Defense Minister Lieberman's meeting with his Russian counterpart (: , ) X Southwestern Syria is of paramount importance to Assad and his regime, and he strongly wishes to regain control of it as part of his overall campaign to retake his country from the various rebel groups warring against him. Russian President Vladimir Putin is determined to help him in that regard. PM Netanyahu (L) and Russian President Putin. Israel's talks with Russia on the Syrian issue are still ongoing (Photo: AP) What the Russians are suggesting is to pull back forces loyal to Iranincluding Hezbollahto a distance of 60-70 kilometers east of the ceasefire line in the Israeli Golan. In any event, they will certainly not be present beyond the road connecting Damascus and as-Suwayda, the capital of the Druze governorate of Syria, and the Jordanian border. The first issue, having to do with Assad retaking southwestern Syria, is being handled by Russian Defense Minister Shoygu opposite Lieberman, and served as the reason the Israeli minister was invited to Moscow Thursday. The second matter, which is more strategic in nature, is being handled by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly with Putin. That is precisely the reason why despite that fact that Lieberman was physically in Moscow at the time, Prime Minister Netanyahu telephoned Putin separately to supply him with new information Israel had obtained regarding Iranian entrenchment. Defense Minister Lieberman (L) and his Russian counterpart Shoygu. Despite Lieberman's presence in Moscow, PM Netanyahu spoke directly with President Putin on Iran's entrenchment in Syria (Photo: Defense Ministry) Netanyahu also primarily phoned the Russian leader to make it clear to him that even if Israel consented to localized regulation regarding southwestern Syria, it will not accept Iran and loyalist militias remaining on Syrian land even if they never cross the Damascus-as-Suwayda road west towards the Golan ceasefire line. In this context, it would be prudent to note that an agreement with Jordan, the United States and Russia had already been reached last summer regarding southwest Syria, which deemed the environs south of Damascus and up to the Syrian-Jordanian border as "conflict-reduced zones." Russia, for its part, is attempting to broker a gradual calming of the years' long Syrian civil war by using such conflict-reduced zones, with the end goal being to eventually reach a complete cessation of hostilities in the aforementioned region first, then in others, until all of Syria is covered. The Syrian-Israeli border (Photo: EPA) The USwhich looked after Jordan's interests during the talksand the Hashemite kingdom itself agreed to create an area in the region north of the Jordanian border in which rebels tied to both countries will not provoke Syrian forces stationed nearby. Israel was unrepresented in last summer's talks. The Americans, who were supposed to look after Israel's interests in its stead, mostly thought about Jordan, which is under a constant fear of the growing number of Syrian refugees flocking to its territory and throwing the demographic balance out of equilibrium. The two countries therefore pressured the Syrian rebel groups they supportwhich have effective control over the region of the Syria-Jordan borderto accept Russia's demands. The two most important groups in said region are Jabhat Fateh al-Shamformerly al-Nusra Front, in actuality the Syrian offshoot of al-Qaedaand the Free Syrian Army, a secular umbrella group comprised mostly of Sunni defectors from the Syrian army and local villagers. Free Syrian Army forces in Quneitra, supported by the US (Photo: Reuters) The US did not really represent Israel's claims in last year's talks, hence the reason fighting near the Israeli border continued with some "trickling" of Syrian army as well as rebel fire towards Israel proper. Attempts were also made to strike at Israel from Syria's territory. The Syrian army announced recently it was moving south with its 4th and 5th armored divisions and additional forces to win back the city of Daraa and its environs, currently controlled by rebels, as well as the region of the Syrian Golan bordering Israel. The Syrian army's purpose in so doing, as per Russian sources, is to overtake three areas. The first is the Jordanian-Syrian Nasib border crossing southeast of Daraa and the second is Tel al-Harra, which overlooks the Israeli Golan and the armistice linemerely 12 kilometers east of the Israeli border. Until the latter location was taken two years ago by rebels, it housed an Iranian intelligence outpost that collected signal intelligence from both observations and wiretaps, not just from Syrian rebels but alsoand mostlyfrom Israel. The third point is the town of Busra al-Harir, 30 kilometers northeast of Daraa. Syria's President Assad wants his army to retake three strategic points (Photo: Reuters) These three strategic points will effectively allow the Syrian army to control the entire region, over which it currently only has partial control. Rebels number some 35,000 strong in the area, include Islamic State combatants present in the tri-border area of Syria, Israel and Jordan. The Syrian regime, with Russian support, is therefore attempting to isolate the Syrian rebels encamped in the Lajat region, with as-Suwayda in its center, and put some daylight between them and the Jordanian border, through which they receive US aid. Russia plans to introduce Russian military policemen to the region once it's taken by the Syrian army, who will then disarm the rebels of their heavy weapons. This ambitious Russian scheme has met with resistance from both Israel and Jordan. The Russians have asked Israel to not prevent the Syrian army from going down into the region, and to refrain from retaliating if errant regime fire trickles from Syria so as not to sabotage its war effort. Israel was also asked to not target Russian advisers embedded with the Syrian forces. Israel is leaning towards acceding to the request, but seeks guarantees that Iranian forces and militias loyal to the Islamic republic will not join the Syrian 5th Armored Division, for instance, to which an Iranian-sponsored unit has been attached. There is also the Palestinian Liwa al-Quds brigade, which is purportedly loyal to Iran as well. Syrian army tanks. Iranian-sponsored units have attacked themselves to the Syrian 5th Armored Division (Photo: AFP) The presence of this unit in the force heading south to the vicinity of the Israeli border is completely unacceptable to Israel, which has iterated as much to Russia openly. This puts Russia in a bind, as Assad's army alone apparently cannot tackle the rebel forces without backing from Iranian militias, whose men are fighting on the ground. The Russians, for their part, are willing to promise that once the army overtakes southwestern Syria, Iran and its proxies will depart and fall back east, beyond the Suwayda-Damascus road. A further demand presented by Israel is for Iran and its proxies to not be present anywhere south of Damascus and on the outskirts of the Syrian capital, and not just east of the Suwayda-Damascus road. Another point that has yet to be finalized is what Jordan and the US might say if Assad's army progresses south towards the Jordan-Syria border, which may well lead to a deluge of refugees from local Syrian villages escaping to Jordan. Jordan's King Abdullah seeks to prevent another wave of Syrian refugees from drowning his country (Photo: AFP) King Abdullah, who is having a hard enough time feeding the existing refugees in camps strewn across northern Jordan, is patently unwilling to allow another such wave to hit his kingdomand he has been afforded support from the US on the matter. As things stand, then, an agreement has not yet been reachedneither with Israel nor apparently with Jordan or the USto allow Assad's army free rein to take back control of southwestern Syria. Russia is nevertheless exerting pressure where it can, and has iterated that in principle, it supports Israel's demand to remove foreign forces from Syriathey themselves excluded, naturally. When the Russians voice this support, however, they are referring to the future, after a political settlement of the Syrian conflict has been reached. Israel, for its part, is demanding the withdrawal of foreign forces happen now, rather than laterin a year or more. Negotiations between Israel and Russia, thereforeboth on southwest Syria and on the strategic matter of preventing Iranian entrenchment in the countryare still ongoing. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had allegedly ordered then-head of the Shin Bet Yoram Cohen to wiretap former IDF chief of staff Benny Gantz and former Mossad director Tamir Pardo, the "Uvda" investigative television program reported Thursdaya claim Netanyahu vehemently denied on Friday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Former Shin Bet head Yoram Cohen reportedly refused the prime minister's request. "The Shin Bet is not supposed to use such extreme measures against leading Mossad and IDF figures," Cohen elucidated. Ex-Mossad chief Tamir Pardo (L) and PM Netanyahu (Photo: Reuters) "Wiretapping was the biggest show of distrust possible," Pardo told Uvda in an interview. "I've never asked to wiretap any Mossad employees. It has never even crossed my mind. I consider it to be out of bounds." "I don't want to believe that a prime minister of a democratic country such as Israel would ask the Shin Bet head to wiretap the heads of the Mossad or the IDF. If he didn't trust us, he could have made us resign our positions in 10 minutes," the former spy added. "This is the worst thing that can happen. Had I known about something like that, the right thing to do would have been to get up and leave, saying this isnt my game," the ex-Mossad chief went on say. Former Shin Bet head Yoram Cohen (Photo: Motti Kimchi) The Prime Minister's Office issued a statement on Pardo's interview, saying, "Allegations that the prime minister has asked the Shin Bet head to wiretap the chief of staff and Mossad head are absolutely ludicrous." "This is a complete distortion of the system's efforts to preserve information security regarding sensitive issues that are of the utmost importance to Israel's security," the statement went on to say. "The decision on which means to use and on which officials is in the authorized officials' hands," according to the Prime Minister's Office's statement. Prime Minister Netanyahu himself strongly denied Friday the claims he had asked the former Shin bet head to wiretap two of the leading figures in Israel's defense establishment. "I've never asked to wiretap the chief of staff and former Mossad chief. This is a complete lie!" Netanyahu tweeted. "Lies have no limit!" In a video posted to his social media accounts later Friday, the prime minister doubled down on the matter, saying, "There's some show that claims to be presenting facts, where it was claimed I instructed the former head of the Shin Bet to wiretap the IDF chief and the head of the Mossad. There's only one problem with that: It's a complete lie. I'm not the only one to say this, the former Shin Bet also said: It's nonsense, it's a lie." The Shin Bet has not yet commented on the matter. Ex-Mossad chief Pardo (L) claimed PM Netanyahu ordered the military to prepare to attack Iran in 2011 (Photo: Kobi Gideon/GPO) Pardo also said during his interview with Uvda that Netanyahu had given the military an order in 2011 to prepare to strike Iran within 15 days. "Since my stance on the issue was clearI thought it was the wrong moveI was hoping it would not be executed," he said. "The order to attack within 15 days indicated the intention (to attack) is real. (The next stage is to) commence battle procedure and eventually execute. I didn't believe such a thing can happen," he recalled. "When dealing with such (sensitive) issues one has to trust (your) people, they are the ones that steer the ship. Therefore, when (Netanyahu) orders to begin a countdown process, it's clear he's not playing games. These issues have tremendous significance. These are not issues for drills," Pardo stated. "If somebody goes ahead and orders such a thing, it has a twofold meaningeither he means it, or he is signaling to an external element to dissuade him," the former spook elaborated. Pardo also spoke on the assassination of former Iranian scientists, maintaining that some boundaries were not meant to be crossed. "One doesn't punish despicable people for their actions if they stopped committing them. One neutralizes ticking bombspeople who are committing malicious deeds here and now," he opined. Former prime minister Ehud Barak, who served as Netanyahu's defense minister in 2011, has previously claimed Netanyahu sought to bomb Iran in 2010 and 2011, but was opposed by senior Israeli officials. Pardo said that upon receiving the command, he sought "clarifications about everything I could, I checked with legal advisers and former Mossad chiefs, I consulted with everyone I could to understand who is authorized to give the order concerning launching a war." He clarified that he wanted "to be certain that if, heaven forbid, something incorrect happened, even if the mission failed, that there won't be a situation where I carried out an illegal operation." When asked if striking Iran would have been considered as launching a war, he said "plain and simple, yes." PM Netanyahu. 'We turned doubts regarding the nuclear program into exclamation marks' (Photo: EPA) Regarding the press conference Netanyahu held, during which he presented documents from Iran's secret nuclear archives obtained by Mossad agents, Pardo said that on an operational level he thought the operation was executed well. "I don't intend to criticize an acting Mossad head. Let's just say that if an event like that (meaning Netanyahu's press conference) was held in 2016, I wouldn't have appreciated it," he implied. Zionist Union MK Tzipi Livni called on the Subcommittee for Intelligence and Secret Services on Friday to convene for an urgent meeting to which the former Shin Bet head and the current Mossad chief will be summoned. Zionist Union's MK Tzipi Livni (Photo: Hillel Meir/TPS) Livni addressed the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee's chairman, Avi Dichter, and underlined that the meeting's purpose was to receive information on whether a request for a wiretap had been made in the past and who are the elements being wiretapped today. The meeting is also meant to extract information about the supervision on approving such an action, Livni added. Russia gave Israel the "green light" to operate in Syria's territory, so long as assets belonging to the Syrian regime remain unscathed, a Russian source told the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper Friday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter According to the same Russian official, who spoke on the heels of a meeting between Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman and his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygu the previous day, Russia and Israel also reached an understanding regarding removing Iranian forces from Syria's southern frontier. According to the understandings, Iran will initially pull back its forces to within 20 kilometers of the border, and later to a range of 60 to 70 kilometers, with Russia underlining the fact that this was a gradual process. File photo. A purported Israel strike in Syria (Photo: Reuters) "The State of Israel appreciates Russia's understanding of our security needs," Lieberman told his counterpart. The meeting dealt with security issues concerning the two countries and security coordination between them, the situation in Syria, and Israel's efforts to prevent Iran from establishing itself in Syria. Defense Minister Lieberman (L) and his Russian counterpart Shoygu (Photo: Ariel Hermoni, Defense Ministry) "It is important to continue our dialogue and keep the open line between the IDF and the Russian army on all the issues on the agenda," Lieberman said. Ynet's military correspondent and commentator Ron Ben-Yishai reported Thursday Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted Israel to allow Syrian President Bashar Assad's army to move southwards to the Jordanian border and secure all of the Syrian Golan Heights. In return, the Russian president is willing to promise Israel that Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps and Iran-affiliated militias will not be present in the territories Assad's army takes. What the Russians are suggesting is to pull back forces loyal to Iranincluding Hezbollahto a distance of 60-70 kilometers east of the ceasefire line in the Israeli Golan. In any event, they will certainly not be present beyond the road connecting Damascus and as-Suwayda, the capital of the Druze governorate of Syria, and the Jordanian border. Syria's President Assad wants his army to retake three strategic points (Photo: Reuters) The Syrian army's purpose in so doing, as per Russian sources, is to overtake three areas. The first is the Jordanian-Syrian Nasib border crossing southeast of Daraa and the second is Tel al-Harra, which overlooks the Israeli Golan and the armistice linemerely 12 kilometers east of the Israeli border. Until the latter location was taken two years ago by rebels, it housed an Iranian intelligence outpost that collected signal intelligence from both observations and wiretaps, not just from Syrian rebels but alsoand mostlyfrom Israel. The third point is the town of Busra al-Harir, 30 kilometers northeast of Daraa. These three strategic points will effectively allow the Syrian army to control the entire region, over which it currently only has partial control. Rebels number some 35,000 strong in the area, include Islamic State combatants present in the tri-border area of Syria, Israel and Jordan. Jordan's King Abdullah seeks to prevent another wave of Syrian refugees from drowning his country (Photo: AFP) The Syrian regime, with Russian support, is therefore attempting to isolate the Syrian rebels encamped in the Lajat region, with as-Suwayda in its center, and put some daylight between them and the Jordanian border, through which they receive US aid. Russia plans to introduce Russian military policemen to the region once it's taken by the Syrian army, who will then disarm the rebels of their heavy weapons. This ambitious Russian scheme has met with resistance from both Israel and Jordan. The Russians have asked Israel to not prevent the Syrian army from going down into the region, and to refrain from retaliating if errant regime fire trickles from Syria so as not to sabotage its war effort. Israel was also asked to not target Russian advisers embedded with the Syrian forces. US President Donald Trump is considering giving US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman more authority over the US outpost that handles Palestinian affairs, five US officials said, a shift that could further dampen Palestinian hopes for an independent state. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Any move to downgrade the autonomy of the US Consulate General in Jerusalemresponsible for relations with the Palestinianscould have potent symbolic resonance, suggesting American recognition of Israeli control over east Jerusalem and the West Bank. And while the change might be technical and bureaucratic, it could have potentially significant policy implications. US Amb. to Israel David Friedman (Photo: Reuters) As president, Trump has departed from traditional US insistence on a "two-state solution" for the Mideast conflict by leaving open the possibility of just one state. As his administration prepares to unveil a long-awaited peace plan, the Palestinians have all but cut off contact, enraged by Trump's decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem. Ambassador Friedman's remarks (: ) X The deliberations come as Friedman, who has pushed for changes to the consulate since he arrived in Israel last year, faces growing indignation in the US over partisan comments and other actions in which he has publicly sided with Israel over its critics. On Thursday, a top Democratic lawmaker even suggested Friedman should be recalled after he waded into domestic US politics on Israel's behalf, telling an Israeli newspaper that Democrats have failed to support Israel as much as Republicans. For decades, the Jerusalem consulate has operated differently than almost every other consulate around the world. Rather than reporting to the US Embassy in Israel, it has reported directly to the State Department in Washington, giving the Palestinians an unfiltered channel to engage with the US government. Ivanka Trump at the US Embassy in Jerusalem (Photo: EPA) That arrangement was relatively clear-cut before Trump moved the embassy. Until Trump's decision in December to move it from Tel Aviv, the United States did not r ecognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The Jerusalem consulate provided services to Americans in Jerusalem and also served as the de facto US embassy to the Palestinians, who claim east Jerusalem for the capital of a future independent state. Trump's pre-recorded message (: ) X But since Trump earlier this month moved the embassy to Jerusalem, the situation has become more complicated. Now the US maintains an embassy in one part of the city and a separate consulate less than a mile away, potentially creating confusion about who has ultimate authority if, for example, an American citizen needs help and turns to the US government. No final decision has been made about what changes to make to the consulate's chain of command, a decision complicated by the consulate's unique circumstances. But the embassy, run by Friedman, is expected to end up with ultimate authority over the consulate, officials said. They weren't authorized to discuss the matter publicly and requested anonymity. Dan Shapiro, the former US ambassador to Israel, said such a move would be perceived as undermining Palestinians' claims to sovereignty and statehood aspirations, because it would suggest that Washington considers the Palestinian Authority to be under Israel's jurisdiction. Otherwise, Shapiro said, why would it expect the Palestinians to talk to the US through its mission to Israel? "They don't want to deal with the US embassy to Israel as their channel," said Shapiro, now a scholar at Israel's Institute for National Security Studies. "They want their voice to be heard directly in Washington." Gaza clashes flurrying up following Trump's decision to move embassy to Jerusalem (Photo: AP, AFP) Typically, the head of a consulate, known as a consul general, reports to the ambassador, who has "chief of mission authority" over all US authority. The closest comparable case to the Jerusalem situation is the US Consulate in Hong Kong, which also has its own chief of mission who does not report to the US ambassador in Beijing. Friedman has advocated for having the embassy in Jerusalem subsume the consulate, officials said, although the State Department has ruled out that possibility. Other possibilities include allowing the consulate to retain some day-to-day authorities while letting the embassy set the direction for major policy decisions. Staunchly pro-Israel and with close ties to the West Bank settler movement, Friedman is broadly seen by Palestinian leadership as lacking good faith in US efforts to mediate a fair resolution to the Mideast conflict. But on the consulate issue, he has an ally in the White House in the form of national security adviser John Bolton, the officials said. US Embassy moves to Jerusalem (Photo: AFP) It wasn't clear precisely when the changes would be made, although one official said the administration is waiting until current Consul General Donald Blome leaves Jerusalem over the summer, possibly in July. Regardless of any changes, the Jerusalem consulate will remain the primary US point of contact for the Palestinian Authority and for Palestinians, including those in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip seeking visas or other US consular services. "Consulate General Jerusalem continues to operate as an independent mission with an unchanged mandate from its historic Agron Road location," the State Department said in a statement. Such changes would likely be carried out by Trump issuing new "letters of instruction," which delegate authorities to ambassadors and chiefs of mission, to Friedman and whoever heads the Jerusalem consulate, the official said. Separately, the Trump administration is also facing calls in Congress for the US to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, the strategic plateau that Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war. Although Israel annexed the Golan in 1981, the US and others consider it to be disputed territory with its status subject to an eventual peace deal between Israel and Syria. IDF forces at Golan Heights (Photo: Ido Erez) In recent months, however, Iran's increasing involvement in Syria and growing presence in southern Syria near the Golan Heights have drawn alarm in Israel and elsewhere, leading some US law and policy-makers to believe that the Washington should end its official neutrality in a show of support for Israeli security in the face of a threat from Iran and its proxies. Ideas under discussion range from flat-out recognition that the Golan is part of Israel to lifting restrictions on US investment incentives for projects or more symbolic steps like including the area on official maps as part of Israel. The US military has held preliminary discussions about moving a powerful missile defence system to Germany to boost European defences, according to two sources familiar with the issue, a move that experts said could trigger fresh tensions with Moscow. The tentative proposal to send the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to Europe predates US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear accord, and comes amid a broader push to strengthen Europe's air and missile defences. While Europe and the United States are at odds over the fate of the nuclear agreement, they share concerns about Iran's continued development of ballistic missiles. Lt. Hadar Goldin's comrades-in-arms have sent an open letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling on him not to allow the Gaza Strip's rehabilitation until the remains of Goldin and fellow fallen IDF soldier Oron Shaul are returned to Israel for burial. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Goldin and Shaul were both killed during the 2014 Operation Protective Edge in Gaza, and their bodies have been held by Hamas ever since. As an act of protest, the soldiers from Goldin's unit plan to return their Operation Protective Edge campaign medals to the Defense Ministry if the return of the soldiers' bodies is not made a condition to Gaza's rehabilitation. Goldin's friends with their Protective Edge campaign medals (Photo: Shaul Golan) "A campaign medal that does not represent values is worthless," Goldin's fellow soldiers wrote in the letter sent to the Prime Minister's Office. "The war is not over until the last of the soldiers is returned home," they said. Hundreds of the Givati reconnaissance battalion's former soldiers signed the letter, which was posted online. "Today, almost four years after Operation Protective Edge, we, the Givati reconnaissance battalion's former soldiers and Hadar Goldin's subordinates, stand ashamed in light of unfulfilled promises, ashamed in light of the abandonment of citizens and soldiers held captive by Hamas," they lamented. "As countries around the world once again seek to rehabilitate Gaza, a window is opened to the most humane and just demand," they went on to say. "We expect you (the prime minister) to stand as a wall against any international attempt to advance a solution in Gaza that does not include the return of Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul first." Hadar Goldin, left, and Oron Shaul "It is impossible to overstate how important it is to us, the reservist soldiers who are called to battle, to see the captive soldiers returned home. It is also important for the new recruits who are about to begin their military service, and it is necessary for mothers and fathers, siblings and partners and friends, and it is imperative for the security of the State of Israel," the authors concluded. Or Cohen, who served with Goldin in the same team, is behind the letter. "I issued this letter because I realized that carrying on being stately, and waiting for the state to do the moral thing towards the guys and their families, won't happen, and we need to take the initiative and do this ourselves," Cohen said. Explaining the timing of the letter, he said, "It's because there's another agreement to rehabilitate the stripwhich, by the way, I think is a welcomed thingbut it needs to have a precondition: returning the guys." Simcha Goldin, Hadar's father, said that "the initiatives by Hadar's friends from the Givati reconnaissance battalion moves us and proves that friendship and camaraderie are the most important values for the existence of the State of Israel." NEW YORK - A top aide to Kim Jong Un was en route to Washington Friday to hand a letter from the North Korean leader to President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said after reporting "good progress" in talks between the two sides to revive an on-again, off-again nuclear summit. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter "I am confident we are moving in the right direction," Pompeo told reporters at a news conference in New York after meeting Thursday with former North Korean military intelligence chief Kim Yong Chol. "Our two countries face a pivotal moment in our relationship, and it would be nothing short of tragic to let this opportunity go to waste." He would not say that the summit is a definite go for Singapore on June 12 and could not say if that decision would be made after Trump reads Kim Jong Un's letter. However, his comments were the most positive from any US official since Trump abruptly canceled the meeting last week after belligerent statements from the North. Kim meets with Pompeo (file photo) (Photo: AP) Early Thursday, Trump told reporters "we are doing very well" with North Korea. He added there may even need to be a second or third summit meeting to reach a deal on North Korean denuclearization but still hedged, saying "maybe we'll have none." Kim Yong Chol left his hotel in New York City early Friday for the trip to Washington in a convoy of SUVs. He is the highest-ranking North Korean official to visit the US in 18 years, and his trip to the White House will be a highly symbolic sign of easing tensions after fears of war escalated amid North Korean nuclear and missile tests last year. Pompeo, the former CIA chief who has traveled to North Korea and met with Kim Jong Un twice in the past two months, said he believed the country's leaders are "contemplating a path forward where they can make a strategic shift, one that their country has not been prepared to make before." He tweeted from New York: "Good progress today during our meetings" with Kim and his team. Yet he also said at his news conference that difficult work remains including hurdles that may appear to be insurmountable as negotiations progress on the US demand for North Korea's complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization. "We will push forward to test the proposition that we can achieve that outcome," he said. US President Donald Trump (Photo: AP) Pompeo spoke after meeting with Kim Yong Chol for a little more than two hours at the residence of the deputy US ambassador to the United Nations. The talks had been expected to be held in two sessions, one in the morning and one in the early afternoon, and had not been expected to conclude until 1:30pm. Instead, the two men wrapped up at 11:25am. Pompeo said they finished everything they needed to address in the morning session. Immediately afterward, he tweeted that he had had substantive talks on the priorities for the potential summit. Pompeo was accompanied by Andrew Kim, the head of a CIA unit assigned to work on North Korea, and Mark Lambert, the head of the State Department's Korea desk. "Our secretary of state is having very good meetings," Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews before departing on a trip to Texas. He said of the North Koreans, "I believe they will be coming down to Washington on Friday. A letter being delivered to me from Kim Jong Un. It is very important to them." "It is all a process," he said of arranging the summit. "Hopefully we will have a meeting on the 12th." Despite the upbeat messaging in the United States, Kim Jong Un, in a meeting with Russia's foreign minister on Thursday, complained about the US trying to spread its influence in the region, a comment that may complicate the summit plans. "As we move to adjust to the political situation in the face of US hegemonism, I am willing to exchange detailed and in-depth opinions with your leadership and hope to do so moving forward," Kim told Sergey Lavrov. Kim meets with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov (Photo: AFP) North Korea's flurry of diplomatic activity following an increase in nuclear weapons and missile tests in 2017 suggests that Kim is eager for sanctions relief to build his economy and for the international legitimacy a summit with Trump would provide. But there are lingering doubts on whether he will ever fully relinquish his nuclear arsenal, which he may see as his only guarantee of survival in a region surrounded by enemies. Trump views a summit as a legacy-defining opportunity to make a nuclear deal, but he has left the world guessing since canceling the meeting last week in an open letter to Kim that complained of the North's "tremendous anger and open hostility." North Korea's conciliatory response to that letter appears to have put the summit back on track. Trump's letter to Kim (Photo: AFP) Kim Yong Chol is the most senior North Korean visitor to the United States since Vice Marshal Jo Myong Rok visited Washington in 2000 to meet President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. That was the last time the two sides, which are technically at war, attempted to arrange a leadership summit. It was an effort that ultimately failed as Clinton's time in office ran out, and relations turned sour again after George W. Bush took office in early 2001 with a tough policy on the North. Kim Yong Chol, vice chairman of the North Korean ruling party's central committee, was allowed into the United States despite being on a US sanctions list, and North Korean officials are not normally allowed to travel outside the New York area. The North Korean mission at the United Nations did not respond to an email seeking comment Thursday, and phone calls were not answered. Incendiary kites flown from the Gaza Strip into Israel caused fires in Kibbutz Miflasim and Kibbutz Kissufim on Friday afternoon. No one was hurt. Firefighting teams were on the scene to combat the blazes. Human rights activist Jafar Farah, who accused a police officer of breaking his leg in a demonstration two weeks ago , returned to protest in solidarity with Gaza residents on Friday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Some 200 protesters at the German Colony in Haifa waved Palestinian flags and held up signs that said "We're against the occupation" and "from Haifa to Gaza." The demonstration, organized by the Hadash party, took place while Palestinians protested on the Gaza border under the tagline "Friday from Haifa to Gaza." Protesters in Haifa (Photo: Avihu Shapira) "I won't be able to walk too much in my condition, but I want people to see they didn't break us," said Farah, the director of the Mossawa Center. "There's a message here: you can't suppress a different opinion, and I won't aid this suppression." Jafar Farah (Photo: Avihu Shapira) Farah, who was arrested along with 20 others, claimed a police officer broke his leg while he was in detention, which led to his hospitalization. Protesters in Haifa (Photo: Avihu Shapira) Earlier this week, police decided to put the officer suspected of assaulting Farah on forced leave. Police said they would consider "taking administrative and/or disciplinary actions" in accordance with the findings of the Police Investigations Unit's probe. Protesters in Haifa (Photo: Avihu Shapira) Among the protesters was also the head of the Joint List MK Ayman Odeh and former MK Mohammad Barakeh, the head of the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel. "The Palestinian people are fighting against the siege and against the occupation, and we from our place here are fighting our own way," Odeh said. Protesters in Haifa (Photo: Avihu Shapira) The protest had a permit from police and did not lead to any violent incidents. An additional protest is planned for 9pm Friday whose organizers did not receive a permit. The Haifa Police called on Arab leaders to work to calm the tensions in the city and warned protesters "not to be dragged after lawbreaking radicals." NEW YORK - The United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Friday that sought to explore ways to ensure "international protection" for Palestinian civilians, while the council voted down a competing US proposal to condemn Hamas over the recent escalation of violence in Gaza. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The votes came after weeks of urgent discussions that had highlighted deep divisions in the UN's most powerful body about how to respond to the bloodshed. In vetoing the Arab-backed measure drafted by Kuwait, US Ambassador Nikki Haley called it "grossly one-sided" for demanding that the IDF halt "the use of any excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate force" while not mentioning Hamas, the terrorist group that controls Gaza. US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley (Photo: Reuters) "This resolution is wildly inaccurate in its characterization of recent events in Gaza" and "would harm any efforts toward peace," she said. "The terrorist group Hamas bares primary responsibility for the awful living conditions in Gaza," Haley went on to say. But Kuwaiti Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi said the veto stood to exacerbate the problems in Gaza. "It will increase the sentiment of despair among the Palestinians," he said. France, Russia, China, Ivory Coast, Kazakhstan, Bolivia, Peru, Sweden, and Equatorial Guinea joined Kuwait in voting in favor, while only the United States voted against. Britain, the Netherlands, Poland and Ethiopia abstained. A resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the United States, Britain, France, Russia or China to be adopted. US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley with Israel's Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon (Photo: AP) The proposed US resolution, meanwhile, deleted the reference to Israeli force and protecting Palestinians. Instead, it demanded that Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups stop "all violent activity and provocative actions" in Gaza. Only the United States voted in favor of the second draft resolution, while there were three negative votes and 10 abstentions. In two months of mass protests at the Gaza border, some 110 Palestinians were killed and thousands wounded by IDF fire as troops were defending the border from attempts by Hamas to attack under the cover of the protest. Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad bombarded southern Israel with rockets and mortars Tuesday, and Israel responded by striking targets throughout Gaza . Hamas said Wednesday it had agreed to a ceasefire with Israel. The UN Security Council meets on Gaza (Photo: Reuters) The vetoed Kuwaiti draft resolution expressed "grave concern" at the increased violence and deteriorating situation in the Palestinian territories and calls for urgent steps to ensure a "durable and fully respected ceasefire." It asked UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for a written report within 60 days on ways to ensure "the safety, protection and well-being of the Palestinian civilian population under Israeli occupation," including recommendations about "an international protection mechanism." The measure also urges humanitarian access and seeks "tangible steps" toward reconciliation between different Palestinian factions. Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon called the draft biased and "not worthy of consideration by the Security Council." Neither Israel nor the Palestinians are members of the council. At Kuwait's request, the council has held multiple emergency meetings on the border clashes. The US called an emergency session Wednesday on the barrage of rockets and mortars the day prior. WASHINGTON - A top aide to Kim Jong Un met with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Friday to deliver a letter from the North Korean leader as the two sides try to revive an on-again, off-again nuclear summit. Kim Yong Chol was greeted at the White House by chief of staff John Kelly and then whisked into the Oval Office. He is the most senior North Korean to visit the White House in 18 years, a highly symbolic sign of easing tensions after fears of war escalated amid North Korean nuclear and missile tests last year. The contents of the letter were not immediately known. Russia's Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya confirmed to journalists on Friday that to his understanding, an agreement has been reached between Jerusalem and Moscow about removing Iranian forces from the Syrian-Israeli border. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter "My understanding is that the agreement was reached. Whether it has been implemented as of now, I cannot answer," Nebenzya said. "If it hasn't been done by now, it will be done in the near future." "I understand that parties that were involved in reaching the agreement are satisfied with what they have reached," he added. X According to a report in the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, the Iranian forces will initially pull back its forces to within 20 kilometers of the border, and later to a range of 60 to 70 kilometers, with Russia underlining the fact that this was a gradual process. In addition, Russia has reportedly given Israel a "green light" on operating in Syria's territory under the condition it will not harm Syrian regime centers. Meanwhile, a Syrian war monitor reported that Iranian troops and fighters of Lebanon's Hezbollah group are preparing to withdraw from southern Syria. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Thursday Iranian advisers and Hezbollah fighters will be withdrawing from the southern regions of Daraa and Quneitra near the Golan Heights. Russia's Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya (Photo: AP) The agreement between Israel and Russia comes after Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman met in Moscow with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygu on Thursday to discuss the situation in Syria and Iran's presence there. Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly wanted Israel to allow Syrian President Bashar Assad's army to move southwards to the Jordanian border and secure all of the Syrian Golan Heights. In return, the Russian president is willing to promise Israel that Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps and Iran-affiliated militias will not be present in the territories Assad's army takes. Lieberman meets with Shoygu in Moscow (Photo: Defense Ministry) What the Russians are suggesting is to pull back forces loyal to Iranincluding Hezbollahto a distance of 60-70 kilometers east of the ceasefire line in the Israeli Golan. In any event, they will certainly not be present beyond the road connecting Damascus and as-Suwayda, the capital of the Druze governorate of Syria, and the Jordanian border. The Syrian army's purpose in so doing, as per Russian sources, is to overtake three areas. The first is the Jordanian-Syrian Nasib border crossing southeast of Daraa and the second is Tel al-Harra, which overlooks the Israeli Golan and the armistice linemerely 12 kilometers east of the Israeli border. Until the latter location was taken two years ago by rebels, it housed an Iranian intelligence outpost that collected signal intelligence from both observations and wiretaps, not just from Syrian rebels but alsoand mostlyfrom Israel. The third point is the town of Busra al-Harir, 30 kilometers northeast of Daraa. These three strategic points will effectively allow the Syrian army to control the entire region, over which it currently only has partial control. Rebels number some 35,000 strong in the area, include Islamic State combatants present in the tri-border area of Syria, Israel and Jordan. The Syrian regime, with Russian support, is therefore attempting to isolate the Syrian rebels encamped in the Lajat region, with as-Suwayda in its center, and put some daylight between them and the Jordanian border, through which they receive US aid. Russia plans to introduce Russian military policemen to the region once it's taken by the Syrian army, who will then disarm the rebels of their heavy weapons. This ambitious Russian scheme has met with resistance from both Israel and Jordan. The Russians have asked Israel to not prevent the Syrian army from going down into the region, and to refrain from retaliating if errant regime fire trickles from Syria so as not to sabotage its war effort. Israel was also asked to not target Russian advisers embedded with the Syrian forces. The UN Security Council voted down on Friday a US-written resolution condemning Hamas over the recent escalation of violence in Gaza. The US was the only yes vote for the measure. The vote came after the US vetoed a Kuwaiti proposal to ask the secretary-general to propose ways to ensure "international protection" for Palestinian civilians. The Kuwaiti resolution also demanded a halt to the "the use of any excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate force" by the IDF. The US said it was one-sided for not mentioning Hamas. The US resolution deleted the references to Israeli force and protecting Palestinians. Instead, it demanded that Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups stop "all violent activity and provocative actions" in Gaza. News Washington, DC - The United States and Canada began negotiations to modernize the Columbia River Treaty regime in Washington, DC on May 29-30. Acting Assistant Secretary Francisco Palmieri welcomed U.S. and Canadian negotiating teams and opened the first session of talks. He thanked our Canadian allies for more than 50 years of excellent transboundary collaboration in the Columbia River Basin. During two days of talks, the U.S. and Canadian negotiators discussed objectives, outlined the scope of the negotiations, and reaffirmed the spirit of cooperation that has made the Treaty an international model for transboundary water agreements. The U.S. negotiating team underscored that U.S. objectives in this negotiation include continued, careful management of flood risk; ensuring a reliable and economical power supply; and better addressing ecosystem concerns. Jill Smail, U.S. Chief Negotiator for the Columbia River Treaty, leads the U.S. negotiating team. The U.S. negotiating team also includes representatives from the Bonneville Power Administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Northwestern Division (which together form the U.S. Entity that has responsibility for Treaty implementation in the United States); the Department of the Interior; and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The U.S. and Canadian teams plan to hold the next round of discussions August 15-16, 2018, in British Columbia. - A Plus has been served another notice to retract and apologise over a series of corruption allegations against the deputy chief of staff - A demand notice was issued on Wednesday, May 30, 2018, and signed by Samson Lardy Anyenini of A-Partners@Law, Solicitors of Mr. Asenso-Boakye Controversial comedian, Kwame A Plus, has been warned by lawyers of Deputy Chief of Staff, Francis Asenso-Boakye, to apologise and retract his defamatory comments or face court action. The outspoken New Patriotic Party (NPP) sympathizer has been a strong critic of some appointees of the Nana Addo government. A Plus is on record to have accused Asenso-Boakye of engaging in corrupt acts at the Office of the President. Kwame A Plus READ ALSO: Late JBs wife shades Kennedy Agyapong? According to him, the deputy Chief of Staff collects huge amounts from people before allowing them to see the President. However, he has been asked to apologise and retract his comments, which Mr. Asenso-Boakye deem as defamatory. In a letter addressed through his lawyers to the musician, the deputy Chief of Staff said A Plus has waged a sustained crusade with intent to damage his reputation. Our client takes a serious view of said statements including one dated 23rd May 2018 same being completely false, the letter read. Your written retraction and apology, which must be delivered within seven days from the date first above, must be given the same publicity and prominence as the defamatory claims and must be unequivocal, unconditional and subject to the prior approval of our client and his solicitors. We have firm instructions to, without further notice to you and upon your failure, neglect or refusal to fully satisfy our clients demands herein, take out a suit and hold you, and such as are carelessly and maliciously repeating the false claims, liable. Click here to join our Ghana Football Fans Zone ahead of the Russia 2018 World Cup This is the second time in less than 48 hours that A plus has been warned to retract his statements or face a lawsuit. On Tuesday, Communications Minister Ursula Owusu Ekuful, also threatened to sue the musician for defaming her with his comments. Ghana Trends: Rawlings Official Apologizes to Mahama and Kufuor: READ ALSO: Angel Obinim enjoys vacation in Barcelona with his wife Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish on YEN.com.gh? Please contact us on Facebook or Instagram now. Source: Yen.com.gh Communications Minister, Mrs. Ursula Owusu Ekuful, wowed the entire Parliament when she sang a verse from the Bible, Thursday. Her song from Exodus chapter 22 seemed to draw admiration from the majority members of the House but the minority appeared indifferent. She had initially started reading the verse until she burst out singing the rest of it. Hon.Ursula Owusu READ ALSO: Late JBs wife shades Kennedy Agyapong? Th Minister had been invited to the House to answer questions on the controversial Kelni GVG contract that has attracted criticism from the minority and policy think tank IMANI Ghana. The telecommunication networks have also been kicking against the proposal for Kelni GVG to monitor them. The minister however says she believes the telcos have an ulterior motive for this. READ ALSO: Angel Obinim enjoys vacation in Barcelona with his wife their main motivation may have been their unwillingness for GOG to have full visibility of their actual traffic volumes to determine the real taxes payable on the revenues earned from them, she said. Watch the minister's video today: Ghana Trends: How Anas Aremeyaw Anas Caused a Stir With Latest Investigation | Yen.com.gh Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish on YEN.com.gh? Please contact us on Facebook now! Source: Yen - Madam Ursular Owusu is calling on Ghanaians to ignore 'ugly noises' from members of the NDC on the GVG deal - The Minister of Communications says the $178m Kelni-GVG contract is the best deal Ghana can ever have The Minister of Communications, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has called on Ghanaians to ignore needless criticisms from the opposition members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) regarding the $178m Kelni-GVG contract. According to the minister, accusations of corruptions and underhand dealings by some members of the NDC in the award of the revenue assurance monitoring contract to Kelni-GVG are frivolous. READ ALSO: MzVee's male fans can't keep calm after seeing her 'tiny twin towers' in latest Instagram photos Addressing members of parliament on Thursday, Ursula Owusu indicated that the 178 million dollar contract is the best deal the country can get for the kind of service needed. The minister in her address further stated that Ghana would own all the equipment for the execution of the contract after five years. The Kelni-GVG deal has been subject of public controversy since policy think tank, IMANI Africa raised the alarm over the cost of the project. However, Ursula Owusu in her encounter with the MPs insisted that the deal will further save the country more than a million dollars per month. READ ALSO: Kwasi Pratt fires CID on behalf of Anthony Karbo over Anas expose This issue has, rather, unfortunately, generated some apprehension which in my view, is unnecessaryInevitably, the monthly traffic data collated by the NCA and the network operators for free was substantially the same data presented by Subah and Afriwave for which the latter companies were paying 2.6 dollars per month. Mr Speaker, we were paying for no work done. This was the situation the NPP government inherited, and it clearly could not continue. The Minister also added that, fee for this transaction, $1.49 million per month, (as against the $2.6 million paid monthly to both Subah and Afriwave) is within the industry average for Platform as a Service (PaaS) contracts of this nature. The vendors have already procured and delivered equipment worth over $50m as part of the contract sum, at no extra cost to the state and this represents significant cost savings to the nation. READ ALSO: Becca drops visuals for her latest music video and all her fans can't keep calm The IMANI boss, Franklin Cudjoe had earlier urged the government not to hesitate in abrogating the $89 million contract between Ghana and GVG/Kelni. Franklin Cudjoe had also petitioned Vice President Bawumia to revoke the contract for the design, development and implementation of a common platform for traffic monitoring, revenue assurance and mobile money monitoring. Check out some of the trending news in Ghana in YEN.com.gh's video below: Yen.com.gh is building a platform where Ghanaians can share local news and own experiences with each other. Witnessing an incident? Want to tell about a local problem? Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition? Your stories and photos are always welcome. Message us on Facebook or Instagram Source: Yen YEN.com.gh has sighted a video of Ghanaian on-air-personality and comedienne, Afia Schwarzenegger threatening to expose all the celebrities who have visited the Obengfo Hospital for body enhancement surgeries. According to Afia Schwar, many celebrities have been secretly visiting Obengfo Hospital but have kept quiet since the man in charge got into trouble with the law. "I'm standing right in front of the hospital and I have a list of the names of the celebrities. I'll release it if the celebrities don't put on the (social media) pages that they support Dr Obengfo," she is seen saying in the video. READ ALSO: These are the two real photos of Anas as confirmed by sources Dr. Dominic Obeng-Andoh, Managing Director (MD) of the hospital, has been arrested and charged with murder following the death of Stacy Offei Darko, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer for National Entrepreneurship Innovation Programme (NEIP). Stacy, according to Kennedy Agyapong, her ex-partner with whom she has one child, went to the Obengfo Hospital to have her biceps and thighs reduced in size. Reports suggest that Stacy may have died as a result of a complication in the procedure and a possible negligence from the hospital staff. READ ALSO: Wild photos from Accra's biggest gay and lesbian party Dr Obeng-Andoh allegedly connived with some of his staff members to deposit Stacy's body at a morgue without informing her family. Charged with murder, Dr Obeng-Andoh was put before court on Tuesday and remanded. Afia Schwarzenegger, however, believes that no matter what, Dr Obeng-Andoh deserves some support especially from his clients. READ ALSO: Kennedy Agyapong finally unmasks Anas? 6 photos leak online She has therefore asked that everyone of them put an #IstandwithDrObengfo hashtag on their page or get exposed by her. Before this time, Moesha Bodoung was the only celebrity who had been reported to have visited Dr Obeng-Andoh's hospital after Abena Moet of Okay FM who is known to have been close to the actress suggested so. READ ALSO: Nana Aba Anamoah confirms leaked Anas photos; blasts Ken Agyapong's NET 2 TV Afia Schwar who has had several stints as a radio host with notable radio stations in Ghana, including Happy FM and EIB networks Kasapa FM is known to be a controversial person and may well be joking. But if what Afia Schwar is saying true, then we should have a tall list of 'made by Obengfo' ladies. Check out some of the trending news in Ghana in YEN.com.gh's video below: Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish on YEN.com.gh? Please contact us on Facebook or Instagram now Source: Yen Ghanas award-winning rapper, Sarkodie, is set to finally tie the knot with his long time girlfriend, Tracy. Born Michael Owusu Addo, the multiple award-winning rapper will take Tracy to the altar somewhere in July this year, according to a source inside the rappers camp. The source also indicated that Dj Mensah, Dr. Pounds and Angel Town will be part of the grooms men-to-be. READ ALSO: Kweku Baako reveals the true relationship between J.B Danquah's wife and Anas This will settle the many questions his huge fan base have been asking and clear all doubts about the rapper. Although the exact date for the wedding is not known yet, sources confirm it will definitely be in somewhere July this year. Sarkodie tand Tracy Sarkcess READ ALSO: Gays and lesbians hold party in Accra Sarkodie and Tracy have dated for a very long time. They currently have a child together. Last year, it was rumored that the two have tied the knot secret without any knowledge of the public but it turned out to be false. When pictures of Tracy in a wedding gown also popped up on social media, people began to speculate that she was sending a message to Sarkodie to come and see her mother. Ghana Trends: How Anas Aremeyaw Anas Caused a Stir With Latest Investigation | Yen.com.gh Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish on YEN.com.gh? Please contact us on Facebook now! Source: Yen.com.gh After facing severe criticisms from Ghanaians for things she said in an interview with CNN's Christian Amanpour, Moesha Buduong has bounced back to the internet with a bang. Though she did not lay low after the whole incident, Buduong did not show up with racy pictures as she used to. READ ALSO: Sarkodie to marry Tracy Sarkcess in July? Moesha had told Amanpour that the nature of Ghana's economy requires Ghanaian women to depend on married men to survive. She received heavy criticism from Ghanaians and came out to apologize later. She also set a national debate rolling on whether she painted a true picture of the Ghanaian woman. But Moesha has bounced back on social media doing what she does best, sharing amzing shots of her body. READ ALSO: I am not Anas: Legon student whose picture was shown by Kennedy Agyapong to drag him to court READ ALSO: A dismissed Tiger Eye employee is behind the fake photos of Anas Kweku Baako Ghana Trends: How Anas Aremeyaw Anas Caused a Stir With Latest Investigation | Yen.com.gh Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish on YEN.com.gh? Please contact us on Facebook now! Source: Yen Ghana - Veteran Ghanaian journalist, Kwaku Baako, has disclosed that he sometimes disagrees with Anas Aremeyaw Anas - He added that this is despite the fact that they have been working together for about two decades now - His comments were in reaction to the fact that lawmaker, Kennedy Agyapong claimed that Baako doesn't really know Anas The Editor-In-Chief of the New Crusading Guide, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, has revealed that he sometimes disagrees with ace investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas. According to him, he does not always agree to suggestions from his colleague, with respect to issues relating to their work. He further noted that inasmuch as he respects the opinions of his colleague, they thoroughly deliberate on sensitive issues before coming to conclusion to embark on a project. Kennedy Agyapong earlier stated that Kweku Baako does not really know Anas Aremeyaw Anas READ ALSO: Kweku Baako finally speaks on the source of the fake Anas photos? I have to be honest with him, but that doesnt influence my thought. I dont follow him like a zombie when he says something. It wont happen, Mr. Baako said on Peace FMs flagship morning show Kokrokoo. His comments were in reaction to remarks by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, to the effect that Kweku Baako has no idea who Anas really is. He is reported to have added that if he knew, he would have stopped defending Anas strategies in his line of work. In response, the veteran journalist disclosed that he shares the same birthday with Anas. He went on to say that he has worked with Anas for about two decades now, soon after Anas graduated from the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ). Kweku Baako again stated that he controls 60% of Kweku Baako Media Limited, whiles Anas controls the rest. READ ALSO: Rawlings 'attacks' babies with sharp teeth at his latest lecture. Animated Joke: Dead Horse Lottery | Yen.com.gh: Use the comments section below to share your views on this story. Do you have a story to share or you have information for us? Get featured on YEN.com.gh. Message us on Facebook or Instagram Source: Yen - Two students have been sacked from school for engaging in homosexual activity - School authorities of Nkawie Senior Technical School took this decision after a meeting - The Ghana Education Service is yet to respond to this development School authorities of the Nkawie Senior High Technical School have expelled two male students for allegedly being gay, the Weekend Today newspaper has reported. Reports claim the disciplinary committee of the school had taken this decision after a teacher reportedly saw both students in a compromised position in a classroom. READ ALSO: I am not Anas: Legon student whose picture was shown by Kennedy Agyapong to drag him to court The school authorities called us to announce their dismissal. They said their action is against the school rules and regulation, therefore, they cannot be part of the school, an insider is reported to have stated. So far, the Ghana Education Service (GES), is yet to comment on the event especially when the students implicated in this development are yet to make known their part of the story. READ ALSO: Kennedy Agyapong releases 6 alleged photos of Anas? Homosexuality is strictly prohibited in Ghana with recent debates getting the gay debate so polarized. In fact, a recent proposal by the British prime minister to help African countries including Ghana legalize homosexuality has struck a new wave of opposition to the LGBT committee. Ghana Trends: Rawlings Official Apologizes to Mahama and Kufuor Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish on YEN.com.gh? Please contact us on Facebook or Instagram now. Source: Yen.com.gh One of Ghanas screen goddesses, Juliet Ibrahim, has thrown a subtle shade at Ghanaian men in her latest Instagram post. The gorgeous actress has said that men do not think before they act. According to her, men just do things without having a second though about the consequences. She said however that same cannot be said for women. She indicated that for women, they take several things into consideration before they take a particular action. The mother of one made this known in a post on Instagram. Did you know that Men just do things? They literally just do. But women on the other hand think about the consequences before they do; pros and cons etc before doing? the post read. READ ALSO: Anas killed J.B. Danquah - Kennedy Agyapong claims Juliet Ibrahim earlier this year threatened to take legal action against media giant Joy FM over a tweet on the station's official twitter page. According to Joy Fm, the tweet that suggested the actress was calling someone an animal was meant for her boyfriend, Iceberg Slim. Recently, social media has been 'flooded' with headlines or rumours of break up of Juliet Ibrahim and Nigerian boyfriend, Ice Berg Slim. READ ALSO: Stop being madam all-knowing - Social media user slams Nana Aba Anamoah over NET2 Tv comments Ghana Trends: Rawlings Official Apologizes to Mahama and Kufuor: Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish on YEN.com.gh? Please contact us on Facebook now! Source: Yen.com.gh Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- The White House Thursday slammed a Democratic candidate for the U.S. House in Virginia Thursday for a new campaign ad he is running that compares President Donald Trump to Osama Bin Laden. Dan Helmer, an Iraq War veteran running in Virginia's 10th Congressional District, is out with a digital and television ad that states "After 9/11, the greatest threat to our democracy lived in a cave," as an image of Osama Bin Laden, the infamous Al-Qaeda leader behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks, flashed across the screen. "Today, he lives in the White House. No one, even the President, is above the law," the ad continues as an image of President Trump's inauguration appears. The White House condemned the ad, and called on House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to do the same. "The message sent in a campaign ad from a congressional candidate from Virginia is nothing short of reprehensible," White House principal deputy press secretary Raj Shah said in a statement. "Leaders from across the political spectrum starting with Leader Pelosi must swiftly condemn this abhorrent message." Responding directly to the White House Thursday, Helmer did not back down from the ad. "Our democracy is worth defending. I've spent my life doing that, including in service in our wars overseas, and I take seriously the oath I swore to defend our country," Helmer wrote in a statement provided to ABC News. "What's abhorrent is that President Trump doesn't take his oath to defend our Constitution just as seriously." Helmer's campaign says it is spending $500,000 to air the ad, which began running Thursday, on broadcast and digital platforms. "With this ad, we have joined others such as Thomas Friedman and Republican Senator Jeff Flake, sounding the alarm about the threat to our democracy that President Trump poses," Helmer's campaign manager Bonnie Krenz wrote in a statement provided to ABC News. Rep. Barbara Comstock, R-Va., Helmer's Republican opponent should he win the June 12 Democratic primary, called the Democrat's ad "outrageous" and "beyond the pale," in a statement on Twitter. The race in Virginia's 10th district, located in the suburbs southwest of Washington, D.C., is expected to be one of the most competitive in the nation this cycle. Hillary Clinton won the district by 10 points in the 2016 presidential election, and Helmer is one of six Democrats vying to unseat Comstock in November. Helmer, a West Point graduate and Rhodes Scholar, has also called for President Trump's impeachment and is a proponent of a Medicare-for-all healthcare option and the legalization of marijuana. In another campaign ad highlighting his support for stricter gun control laws, Helmer videotaped himself purchasing an assault rifle at a gun show "in less time than it takes to buy a cup of coffee." Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was received in Tbilisi with special honor for two reasons. First, Pashinyan's first official visit was paid to Georgia, while his visit to Russia was of a working nature. Second, the Georgian authorities watched the events in Armenia with caution - the local opposition did not hide that they perceive the "Armenian revolution" as a precedent, and the developments in Georgia may be similar. This was directly said by former President Mikhail Saakashvili. It was no accident that Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili greeted "the Armenian people's wisdom, unity and adherence to democratic ideals. In this way, the Georgian prime minister, who, according to the Constitution, has full authority in the country, openly supported the overthrow of the previous Armenian government, declared this act "a manifestation of the fair will of the people" and dissociated himself from deposed Serzh Sargsyan, hinting that his government is as progressive as Pashinyan's government, and therefore should not be overthrown. Thus, Pashinyan became the "legitimator" of the current authorities and weakened the opposition's chance to arrange something like "Yerevan Spring" in Tbilisi. But it was not only political implication during the visit. The parties "compared the notes" on many issues of the Armenian-Georgian relations. Kvirikashvili noted that the two countries "have a good chance to start a new round of relationships based on mutual respect." In his turn, Pashinyan called Tbilisi a city that "is filled with energy of common history of Armenians and Georgians." Concluding the "revolutionary theme", one can also note the enthusiastic reception prepared by the Armenian community of the Georgian capital for the new Armenian PM. They almost idolised him, thereby confirming that the revolution in Yerevan was genuinely supported by Armenians living in other countries. At the talks in the expanded format, the sides discussed the deepening of trade and economic relations. But the issue of railroad traffic from Russia to Armenia through the territory of Abkhazia was not on the agenda. But most recently, Russia and Georgia signed a contract with the Swiss company SGS on trade corridors, with a possible railroad at one of which. However, the prime ministers decided to bypass this sensitive topic, taking into account the involvement of other important regional players in the project. Pashinyan preferred to talk about his personal contribution to strengthening the Georgian-Armenian friendship: "I have always worked on this, including being a journalist and then a deputy, and now I will do it as prime minister." He thanked the Georgian journalists who participated in covering the events in Yerevan: "I have often seen them and am glad that I see them again in Tbilisi." Armenia's Prime Minister also held meetings with Speaker of Parliament Irakli Kobakhidze, President Giorgi Margvelashvili, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II, visited the Armenian Hovhannes Tumanyan House scientific-cultural center and the Armenian Apostolic Saint Gevork Church. Pashinyan also visited Javakheti, the Georgian region inhabited by Armenians. This is one of the delicate areas of bilateral relations, as there are problems in the region with the ownership of churches and other cultural heritage sites, the use of the state language, the regime of border crossing, illegal storage of weapons and crime. However, Pashinyan smoothed things over diligently and turned his visit into another demonstration of support for the new Armenian authorities, which, as the enthusiastic people believe, will solve all the Armenian problems - both current and historical. The first China-Russia Think Tank Forum kicked off in Beijing on May 29. Themed with China and Russia: Cooperation in the New Era, the forum attracted over 300 Chinese and Russian experts to exchange views on the prospects of bilateral cooperation. The event, jointly held by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), is the first think tank forum held under the collaboration of the two countries. It will be hosted in turns in China and Russia. People.cn reports in its article First China-Russia Think Tank Forum kicks off in Beijing that the two-day forum was attended by more than 350 representatives from the two countrys think tanks, media, academia, industries, and cultural circles, as well as related Chinese departments and foreign diplomatic agencies in China. During the forum, in-depth discussions have been carried out on the two countrys development of domestic and diplomatic affairs, coordination in a changing world, regional cooperation potentials, security cooperation, energy and infrastructure cooperation, bilateral economic relations in global economy, and people-to-people cooperation. China-Russia relations have become healthy and mature new-type relations between major countries through development over the years, which boosted development and forcefully safeguarded the sovereignty, security and development interests of the two countries, as well as the peace, stability and prosperity of the world, said Dai Bingguo, Chinese chairman of the China-Russia Friendship Committee for Peace and Development. Looking forward, China-Russia relations should scale new heights, to raise the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination between the two countries to a new higher level, Dai said. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov, who is also a RIAC member, said China-Russia cooperation has been fruitful over the past years and the two countries, through manners of political wisdom, have deepened economic and trade cooperation. Regional cooperation has become a new momentum for the promotion of bilateral ties, he added. Looking ahead, building a new international order of diversity, inclusiveness, equality and mutual trust will be an important direction for bilateral cooperation, he said. CASS and RIAC will jointly release a think-tank report during the forum. The Institute of International Studies at Fudan University, RIAC and the Institute of Far Eastern Studies at Russian Academy of Sciences will also jointly release a research report. The reports will provide reference for further development of China-Russia relations and synergy of strategies under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. Japan is keen to back oil investments in the Caspian states of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan as it tries to reduce its reliance on Middle Eastern countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, the UAE and to a lesser extent Iran, Japanese officials. S&P Global Platts reports in its article Japan sees further potential in its Caspian oil investments that Japan also aims to avoid a sharp drop in imports from Iran and to seek some form of exemption from the renewed US sanctions against Tehran, the principal deputy director of the oil and gas division at Japan's ministry of economy, trade and industry (METI), Daisuke Hirota, told Platts on the sidelines of a conference in Baku. Japanese state-controlled company JOGMEC signed a memorandum of understanding Wednesday on cooperating in oil exploration at "promising" blocks offshore Azerbaijan, which is home to one of the world's oldest oil industries. The agreement also covered technological cooperation and training, notably in enhanced oil recovery techniques. Japan's Inpex holds stakes in Azerbaijan's flagship oil complex ACG (Azeri-Chirag-Deepwater Gunashli) and the BTC pipeline, and in Kazakhstan's giant Kashagan field. Japan's Itochu also holds a stake in ACG, Daisaku Hiraki, parliamentary vice-minister at METI, noted in a speech to the conference. Projects such as ACG and Kashagan "are extremely important for Japan's energy security from the viewpoint of energy diversification," Hiraki told the event. "Japan has been strongly tied to the Caspian region... Much potential of natural resources still exists in the Caspian region." In March, state-owned JOGMEC provided Inpex with Yen 60 billion ($550 million) to support expansion of Kazakhstan's Kashagan field, which came on stream in 2016 after much delay. Caspian oil accounts for only a small share of Japan's imports. Around 28,000 b/d was imported from Kazakhstan last year, compared with much larger amounts from the Middle East, and 185,000 b/d from Russia, the latter being mainly light oil shipped from the Russian Far East, Hirota said. But Caspian oil projects provide an element of energy security through potential swap arrangements in emergency situations, and further increases in production could help restrain prices for the region's relatively pricey crude, Hirota said. "In emergency these kind of oil assets are very useful," he added. Hirota noted that roughly 40% of Japan's crude imports come from Saudi Arabia and the UAE combined, while about 5% is from Iran. On US sanctions against Iran, Hirota said Japan was seeking clarification from the US and played down the prospect of reducing Iranian crude imports, something the Petroleum Association of Japan has said could happen from October. He noted Japan had an exemption from the US and EU-led sanctions regime earlier in the decade. "We continued to import about 170,000 b/d from Iran and now we continue to import from Iran at this level," he told S&P Global Platts. "We think to continue to get the exemption from the US to keep this amount of imports from Iran." "Japanese companies don't want to stop imports suddenly," he said, adding the US position needed clarifying. "The situation in the US government is drastically changing every day," he said. "Now we are collecting information and keep in touch with the US government." "We need to continue to keep imports, and to keep imports from Iran we need to get information and communication with the US government," he said. Iran's relatively low-cost crude is valued by Japanese refiners partly because of its heavier quality, Hirota noted. Moments after Kim Jong Un became the first North Korean leader to cross into the South last month, he convinced his counterpart Moon Jae-in to step back with him across the border. Business Times reports in its article Kim's quest to make North Korea normal again that that's becoming ever clearer in the run-up to Mr Kim's planned meeting with US President Donald Trump in Singapore next month. The on-again, off-again summit remains in doubt as the US tries to figure out what it will take for Mr Kim to trade away his nuclear arsenal. Discerning the motives of Mr Kim - a 30-something leader often lampooned in the West as an overweight madman with a funny haircut - will be key to understanding what kind of deal is possible. Judging from his public statements and state-run media, at least two things appear evident: he wants a deal to ease sanctions, but he won't give up his nuclear weapons until he feels safe enough to retain power without them. "The word that defines Kim Jong Un's current state is anxiety - fear for both his life and the security of his leadership," said Youngshik Bong, a researcher at Yonsei University's Institute for North Korean Studies in Seoul. "He wants to be the leader of an ordinary country, but the justification of abandoning nuclear weapons and missiles in return for economic prosperity isn't guaranteed to be welcomed by the entire political elite," Mr Bong added. "Opponents will be quiet as long as there is a viable inflow of economic prosperity and a sudden improvement of living standards with the lifting of economic sanctions." In many ways, the world is just getting to know Mr Kim. His recent interactions with the outside world - including two meetings each with Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korea's Mr Moon - showed another side to the brutal dictator presumed to have killed his family members in a bid to consolidate power. He's proven to be a skillful diplomat who can use humour, humility and flattery to achieve his goals. In March, Mr Kim made his first trip overseas, a secretive journey by train to meet Mr Xi in Beijing - repairing ties with North Korea's largest trading partner. Mr Xi told Mr Kim that China had made a "strategic choice" to have friendly ties with North Korea, and they would "remain unchanged under any circumstances". The two leaders followed it up with another meeting in early May. Mr Kim's two summits with Mr Moon have revealed even more about his personality. In April, when Mr Kim walked into South Korea, both leaders declared "a new era of peace" and sought a formal end to the seven-decade-old Korean War. He capped the day off with an address to reporters - the first time he has ever spoken live to the world. Last weekend, Mr Kim abruptly requested a meeting with Mr Moon to discuss relations with the US. Afterward, Mr Moon said that Mr Kim was worried about whether he could trust the US to "guarantee the security of his regime after his denuclearisation". The possibility of getting overthrown is a real worry for Mr Kim. US National Security Adviser John Bolton amplified those concerns by calling on him to give up his nuclear weapons before getting sanctions relief while citing the case of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who took that approach before he was murdered in an uprising. North Korean statements vilifying Mr Bolton and Vice-President Mike Pence for referencing Libya prompted Mr Trump last week to cancel the planned June 12 summit in Singapore. North Korea then flattered the US president the next day, saying the "Trump formula" might lead to a resolution. Mr Trump has since indicated that the meeting may proceed as scheduled. While Mr Kim has said he's open to "complete denuclearisation", the definition of that remains unclear. He may demand the US remove troops from the Korean Peninsula or American nuclear assets from the region. Mr Trump, for his part, has recently shown more flexibility on how denuclearisation would occur. Once in power, Mr Kim moved away the doctrine of "songun", or military first, pushed by his father. He quickly adopted a new strategy of "byongjin", or simultaneously pursuing nuclear weapons and economic growth. "He has his nukes, now he needs economic assistance and development," said Ralph Cossa, president of Hawaii-based Pacific Forum. "That requires the lifting of sanctions. He also seeks legitimacy, and he is getting that." Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh has asked OPEC to include a separate agenda item for the June OPEC meeting on support to the member country that is under Western sanctions. Moscow believes that by announcing a unilateral withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, the US sought a total confrontation with the Islamic Republic of Iran to achieve its own political goals. Commenting on the situation, senior research fellow of the Institute for Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladimir Sazhin, said that the nuclear deal was the most important element that could solve the Iranian nuclear problem: "I regard this document as the second most important to strengthen the regime of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons since the beginning of the nuclear era, since 1945. The first one was the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The international community showed that it is still possible to curb the nuclear ambitions of any country. The JCPOA can serve an example for solving many other important, serious, maybe even non-nuclear problems." According to Vladimir Sazhin, Trump's withdrowal from the deal will affect the idea of non-proliferation: "Trump's policy in this respect opens the way for the "threshold" powers, there are about 30 of which in the world, that can create nuclear infrastructure, if not an atomic bomb. It opens an opportunity of not paying attention to the IAEA and other international laws and do what they want." Answering the question whether the US decision would lead to a breakdown of the international nuclear program deal, Sazhin said: "Not only Russia and China, members of the P5+1, which held negotiation with Iran since 2006, opposed the US policy, but also and three US allies who were co-authors of the JCPOA - the UK, Germany and France, who immediately criticised Trump's decision. The fate of the SVPD is hanging by a thread. If Europe manages to withstand US pressure, it is possible that the JCPOA will be preserved in a somewhat different form. Iranian officials said that if everyone except the United States complies with the requirements of the JCPOA, Iran will also not leave this agreement. So there is hope that after the JCPOA will function without the US. " According to coordinator of the Middle East programs of the Russian International Affairs Council Ruslan Mammadov, the problem is that any large European company that is interested in the Iranian market may not get immunity from these US sanctions. European governments are not going to protect their companies from US sanctions. "When companies assess the US markets in which they are present and the Iranian market, they understand that it would be better to abandon the Iranian market for the sake of the agreements they have with the US market. European companies can go to Iran only if European institutions agree to protect their companies. But, apparently, it will not happen," the expert believes. According to Mammadov, sanctions of the United Nations and the EU were more worse for Iran than the US sanctions: "The EU expressed regret that these sanctions were adopted, but countries like Saudi Arabia and Israel, of course, expressed satisfaction. Recently, news came that Saudi Arabia had introduced sanctions against German companies that could participate in public tenders. Saudi Arabia's differences with some European companies are tied to Iran ... In my opinion, Iran will not change its regional policy. Perhaps, even the deterioration of the situation is possible, first of all, for US interests in the region. The Iranians have a variety of options here, including pressing, counteracting the Americans in Syria, Iraq and other countries." Turkey's fresh fruit and vegetable exports rose 25 pct from Jan.-April, year-on-year, reaching $794 million. Anadolu Agency reports in its article Russian exports boost Turkey's fruit, vegetable trade that resolving problems with Russia played a major role in boosting Turkey's fruit and vegetable exports in the first four month of this year. The exports rose 25 percent this Jan.-April, compared to the same period last year, reaching $794 million from $635 million, according to the Uludag Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters' Association (UYMSIB). Other factors which contributed to the increase were confidence and appreciation of Turkish products in European markets and access to new markets. A total of 1,557 million tons of fruits and vegetables were exported during the period, a 17-percent increase in volume, the association said. During the same period, exports to Russia rose by 125 percent, from $90 million to $202 million, respectively, and the volume went up by 91 percent reaching around 315,000 tons. Russian exports contributed to 70 percent ($112 million) of $159 million, the increase in revenue generated when compared to the Jan.-April period last year, UYMSIB said. In January 2016, after Turkey downed a Russian fighter jet violating its airspace, Russia banned imports of Turkish fruits and vegetables including tomatoes, oranges, apples, apricots, cabbage, broccoli, mandarins, pears, peaches, cucumbers, plums, strawberries, onions, and cloves, and also poultry. However, Russia relaxed trade sanctions placed on Turkey during the summer of 2017. "Export figures, which were around $635 million last year, approached $800 million this year for the same period [January to April]. So, there is an added value of about $160 million," Senih Yazgan, vice chairman of the association, told Anadolu Agency. Yazgan also said that exports of UYMSIB exceeded $25 million from January to April, with an increase of around 40 percent, compared to last year. "European markets, Russian market and other new markets have had a significant impact on this increase," he added. Yazgan said they have started exporting products to Scandinavian countries, which till now were an untapped European market. Famous military historian Edward J. Erickson arrived from the United States to Moscow to present his scientific and historical monograph Ottomans and Armenians: A Study in Counterinsurgency, which was published this year in Russian. Vestnik Kavkaza spoke with the American researcher about the main results of his work and the importance of such independent works on the 1915 events in Turkey for historical science. - What are the main questions that your book answers about the 1915 events in Turkey? - In 1915, at the beginning of the First World War, the Ottoman Armenian citizens were relocated from their homes to camps for the purposes of counterinsurgency program - this event, over the last 100 years, has often been described as a genocide, a prototype for the Holocaust. My work puts the relocation in a context: these people were moved as a part of the war and because of national security concerns by the Ottoman Empire government. So the book and the events are all about an explanation of why approximately 350 thousand Armenian citizens were moved from their homes to the camps in the Euphrates valley, and this is an alternative interpretation of the events of 1915. - What myths about the 1915 events in Turkey did you manage to disprove in your book? - There is a context to the movement of the Ottoman Armenian citizens. And that context deals with the national security during the WWI. My book advances the main idea is that the Ottoman Armenians citizens, some of them, not all of them, but some of them were involved in the revolutionary activity, which was common throughout the age: the Bulgarians had had a revolution against the Ottomans, the Greeks had had a revolution against the Ottoman Empire, the Macedonian had had a revolution against the Ottoman Empire. All those peoples then became independent. So when the Armenian revolutionaries start to plan and conspire in the 1890s and 1910s, this was very worrisome, this threatened the Empire. When the WWI breaks out in 1914, the Armenian revolutionary committees are working with the Russians, the British and the French to try to gain independence, only a small number, not everybody but a small number of revolutionaries are working with the allies from the inside of the Ottoman Empire. That results in the Ottomans moving the people as a way to stop the revolutionary activities. They had learned how to do this, they had never done this before. They learned how to do it from the Spaniards in Cuba in 1895, from the British in the Boer War in 1899 and from the Americans in the Philippines in 1900. So there are several ways you can stop the insurgency, revolution - you can send the army and suppress that or you can move the people. This is the explanation why the people were removed, it was understood in Turkey, but not widely understood elsewhere. That is the value of my book for the Turks. - In your estimation, what place will your work occupy in the corps of studies of the 1915 events? - I am a military historian. There are social, political, gender, other types of historians that looked at the events of 1915. All of the historians have had a different approach. The Ottoman Armenian population was moved one - to be killed intentionally. Two - because the Ottomans hated Christians. Three - they were economically competitive with the Ottomans, that the Armenians and the Jews took Turk money, they were better businessmen. These are kinds of explanations, social, political, economic, that the other historians have put for this reason. The significance of my work is that it puts the removal and the massacre of these people in a military context. This did not just happen in 1910, before the war, or in 1930, after the war - this happened in the middle of the WWI, and you cant understand the relocation or removal of these people from their homes without understanding the military context. So I am the first person who has put the entire picture together in terms of the military effort of the war. Many people interested in this problem already made up their minds. For example, the worldwide Armenian community, the Armenian diaspora, the Armenians who live in the US, France, Russia have already made up their minds on it as a genocide. And the other side, the Turks have already made up their minds that it was not a genocide, that the Armenians rose in rebellion and then because of the rebellious activities suffered the consequences. So the Turks and Armenians have already made up their minds. The importance of my book is that the people who have not yet made up their minds, people who are fresh to the argument, people who do not know much about what really happened in evaluating factual basis. The importance of this book is that population, those people in the middle who do not know much about it might read my book and say, yeah, this is a reasonable explanation. History is not a truth, history is simply a number of facts that have been assembled to tell us a certain story. The facts I have assembled are the same facts the Armenians are using, they are the same facts that the Turks are using, but it is a different interpretation of those facts that provides a new explanation for people who are undecided what might have or not happened. - In your opinion, why are the Western researchers are interested in the subject of the 1915 events in Turkey? - I am not a Turk, so why would I be interested in these events? I am a military historian and I specialize in the WWI. This is embedded, it is intervened in the story of the Middle East in the WWI. My country, the United States did not fight in the Middle East during the WWI, but my interest in the British military history, the British fought a very famous campaign in Gallipoli, an Amphibious invasion that failed. They fought against the Ottomans in Palestine and in Mesopotamia, while the Russians fought against the Ottomans in the Caucasus. So all these things are of interest to me - how in the middle of the war, in the middle of all this conventional warfare the Ottomans are dealing with the insurgences inside the Empire. There was an ongoing effort in the WWI in the Middle East on the part of the British to encourage the minority members, the minority populations of the Ottoman Empire to rise in rebellion. They encouraged the Arabs, and worked very well, they encouraged the Armenians, that failed. The Russians in the Caucasus were also encouraging the Armenians. This takes away soldiers and resources from the front. If this is the Ottoman Empire, and you are fighting in the Caucasus, and you are fighting in Gallipoli, and you are fighting in Palestine, and all of a sudden right in the middle of this there is an insurgency. It takes forces, you have to take forces from the fronts to move them in to fight the insurgency. This is of interest to me. This is the part of the war that most people do not know about. But it is important because the Ottomans were not only fighting the foreign enemies, but they were fighting domestic insurgencies the same time. This is a very hard thing to do and needs explanations historically. - What sources did you use in your study? - This is again interesting to me, because where I live, in the United States and Great Britain, the only sources weve had so far have been British sources. So the last 100 years the story of the Middle East during World War I in the West has been taken from the British sources. I am the first Western author to investigate the Turkish sources, the Ottoman historical and military archives. My sources are the plans and reports of the commanders of the allies, the after-action reports that the Ottoman army wrote about these events. My sources are the original army records now kept in the military archives in Ankara. For the first time, my work takes not only the Western English-centric sources but adds to it Turkish Ottoman sources. I am happy to be here in Russia to discuss my book, which was recently translated and published in Russian. Thank you! Russian businessman Roman Abramovich withdrew his application for a new UK investor visa, the Sun has reported citing sources close to the Russian tycoon. According to the newspaper, Abramovich no longer requires it, because he will be able to stay in the UK for six months as an Israeli passport holder. UK media reported in mid-May that Abramovich may face delays in getting a new UK visa to replace the previous one, which expired in April. The Russian billionaire arrived in Israel on Monday to undergo the procedure of obtaining Israeli citizenship. The Times of Israel said he would become Israels richest man, with wealth is estimated at $12.5 billion. Armenian ministers should travel on economy class from now on, Chief of Staff of the Armenian Prime Minister Eduard Aghajanyan said, stressing that Armenia's Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan carried out his visit to Astana on board economy-class-seat flights. The deputy PM went to Astana as only one person; that is, there was no one with him. In that sense, the expenses will definitely be reduced," he said. "From now on, the makeup of delegations in all directions will be conditioned solely by the need. No one will travel abroad for tour purposes," News.am cited Aghajanyan as saying. The Chief of Staff explained that if the deputy PM travels on economy class, the other ministers should travel the same way. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said called U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to place tariffs on Canadian aluminum and steel "punitive" and "totally unacceptable," and has outlined dollar-for-dollar retaliation, CTV news reported. This morning, I called the Opposition leaders to notify them of our response. In closing, I want to be very clear about one thing: Americans remain our partners, friends, and allies. This is not about the American people," the PM said, adding that he believes that at some point their common sense will prevail. "But we see no sign of that in this action today by the US administration," Trudeau said. "These tariffs are totally unacceptable. For 150 years, Canada has been America's most steadfast ally," he stressed, noting that these tariffs will harm industry and workers on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border. The US administration announced yesterday that it would be implementing tariffs of steel and aluminum from Europe, Canada, and Mexico. Canada's planned retaliatory measures will take effect July 1 and stay in place until the U.S. backs down. The EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement entered into force today, the European Commission press service said. The agreement covers political, trade and other sectorial issues, from the environment to procurement procedures, reflecting the fact that relations between the European Union and Armenia are comprehensive and that there is significant potential for enhanced cooperation. "The agreement is designed to bring tangible benefits to the citizens of the European Union and Armenia. This will be done, for example, through strengthening cooperation on security matters, improving the investment climate, and stimulating growth and jobs. As of today, the majority of the agreement will apply provisionally," the statement reads. The agreement provides the framework in which to have a regular political dialogue, to work on issues related to domestic reform, to cooperate in areas such as transport, energy, banking and financial services. The parts of the agreement related to trade will also apply as of today. The agreement has already been ratified by Armenia. It will enter into force once the process of ratification by the Member States and the procedure for conclusion by the EU is completed. The agreement was signed by Armenia and all EU member states on 24 November 2017 in Brussels by the Armenian foreign minister Edward Nalbandian and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini. Former head of the Central Bank of Armenia Bagrat Asatryan, speaking with a correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza earlier, noted that the agreement with the EU will not significantly affect lives of Armenian citizens. "This agreement is more about alternative ways of developing the country's relations with the whole world. In the situation when Armenia participates in the EEU together with Russia, which has faced so many sanctions, we can also have significant losses and problems. This is an opportunity to maintain more or less normal relations with Western countries and follow the same course that Armenia has been following recently," he said. Associate Professor of the Department of International Security of the Faculty of World Politics of Moscow State University, Alexey Fenenko, in turn, stressed most probable impact of Armenia's greater focus on the West, explaining why Russia is better then the European Union for Armenia. "Russia is close to Armenia, and the European Union is far away from it. Armenia's goods transit mainly through the Russian territory, not through any other, currently, Russia is the key market for Armenian goods. In the area of security, Russia provides guarantees to Armenia, it was once again confirmed at the CSTO summit in Yerevan last year. If Armenia focuses on the West, it may lose it. Although so far the Armenian leadership used this association agreement only as a bargain in relations with Russia, if they reach a serious level in this issue, it can blow up the whole strategic situation in the region," the expert warned. Iran and Uzbekistan will open new flight routes between the two countries in the near future, Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Abbas Akhoundi said on the sidelines of his meetings with Uzbek officials. Uzbek officials are calling for activating flight routes between Iran and Uzbekistan, which requires more efforts as this area is directly linked to tourism industry and visa issuance, Mehr News cited Akhoundi as saying. We have managed to discuss many different issues and reach many agreements in this visit to Uzbekistan, he recounted. Air connection for both passenger and freight flights is an important issue for both nations and fortunately Uzbekistan's First Deputy PM Achilbay Rahmatov was firm to develop air transportation between the two countries, Akhoundi added. More than 90 children, whose mothers are held in custody in Iraq, will be repatriated to Russia, Representative of the Chechen Leader in the Middle Eastern and North African Countries Ziyad Sabsabi said. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said in his Telegram channel that an agreement was reached with the Iraqi government, under which Russian-speaking children, whose mothers were convicted in Iraq, will not be placed for adoption by local families. "I would like to stress that all children are under Russian jurisdiction. We also have an agreement with the Iraqi authorities that the Russian-speaking children will not be placed for adoption by Iraqi families," TASS cited Kadyrov as saying. According to the Chechen leader, out of 49 Russian women currently in custody in Iraq, 21 were sentenced to life in prison, two were sentenced to death, 26 are awaiting trial. A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may be held and the options will be discussed, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. "Yes, indeed, this meeting may take place, its modalities and time will be further agreed via diplomatic channels," Peskov said, commenting on a report of North Koreas Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) that there is an agreement to hold the meeting this year, TASS reported. When asked if the option of holding this meeting in Beijing was discussed, Peskov said: "No, not particularly, this is not discussed." EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the bloc was not in a trade war with anyone but would defend its interests, hours after the US slapped punishing metals tariffs on Europe and other close allies. "The European Union is not at war with anyone... the EU is a peace project, including on trade," Mogherini said at a joint press conference in Brussels with the visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. "We believe in global free fair trade and we will continue to do so. Having said that, clearly the EU has to defend its interests," AFP cited her as saying. Mogherini said the EU had prepared its counter-measures against the US, including a tit-for-tat threat of duties on a whole range of products including cranberries and bourbon whiskey. She said the EU will also launch a dispute settlement procedure against the United States at the World Trade Organization, a legal process that could take years. "This doesn't mean the United States are not our closest partners and friends. Allies they (will) stay," Mogherini added. The US government added a 25-percent tariff on steel and 10-percent on aluminum imports from the European Union, Canada and Mexico starting from Friday. Participants of the protest rally at the parliament building in Tbilisi, which resulted in the resignation of the chief prosecutor of Georgia, called on the country's Justice Minister Thea Tsulukiani to resign. Before rally was held at the building of the Chief Prosecutor's Office. After that the Chief Prosecutor Irakli Shotadze resigned. The initiator of the protest action was Zaza Saralidze, the father of a 16-year-old teenager killed in the center of Tbilisi in a brawl last December. He believes that the prosecutor's office conducts an investigation of this case biassedly and covers one of the participants in the incident, the son of a former employee of the department, RIA Novosti recalls. Yesterday, the Tbilisi City Court acquitted one of the accused, and the second retrained the charge from a deliberate murder to an attempted willful murder. This caused the anger of the father of the murdered teenager. At least 34 terrorists were killed in southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq over the past week, the Turkish military said. The message says one of the killed terrorists was particularly dangerous: he took part in the planning and organization of terrorist attacks, as well as attacks on military units in Turkey. The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) launched anti-terror operations in southeastern provinces of Diyarbakir and Mardin and northern Iraq between May 25-31, Anadolu Agency reported. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's statements on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are not constructive, Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Artyom Kozhin told at a press conference, answering to a question of Trend correspondent. "Loud statements that do not fit onto the appropriate rails, in particular laid by the OSCE, are probably not constructive," the diplomat explained. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) helped Georgia combat the countrys stink bug infestation problem by handing over 17 tractors to the Georgian National Food Agency in Abasha, in Georgias Samegrelo region. "These tractors are part of $6.5 million in assistance from the US Government to help Georgia fight the stink bug, the press release published by the USAID reads. USAIDs Assistant Administrator Brock Bierman and Georgias Minister of Environment Protection and Agriculture Levan Davitashvili signed a Memorandum of Understanding on March 5 this year to help combat the stink bug in Georgia with new supplies such as tractors, sprayers and traps, Agenda.ge reported. Furthermore, USAID promised to offer $3.5 million to this effect. Mass protests, which caused the resignation of Georgia's chief prosecutor Irakli Shotadze, will contine today at 16:00 local time (15:00 MSK), the organizrs of the protest rally said. "We have information that thousands of residents from the regions will join our rally," Interfax cited Zviad Kuprava, one of the protesters, as saying. Acording to the organizers, nearly 50 housands of people gathered in Tbilisi yesterday to protest. A group of around 200 protesters spent the night in tents outside the old parliament building, monitored by police, who have also erected barricades on the building's steps, which last night were thronged with protesters. The rally was sparked by the killing of two teenagers in Tbilisi on December 1, 2017. Protesters accused the countrys law enforcement bodies of failing to properly investigate the tragedy. At first, protesters sought the resignation of the countrys chief prosecutor Irakly Shotadze. However, after the demand was met, the crowd demanded the resignation of the whole cabinet. The rally was organized by Zaza Saralidze, the father of one of the victims. Georgian Prime Minister Georgy Kvirikashvili briefly appeared before the crowd yesterday, and tried to make an address. He called to "bring the events back within the boundaries of the law" and vowed that the investigation into the murder will resume. However, his speech was disrupted by the crowd, who started whistling and chanting "leave!" Kvirikashvili said he was not planning to resign to appease the protests. "As soon as I am sure that my resignation benefits the country, that it can slightly improve the situation or defuse tensions, I will not hesitate even for a second about making this step. However, this is not todays situation," he said. "Tomorrow [on Friday] the case will be returned for investigation to Georgias interior ministry. Vice premier and Interior Minister Georgy Gakharia will oversee the process. He will head it, and, of course, I will follow every step and will control the entire process," Kvirikashvili said yesterday. "During the investigation, to be conducted by the Interior Ministry, the parents of the slain teenagers can receive updates about it on a daily basis," he added. The head of the Institute of Management Strategy, Petre Mamradze, speaking to Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that people are primarily protesting against the inefficient work of law enforcement agencies. "As usual, there was a complete reluctance of witnesses to cooperate with the investigation - it is considered undesirable in Georgia to report someone, even if the crime is grave. Then the prosecutor's office collected all the necessary evidence aganst the killer, but the court did not accept them - so the chief prosecutor of Georgia Irakli Shotadze resigned in protest of this decision of the court. All this created a background that prompted people to take to the streets," he said. The oppositionists did not fail to take advantage of this and started to stir up the rage of the crowd. "I immediately noticed that the most active people in the crowd were people shouting the slogans of Saakashvili Nazis. Of course, Saakashvili started shouting from abroad that all the judges should be dismissed. But it was him and his accomplices who appointed the main part of the current judges. This protest does not have a social base, it is governed by the previous authorities,"Petre Mamradze pointed out. The expert drew attention to the differences between the Georgian protests and the Armenian ones. "In Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan's clan ruled the country much longer than 10 years when he was president. Everyone knew that this is an extremely corrupt clan that stopped both the economic and political development of Armenia. But we have a completely different government: Giorgi Kvirikashvili is a modest, intelligent man who has no clan. Everyone knows that he can leave the post of prime minister any time and will receive a larger salary working in the banking system," he said. "Now the protests are driven by the local analog of the Sargsyan clan, which is quite the opposite of the situation in comparison with the Yerevan protests. So I think it should not cause the political crisis," Petre Mamradze predicts. The head of the Center for Security Studies and International Relations of Georgia, Nika Chitadze, also pointed to the people's dissatisfaction with the lack of the rule of law. "Criminals must be brought to justice in accordance with the criminal code. Now we know that, unfortunately, there have been many crimes, including murders, perpetrators of which were not punished. In this case, the society was confident that the killers of these two schoolchildren are covered by the prosecutor's office - there is also a suspicion that the son of one of the prosecutors participated in the fight and the murder. But it's only one of such cases," he explained. The outcome of the current protests is still uncertain, Nikita Chitadze believes. "There were some slogans urging the resignation of the government, since it is likely that those who cover the killers, in turn, are covered by the ministers. In this regard, we cannot say that the government is safe. I recall that the Prime Minister yesterday was driven out of the rally. And it is possible that other political demands will be voiced, not only for a fair investigation, but also, for example, for holding early parliamentary elections," the head of the Center for Security Studies and International Relations of Georgia concluded. HCM CITY Hundreds of children of Vedan Vietnam employees took part in an event held to celebrate International Childrens Day that featured art performances and games. At the fun event on Friday, the company gave gifts worth VN127 million to children at the event. This week the company organised a fire drill in collaboration with the ong Nai Province fire service to strengthen fire safety awareness among workers. It involved over 100 members of the companys fire prevention and rescue team and ong Nai firefighters. Other workers also learnt how to use fire prevention tools and quickly find victims. The company has a 22-member team trained to respond to emergencies. Vedan Vietnam, established in 1991, has plants producing starch and glucose syrup, monosodium glutamate, modified starch, chlorine-alkali, lysine, and vedagro pellets. VNS True gender equality still lies some way off, but the world is edging ever closer to this goal as womens access to educational and business opportunities rapidly improves. To give an idea of global progress, workforce participation among US female millennials is 69 per cent today compared to 78 per cent for males, while in 1963, these figures stood at 41 per cent versus 88 per cent. In developed nations today, as many as four in ten households have a woman as the primary earner. Arguably, things are progressing even faster in Asia-Pacific, with women often leading in the wealth-creation race particularly in the very upper, billionaire, echelons. You might be surprised to learn that today over half the regions female billionaires are first-generation entrepreneurs. At the forefront of a global trend As one of the regions fastest growing and most dynamic economies, Viet Nam is very much part of this picture and there is no shortage of budding female businesswomen to look up to. First among the roll-call must be Phuong Thao, co-founder and chair of Sovico Holdings and Viet Nams first self-made female billionaire. Having taken her budget airline VietJet Air public last year, she is now worth an estimated US$2.6 billion and was correspondingly named #55 on Forbes Power Women list for 2017. Other prominent names gaining international attention include Mai Kieu Lien, CEO of Viet Nam Dairy Products Joint Stock Company; Thai Huong, President of TH Group; and Le Hong Thuy Tien, chairwoman of IPP Group and a highly prominent figure in the shopping mall sector. That Vietnamese women are making such a mark should not surprise when one considers that around a third of Vietnamese businesses are led by women today. We can expect this upwards trajectory to very much continue, since the Vietnamese Government is targeting this figure to rise to 50 per cent by 2020. And it should be said that such a target would be very ambitious for even the most progressive Western nations: only a fifth of small businesses in the UK are run by women currently, for instance. Opportunities and challenges Vietnamese women are active across the board, but they are thought strongest in launching new businesses in the agriculture and food sectors, so these are areas where support has been most visible recently. As reported by this publication, the recent Australia Viet Nam Forum (which was co-organised by the Western Sydney University, the HCM City Economics University and the Australia-ASEAN Council in Sydney, Australia) focused much of its discussions on helping Vietnamese business women meet international quality standards. Adapting to the digital economy is another challenge that Viet Nams female entrepreneurs are believed to need particular support with, as is how to balance the demands of family and business life. Both topics have been the subject of forums and seminars put on by female-specific networks, often with high-profile Government support. In fact, it seems many Western nations might envy the assistance (and inspiration) available to female entrepreneurs in Viet Nam, and the mentoring opportunities they enjoy. The Viet Nam Women Entrepreneurs Council, set up in 2001, now has over 1,000 members and a network of 40 local councils and clubs, for example. A no-brainer economically Nurturing female entrepreneurial talent seems like a real no-brainer to me because, of course, any nation that neglects women risks losing out on productivity gains from half of its population. The Vietnamese authorities are very wise to see women as a key part of national construction and development in the context of the fourth industrial revolution currently reshaping the world. I also see the rise of female entrepreneurs as very exciting from a financial services perspective. First generation wealth-creators are naturally in need of advice to help manage the fruits or their success; while women are often particularly in need of guidance in issues like business structuring and succession since they can often lack the peer group mentors male business people have. Its great to see how, having got off to a late start economically, Viet Nam is now pulling ahead on progressive initiatives as it grows. I look forward to seeing the country matching and even surpassing its global peers in the support offered to female entrepreneurs. As an experienced practitioner in financial advice and a consultant in business management matters, I would be delighted to speak to business people of both genders looking to maximise their financial well-being, and that of their organisations. Please dont hesitate to get in touch for an informal chat. VNS * Brian Spence is Managing Partner of S&P Investments. He has over 35 years of experience in the UK financial services industry as an investment manager, financial planner and M&A specialist. He is a regular contributor to the UK financial press and has a deep understanding of the financial services community. Brians column will reflect on all the challenges and opportunities within the Vietnamese market, bringing a fresh perspective to todays hottest issues. The columnists email address is brian@sandpinvestments.com. HA NOI Viet Nam always considers the Japanese business community a leading strategic partner in the process of restructuring its economy, as well as in improving the growth, quality and competitiveness of the country, said State President Tran ai Quang at the Viet Nam Investment Promotion Conference in Tokyo on May 31. Speaking at the event, organised by Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO), which saw participation from representatives of some 600 Vietnamese and Japanese businesses, Quang said that Viet Nams consistent policy is to co-operate with Japan based on 45 years of shared interests in geography, politics and strategic economics. Quang stressed that towards achieving the goal of modernisation, Viet Nam was in great need of a modern and synchronous infrastructure system, as well as an advanced education system, which are present in Japan. Japanese businesses could expand co-operation and investment in Viet Nam, especially in the fields of manufacturing, modern agriculture, information technology, smart cities, services, infrastructure, finance, banking, start-ups based on innovation and creativity, as well as take part in the equitisation of State-owned enterprises. Quang said Viet Nam had become an attractive economic partner for Japanese enterprises. The successful co-operation among enterprises played an important role in promoting the development of relations between the two countries. Japan is the largest official development assistance (ODA) partner of Viet Nam, with over US$30 billion committed at present. This contributes significantly to developing infrastructure, improving human resource quality, strengthening the governance capacity, and accelerating hunger elimination and poverty reduction. Projects funded by ODA from Japan are being put into effective operation throughout Viet Nam. The T2 Terminal of Noi Bai International Airport, Lach Huyen International Port and the HCM City-Trung Luong Expressway are some notable examples. On investment, Japan is always the leading partner of Viet Nam with over 3,700 projects with total registered capital of over $50 billion. In 2017, two-way trade turnover reached more than $33 billion. Last year, over 30,000 Vietnamese people visited Japan, and nearly 80,000 Japanese people visited Viet Nam. President Quang also pointed out that the Viet Nam Investment Promotion Conference was a valuable opportunity for the business communities of the two countries to look back on the results of investment co-operation, as well as to share vision of development in the future. The event would play an increasingly important role in deepening the strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia over the coming years. He said the Japanese business community, including leading corporations, would not only play a pioneering role in investment co-operation, but would also promote more efficient cooperation between the two countries. "We appreciate the discipline, sense of responsibility, modern technology, advanced management and corporate culture of Japanese enterprises and entrepreneurs during the process of investment and business development in Viet Nam," said Quang. Quang pointed out that Viet Nam had become a dynamic economy with a GDP of around $230 billion and a commercial scale of over $420 billion. With a population of close to 100 million people, Viet Nam was a rapidly growing purchasing power market with a fast developing middle class. Viet Nam is an open economy and is actively promoting international integration with the free trade agreements that have been signed in recent years. To date, Viet Nam has attracted nearly $322 billion from 126 countries and territories in key economic sectors, such as manufacturing, infrastructure development, construction, real estate, energy, tourism, and distribution, said Quang. Many leading international corporations are investing and doing business effectively and have become an important component of economic growth in the country, he added. Speaking at the event, Japans State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yoji Muto said that infrastructure was an important factor for the development of a country, and Japan was paying attention to this field in Viet Nam. Chairman and CEO of the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) Hiroyuki Ishige recalled cooperation outcomes between Japan and Viet Nam, especially their efforts to the signing of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), emphasising that the deal will be a driving force for economic, trade and investment cooperation between the two countries in the future. Also at the conference, President Quang, Japanese State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yoji Muto, and JETRO Chairman Hiroyuki Ishige witnessed the ceremony of handing over investment certificates and memorandums of understanding on co-operation projects between enterprises and localities of the two countries. The President and delegates also witnessed the launch of the Ha Noi-Osaka direct flight of budget carrier Vietjet Air, which will operate daily return flights from November 8 this year. With this milestone, Vietjet Air increased its total international routes to 45. In a meeting with JETRO Chairman Hiroyuki Ishige, Quang expressed his thanks and appreciation for the cooperation and support of JETRO to Viet Nam in general and the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) in particular. JETRO has helped the MPI in recent years to connect enterprises and organise the investment promotion conferences. On top of this, they have jointly held seminars to solve difficulties and obstacles faced by enterprises of the two countries. Quang asked JETRO to promote investment from Japanese enterpises in Viet Nam in the fields of clean and high-tech agriculture, supporting industries and mechanical engineering, and help the country to improve value chains of Vietnamese agricultural products and foodstuffs in order to create favorable conditions for them to reach the Japanese market. VNS NINH THUAN The Peoples Committee of Ninh Thuan Province has granted investment licences to nine solar power projects worth more than VN12 trillion (US$527.4 million). The construction of the projects will commence in the second and third quarters of 2018 and will be completed at the end of 2019, with a capacity of nearly 500MW. Speaking at a ceremony to grant the licences, held in the south-central locality on Thursday, chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee Luu Xuan Vinh urged investors to speed up the implementation of the projects and ensure quality and labour safety. They were asked to pay attention to generating jobs for the local people and boosting close ties with the locality. Vinh said the local authorities would accompany and create optimal conditions for businesses as well as support them with land clearance and compensation. Enterprises are encouraged to invest in renewable energy, he added. Deputy director of the provincial Department of Planning and Investment Truong Xuan Vy stressed that 41 firms were set up in May 2018, raising the total number of newly established businesses in Ninh Thuan in the first five months of this year to 197, with a total investment of more than VN5.2 trillion ($228.2 million), up by 12.6 per cent in number and 2.1 times in registered capital. So far, the province has 15 wind power projects and 27 solar power projects, with designed capacities of nearly 800MW and over 1,808MW, respectively. The Prime Minister and the Ministry of Industry and Trade have agreed to include these projects in the national power development scheme. Ninh Thuan is a typically hot and dry area in the south-central part of Viet Nam. It is less affected by storms than other areas in the country and has emerged as the renewable energy centre in Viet Nam. The province has good solar energy potential, with an average of 2,600-2,800 sunshine hours per year. Authorities are finalising a master plan for solar energy from 2016 to 2020 with a vision to 2030, which aims to generate some 2,000MW of electricity by 2020. VNS HCM CITY Six banks, including Agribank, Vietcombank, two branches of Vietinbank, BIDV and Sacombank, committed to provide more than VN1.5 trillion (US$68 million) in preferential loans to enterprises in HCM Citys Thu uc District. This commitment was made at a Thursday meeting between the Thu uc District Peoples Committee and representatives of the six banks. The beneficiaries are 52 enterprises and two business households in the district. At the event, members of the Peoples Committee of Thu uc District and bank officials also discussed ways to further connect businesses with banks in the area. Le Van Chien, vice chairman of Thu uc Districts Peoples Committee, said the Peoples Committee works with the State Bank and other banks in the district twice a year to connect banks with businesses in recent years. Last year, the banks provided VN2.2 trillion ($96.92 million) in preferential loans to 90 enterprises and two business households. Thanks to the loans, businesses were able to expand their production. In addition, the districts Peoples Committee and departments have organised periodic dialogue meetings with enterprises to solve their difficulties. Industrial production and construction activity in the district has reached VN3.9 trillion this year, an increase of 8.9 per cent compared to the same period last year. The value of trade, services, and transport reached VN2.6 trillion, an increase of 6.2 per cent over the corresponding period last year. VNS HA NOI Viet Nam is one of the many countries in the world committed to fighting illegal wildlife trade, a meeting in Ha Noi was told on May 31. Hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the British Embassy, it was held to announce a one year update into plans to tackle the outlawed animal trade. Two years ago, Viet Nam pledged its support at the Ha Noi International Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT). The report was compiled by relevant ministries and agencies from 25 countries and international organisations, highlighting progress of the Ha Noi Statement actions that were pledged to eradicate the market for illegal wildlife products. Governments of the countries have increased bilateral and multilateral co-operation and worked with international organisations and non-Governmental organisations to implement many measures and take active actions to reduce demand for wildlife products and gradually stamp out the consumption. Many countries and organisations have amended related legal documents and laws to increase punishment for these kind of crimes. Respondents highlighted the tremendous work that has been implemented since the conference, including a domestic ivory ban in China, a US$9 million project on IWT supported by the US, and a revised Penal Code in Viet Nam. They have also increased training to improve capacity for law enforcement agencies such as police, customs and border guards to help enhance the efficiency of their inspection and patrol work at hot spots of wildlife trade. Some countries have sent experts to others countries to assist in training and consultancy activities, the report said. Viet Nams efforts Viet Nam committed to taking stronger measures and continuing to take a leading role in the regional and international co-operation to fight illegal wildlife trade, said Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Ha Cong Tuan. Wildlife protection is becoming stricter under regulations outlined in the amended Penal Code of Viet Nam, which, starting at the beginning of the year, was part of the countrys efforts in realising its commitments, said Tuan. Under the amended Penal Code 2015, hunting, catching, killing, rearing, caging, transporting and trading wild animals is a crime. This extends to possession of dead animals, body parts and products of rare, precious and endangered wild animals. The maximum jail term for crimes related to wildlife management has increased to 15 years. Deputy minister Tuan said Viet Nam has held many activities to raise awareness of local people, businesses and logistic transport companies. A number of leading maritime transport businesses announced to stop transporting endangered species. The Viet Nam Administration of Forestry has co-ordinated with the Ministry of Education and Training to build an extracurricular programme on wildlife protection to be taught at primary schools from 2018. Viet Nam has also increased co-operation with countries in the world in the fight and actively implemented Memorandum of Understandings on wildlife trade prevention and control with some countries such as China, Cambodia, Laos and South Africa, according to Tuan. The country continued to complete legal documents to create firm foundation for wildlife protection, he said. The report is a bridge between the Ha Noi Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade in 2016 and the upcoming London Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade in October 2018 hosted by the UK government. The report follows the four main themes set out at the 2016 Ha Noi conference, including eradicating markets for illegal wildlife products, ensuring effective legal frameworks, strengthening law enforcement, and ensuring sustainable livelihoods and economic development. According to the Ha Noi Statement, illegal wildlife trade is increasing the risk of extinction for many endangered and protected terrestrial and aquatic species and over exploitation of others. This destabilises the well-managed and sustainable development of wild species and adversely affects natural resources and rural communities as well as results in the conversion of land uses and generates illegal profits for transnational organised crime syndicates. This also undermines good governance and the rule of law; fuels and thrives on corruption, and increases the risk of transmission of infectious diseases. VNS BAC KAN Authorities are struggling to control illegal mineral mining and transportation in the northern province of Bac Kan. The province has big potential in mining, as it is home to 273 mines of 24 minerals including lead, zinc, iron and gold. The provinces lead and zinc reserve is estimated to be more than 25 million tonnes. The minerals are found in almost all districts of the mountainous province, but years of illegal mining and its consequent impacts on the environment are still a headache for authorities. Ha Sy Luan, chairman of Cho on District Peoples Committee, said that local authorities have faced difficulties in managing and controlling mining activities. People living close to mines lack land for agriculture, thus they usually exploit minerals to improve their lives, Luan said, adding that mining could generate a great profit making the industry irresistible to some. In the first five months of this year, local authorities in Cho on District detected 13 cases involving illegal mineral mining and transportation, in which they seized over 64 tonnes of ore and 15 sets of mining equipment. Deputy head of the districts Environment Division Tran uc Trung Thien said that inter-sector inspectors regularly assemble to detect violations. As soon as a case is reported involving mining violations, even in night time, the inspectors crossed the forest to apprehend the suspects, Thien said, adding that understaffing and difficult traffic conditions hindered their actions. Chu Thi Huyen, chairwoman of Ngan Son District Peoples Committee, noted that the district is rich in iron and gold, which makes it a black spot for illegal mining. Gold miners used to flock to the Pac Lang gold mine in Thuong Quan Commune, and local authorities worked very hard to curb the illegal activity, she said, adding that the gold mine is now under the management of a private company. However, since the beginning of this year, the districts agencies have found 14 tonnes of ore from an unknown origin. They also closed two illegal mining camps. In Na Ri District, gold mines located in the Kim Hy Natural Reserve were also mined by illegal miners. Nguyen Phuc an, deputy head of the mineral division under the provinces Environment and Natural Resources Department, said besides illegal mining, local authorities also failed to collect enough tax from legitimate mining activities. In the past six years, the province granted mining licences to 72 companies, but they only paid VN60-70 billion a year to the provinces budget, an said. The figure obviously does not reflect reality of mining activities in the province, he said, implying that the province failed to collect tax properly from mining. an said that the environment department proposed the provinces Peoples Committee initiate a project on the improvement of mining planning, exploitation, transportation and trade as well as the prevention of tax evasion. VNS HCM CITY A man who illegally purchased around 7,000 dead sea turtles several years ago is expected to be sentenced to two to seven years in prison, a more severe punishment than what was proposed last year. A representative of Nha Trang Citys Peoples Procuracy said that Hoang Tuan Hai had violated regulations on the protection of endangered, precious and rare species prioritised for protection listed in Article 190 of the 1999 Penal Code. In November 2014, inspectors at Khanh Hoa Provinces Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, with other agencies, seized 2,230 dead sea turtles at Hais warehouse. The following month, they found thousands of dead sea turtles and 789 giant clam shells in a different location. Though Hai had no business licence, he began buying sea turtles from fishermen to make handicrafts for sale in 2010, the court said. At the trial on May 31, Hai said he did not make his purchases by cash but instead exchanged alcohol, beer and cigarettes for the sea turtles. Hai said that he had not sold products from the turtles bodies, and that he was not aware that sea turtles were protected by law. The prison sentence by the court is more severe than the one given on March 1 last year, which called for a fine of VN50 million to VN500 million, non-custodial reform of up to three years, or imprisonment from six months to three years. Bui Thi Ha, deputy director of Education for Nature Viet Nam (ENV), said the centre fully agreed with the decision of the Peoples Procuracy. This is a great opportunity for Viet Nam to prove to the world that the country is determined to protect sea turtles and deal with crimes related to rare wildlife, she added. The case is believed to be the worlds largest cache of marine turtles ever found, according to ENV. On June 4, the court will issue a decision on the term of Hais prison sentence. VNS by Ngoc Diep HCM CITY Several religious activities through HCM City have marked the occasion of the Buddhas 2,562th birthday, which fell on May 29 this year, the 15th day of the fourth lunar month. This is one of the most important celebrations in the Buddhist calendar, not only in Viet Nam but also around the world. Vietnamese Buddhists and believers across the city have been organising the Buddhas birth (Vesak) celebrations since the beginning of the week. These include the Buddhas bathing ceremony, incense offerings, release of balloons and pigeons to pray for peace, and many humanitarian activities. A religious activity releasing Hoa ang (flower garlands and coloured lanterns) on Nhieu Loc Thi Nghe Canal near by Le Van Sy Bridge attracted thousands of Vietnamese Buddhists and believers on the evening of May 28. All pagodas and temples in the city have been beautifully decorated with coloured lanterns and Buddhist flags. The citys Buddhist Sangha held a solemn ceremony to celebrate the day at the Viet Nam Quoc Tu Pagoda in District 10 on the morning of May 29. Viet Nam has more than 12 million Buddhist followers and 50,000 Buddhist monks and nuns, practising religion in over 17,000 Buddhist places of worship. Buddhism has the largest number of followers in the country. VNS HCM CITY Travellers who want to enjoy idyllic country scenes in Viet Nam are recommended five spots along the central coast. Hang Rai in Ninh Thuan Province: Hang Rai, a perfect complex of rock formations and fossilised coral reefs lying by the sea, is touted as a one-of-a-kind wonder. It is in Vinh Hy Bay, one of the most beautiful bays in the country and only about 40km from the coastal City of Phan Rang in Ninh Thuan Province. Pu Luong in Thanh Hoa: Located 25km from Cuc Phuong National Park, Pu Luong Nature Reserve attracted visitors with its pristine and tranquil ambience. Green Island in Binh inh: Situated 24km from the coast of Quy Nhon town in Binh inh Province, Green Island is home to around 3,000 residents who make a living mainly by fishing. Vung Ro in Phu Yen: A historical wartime site in central Viet Nam, Vung Ro has come a long way since, morphing into a beautiful travel destination. Situated 33 km south of Tuy Hoa, the capital of Phu Yen Province, Vung Ro has been a trendy destination among Vietnamese after featuring in the award-winning Vietnamese movie Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass directed by Victor Vu. Mooc Stream in Quang Binh: Only 20 minutes from the world-famous Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park by car, Mooc Stream leaves a strong impression on tourists with its breathtaking natural landscapes, rich bio-diversity and fun sporting activities. VNS HA NOI A symphony of the diversified culture of various ethnic groups will be performed on Saturday in the walking street by Hoan Kiem Lake. The art performance will take place from 7pm, and will include the participation of various ethnic peoples from Ha Giang, Lai Chau, Quang Tri, and Soc Trang Provinces. The event will feature the Lullaby Kun A Y (Mothers miracle) of the Pakoh, the gongs dance of the Mnong, and a love song of the Pa Then. The performance will highlight the maturity ceremony of the Dao, the Chol Chnam Thmay New Year festival of the Khmer, and a traditional costume show of the Nung. The performance is part of the I Believe I Can 2018 festival. With the theme of Indigenous Knowledge Spring of Life, the festival will take place on June 1-2 in Ha Noi. It celebrates the beauty of knowledge embedded within each cultural practice of more than 20 ethnic communities from many parts of the country. The festival is presenting co-research results and an art performance of 170 community members that will show their wisdom from within, said Hoang Thi Thu Huong, vice director of the Institute for Studies of Society, Economy and Environment (iSEE). It aims to honour the local indigenuous knowledge of the ethnic groups through exhibitions, workshops and art performances, she added. I Believe I Can will begin Friday at the Exhibition House, located at 93 inh Tien Hoang Street. On display will be research on the Pakoh and Ta Ois languages; a collection of Mong fairy tales, a documentary film called Research on indigenous knowledge of the Tay people in conservation of natural forests. It will also include results of the photovoice project among the Khmer ethnic group in the southern province of Tra Vinh. Representatives for the youth of ethnic groups will join a Youth Learning Forum on the same day where they will focus on networking and sharing expertise on topics such as ethnic youth and ethnic culture, education, employment, marriage and the environment. The festival will officially open at LEspace, located at 24 Trang Tien Street, Ha Noi. The opening ceremony will be followed by a talk show called Wisdom from within with discussions among community members and researchers on indigenous knowledge, reflections on co-research methodology by community members and experts, and sharing by artists partnering with community members in presenting co-research results. The annual event was initiated in 2015 by various organisations such as the Pioneer To Promote Cultural Diversity and Mutual Respect And Empathy Among Ethnic groups. Since 2016, it has been co-hosted by three networks of ethnic people include the Pioneer, Action for Hmong Development (AHD), and VTIK a network promoting indigenous knowledge of the Thai people. The festival this year is supported by Irish Aid, the EU, CARE International, Plan International, and ChildFund, as well as iSEE, the Centre for Community Empowerment (CECEM), and the Centre for Sustainable Development in Mountainous Areas (CSDM). VNS Summer has come, and many tourists are flocking to Ba Lang An Peninsula to immerse themselves in the crystal clear water, listen to the musical sounds of nature, enjoy ancient rock formations, and eat fresh seafood. Located in Binh Son District in the central province of Quang Ngai, Ba Lang An was know as Cap Batangan by locals during French colonial period. It used to include three villages of An Hai, An Vinh and An Ky, which explains the meaning of its name in Vietnamese, which translates to: land of three villages called An. Diamond in the sky: Ba Lang An lighthouse, built during the French colonial period, guides fishing boats safely back to shore. In order to reach the peninsula, visitors have to drive for about 20km along the newly-opened My Tra My Khe expressway from Quang Ngai City, then follow the 24B highway before turning down a narrow path shaded by rows of almond trees. Visitors to the peninsula are greeted by a picturesque landscape. From Ba Lang An Lighthouse, a building from the colonial period, take a walk to the bare hill, and take in a panoramic view of the whole peninsula. A stunning view of transparent blue water carpeted by colourful coral reefs and overlapping heaps of basalt rocks that stretch out to sea will surely take anyones breath away. From this point, Ly Son Island and local fishing boats dotting the water can also be seen. Next to Ba Lang An Peninsula is the 30 sq.m crater of an inactive volcano. The crater is lined with seaweed, while its exterior is surrounded by colourful coral reef blooming among the basalt rocks in various shapes and sizes, creating a unique scene that can only be found in Ba Lang An. The locals here have been closely connected with sea for thousands of years. It not only provides them with a means to earn a living, but it has become like an intimate friend. From the crack of dawn, fishermen start to row their boats ashore until midday, when they return to shore with heavy loads of a variety of fresh fish. It is highly recommended that visitors to Ba Lang An join a fishing day with locals to experience their unique way of fishing. Normally, small fish or shrimp is used as bait by fishermen, but not by those in Ba Lang An. Instead, they use small pieces of colourful pearlescent paper. A stunning view of transparent blue water carpeted by colourful coral reefs and overlapping heaps of basalt rocks that stretch out to sea will surely take anyones breath away. From this point, Ly Son Island and local fishing boats dotting the water can also be seen. Get creative: Local fishermen in Ba Lang An use pieces of colourful pearlescent paper instead of small fish or shrimp as their fishing bait. This unique way of fishing is very effective. The sparkling pearlescent papers are mistaken by the fish as seaweed, their favourite food, and as a result the local fishermen catch bountiful loads. If visitors want to taste a local specialty, they should try the ta ma fish sour soup, grilled shrimp or grilled fish. The boiled abalone or cellana tasted with ginger fish sauce and mint or perilla leaves are also very tasty dishes. Visitors can also prepare a heaty meal themselves by walking along the beach when the tide has gone down and using a knife to take the abalones and cellana off the rocks, or simply by fishing on a high rock to catch fish and grill them on the spot. Thats not all Ba Lang An has to offer En Cave and am Toai Tunnel are also noteworthy destinations of the peninsula. En (swallow) Cave, dozens of metres wide, offers shelter to hundreds of swallows. As the path leading to the cave is small and bumpy, visitors are advised to go there with the assistance of a local guide. It should also be noted that the cave is only accessible when the tide has gone down, and visitors should keep an eye on the time to ensure their own safety. Dormant monster: An aerial view of Ba Lang An Peninsula. The crater of an inactive volcano can be seen from ashore. Enjoying the cool atmosphere and the pleasant dripping of water onto the rocks below, En Cave is a tranquil experience to behold. A day visiting Ba Lang An Peninsula can be concluded with a visit to the historical landmark am Toai Tunnel. The area is a land of revolutionary tradition, where imprints still can be seen clearly in the tunnel. The 100m long, zig-zagging tunnel used to shelter locals and Vietnamese soldiers against enemies during the two resistance wars. The primitive beauty of nature has tempted an increasing number of visitors to Ba Lang An Peninsula in recent years. However, the tourism potential of the area has not been properly developed, so there is a limited choice of restaurants or hotels for visitors who are considering spending the night there. VNS NEW YORK The head of the Recording Academy, the professional group of musicians that administers the Grammys, said Thursday he will step aside months after an uproar over his remarks on women. Recording Academy president and CEO Neil Portnow, whose 16-year tenure has been the longest of any chief of the body, said he would not seek an extension after his contract ends in July 2019. A calm, bespectacled record industry executive who has put a focus on pressing for the music businesss interests in Washington, Portnow was a largely uncontroversial figure until the latest Grammy Awards. Asked by a reporter after the gala why more women were not winning the music industrys biggest prize, Portnow said that female musicians should "step up," while also speaking of the need for more mentorship. Top female stars including Katy Perry and P!nk voiced outrage over his remarks and a group of women executives in the music business called on Portnow to step down as part of the Times Up movement against gender inequality. Portnow, in his statement, did not address the incident but said he wanted an orderly transition to choose his successor. "The evolution of industries, institutions, and organizations is ultimately the key to their relevance, longevity and success," he said in a statement. The spotlight on the gender imbalance came after men dominated the winners at the 60th Grammy Awards, although women Adele and Taylor Swift had won the top prize of Album of the Year the two previous years. Portnow had nonetheless been credited with promoting racial and genre diversity, in part by switching the Recording Academy to online balloting to ensure better representation. For the first time, hip-hop dominated the top nominations at the latest Grammys, although funk revivalist Bruno Mars was the nights big winner. Head of the Recording Academy Neil Portnow was largely uncontroversial but will step aside after telling women to step up in order to win the music industrys biggest prize. AFP HA NOI The Vietnamese Nom Preservation Foundation on May 31 presented the annual Balaban Award to Bui Xuan uc, director of HCM Citys General Science Library. He received the award for his contributions to preserving the ancient writing system. Under ucs direction, the library runs a reading corner for Sino-Nom scholars, who are mostly foreigners. It hosts 2,000 valuable printed material. Many of the foreign readers here are researchers from all over the world who cannot find such material in their home countries. The Balaban Award is named after John Balaban, a poet and professor of English in the creative writing programme in North California, the United States. Balaban has done some serious research on the writing system. Since 2009, nine Vietnamese scholars and Shimizu Masaaki from Japan have received the award. The Vietnamese Nom Preservation Foundation was established in the late 1980s to standardise the Chu Nom script for use in computers and on the internet. The foundations initiators feared that an entire literary culture, 1,000 years of writing in Chu Nom---the Chinese-like script that the Vietnamese used to record their language---and its vast heritage of poetry, history, medicine and religion, was about to go extinct. Chu Nom, is the ancient ideographic vernacular script of the Vietnamese language. After Viet Nam attained independence from China in 939 AD, Chu Nom became the national script. For the next 1,000 yearsfrom the 10th century to the 20th centurymuch of Vietnamese literature, philosophy, history, law, medicine, religion and government policy was written in the Nom script. Approximately 1,000 years of Vietnamese cultural history is recorded in this unique system, but the heritage is now nearly lost. With the advent of Quoc Ngu---modern Romanised script--- in the 17th century, the Nom script gradually died out, with the French colonial government ordering against its use. Today, less than 100 scholars worldwide can read the Nom script. VNS The National Assembly debate on the draft amendment to the anti-corruption law on Thursday was thrown into confusion as the deputies failed to agree on how to handle the suspicious unreported wealth of a public servant. VNA/VNS Photo Nguyen Dan HA NOI The National Assembly debate on the draft amendment to the anti-corruption law on Thursday was thrown into confusion as the deputies failed to agree on how to handle the suspicious unreported wealth of a public servant. The NA did not discuss the draft law in the main hall, but was divided into 19 separate groups working in different chambers. According to deputy Duong Ngoc Hai from HCM City, neither of the two solutions proposed by the draft law to regulate the Governments actions in handling the extra assets sounded reasonable to him. In the first scenario, the officer who is found to have misreported his wealth will have to pay 45 per cent income tax on the total unreported earnings. The other solution includes no tax charge, but only an administrative fine for the incorrect declaration of assets. Hai said that it was very common in Vietnamese society to have other sources of income rather than just the monthly salary. It could come from inheritance which in some cases was not officially recognised, or even from smuggling. It could be legal or illegal but none was related to corruption, he said, and that would make the wealth gained from those example sources beyond the jurisdiction of the anti-corruption law. The two proposals the draft amended law made were very troubling, Hai said. If it is necessary to pay 45 per cent income tax on the unreported wealth, what would become of the remaining 55 per cent? Does that imply that the amount is now legalised as all the tax duty is done? he said. The same goes for the administrative fine. After paying the fine, will the unreported asset in question automatically become legal wealth? The Government was in favour of option one, while the NAs Committee on Legal Affairs was leaning towards the other, Hai said. But I refuse both of them, he said. Deputy Nguyen uc Sau seconded the risk of unintentional legalisation of the undeclared wealth. He said that the lawmakers might want to add a regulation confirming that any handling of the money by income tax or administrative fine would not necessarily mean it now would be safe from further investigation or legal actions. Deputy Truong Trong Nghia also said no to the proposed options, but he had something else in mind. Nghia suggested another new solution which was literally a combination of those existing two in the draft law. He said that any public servants and officers who wrongly declared their wealth and assets would obviously have to receive administrative penalties, but they should also be given a chance to clarify the origins of their misreported wealth. If they fail to explain the source of income to the authorities, Nghia said, an income tax would then be applied but at a much higher rate than 45 per cent. I propose it should be more than 50 per cent, at least, and in my opinion, 75 per cent is a reasonable number, he added. VNS TOKYO President Tran ai Quang and Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe have reached high consensus on major orientations and concrete measures to advance the Viet Nam-Japan extensive strategic partnership in a more comprehensive, practical and efficient manner. At their talks in Tokyo on May 31 during President Quangs State visit to Japan, the leaders noted with pleasure pragmatic and rapid developments of the Viet Nam-Japan relationship across many fields, with many similarities in strategic interests. They agreed that 2018 will begin a new development phase of bilateral ties. PM Abe described President Quangs visit as a very important political event in the Viet Nam-Japan relationship. He said Japan highly values Viet Nams socio-economic achievements as well as its increasingly important position and role in the region and the world at large. Japan attaches great importance to Viet Nam in its foreign policy, the host emphasised. President Quang affirmed: Viet Nam consistently considers Japan a leading, long-term partner. He appreciated the countrys effective co-operation and support for Viet Nam in various realms. Host and guest consented to continue to enhance mutual political trust by maintaining high-level visits and meetings, and intensifying cooperation and exchanges between the two parties and legislative bodies. They also agreed to beef up economic links in the spirit of mutual benefit, increase Japans investments in Viet Nam and join hands in major projects on high-quality infrastructure, energy, personnel training and climate change response, as well as in implementing Viet Nams industrialisation strategy. The two sides will work together in order to raise bilateral trade revenue and facilitate the entry of Vietnamese seafood and fruits like litchi and longan into the Japanese market. PM Shinzo Abe affirmed that Japan will continue supporting Viet Nam in socio-economic development by providing official development assistance (ODA), strengthening co-operation in high quality infrastructure projects, and committing to the provision of 16 billion JPY (US$142 million) in ODA for a project to enhance vocational training capacity of Viet Nam. President Quang hailed contributions of Japanese ODA to Viet Nams socio-economic development and the improvement of the countrys competitiveness. He agreed that the two countries need to co-ordinate closely in using the resource. Both sides concurred to foster affiliation in security and defence as well as in implementing the declaration on joint vision in defence co-operation between the two countries. They will bolster co-operation in various areas such as cyber security, defence equipment, military medicine, UN peacekeeping operations, war consequence settlement through landmine clearance and support of Agent Orange/dioxin victims in Viet Nam, improve the capacity of law enforcement at sea, and share experience on maritime policy. The leaders lauded the launch of negotiations for an agreement on mutual criminal legal support and another on transfer of sentenced persons. Viet Nam and Japan agreed to promote co-ordination in education, human resources training, agriculture, health care, labour, urban building and development, administrative reform, and partnership among localities. PM Shinzo Abe pledged to assist Viet Nam in high-ranking official training, administrative reform, while continuing to receive apprentices from Viet Nam. The leaders affirmed that the two countries would closely co-ordinate in organising activities celebrating the 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties, as well as promoting culture, sport and people-to-people exchanges, towards further deepening mutual trust and understanding between their people. They stressed that this is an important foundation for sustainable development of Viet Nam-Japan relations in the future. President Quang asserted Viet Nams consistent policy of actively coordinating with international partners, contributing to maintaining peace, stability and cooperation in the region and the world. The two sides agreed to enhance their coordination at global and regional forums in the issues of common concern. Talking about the Korean Peninsula issue, the leaders affirmed support for efforts towards peace, stability and denuclearisation in the peninsula, and stressed the importance of resolving disagreements by diplomatic and peaceful measures. Regarding the East Sea issue, the two sides agreed on the importance of ensuring peace, security, navigation and aviation freedom and safety in the sea, and the peaceful settlement of disputes by peaceful means without the use of force or threat to use force, exercising self-restraint and avoiding all actions that would harm trust, and strictly abiding by international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). They also underlined the need to respect diplomatic and legal processes, fully implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and strive to reach a framework of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in a practical and effective manner with legal effectiveness. At the end of the talks, President Quang and PM Shinzo Abe witnessed the signing of four documents between the two countries ministries and sectors. The documents include a diplomatic note on a non-refundable aid worth 745 million JPY (equivalent to $6.77 million) for human resources development scholarships; a diplomatic note on non-refundable aid worth 1.96 billion JPY (equivalent to $17.8 million) for the upgrade of water drainage ditches in HCM City; a memorandum of understanding on co-operation in land and water resource management, measurement, mapping and information on geographical space, hydro-metrology and remote sensing between the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Viet Nam and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan; and the minutes on co-operation on urban construction and development in 2018-21 between Viet Nams Ministry of Construction and Japans Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. On the occasion, the two sides adopted the joint statement on the State visit to Japan of the President of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam. Later on the same day, President Quang and his spouse attended an official banquet hosted by PM Shinzo Abe and his spouse. VNS President Tran ai Quang (r) meets with Chairman of the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) Kazuo Shii during a reception on May 31. VNA/VNS Photo Nhan Sang TOKYO Viet Nam-Japan relations are at their best point since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties 45 years ago, President Tran ai Quang told Chairman of the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) Kazuo Shii during a reception on May 31. Lauding the achievements of the JCP, especially the realisation of the resolution adopted by its 27th Congress, President Quang believed that the JCP will continue to be an important political force, contributing to national construction and development. He wished that both sides would maintain regular exchange of visits and strengthen the friendship between the two parties, thereby reinforcing the friendship between the two countries people and enriching the bilateral extensive strategic partnership. Shii, for his part, expressed his delight at the development of Viet Nam-Japan ties over the past 45 years. He spoke highly of Viet Nams important role in ASEAN and its status as the 10th member ratifying the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. He expressed his wish that Viet Nam would uphold its role for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world. The host hoped for tighter bonds between the two parties via visits and theoretical exchanges as well as their close coordination in celebrating the 45th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties. Host and guest also discussed regional and global issues, including the East Sea situation. Meeting with Komeito Party During the meeting with Chief Representative of Japans Komeito Party, Natsuo Yamaguchi, in Tokyo the same day as part of his State visit to Japan, President Quang expressed his appreciation at the strongly developing relations in all fields, 45 years after the two countries established diplomatic ties. Japan has been the leading economic partner, the biggest official development assistance provider and the second largest investor of Viet Nam. It also ranks third in terms of the number of tourists to the Southeast Asian nation. The two countries have coordinated closely at regional and international forums, reflected through the success of the APEC Economic Leaders Week in Viet Nam in 2017 and the signing of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), he stated. President Quang thanked the party for supporting Viet Nams nation building cause and developing Viet Nam-Japan relations. He asked the party and Chief Representative Natsuo Yamaguchi to continue making contributions to the bilateral Extensive Strategic Partnership, particularly in economy, investment, human resources training, hi-tech agriculture and climate change response. Welcoming the Vietnamese President, the Komeito leader said that the visit will contribute to strengthening rapport in all fields, especially in the context of the 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties. He affirmed that his party will make efforts to deepen Japan-Viet Nam relations in all aspects and coordinate with the Vietnamese side in regional and international issues of shared concern. VNS The increasing expansion of bank partnership networks is helping Samsung Pay create more positive transformations in Viet Nams mobile payment market. One solution across domestic banks and international financial partners Recently, Samsung has announced three brand new features on Samsung Pay: availability of the service on Gear S3, ATM cash withdrawals, and a Loyalty Card. By gently tapping the Samsung Gear S3 on POS terminals, users can confirm all purchases for movie tickets, coffee, and other goods, within only 15 seconds. ATM card holders of Shinhan Bank can also take advantage of the new features by withdrawing cash conveniently through Samsung Pay at ATM stations without the need for a physical card. They can also free themselves from the abundance of membership cards, royalty cards, and promotional vouchers with Samsung Pays capability to add and manage cards. Gear S3 allows safe, convenient, and safe bill payments without the need for mobile phones or wallets. There are currently 15 banks and three card-switching organisations that have joined Samsung Pays mobile payment network, accounting for 75 per cent of the domestic payment card market. Samsung Pay was able to attract the banks primarily because of its global Samsung brand, but what really sold it to the banks was the innovation that its comprehensive digital payment solution brought to the strongly developing market for digital payments in Viet Nam. Kim Choel Gi, CEO of Samsung Vina, together with representatives from 15 banks, in the event marking the expansion of the partnership network of Samsung Pay in Viet Nam on May 26 Viet Nam has the potential to push the development of mobile payment solutions, with its population density being among the top three in Southeast Asia, and the high incidence of cellphone ownership in the country at 72 per cent. Owning multiple cards poses a major inconvenience and security risk, while e-wallet payments are inefficient as users have to deposit cash in advance and go through some complicated procedures to withdraw money from their e- wallets. Samsung Pays utmost and long-term ambition Samsung Pay is a payment application on Samsung mobile devices, operating based on the financial switching and digital payment infrastructure of the National Payment Corporation of Viet Nam (NAPAS) as well as Visa or MasterCard to connect to the banking system to provide facilities for simple and secure payments almost anywhere. A total of 15 banks and three card switching organisations have joined Samsung Pay mobiles payment network, accounting for 75 per cent of the domestic payment card market. In some countries such as Canada, France, Belgium, Japan, and Korea, the cashless transaction rate is up to 90 per cent. In some regional countries, such as China and India, using e-wallets for daily bill payments has become very common. Mastercard hopes to enable mobile payments in stores and make mobile payment with smartphones more accessible in Viet Nam. "The convergence of traditional commerce and digital commerce is no longer a matter of the future, it is actually happening today, Arn Vogels, Country Director and Chief Representative of Indochina Mastercard, said. Samsung's mobile devices and wearables are blurring these boundaries as they play an integral role in every aspect of our lives. This year, Samsung Pay will continue expanding its services on international cards such as Visa and Mastercard, including those issued by Vietinbank and Sacombank. Mr. Arn Vogels, Country Director and Chief Representative of Indochina Mastercard. Samsung is expanding its bank partnership to bring more benefits to its users: simple payments wherever possible, minimising the risk of cash transactions, thus allowing their users to enjoy a modern lifestyle. Since September 29, 2017, after more than six months of operations, Samsung Pay counts nearly 400,000 registered users and has recorded 500,000 transactions. The total value of transactions made via Samsung Pay in the past 6 months has reached nearly VND 350 billion. Samsung Pay is committed to reduce cash payments to below 10 per cent in 2020, through its strategic partnership with other banks in Viet Nam. "We expect Samsung Pay to continue providing mobile experiences that go beyond the capabilities of a mobile phone, becoming a leading mobile payment service, Mr. Nguyen Quang Hien Huy, Vice President for Mobile Business of Samsung Vina, said. We will give our best to continue developing and improving Samsung Pay to provide more benefits to Samsung mobile users. HCM CITY The Peoples Committee of ak Nong has approved a programme to attract well-qualified doctors and pharmacists to the Central Highlands province. ak Nong will hire 10 doctors and pharmacists each with post-graduate degrees for vital departments like paediatrics, infectious diseases, maternity, general surgery, anesthesiology, neurology, internal medicine, and cardiology. It also plans to get nine general practitioners and one traditional medicine doctor with good academic achievements. The candidates selected under the programme will work in provincial and district hospitals in the area and will receive financial support from the authorities. The programme will cost VN4.5 billion (US$200,000). VNS HA NOI Deputy Prime Minister Vu uc am visited several schools, medical facilities and tourist sites in Ha Noi on May 31 as part of the Governments routine inspection aimed at improving sanitation standards in public places around the city. The deputy PM visited the Temple of Literature, the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, ang Tran Con Primary School, Thanh Xuan Bac Kindergarten School, Thanh Xuan Secondary School and Thanh Xuan Wards local clinic. am talked to people working at the sites, saying that sanitation standards play an important role in building a societys image, especially among visitors. Sanitation in public places is, therefore, no small matter, but something that management of such facilities must pay attention to. Some places even hire janitors to work around the clock, but its still not up to standard. It is clear that peoples attitude in keeping places clean is the most important factor in play here, am said. He urged Ha Noi, as well as other localities, to make public sanitation a priority, especially in schools, hospitals and tourism sites. While acknowledging there have been improvements in recent years in public schools sanitation standards, the deputy PM said in many schools it still remains almost a dreaded topic among students. He said teachers must set themselves as examples for students to follow and students should participate in keeping their schools clean. It is the only way for them to learn and respect the value of hard work. Teachers and parents must work together to cultivate a habit for students to be self-organised and be responsible for their environment, he said. am said building students character with simple tasks such as these are just as important as gaining technical knowledge. VNS Twenty-eight former officials of ai Tin Bank were sentenced to three to 30 years in jail by the HCM City Peoples Court on May 31 after a three-week trial. VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Chung HCM CITY Twenty-eight former officials of ai Tin Bank (Trust Bank - now the Viet Nam Construction Bank) charged with "abusing trust to appropriate property" and "intentionally violating State regulations on economic management and causing serious consequences" were sentenced to three to 30 years in jail by the HCM City Peoples Court on May 31 after a three-week trial. The key defendant, Hua Thi Phan, former senior advisor of the management board of Trust Bank, and former chairwoman of the management board of Phu My Investment and Development JSC, did not appear at the court because of poor health. She was sentenced to 30 years in jail and must pay compensation of VN16.7 trillion (US$733 million) on both charges. All of Phans assets and shares under other peoples names will be confiscated, the court said. Bui Thi Kim Loan, accountant for Phu My Co Ltd, was sentenced to 28 years in prison. Ngo Thi Ngan was sentenced to 10 years for "intentionally violating State regulations, and must pay compensation of VN208 billion ($9.1 million). Former chairman of the banks board of management Hoang Van Toan was sentenced to seven years, and former general director Tran Son Nam to six years for intentionally violating State regulations. A decision on the disposition of 114 real estate assets, which had been transfered to Pham Cong Danh, will be considered in the next phase of the trial. Phuong Trang company and other enterprises who co-operated with Phuong Trang company must pay back VN6.4 trillion ($280 million) to the bank. More than 100 individuals and representatives of organisations appeared in court along with 50 lawyers. $280 million loss According to the results of the investigation, in June 2010 Hua Thi Phan and Phu My Investment and Development JSC and 14 other people bought over 254 million shares of Trust Bank for over VN2.5 trillion ($110 million). Phan abused her holding of nearly 85 per cent of the banks charter capital to take over the management of all Trust Bank activities. She took over the entire board of management, executive board and staff, and also took over all investment and credit activities. She abused trust to appropriate and misuse more than VN12 trillion (nearly $530 million), the court said. Phan increased the value of her house at 5 Pham Ngoc Thach Street in District 3 in HCM City to sell her house to Trust Bank, causing financial damages of over VN1.1 trillion ($48.5 million). Bui Thi Kim Loan, accountant for Phu My Co Ltd, helped Phan embezzle a total amount of nearly VN5.3 trillion ($231.6 million). Through 29 loans from Phu My, Phan embezzled over VN3.6 trillion ($158 million), according to the charges. She also asked Trust Bank to illegally invest in four other real estate projects, embezzling over VN1 trillion ($44 million), and raised the value of another 25 properties sold to Trust Bank, embezzling over VN1 trillion ($44 million), according to the court. The investigation police concluded that violations committed by Phan and others caused serious financial damage to Trust Bank, totaling VN6.362 trillion ($280 million), excluding VN5.64 trillion in damages from three other violations, which will be investigated in the second phase of the case. Previously, at a trial about the loss of more than VN9 trillion ($395 million) at Viet Nam Construction Bank (VNCB), HCM City Peoples Court decided to launch criminal proceedings against Phan for violating lending regulations of credit institutions and deliberately violating State regulations on economic management, causing severe consequences. In 2012, ai Tin Bank was restructured and rebranded as VNCB, and Pham Cong Danh became chairman of the banks management board. Danh was later accused of devising scams to steal from the bank, including setting up fraudulent companies and fake documents to take out huge loans, which caused losses of over VN9 trillion. VNS HA NOI Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked central Binh Thuan Province to further improve its investment environment, remove difficulties for enterprises, and boost the growth of both industry and agriculture. The province should prioritise implementing these specific solutions, said the leader at his working session with key provincial leaders in Ha Noi on May 31. The meeting aimed to tackle difficulties and speed up a number of key socio-economic and infrastructure projects for faster growth in the locality. He highlighted the potential of Binh Thuan Province in the fields of tourism, natural resources and energy. He also commended the province on its recent positive socio-economic performance and budget collection efforts, saying it has shown strong performance in planning, forest protection and improving the investment environment. However, the province is still a poor locality that needs support from the central budget, he pointed out. The PM suggested that the province review its socio-economic tasks to make sure these are relevant to its development goals. The locality should stick to the Party and State policies and laws on natural resources and land management, avoiding losses and waste of land, he requested. The province needs to efficiently deal with prolonged complaints and denunciations and protect the environment during its socio-economic development process, he added. At the working session, the PM and leaders of relevant ministries also responded to the provinces proposals and requests regarding some transport infrastructure, including airports and tourism projects. Working with Quang Ngai Later that same day, the PM held a working session with leaders of Quang Ngai Province to deal with obstacles in implementing key socio-economic projects, including ensuring stability and improving efficiency in the operation of Dung Quat Oil Refinery. The PM urged the province to focus on upgrading infrastructure, particularly airports and seaports to encourage production development. He encouraged the province to call for Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) investment in development in order to have a wide range of capital sources. He also asked the province to continue improving the business and investment environment to draw more investors, paying more attention to developing the private economy, and speeding up equitisation of State-owned enterprises. During the development process, the province should pay attention to poor communes, particularly those in mountainous areas, PM Phuc said. The province needs to protect and develop Ly Son Island to make it an attractive bet for investors. At the working session, PM Phuc agreed to turn the Dung Quat Oil Refinery into a national refinery, making it a qualified and safe plant, thus contributing more to the development of the province and the country. He also agreed with the proposal to develop the Dung Quat Economic Zone into a national oil refinery and energy centre. VNS HA NOI The risk of the deadly Ebola virus spreading in Viet Nam in future is low, said the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre under the Ministry of Health. This is because the epidemic has mainly occurred in remote areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo and there are limited exchanges and trade between Viet Nam and Congo. However, there is a possibility of people from the affected region entering the country, the delegates said. This was said at a meeting held among concerned agencies on Thursday to assess the risk of Ebola entering Viet Nam and propose suitable preventive measures. The health ministry is closely coordinating with the World Health Organization to enhance supervision at the border and in hospitals to detect suspected cases of Ebola, the e-newspaper Vietnamplus reported. They also suggested that concerned agencies should share any information related to the epidemic, the immigration status of passengers from the affected region as well as suggest suitable preventive measures. The National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology and the Pasteur Institute now have the technological know-how to conduct tests in Viet Nam to detect the Ebola virus. The virus has been confirmed in the Central African nation of Congo since April 2018, with confirmed and suspected cases reaching 54, including 25 deaths, according to WHO on May 29. The world health body, experienced in controlling the Ebola epidemic in 2014, has been working closely with the Government of Congo to implement comprehensive and coordinated actions to control the disease at an early stage and limit the spread of the virus. In 2014, Viet Nams health ministry organised many activities to prepare for the disease, such as putting in place a National Ebola Action Plan. There were specialised training activities for Ebola surveillance, testing, diagnosis and treatment, along with infection control and outbreak management guidelines. VNS HA NOI Police in Ha Nois Bac Tu Liem District on Friday successfully busted a group of fraudsters suspected of producing and selling counterfeit hospital seals and documents. The districts Police Investigation Agency arrested the following suspects: Phan Cong inh, who was born in 1988 and lives in the Nam an District of Nghe An Province; Tran Khac Canh, born in 1997 and living in Ninh Giang District, Hai Duong Province; and Nguyen Van Hoc, born in 1997 and a resident of Huong Son District, Ha Tinh Province. Relying on field work and scouting information, the Bac Tu Liem District Economic Police in March detected a group suspected of producing fraudulent health documents from several hospitals in Ha Noi and selling them to people applying for different jobs. The group only conducted their business online while constantly changing delivery addresses. After careful verification, the Police Investigation Agency commenced an investigation into the case. An Economic Police team were patrolling around the porch of Ha Noi University of Industry in Minh Khai Ward on May 15 when they spotted a suspicious man carrying a pile of papers. Upon examination, the man was identified as Tran Khac Canh, who eventually admitted he was selling physical examination papers from Bach Mai Hospital. Canh was immediately escorted to police headquarters for investigation. Canh claimed to be a Ha Noi university student experiencing financial difficulties. While he knew selling fraudulent documents was illegal, he said he found the practice to be easy and profitable, with each medical checkup paper from E Hospital costing him just VN60,000 (US$2.63) and selling for VN100,000 ($4.4). Canh said he had used fraudulent health documents three times and admitted getting them from Nguyen Van Hoc, another college student. Hoc said he ordered fake documents from inh on social media, and that he had sold a total of 70 fake medical checkup certificates from Bach Mai Hospital to Canh and others online since March. inh admitted to forging the seals and stamps of Bach Mai Hospital and Giao Thong Van Tai (Transport) Hospital Joint-Stock Company and to producing fake samples of health certificates, hospitalisation documents, and discharging papers to earn easy money. He ordered forged seals and stamps from an unidentified source and made a fake seal of Bach Mai Hospital to sell on social media websites. To avoid being busted, inh only used social media, as well as various mobile phones and business addresses, to make illegal transactions. Police found piles of fraudulent health documents after searching the three suspects residences. The case is still undergoing further investigation. VNS ROME Italys populist parties on Thursday reached a new coalition deal reviving their plans to take power, narrowly avoiding snap elections and setting in motion an anti-austerity government in the eurozones third largest economy. On Thursday evening President Sergio Mattarella gave a mandate for the second time to Giuseppe Conte -- the populists pick for prime minister. Italy has been in the throws of political turmoil for almost three months after inconclusive March elections, rocking financial markets and spreading unease among its euro partners. Conte -- a little know lawyer and political novice -- announced his picks for the countrys future cabinet after meeting with Mattarella. From the coalition, far-right League leader Matteo Salvini was named interior minister while Five Star Movement leader Luigi Di Maio is slated to become minister for economic development. Paolo Savona, the eurosceptic economist who the populist coalition originally wanted for economy minister but was rejected by Mattarella, is still part of the cabinet as European Affairs minister. The role of economy minister was given to the less controversial Giovanni Tria, a political economist who advocates slashing taxes but is in favour of keeping Italy in the euro. Brussels savvy Enzo Moavero Milanesi was appointed minister of foreign affairs. According to Italian media the populist line-up will face a vote of confidence in both houses of parliament on Monday or Tuesday. "Without promising any miracles, I can say that, after the first months of this government of change, I would like us to have a country with a little less tax and a little more security, a few more jobs and a few less illegal immigrants," said a gleeful Salvini at a rally after the annoucement. Political saga Just forty-eight hours ago Italy had looked to be on course for snap elections after coalition talks between the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and far-right League party collapsed over the weekend. Mattarella vetoed the populist coalitions anti-euro choice for economy minister Savona, causing the two populist parties to abandon their joint bid for power. Mattarella then asked pro-austerity economist Carlo Cottarelli to form a caretaker government. Fresh elections seemed like the most likely outcome, however, after it became clear Cottarellis government would not pass a vote of confidence in parliament. In a surprise twist to Italys drawn out political saga, Five Star and the League frantically re-engaged in talks to get their coalition back on track Thursday and emerged triumphant. "All the conditions have been met for a M5S-League government," said the party leaders in a joint statement sent by the Five Star Movement. In light of the populists successful talks, Cottarelli announced on Thursday that he was giving up his mandate to form a technocrat government. "The formation of a political government is by far the best solution for the country, because it avoids the uncertainty that would arise with new elections," said Cottarelli after meeting with Mattarella. Dont play this game The programme proposed by the populists promises to revive Italys sluggish economy by rejecting austerity and increasing spending. Their ambitious economic proposals -- which include a universal basic income for Italys poorest, rolling back pension reform and a two tier flat tax -- have worried Brussels and financial markets given the countrys sizeable debt. Italys 2.3 trillion euros of debt is 132 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP), the highest ratio in Europe apart from Greece and more than double the blocs 60-per cent ceiling. The government programme includes plans to speed up expulsions of illegal immigrants and crack down on trafficking. The eurosceptic coalition also promises a series of measures to reign in the EU including renegotiation of EU treaties and a review of the blocs economic governance on issues such as the single currency. But on Thursday EU chief Jean-Claude Juncker warned against blaming the EU for all of Italys problems. "Im in deep love with Italy, Bella Italia. But I no longer accept that everything which is going wrong in South of Italy, in Mezzogiorno, is explained by the fact that the EU or the European Commission would not do enough," he said after leaving a meeting in Brussels. "Italians have to take care of the poor regions of Italy. That means more work, less corruption, seriousness. He urged Italy not to "play this game" of holding the EU responsible, adding "Nations first, Europe second." AFP The rich history of the Polish Air Force will be celebrated with a major international air show in August 2018, 100 years after its formation following the end of World War One. It was called into action almost immediately during conflicts with the Ukraine and Russia. It built up its strength in the 1920s and 1930s, using French designs initially, before introducing range of indigenous types manufactured at the PZL factory. The outbreak of World War Two saw the Polish Air Force overwhelmed by the superior German Luftwaffe despite PZL-11 fighters downing 130 enemy aircraft. With the fall of Poland in September, 1939 many her pilots and aircrew escaped to France and from there to Britain. They went on to play a significant role in resisting the Nazi advance. Two Polish-manned RAF fighter squadrons, equipped with Hawker Hurricanes, fought with great success during the Battle of Britain. Following the Battle of Britain, further Royal Air Force squadrons were filled out with Polish pilots and aircraft to bolster the aerial defense of Britain, and later to take the war against the Nazis back into Europe. Meanwhile in the Soviet Union, a new Polish Peoples Air Force equipped with Yak-9 fighters and Il-2 bombers emerged to help defend Russia from German attack. Following the war, and the Soviet Union subsumed Poland into its empire behind what became known as the Iron Curtain. During this time, the Polish Air Force grew rapidly, using Soviet types exclusively. MiG-15s and 17s were acquired in large numbers. WSK Mielec produced many hundred MiG-15s under licence locally as the Lim-1 and Lim-2 (MiG-15 and MiG-15bis respectively) and a similar amount of MiG-17s as the Lim-5 (which evolved into the Lim-6). Later MiG variants arrived, along with Sukhoi Su-7s and Su-22s, many Mil helicopter variants and Ilyushin Il-28 jet bombers. The end of the Cold War brought a gradual realignment towards the West, and after a number of years of minimal investment, Poland ordered General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons to upgrade their defensive capabilities. Nevertheless, the ongoing use of MiG-29 and Sukhoi Su-22 fighter/bombers, along with locally-designed trainers, helicopters and transports, makes Poland a Mecca for aviation enthusiasts around the world. This years Centenary air show will showcase the current Polish Air Force inventory, but will include a number of historic types to demonstrate the nations aeronautical pedigree. Invitations have also been sent to the air forces or more than 30 other nations with requests for their participation in the show which will take place at Radom AB on August 25/26th. For those interested in attending this milestone event, WarbirdsNews sponsor Ian Allan Aviation Tours will be running a trip to explore Polands aviation heritage with two days spent at the airshow, along with visits to two of the countrys major aviation museums, the Muzeum Sit Powietrznych at Deblin and the Polish Aviation Museum at Krakow. Both of these museums are fantastic, but is the Polish Aviation Museum that is without doubt the crown jewel in Polands collection of historic aircraft, as indeed it would be for all but a handful of other nations. Here you will find such unique airframes as the World Speed Record holding Messerschmitt Me 209 V1, which Fritz Wendel flew on April 26th, 1939 at a then staggering speed of 468mph, a record which stood for 30 years until Darryl Greenamyer broke it in his Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat Conquest I. There are several extremely rare WWI-era German aircraft, and the Curtiss Hawk II biplane which was the personal aircraft of Ernst Udet, the German WWI ace who went on to become the Luftwaffes minister of aircraft production. There are many other rare indigenous designs and western aircraft on display at the museum, which houses well over a hundred airframes! Ian Allen Aviation Tours trip to Poland this summer is bound to be an amazing experience for all involved. Here is your opportunity to go along for the ride. Their complete itinerary for the trip to Poland, as it stands now, is available HERE. Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required. 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difficult period, and Russia once again finds itself at the crossroads of key trends that determine the vector of future global development. Many different opinions have been expressed in this connection including the fear that we have a distorted view of the international situation and Russias international standing. I perceive this as an echo of the eternal dispute between pro-Western liberals and the advocates of Russias unique path. There are also those, both in Russia and outside of it, who believe that Russia is doomed to drag behind, trying to catch up with the West and forced to bend to other players rules, and hence will be unable to claim its rightful place in international affairs. Id like to use this opportunity to express some of my views and to back them with examples from history and historical parallels. It is an established fact that a substantiated policy is impossible without reliance on history. This reference to history is absolutely justified, especially considering recent celebrations. In 2015, we celebrated the 70th anniversary of Victory in WWII, and in 2014, we marked a century since the start of WWI. In 2012, we marked 200 years of the Battle of Borodino and 400 years of Moscows liberation from the Polish invaders. If we look at these events carefully, well see that they clearly point to Russias special role in European and global history. History doesnt confirm the widespread belief that Russia has always camped in Europes backyard and has been Europes political outsider. Id like to remind you that the adoption of Christianity in Russia in 988 we marked 1025 years of that event quite recently boosted the development of state institutions, social relations and culture and eventually made Kievan Rus a full member of the European community. At that time, dynastic marriages were the best gauge of a countrys role in the system of international relations. In the 11th century, three daughters of Grand Prince Yaroslav the Wise became the queens of Norway and Denmark, Hungary and France. Yaroslavs sister married the Polish king and granddaughter the German emperor. Numerous scientific investigations bear witness to the high cultural and spiritual level of Rus of those days, a level that was frequently higher than in western European states. Many prominent Western thinkers recognized that Rus was part of the European context. At the same time, Russian people possessed a cultural matrix of their own and an original type of spirituality and never merged with the West. It is instructive to recall in this connection what was for my people a tragic and in many respects critical epoch of the Mongolian invasion. The great Russian poet and writer Alexander Pushkin wrote: The barbarians did not dare to leave an enslaved Rus in their rear and returned to their Eastern steppes. Christian enlightenment was saved by a ravaged and dying Russia. We also know an alternative view offered by prominent historian and ethnologist Lev Gumilyov, who believed that the Mongolian invasion had prompted the emergence of a new Russian ethnos and that the Great Steppe had given us an additional impetus for development. However that may be, it is clear that the said period was extremely important for the assertion of the Russian States independent role in Eurasia. Let us recall in this connection the policy pursued by Grand Prince Alexander Nevsky, who opted to temporarily submit to Golden Horde rulers, who were tolerant of Christianity, in order to uphold the Russians right to have a faith of their own and to decide their fate, despite the European Wests attempts to put Russian lands under full control and to deprive Russians of their identity. I am confident that this wise and forward-looking policy is in our genes. Rus bent under but was not broken by the heavy Mongolian yoke, and managed to emerge from this dire trial as a single state, which was later regarded by both the West and the East as the successor to the Byzantine Empire that ceased to exist in 1453. An imposing country stretching along what was practically the entire eastern perimeter of Europe, Russia began a natural expansion towards the Urals and Siberia, absorbing their huge territories. Already then it was a powerful balancing factor in European political combinations, including the well-known Thirty Years War that gave birth to the Westphalian system of international relations, whose principles, primarily respect for state sovereignty, are of importance even today. At this point we are approaching a dilemma that has been evident for several centuries. While the rapidly developing Moscow state naturally played an increasing role in European affairs, the European countries had apprehensions about the nascent giant in the East and tried to isolate it whenever possible and prevent it from taking part in Europes most important affairs. The seeming contradiction between the traditional social(Keep reading link below) The major silver miners' stocks remain deeply out of favor, languishing near multi-year lows. Of course that reflects investors' lack of interest in silver itself. It has greatly lagged, not following gold higher like usual over the past year and a half. That's really torpedoed silver-stock sentiment, making for a challenging environment for silver miners. But they're weathering it as their recently-released Q1'18 results show. Four times a year publicly-traded companies release treasure troves of valuable information in the form of quarterly reports. Companies trading in the States are required to file 10-Qs with the US Securities and Exchange Commission by 45 calendar days after quarter-ends. Canadian companies have similar requirements. In other countries with half-year reporting, many companies still partially report quarterly. Unfortunately the universe of major silver miners to analyze and invest in is pretty small. Silver mining is a tough business both geologically and economically. Primary silver deposits, those with enough silver to generate over half their revenues when mined, are quite rare. Most of the world's silver ore formed alongside base metals or gold. Their value usually well outweighs silver's, relegating it to byproduct status. The Silver Institute has long been the authority on world silver supply-and-demand trends. It published its latest annual World Silver Survey covering 2017 in mid-April. Last year only 28% of the silver mined around the globe came from primary silver mines! 36% came from primary lead/zinc mines, 23% copper, and 12% gold. That's nothing new, the silver miners have long supplied less than a third of world mined supply. It's very challenging to find and develop the scarce silver-heavy deposits supporting primary silver mines. And it's even harder forging them into primary-silver-mining businesses. Since silver isn't very valuable, most silver miners need multiple mines in order to generate sufficient cash flows. Traditional major silver miners are increasingly diversifying into gold production at silver's expense, chasing its superior economics. So there aren't many major silver miners left out there, and their purity is shrinking. The definitive list of these companies to analyze comes from the most-popular silver-stock investment vehicle, the SIL Global X Silver Miners ETF. In mid-May at the end of Q1's earnings season, SIL's net assets were running 6.4x greater than its next-largest competitor's. So SIL continues to dominate this small niche contrarian sector. While SIL has its flaws, it's the closest thing we have to a silver-stock index. As ETF investing continues to eclipse individual-stock picking, SIL inclusion is very important for silver miners. It grants them better access to the vast pools of stock-market capital. Differential SIL-share buying by investors requires this ETF's managers to buy more shares in its underlying component companies, bidding their stock prices higher. In mid-May as the major silver miners were finishing reporting their Q1'18 results, SIL included 24 "Silver Miners". Unfortunately the great majority aren't primary silver miners, most generate well under half their revenues from silver. That's not necessarily an indictment against SIL's stock picking, but a reflection of the state of this industry. There aren't enough significant primary silver miners left to fully flesh out an ETF. This disappointing reality makes SIL somewhat problematic. The only reason investors would buy SIL is they want silver-stock exposure. But if SIL's underlying component companies generate well under 40% of their sales from silver mining, they aren't going to be very responsive to silver price moves. And most of that capital intended to go into primary silver miners is instead diverted into byproduct silver miners. So the silver-mining ETFs sucking in capital investors thought they were allocating to real primary silver miners effectively starves them. Their stock prices aren't bid high enough to attract in more investors, so they can't issue sufficient new shares to finance big silver-mining expansions. This is exacerbating the silver-as-a-byproduct trend. Only sustained much-higher silver prices for years to come could reverse this tragedy. Every quarter I dig into the latest results from the major silver miners of SIL to get a better understanding of how they and this industry are faring fundamentally. I feed a bunch of data into a big spreadsheet, some of which made it into the table below. It includes key data for the top 17 SIL component companies, an arbitrary number that fits in this table. That's a commanding sample at 95.1% of SIL's total weighting! While most of these top 17 SIL components had reported on Q1'18 by mid-May, not all had. Some of these major silver miners trade in the UK or Mexico, where financial results are only required in half-year increments. If a field is left blank in this table, it means that data wasn't available by the end of Q1's earnings season. Some of SIL's components also report in gold-centric terms, excluding silver-specific data. The first couple columns of this table show each SIL component's symbol and weighting within this ETF as of mid-May. While most of these stocks trade on US exchanges, some symbols are listings from companies' primary foreign stock exchanges. That's followed by each miner's Q1'18 silver production in ounces, along with its absolute year-over-year change. Next comes this same quarter's gold production. Nearly all the major silver miners in SIL also produce significant-to-large amounts of gold! That's truly a double-edged sword. While gold really stabilizes and boosts silver miners' cash flows, it also retards their stocks' sensitivity to silver itself. So the next column reveals how purethese elite silver miners are, approximating their percentages of Q1'18 revenues actually derived from silver. This is calculated two ways. The large majority of these top SIL silver miners reported total Q1 sales. Those are divided by quarterly silver production multiplied by silver's average price in Q1, yielding an accurate relative-purity gauge. In cases where Q1 sales weren't reported, I estimated them by adding silver sales to gold sales based on their production and average quarterly prices. That's less optimal, since it ignores any base-metals production. Next comes the major silver miners' most-important fundamental data for investors, cash costs and all-in sustaining costs per ounce mined. The latter directly drives profitability which ultimately determines stock prices. These key costs are also followed by YoY changes. Last but not least the annual changes are shown in operating cash flows generated and hard GAAP earnings, with a couple exceptions necessary. Percentage changes aren't relevant or meaningful if data shifted from positive to negative or vice versa, or if derived from two negative numbers. So in those cases I included raw underlying data rather than weird or misleading percentage changes. This whole dataset together offers a fantastic high-level read on how the major silver miners are faring fundamentally as an industry. They kept hanging in there in Q1'18. Silver has always been driven by gold, effectively acting like a gold sentiment gauge. Generally big silver uplegs only happen after gold has rallied long enough and high enough to convince traders its gains are sustainable. Then the way-smaller silver market tends to start leveraging and amplifying gold's moves by 2x to 3x. But strangely gold's strength over the past year didn't spill into silver, leaving its miners struggling. Silver's average price actually fell 4.1%between Q1'17 and Q1'18, despite a sizable 8.9% YoY rally in gold's average price! Normally silver would've powered 18% to 27% higher on such a meaningful gold advance. But it went the other way because gold sentiment remained poor. Investors spent 2017 deeply enamored with the extraordinary levitating general stock markets, ignoring everything else including gold and silver. With investors not interested, the already-battered silver stocks continued to languish near lows for most of 2017. These miners had insufficient capital and incentives to grow production, which is the lifeblood of mining. So unfortunately these top 17 SIL components collectively suffered sharp declines in both silver and gold production over the past year. That naturally hurt their operating and financial results in Q1'18. These elite major silver miners' total silver mined last quarter fell 5.3% YoY to 72.0m ounces! That was certainly not offset by higher gold production, which dropped an even-worse 8.1% YoY to 1243k ounces. And sadly those production declines are actually skewed smaller than sector reality. Note above the only big absolute gains in silver production came from two silver behemoths, Fresnillo and Industrias Penoles. Their silver production soared 14.0% and 13.1% YoY in Q1, bucking the weakening trend seen in many of the rest of these major miners. Together Fresnillo and Penoles added 3.9m ounces of silver mined to the SIL-top-17 total. Without that huge boost, the overall silver production for these elite miners would've fallen a huge 10.4% YoY. And I suspect these Mexican giants' silver production may be double-counted. Fresnillo and Industrias Penoles have an incestuous relationship, as the former used to be wholly ownedby the latter. Industrias Penoles spun off Fresnillo back in May 2008 on the London Stock Exchange. While Fresnillo's financial reporting is decent, Industrias Penoles' is murky. Neither my decades studying financial statements as a Certified Public Accountant nor my rudimentary Spanish can penetrate very deep. So I haven't been able to track down how much of Fresnillo that Industrias Penoles still owns, nor whether the silver production reported by these silver-mining monsters is actually fully mutually exclusive. I'm assuming it is for this analysis, but I'm skeptical. Both companies reported their huge YoY growth in silver production was the result of Fresnillo's new San Julian silver mine ramping up, which is a big one. San Julian produced 3568k ounces of silver in Q1'18 alone, along with fairly-large gold, zinc, and lead byproducts. It's anticipated to produce 11.6m and 63.7k ounces of silver and gold annually for 12 years. Without San Julian, which could be double-reported between Fresnillo and Industrias Penoles, the top SIL silver miners' production would look very different. These elite silver miners have had a challenging year. Fully excluding Fresnillo and Penoles, the rest of these top SIL components saw their collective silver production plunge 16.8% YoY to 39.2m ounces! The mediocre silver-mining economics from these weak silver prices combined with company-specific problems have really hit this industry. Leading the drop in silver production were a couple of long-time American favorites, Tahoe Resources and SSR Mining. Tahoe was originally spun off by Goldcorp to develop the incredible high-grade Escobal silver mine in Guatemala. Everything went well for its first few years, with this mine providing 1000+ great high-paying jobs to locals and contributing big taxes to the national economy. Then a group of anti-mining activists filed a frivolous and baseless lawsuit with the intent of shutting down Escobal. The whole thing was a farce. Tahoe wasn't even the target, Guatemala's Ministry of Energy and Mines was. This regulator allegedly did not sufficiently consult with the Xinca indigenous people before granting Escobal's permits! Only in a third-world country plagued with rampant government corruption would that be Tahoe's problem instead of bureaucrats'. They apparently didn't hold enough meetings, so Escobal's mining license was actually suspended. Tahoe was forced to temporarily mothball its crown-jewel silver mine, and eventually fire many of its local Guatemalan employees. The dishonorable Guatemalan government continues to drag its feet on this case, inexplicably strangling one of its largest taxpayers. It has even allowed violent anti-mine militants to illegally blockade the road to Escobal, often physically attacking trucks and drivers supplying this mine! Thus Tahoe's silver production plummeted 100% YoY from 5700k ounces to zero! That's certainly not an existential threat, as Tahoe still has other sizable gold-mining operations. In early May's Q1'18 report, Tahoe's management is still optimistic a court ruling in its favor is soon coming. Then its licenses will be reinstated and it can slowly resume mining at Escobal. Hopefully this whole mess isn't a stealth expropriation. SSR Mining's silver production fell a less-extreme-but-still-huge 38.3% YoY to 938k ounces in Q1'18. This has nothing to do with geopolitics like Tahoe's nightmare, but is simply the forecast depletion of its old Pirquitas silver mine. SSR Mining, which used to be called Silver Standard Resources, is exploring in the area trying to extend the life of this mine. But most of its financial resources are being poured into its gold mines. That gold focus among these top silver miners is common across SIL's components. As the silver-percentage column above shows, most of these elite silver miners are actually primary gold miners by revenue! Only 3 of these 17 earned more than half of their Q1'18 sales from mining silver, and they are highlighted in blue. WPM, HL, PAAS, CDE, and TAHO are also top-34 components in the leading GDX gold miners' ETF! While they only comprised 8.7% of GDX's total weighting in mid-May, this highlights how difficult it is to find primary silver miners. SIL's managers have an impossible job these days with the major silver miners increasingly shifting to gold. They are really scraping the bottom of the barrel to find more silver miners. In Q3'17 they added Korea Zinc, and it's now SIL's 3rd-biggest holding with a hefty 11.9% total weighting. That was intriguing, as I'd never heard of this company after decades of intensely studying and actively trading silver stocks. So I looked into Korea Zinc and found it was merely a smelter, not even a miner! The latest financial data I could find in English was 2015's. That year Korea Zinc "produced" 63.3m ounces of silver, which was largely a byproduct from its main business of smelting zinc, lead, copper, and gold. I ran the numbers for the heck of it, and silver was implied as 32% of Korea Zinc's 2015 revenues. The fact SIL's managers included a company like this that doesn't even mine silver as a top SIL component shows how rare major silver miners have become. The economics of silver mining at today's prices are inferior to gold mining. Thus the average silver-purity percentage of revenues of these SIL miners is only 36.8%. That's right in line with the past year's trend, with 2017 seeing 38.5%, 37.6%, 40.1%, and 35.8% from Q1 to Q4. This reflects gold mining's economics being superior to silver mining's these days. Silver mining is as capital-intensive as gold mining, requiring similar large expenses for planning, permitting, and constructing mines and mills. It needs similar heavy excavators and haul trucks to dig and move the silver-bearing ore. But silver generates much lower cash flows due to its lower price. Consider hypothetical mid-sized silver and gold miners, which might produce 10m and 300k ounces annually. At last quarter's average metals prices, these silver and gold mines would yield $167m and $399m of yearly sales. It's far easier to pay the bills mining gold than silver, which is unfortunate. But until silver surges again, that's the way things are. While I understand this, as a long-time silver-stock investor it saddens me primary silver miners have apparently become a dying breed. When silver starts powering higher in one of its gigantic uplegs and way outperforms gold again, this industry's silver-purity percentage will rise. But unless silver not only shoots far ahead but stays there while gold lags, it's hard to see major-silver-mining purity significantly reversing. Unfortunately SIL's mid-May composition was such that there wasn't a lot of Q1 cost data reported by its top component miners. A half-dozen of these top SIL companies trade in the UK, South Korea, Mexico, and Peru, where reporting only comes in half-year increments. There are also primary gold miners that don't report silver costs, and a silver explorer with no production. So silver cost data remains scarce. Nevertheless it's always useful to look at what we have. Industrywide silver-mining costs are one of the most-critical fundamental data points for silver-stock investors. As long as the miners can produce silver for well under prevailing silver prices, they remain fundamentally sound. Cost knowledge helps traders weather this sector's occasional fear-driven plunges without succumbing to selling low like the rest of the herd. There are two major ways to measure silver-mining costs, classic cash costs per ounce and the superior all-in sustaining costs. Both are useful metrics. Cash costs are the acid test of silver-miner survivability in lower-silver-price environments, revealing the worst-case silver levels necessary to keep the mines running. All-in sustaining costs show where silver needs to trade to maintain current mining tempos indefinitely. Cash costs naturally encompass all cash expenses necessary to produce each ounce of silver, including all direct production costs, mine-level administration, smelting, refining, transport, regulatory, royalty, and tax expenses. In Q1'18, these top 17 SIL-component silver miners that reported cash costs averaged $5.05 per ounce. That plunged a whopping 25.2% YoY, making it look like silver miners are far more efficient. But that's misleading. Because of hefty byproduct credits from gold and base metals, Hecla Mining and Fortuna Silver Mines both reported negative cash costsin Q1. They are an accounting fiction, as mining silver still costs a lot of money. But crediting byproduct sales to silver can slash reported cash costs. In the comparable quarter a year earlier, there were no negative cash costs at any of SIL's top 17 miners. Those super-low cash costs offset SSR Mining's crazy-high $17.07 per ounce. That's not normal either, the result of that winding down of its lone silver mine. Excluding these extreme outliers, the remaining handful of silver miners had average cash costs of $5.50 per ounce. As long as silver prices stay above those levels, the silver miners can keep the lights on at their mines. Sub-$6 silver is wildly inconceivable. Way more important than cash costs are the far-superior all-in sustaining costs. They were introduced by the World Gold Council in June 2013 to give investors a much-better understanding of what it really costs to maintain a silver mine as an ongoing concern. AISCs include all direct cash costs, but then add on everything else that is necessary to maintain and replenishoperations at current silver-production levels. These additional expenses include exploration for new silver to mine to replace depleting deposits, mine-development and construction expenses, remediation, and mine reclamation. They also include the corporate-level administration expenses necessary to oversee silver mines. All-in sustaining costs are the most-important silver-mining cost metric by far for investors, revealing silver miners' true operating profitability. In Q1'18 these top 17 SIL miners reporting AISCs averaged just $10.92 per ounce. That's down 5.1% YoY, and still way below last quarter's low average silver price of $16.72. Excluding SSRM's $18.37 which is again a non-representative mine-depletion outlier, that slides to $9.42. Despite all the tough challenges the major silver miners are facing, they are still able to produce silver quite profitably today. All-in sustaining costs and production are inversely related. Lower silver production, which many of SIL's top components suffered last quarter, leaves fewer ounces to spread the big fixed costs of mining across. Yet average AISCs still retreated, showing these top silver miners are getting more efficientat producing their metal. That will grant the silver miners more upside profits leverage to rising silver as this metal recovers. With last quarter's $16.72 average silver price, $10.92 AISCs show the silver miners still earning pretty-fat profits of $5.81 per ounce. That's actually only down 2.2% YoY because Q1'17's higher silver prices were paired with higher AISCs. Since mining costs are largely fixed during planning and construction, these silver-mining profits will explode as silver mean reverts higher. And silver has vast room to run from here. Today's silver price remains crazy-low relative to prevailing gold levels, portending huge mean-reversion upside. The long-term average Silver/Gold Ratio runs around 56, which means it takes 56 ounces of silver to equal the value of one ounce of gold. Silver is greatly underperforming gold so far in 2018, with the SGR averaging a stock-panic-like 79.6 YTD as of late May! So silver is overdue to catch up with gold. At a 56 SGR and $1300 gold, silver is easily heading near $23.25. That's 39% above its Q1 average. Assuming the major silver miners' all-in sustaining costs hold, that implies profits per ounce soaring 112% higher! Plug in a higher gold price or the usual mean-reversion overshoot after an SGR extreme, and the silver-mining profits upside is far greater. Silver miners' inherent profits leverage to rising silver is incredible. While all-in sustaining costs are the single-most-important fundamental measure that investors need to keep an eye on, other metrics offer peripheral reads on the major silver miners' fundamental health. The more important ones include cash flows generated from operations, GAAP accounting profits, revenues, and cash on hand. They all deteriorated in Q1'18, as you'd expect with lower silver production and prices. Before we get into them, these comparisons are a bit misleading. In Q1'18 12 of these SIL-top-17 silver miners reported quarterly financial results, compared to 14 a year earlier. So it's not quite an apples-to-apples comparison. One reason is Silvercorp Metals, which clawed its way back into SIL's top 17 over the past year. SVM tends to meander in and out of that 17th spot depending on its market cap relative to its peers. SVM has a fiscal yearending March 31st, so its full-year results that require more time to prepare and get audited come later than normal quarterly results. I did all the underlying data collection and analysis for this essay, and wrote the draft, before they were reported in late May. Korea Zinc also doesn't report in English as far as I can tell. Both of these light-blue-highlighted stocks weren't in SIL's top 17 a year ago. Among these top SIL components reporting Q1'18 financial results, operating cash flows plunged 33.6% YoY to $528m. That's still a strong number for such a small industry, proving that silver mines are still heavily cash-flow positive in general. Since cash on balance sheets actually slid 4.6% YoY to $2973m, the silver miners were apparently spending that cash flow on expansions that have yet to bear production fruit. Overall sales among these elite silver miners dropped 13.0% YoY to $2699m. That makes sense given their 5.3% lower silver production and 4.1% lower average silver prices in Q1. Of course profits amplify falling sales, so the top 17 SIL silver stocks saw earnings plunge 24.1% YoY to $273m. But these silver miners were still enjoying profitable operations even with silver mired near lows in such miserable bearishness. As silver powers higher in coming quarters, silver-mining profits will really leverage its advance. And that will fundamentally support far-higher silver-stock prices. The investors who will make out like bandits on this are the early contrarians willing to buy in low, before everyone else realizes what is coming. By the time silver surges higher with gold so silver stocks regain favor again, the big gains will have already been won. While investors and speculators alike can certainly play the silver miners' long-stalled mean-reversion bull with this leading SIL ETF, individual silver stocks with superior fundamentals will enjoy the best gains by far. Their upside will trounce the ETFs, which are burdened by companies that don't generate enough of their sales from silver. A handpicked portfolio of purer elite silver miners will yield much-greater wealth creation. At Zeal we've literally spent tens of thousands of hours researching individual silver stocks and markets, so we can better decide what to trade and when. As of the end of Q4, this has resulted in 983 stock trades recommended in real-time to our newsletter subscribers since 2001. Fighting the crowd to buy low and sell high is very profitable, as all these trades averaged stellar annualized realized gains of +20.2%! The key to this success is staying informed and being contrarian. That means buying low before others figure it out, before undervalued silver stocks soar much higher. An easy way to keep abreast is through our acclaimed weekly and monthly newsletters. They draw on my vast experience, knowledge, wisdom, and ongoing research to explain what's going on in the markets, why, and how to trade them with specific stocks. For only $12 per issue, you can learn to think, trade, and thrive like contrarians. Subscribe today, and get deployed in the great gold and silver stocks in our full trading books! The bottom line is the major silver miners fared fine in Q1 despite some real challenges. A combination of silver continuing to seriously lag gold, along with anomalous company-specific problems, weighed on miners' collective results. Yet they continued to produce silver at all-in sustaining costs way below Q1's low prevailing silver prices. And their ongoing diversification into gold leaves them financially stronger. With silver-stock sentiment remaining excessively bearish, this sector is primed to soar as silver itself resumes mean reverting higher to catch up with gold's young bull market. The silver miners' profits leverage to rising silver prices remains outstanding. After fleeing silver stocks so relentlessly over the past 21 months, investors will have to do big buying to reestablish silver-mining positions. That will fuel major upside. ### California is fortunate to be home to nine national parks (yes, nine!), more than any other state. With such a plethora of natural and national treasures, it may not come as a surprise that two of the state's most spectacular parks, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, are often overlooked. While typically referred to together, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are actually two distinct but contiguous parks located in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains. Kings Canyon lies to the north and Sequoia to the south. Other than iconic giant sequoia trees that inhabit both parks, many of the highlights of Sequoia and Kings Canyon tend to be less known precisely because they are located within the rugged parks' backcountry and are inaccessible by road. Having world-famous Yosemite lying to the north doesn't necessarily help in winning the popularity contest either. While perhaps not quite as accessible or well known as some of the other parks, both Sequoia and Kings Canyon have roads that provide excellent and unfettered access along the western slope, ideal for spring through fall road trip exploration. Highways 180 and 198, leading east from Fresno and Visalia respectively, climb up the hot oak-savannah foothills, eventually penetrating cool shaded conifer forests that also happen to be prime habitat for supporting the largest trees in the world. Beyond the prehistoric trees carrying stoic names such as General Sherman and General Grant, the roads continue on. Highway 180 drops into deep, glacially carved granite canyons, paralleling a picturesque river and providing access to fantastic trails and campgrounds. Highway 198 loops through the Giant Forest, granting access to sequoia behemoths, scenic meadows, overlooks, and trails that will leave you truly inspired. Suffice it to say, a four day trip into Sequoia and Kings Canyon can open up a ton of opportunities for exploration in both parks. And with Highway 198 connecting the two parks, visitors can get between Sequoia and Kings Canyon within a couple hours. If you're ready to hit the road, we've got you covered. Keep reading for a sample itinerary, heading north to south, that packs in some of these west slop wonders. Happy trails! Day 1: Enter Kings Canyon National Park on Highway 180 at the Big Stump entrance, continuing east and dropping into Kings Canyon proper. Since campsites are first-come, first served in Kings Canyon, swing through Sheep Creek Campground and secure a spot. Get your bearings by driving to Road's End, passing through the Cedar Grove area. Explore Muir Rock and relax for a bit on the beach near the emerald waters of the South Fork of the Kings River. Wrap up the day by stretching your legs with a half-day hike around the Kanawyer Loop Trail. Day 2: After enjoying an early morning fire in camp, head east back toward Road's End and soak in the splendors of Zumwalt Meadow. This picture-perfect montane meadow provides unobstructed views of the deep granite walls of Kings Canyon. Heading back west, stop at Roaring River Falls, a narrow gorge flowing into scenic pools where the Roaring River drops into the Kings River. For a longer hike option, Roaring River Falls can be combined with a pleasant walk from Zumwalt Meadow along the River Trail. Climb west out of the canyon and head for a campground near Grant Grove. For those anglers out there, consider carving out a couple of hours to fish a stretch of the South Fork of the Kings River before climbing out of the canyon. There are some decent fishing holes upstream from Grizzly Falls. Grab a first-come, first-serves campsite at Azalea Campground or Sunset Campground (advanced reservations are possible and recommended at Sunset). Day 3: Wake up with the sun and take a morning walk through some of the largest trees in the world in Grant Grove. Continue south along Highway 198 toward the Giant Forest. En route, stop at Lodgepole Campground and set up your campsite (advanced reservations are possible). There are plenty of first-come, first-served sites at Lodgepole, so if you're without reservations but still arrive early, you may be in luck. However, if staying in a cozy room sounds more like your cup of tea, book a room and reserve a dinner for a night in Wuksachi Lodge, a few miles away. With camping or lodging behind you, soak in the wonders of the Giant Forest. Visit the Giant Forest Museum, and of course, no trip through the ancient sequoias is complete without seeing the largest tree (by volume) in the world, the General Sherman Tree. Day 4: If you are camping at Lodgepole, take a nice morning walk straight out of the campground along the Topokah Valley Trail to get the blood flowing (hint: there's more hiking/climbing in store today). Both the Watchtower and Topokah Falls, Sequoia National Park's tallest waterfall, are beautiful sights. Head back to into the Giant Forest to climb the granite dome of Moro Rock to catch a glimpse of the Sequoia high country and the peaks of the Great Western Divide, which splits the Kern and Kaweah watersheds. Visit Crescent Meadow, known as the "gem of the Sierra," and wander through giant sequoias surrounding a picturesque montane meadow. Keep on the lookout for black bears in this area, as they are frequently spotted around the hillsides between Moro Rock and Crescent Meadow. Head back down 198 toward Visalia and exit Sequoia National Park, or stay in one of the campgrounds near the park entrance: Buckeye Flat or Potwisha. This itinerary should give you a pretty good idea about the road-accessible lands within both parks. If you have more time, consider heading back up to the trails and peaks of Mineral King Valley, accessed via Mineral King Road in the town of Three Rivers. Malaysian Manufacturing Licence Received Perth, June 1, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Altech Chemicals Limited (Altech/the Company) ( ASX:ATC ) ( FRA:A3Y ) is pleased to announce that it has now received the official manufacturing licence from the Malaysian government for the Company's proposed 4,500tpa high purity alumina (HPA) plant in Johor, Malaysia.Highlights- Manufacturing licence received for 4,500tpa HPA plant- Final instalments paid for Malaysian HPA plant site- Project continues to progressIn February 2018 the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) advised the Company that its application for a manufacturing licence had been approved and that the licence would be issued subject to the submission of various additional documents, including a letter of 'No Objection' from the Johor state government. The Company received a letter of 'No Objection' from the Johor State Investment Centre during the quarter and has now received the manufacturing licence for its proposed HPA plant.On 22 May 2018 the Company announced that it had paid the final instalments totalling AU$5.1 million for the HPA plant site in Johor. These final payments secured the site and the Company will receive the deed of title (30 year lease, with the option to renew for an additional 30 years) from the Johor state government in due course.Altech is delighted with the support that it is receiving for its HPA project from MIDA, Johor Corporation, the state of Johor and the Malaysian federal government. The prompt issuance of the letter of 'No Objection' and Altech's manufacturing licence is testament to support for the project, which will represent a total investment in Malaysia of approximately 1.2 billion ringgit.To view figures, please visit:About Altech Chemicals Ltd Altech Chemicals Limited (ASX:ATC) (FRA:A3Y) is aiming to become one of the world's leading suppliers of 99.99% (4N) high purity alumina (Al2O3) through the construction and operation of a 4,500tpa high purity alumina (HPA) processing plant at Johor, Malaysia. Feedstock for the plant will be sourced from the Company's 100%-owned kaolin deposit at Meckering, Western Australia and shipped to Malaysia. HPA is a high-value, high margin and highly demanded product as it is the critical ingredient required for the production of synthetic sapphire. Synthetic sapphire is used in the manufacture of substrates for LED lights, semiconductor wafers used in the electronics industry, and scratch-resistant sapphire glass used for wristwatch faces, optical windows and smartphone components. Increasingly HPA is used by lithium-ion battery manufacturers as the coating on the battery's separator, which improves performance, longevity and safety of the battery. With global HPA demand approximately 19,000t (2018), it is estimated that this demand will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30% (2018-2028); by 2028 HPA market demand will be approximately 272,000t, driven by the increasing adoption of LEDs worldwide as well as the demand for HPA by lithium-ion battery manufacturers to serve the surging electric vehicle market. Investment in Bien, a Global Cannabis Lifestyle Brand Perth, June 1, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - MMJ PhytoTech Limited ( ASX:MMJ ) ("MMJ") has invested CAD$0.7 million for a 12.7% shareholding in privately-held Bien Ventures Ltd ("Bien"). Bien is based in Calgary, Canada and is an intellectual property, branding and licensing company.Intellectual property and brandBien is currently focused on exploiting the intellectual property ("IP") for its formulation and brand of soluble, odourless and flavourless "micro-dosed" CBD and THC powders that can be added to any beverage or food by a consumer.Current business model and initial target marketBien is preparing to license its IP and brand to manufacturers and distributors. Final testing of Bien's formulation is underway. On completion of the product testing, the initial market for launch of the Bien-branded products will be California. Manufacturing and distribution of the products to between 30 to 50 dispensaries, under license from Bien, is expected to commence in the second half of this year. MMJ notes that Bien's business model precludes handling the cannabis plant and/or seeking state licensing, to avoid status as a cannabis company. Bien is merely a branding/licensing company to the cannabis industry and its chain of custody is structured such that it never takes physical possession of the inventory.Future business model and target marketBien aims to expand by building its own manufacturing, distribution and marketing business, subject to obtaining appropriate licenses, in Canada from mid-2019 once cannabis edibles are legalised in that country.Experienced management teamBien's experienced management team is led by Zack Lister, founder and former CEO of Well Juicery, Canada's largest cold-pressed juice company.Investment detailsMMJ has acquired 2.8 million common shares in Bien at CAD$0.25 per share. Each common share has a warrant exercisable at MMJ's discretion and convertible into one common share in Bien at CAD$0.35 per common share for a period of up to 36 months.About MMJ Group Holdings Ltd MMJ Group Holdings Ltd (ASX:MMJ) is a global cannabis investment company. MMJ owns a portfolio of minority investments and aims to invest across the full range of emerging cannabis-related sectors including healthcare, technology, infrastructure, logistics, processing, cultivation, equipment and retail. For MMJ's latest investor presentation and news, please visit: http://www.mmjphytotech.com.au/investors/ CHICO, Calif.-- The Congregation Beth Israel Sisterhood in Chico is hosting it's annual Bagel Brunch on Sunday, June 3rd from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. It takes place at the CBI Synagogue at 1336 Hemlock Street. The event features traditional Jewish foods like bagels, lox, creamed herring and homemade desserts ... and it's home made. It's open to everyone, not just people of the Jewish faith. Proceeds will benefit the CBI Religious School Summer Camp, the Torres Shelter in Chico and Catalyst Domestic Violence Services. Tickets are $18 for adults and $7 for children 12 and under. For more information call (530) 342-6146 or visit the CBI website here. Stay with Action News Now for all your local coverage. SIGN UP: Get our daily newsletter BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. - Hundreds of people are expected to visit Butte Creek Canyon Sunday, June 3rd to take part in the annual Pancake Breakfast on the Honey Run Covered Bridge and the 49er Fair at the Centerville School. The Pancake Breakfast runs from 8 a.m.. to 11 a.m. with Drawings, Music by the Pub Scouts and lots of pancakes! The cost is $8 for adults and $5 for kids under 12. The grand prize in the drawing is a 3 day 2 night stay in Sonoma. The event is a fundraiser for the Honey Run Covered Bridge Association, which receives no government funding for its efforts to protect and maintain the historic bridge and its park. The 49er Fair is a benefit for the Centerville Recreation and Historical Association, and goes toward maintaining the historic school house. It runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., featuring Arts, Crafts, Food, Beer, Wine, a Plant Sale, Music, Drawings and a Silent Auction. The grand prize in the drawing is a 3 day 2 night stay in San Francisco. There will also be gold panning and spinning wheel demonstrations. There will be a shuttle provided from Centerville Estates to and from the Museum, which is located at 13548 Centerville Road. The Honey Run Covered Bridge in Butte Creek Canyon east of Chico was originally is a historic monument. It was originally built as the Carr Hill Bridge in 1886 and opened to the public in 1887. For more information visit the Honey Run Covered Bridge Association website here. UPDATE: 6/14/2018 3:48 p.m. OROVILLE, Calif.The man accused of going on a dangerous crime spree through Chico a few weeks ago may not be competent to stand trial. The Butte County District Attorneys Office says Adam Parsons defense attorney Thursday in court raised doubts about whether Parsons was fit for trial. A doctor will deliver a professional opinion in the matter. On July 12th a judge will decide whether Parsons is competent. ____________________________________________ OROVILLE, Calif.The suspect police say is responsible for a crime spree in Chico was in court Thursday. On May 21st police say Parsons stole a tow truck, threatened a gas station clerk and customer with a hatchet, crashed into a family of four, and broke into an elderly womans home. Adam Parsons faces 13 felony counts including assault with a deadly weapon, robbery, elder abuse, and vehicle theft. This is not Parsons first run in with the law. He could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted. Parsons will appear back in court on June 14th. Stay with Action News Now for all of your local coverage. SIGN UP: Get our daily newsletter Chico, Calif. -- Chico State has a busy summer ahead of itself. There are several construction projects underway, including a new residence hall, parking structure and a brand new science building. The College Park homes demolition will start on July 12th. Chico state owns 18 of the homes in the neighborhood. Only nine homes will be demolished because that is what they were approved to do through the California Environmental Quality Act. Chico State will have to do another environmental assessment before they continue to demolish more homes. There are three homes in the demolition area the university still hasn't purchased, but is looking to do so. Ultimately, the master plan is to have a brand new residence hall and parking structure. "It's a two-year process to do the whole master plan, by the end of it, perhaps it could say we would maybe do a different building on that site, but for all intents and purposes at this point, our old master plan is that is the site of a residence hall," said Mike Guzzi, Executive Director of Facilities Management and Services at Chico State. Siskiyou Hall demolition will begin in June, and is expected to be finished by July 12th, after that, foundation work and vertical construction will begin. The new science building will be finished by fall 2020. The university is also doing some work on University Village on Nord Avenue. "We're removing old siding that has termite damage and so forth. So we're removing and replacing that siding, painting that place, updating the smoke alarms and overall just giving it an entire facelift to the facility," said Guzzi. NEWS APP: DOWNLOAD OUR NEWS APP FOR LATEST UPDATES: iOS | Android FOLLOW LAURA ENG ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook: @LauraEngNews Twitter: @LauraEngNews Is the Lost Language of Iraqi Jews Really Lost? Asir Salaam Shajaa, the third generation in his family to care for the tomb, dusts off the hand-sewn green cloth used to cover Nahum's Tomb (photo: al Qaisi). Between 1948 and 1951, the vast majority of Iraq's Jewish population of around 150,000 left the country, interrupting a remarkable literary and linguistic heritage. The Talmud, some of which was composed in Iraq, was written partly in Jewish Babylonian Aramaic, a literary dialect using the Hebrew alphabet. The Jews of northern Iraq spoke particular forms of Aramaic, closely related to the Aramaic spoken by their Assyrian neighbors. Ever-decreasing numbers of Jews in Israel speak those dialects--relics of obscure, mainly rural communities. Other Jewish Aramaic dialects are now only used in academic or religious study. The predominant Iraqi-Jewish language was a particular form of Judeo-Arabic, a term encompassing forms of Arabic spoken by Jews in Arab countries. Geoffrey Khan, a professor of Hebrew at Cambridge University, has done pioneering work on the spoken Aramaic dialects of the Assyrians and Jews of Iran and northern Iraq. "Jewish Baghdadi is different in all levels of structure, phonology, morphology, syntax, and lexicon, from Muslim and Christian dialects of Iraqi Arabic," he told me. Regarding the influence of Aramaic in Judeo-Arabic, Khan noted: "There do seem to be some elements that have been influenced by an Aramaic substrate, though it is not always easy to prove it." As far as linguistic aspects that exist across Judeo-Arabic dialects, he selected as one case the pronunciation of the /r/ as in an uvular /r/, a feature of Judeo-Arabic both in Iraq and in North Africa. Following the Arab invasions in the 7th century, Arabic supplanted Aramaic as the lingua franca of the region. As the importance of Baghdad rose, Jews established a strong presence there. By the early 20th century, Baghdad was about a third Jewish. Some communities of Jews in northern Iraq--like Assyrians and Mandaeans--continued to speak Aramaic, adopting Arabic or Kurdish only for external use. Baghdadi Jews would imbue their own distinct heritage into the Arabic language. The phenomenon of Iraqi Judeo-Arabic mirrors the status of Jews in relation to Iraq, as a people whose culture and habits were deeply shaped by broader Iraqi society and politics, yet who lived in parallel to it. In that status, it joins not only other Jewish diaspora dialects, but a legacy of languages in the Middle East that bear the trace of communities who navigated all sorts of political transformations before the homogenizing cultural and demographic forces set in motion by the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the establishment of often-murderous nation states. The disappearance from Iraq of Assyrians, Jews, and other ancient groups like the Mandaeans, who also have a fascinating religious literature in their own Aramaic dialect, has only laid bare the lack of literature reflecting the linguistic richness and particular experiences of Iraq's various peoples. "Like their Muslim and Christian peers, Jewish-Iraqi authors, poets, and journalists looked down on colloquial speech," the Jewish-Iraqi scholar Eli Timan told me. "Their definition of 'eloquence' was confined entirely to Fus'ha [classical Arabic]. In my opinion, this was a tragedy for our community and explains the dearth of Jewish-Iraqi documents in the field of literature." It is eloquent of its ghostly status that some of the best fiction written in Iraqi Judeo-Arabic will likely prove to be the last. Samir Naqqash, an Iraqi-born Israeli novelist, wrote exclusively in Arabic. He refused to accept that he had lost Iraq and become Israeli, and refused to adopt Hebrew despite the decision ruining his career prospects. Naqqash instead wrote novels that conjured a vanished past of Iraq's dialectal and ethno-communal richness using the Judeo-Arabic (and other Baghdadi dialects) of his childhood that served as the keyhole to that past, and its only portable element. Since his death in 2004, no new literature featuring Iraqi Judeo-Arabic has been published. The Dove Flyer (2013) became the first, and so far only, film shot in Iraqi Judeo-Arabic. Israeli actors, mainly descended from Iraqi Jews, learned the dialect for the film, switching to so-called Muslim-Arabic when in dialogue with Arabs, as Baghdadi Jews used to do. The film depicts a family experiencing both the imperiled material comfort and rigid social life of Baghdadi Jews in the final years of the Jewish presence in Iraq. As the gears of Zionism and Arab nationalism turn together, they increasingly become aware of their separateness, both seduced by and pushed towards making aliyah. Since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, interest has risen in the Iraqi-Jewish heritage, although scant actual engagement with Iraq itself has taken place. Violette Shamash's Memories of Eden (2008), a memoir of Jewish life in Baghdad, features a Judeo-Arabic lexicon, including terms as diverse as loozina ("quince sweetmeat with almonds and cardamom") and slah ("synagogue," from Aramaic). Last Days in Babylon (2007) is an account of journalist Marina Benjamin's trip to Iraq in 2004. Her encounter with Baghdad's 22 remaining Jews ("too afraid to come together as a community, either for prayer or solace") is strange and haunting. But the circumstances surrounding the trip, informed partly by the birth of Benjamin's child and the turmoil in Iraq, prompted a deeper investigation into the past, including into Judeo-Arabic. Conversations with other Iraqi Jews such as philanthropist Edwin Shuker, who escaped Iraq to London in 1971, transforms her consciousness of the power that the language she had resisted as a child growing up in London had once held. "You couldn't talk in public because as soon as you opened your mouth," Shuker tells Benjamin, "because of the Judeo-Arabic accent, someone might realize you were a Jew." *** Eli Timan, one of the rare custodians of the Iraqi Judeo-Arabic heritage, is a member of the Iraqi-Jewish community in London. Timan left Baghdad for England at the age of 16, and has since spoken "a mixture of Jewish-Iraqi and English" with his family and the rest of the community. The proficiency of Jews in western languages, which had seen them well represented in the administrative and commercial activities of the British in Iraq, was an obstacle in passing Judeo-Arabic onto his children. "As their grandparents spoke English," Timan told me, "they did not have to communicate in Jewish-Iraqi." Timan felt compelled to begin work on Judeo-Arabic in 2004 when, during an Aramaic class, he met a young student whose father was an Iraqi-Jew from India. Keen to learn the Jewish Iraqi dialect, the student encouraged Timan to write a Targum (dictionary). "The events in Iraq were daily headlines at that time," Timan told me. "I, like many Iraqi Jews, woke up to the fact that after 2,600 years of continuous existence, only a handful of Jews were left in Iraq and our heritage was completely lost, except in the diaspora where we spoke Jewish-Iraqi, listened to Iraqi music, and made Iraqi-Jewish food." Timan applied successfully for a small grant from the then-newly formed Endangered Language Program at SOAS University of London, backed by the Swedish billionaire Hans Rausing. Since 2006, Timan has accumulated 100 hours of recorded testimony from Iraqi Jews living in the U.K., Canada, and Israel, around 10 percent of which has been transcribed and translated into English. The recordings include local history, Iraqi politics, and personal memories and narratives. "It is quite interesting to note," said Timan, "that the more educated make use extensively of standard Arabic. The same case applies to Jews who left Iraq after 2003." These observations further attest to the fragility of a language so tethered to the social and cultural life of a particular community that was already under sustained pressure. Peter Austin, a distinguished linguist at SOAS, worked with Timan on the preservation of Iraqi Judeo-Arabic. He described Timan's work as a "single-handed attempt to record as much information about personal histories as possible before the last older speakers pass on." Austin expressed pessimism over the future of the language, especially owing to the dispersal of the community and the tendency of English and Hebrew to "suppress and destroy smaller immigrant languages." Last November, Timan gave a lecture ("What is Jewish-Iraqi Arabic?") in South Hampstead, hosted by Harif, an organization dedicated to the history and heritage of Mizrahi Jews, and Spiro Ark, a Jewish cultural center. By the end of the event, attended by a mixture of intrigued European Jews and wearily nostalgic Jews from the Middle East, Timan's own downbeat take on the prospect of any Iraqi-Jewish Arabic revival was under siege from an increasingly enthusiastic and curious audience. This was especially true of the young parents in the crowd, many of whom had a background or familial experience with Arabic-Jewish dialects but had not yet encountered serious attempts to chronicle and revive it. Having had no occasion in many years to ask what certain words and phrases from their childhood meant, they quickly set about forging new consensus on expired vernacular. One mother insisted on the importance of transmitting a capacity for Arabic gutturals to children at a young age; another claimed that although her parents had done so, she hadn't practiced any form of Arabic in London, and so was still struggling with the language phonetically in adulthood. Tentative arrangements were made to start classes. The scholarly value of Judeo-Arabic was made clear during a tour of the Judeo-Arabic collection in the British Library. The collection contains thousands of manuscripts and texts, ranging from a version of Maimonides' Guide for the Perplexed, copied in Yemen in 1380, to the mid-19th-century The Hebrew Gazette, designed for the Iraqi Jewish community of Bombay. Ilana Tahan, a curator of Hebrew and Christian Orient studies at the British Library, told me that the portion of the archive containing published material (often published outside of Iraq) particular to Iraqi Jews, "spans more than 140 years, and covers a wide range of subjects such as Bible, religious law, liturgy, folklore, and literature." Both Ben-Gurion and Tel Aviv Universities have, as of the 2017-18 academic year, included Judeo-Arabic as part of new programs on Jews in the Arab world. Iraqi Judeo-Arabic was particularly reactive to an environment that has irreversibly vanished, and the expulsion of Jews from that environment was so extreme as to threaten the memory of it, until the passage of time revived an archival and academic focus on the Jewish experience of Arab countries. It was the Jewish exile from Iraq--which was also a return to Israel, site of their original exile--which occasioned the need to give categorical and scholarly form to a language that was previously the reflexive province of an ancient community. The study of Iraqi Judeo-Arabic is a way of reclaiming a distinct Jewish experience before the remaining connections to it disappear forever. Assyrian MP From Iran Delivers Opening Speech At Conference in Berlin Yonathan Betkolia (R), the Assyrian representative in Iran's parliament and general secretary of the Assyrian Universal Alliance. ( Abdulmesih BarAbraham/AINA) AINA (Berlin) -- Yonathan Betkolia, the Assyrian representative in Iran's parliament and general secretary of the Assyrian Universal Alliance, delivered the opening speech on Wednesday at the academic conference at the Free University of Berlin. The four day conference, titled Surviving in the Shade: History, Language and Culture of Syriac-speaking Christianity, was organized by the Institute for Semitistic and Arabistic of the Free University of Berlin under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Shabo Talay. More than 60 scholars presented their research results on various topics related to Syriac Christianity. According to the organizers, recent developments in the Middle East and the increasing interest in Christianity of Asia has made Syriac Christianity a more popular research topic again. Several churches with origins in the Middle East attribute their tradition to Syriac Christianity: the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East, the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Syriac Catholic Church, and the Chaldean Church of Babylon. After a German welcoming speech by Prof. Talay, Mr. Betkolia delivered a speech in the Assyrian language which was translated to German by Dr. Helen Younan-Sardaroud. In his talk, Mr. Betkolia briefly touched on the long history of the Assyrians people, "who have left their mark on the history of the country in fields such as science, literature, and medicine since three millennia." As an example, he pointed to the Academy of Gundishapour, which "commanded the most famous teaching hospital of its time, and where many scholars and philosophers graduated." Mr. Betkolia then spoke about the current legal situation of the non-Muslim minorities in Iran and particularly on the situation of the 15,000 Assyrians as a Christian minority. "After the revolution, the Assyrians, Armenians, Zoroastrians, and Jews were recognized formally as minorities and, like all Iranians, received equal rights," said Mr. Betkolia. "According to Article 13 of the Iranian Constitution, they are recognized as official ethnic minorities who can exercise their religious and cultural traditions within the framework of Iranian law. Under Article 13 of the Constitution, five parliamentary seats are reserved for minorities. For Jews, Zoroastrians and Assyrians one seat each, for the Armenians two seats. These are each chosen from within the respective communities." According to Mr. Betkolia, minorities have the right to teach their own language, and in the framework of the law, practice their religious traditions and celebrate their annual festivities. He also said that more than 90 Churches from early times of Christianity have been renovated by the state and saved from decay. Christians own 284 church buildings in Iran which belong to the various denominations of Assyrian Church of the East, the Chaldean Catholic Church, the Assyrian Evangelical Church, the Latin Catholic Church, the Armenian Catholic, Gregorian and Evangelical Churches. In addition, Assyrians also an own a radio station and publish various magazines, including Alaph-Bit, Qala d-Shrara, Shwila Aturaya, Urahay, Zraqa s-Sapra. In closing Mr. Betkolia expressed gratitude to Prof. Shabo Talay as organizer of the conference for inviting him to participate and speak in this event. Abdulmesih BarAbraham was also speaker to the conference. An MQ-1 Predator (left) and an MQ-9 Reaper stand ready at Creech AFB, Nev. Photo: SSgt. Vernon Young Jr. The MQ-1 Predator, the remotely piloted aircraft that ushered in the era of drone warfare and permanently transformed modern combat, flew into the sunset during a March 9 retirement ceremony in the Nevada desert. Its mission has been taken over by the MQ-9 Reaper. So indispensable was the MQ-1 to Air Force operations during its 24-year life spanduring which the type amassed more than 2 million flight hoursthat a Predator was flying a combat mission in the Middle East on the day of the retirement ceremony. It was a fitting swan song for an aircraft that spent more than 92 percent of its service life in combat. The MQ-1 has helped shape the character of warfare, said Col. Julian C. Cheater, the commander of the 432nd Wing at Creech AFB, Nev., home to the RPA for 23 years. James G. Snake Clark, a former Air Force colonel known as the godfather of the aircraft, described the spindly aircraft as a glider with an Austrian-built (Rotax 214) snowmobile racing engine that races into combat slower than the SUVs on the Beltway in Washington, D.C. The Predator traces its lineage back to a $40 million contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to Leading Systems Inc. for the Amber medium unmanned aerial vehicle. _Read this story in our digital issue: Abraham Karem, an engineer born in Baghdad, Iraq, and raised in Israel, spent years developing early UAVs in his California garage before designing Amber, which came in at a cost of $350,000 per aircraft. These early variants faced reliability challenges stemming from frequent operator error and no standard procedures for flight, Karem told Air Force Magazine last year. Ambers successor, the GNAT-750 long-endurance tactical UAV, flew in 1989. Variants of this aircraft flew surveillance over air bases, supply caches, and troop movements in Albania, Bosnia, and Croatia. In 1990, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. bought Leading Systems and continued developing UAVs. In January 1994, the company received an Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration contract for a medium-altitude endurance UAV based on the GNAT-750. It evolved into what would become known as the RQ-1. Used experimentally in a Roving Sands exercise in 1995, the RPA was a success, and a US Army composite unit deployed the aircraft in Albania as part of Joint Task Force Provide Promise between July and November 1995. Pentagon leaders quickly saw the aircrafts value, and about a year later a prototype Predator deployed to Europe to fly as part of NATO Operations Deny Flight and Deliberate Force in Bosnia-Herzegovina. At the time, the aircraft was an Army asset and was operated in theater by soldiers using a plywood runway. In the early days of Predator operations, the Air Force pressed to take over the mission. Air Combat Command in July 1995 stood up the 11th Reconnaissance Squadron at Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field, Nev., in anticipation of being assigned the RQ-1. In April 1996, Defense Secretary William J. Perry made the shift official, and USAF transitioned the RQ-1 from a test platform to an operational system flown by US Atlantic Command. USAF pilots flew the Predator remotely from Taszar, Hungary, for Operation Joint Endeavorthe implementation of the Dayton Peace Accords regarding the conflict in the Balkans. At the time, the Predator cockpit was a converted NASCAR auto trailer fitted with computers, controls, and monitors. The aircraft transmitted color television and infrared video surveillance. Predator showed real potential as an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance tool in its early years, but the program experienced growing pains. The aircraft flew low and slow and suffered a frightful accident rate of 43 lost per 100,000 hours, compared with two or three per 100,000 hours for manned aircraft. Inexperienced maintainers and a lack of spare parts contributed to the mishaps. The drone flew so slowly that in Bosnia, a Serbian helicopter reportedly flew alongside a Predator and shot at it with door-mounted machine guns. For the first five years of Predator operations, it was purely a watcher system, providing what commanders at the time called staring ISR. It wasnt until 1999 that Air Force leaders began to think about using the RQ-1 to provide targeting data. In April of that year, then-USAF Chief of Staff Gen. Michael E. Ryan called Snake Clark to inquire about this possibility and tasked him to observe Predator operations in Kosovo. They were flying 24-hour-a-day operations in search of hostile forces. Clark reached out to the USAFs Big Safari office at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, which modifies aircraft for special missions, such as the RC-135 Rivet Joint and EC-130H Compass Call. After evaluating Predator, Big Safari suggested the aircrafts sensor ball be replaced with a new unit, used by the Navy, that could not only observe with a camera but designate a target with a laser. Just 18 hours after USAF approved Big Safaris recommendation, the service was buying the new sensor ball, and just 38 days later an upgraded Predator was flying missions over Kosovo. By 2000, Air Combat Command wanted not only to fit the whole fleet with laser target designators but to give the aircraft armament as well. ACC wanted Predator to be both sensor and shooter. Because of the aircrafts small size and relatively weak wings, Big Safari determined it could only carry the Armys Hellfire missilea small anti-tank weapon carried by helicopters. During a 2001 test, a Predator successfully fired a Hellfire at the Nellis Test Range in Nevada, destroying a tank. This feat occurred just 61 days after ACCs order to arm the Predator, at a cost of $2.9 million. Now that it could shoot, within a year, the RQ-1 became the MQ-1 (M standing for multimission under USAF nomenclature rules). GNAT-750 was the first long-endurance remotely piloted aircraft. It would evolve into the RQ-1 Predator. Courtesy photo A NEW ERA OF WARFARE Testing the armed Predator was still underway at Edwards AFB, Calif., on Sept. 11, 2001, when terrorists struck the US. Just over two hours after the attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., USAF received presidential approval to deploy the newly lethal Predator. Two days later, a C-17 landed at then-Andrews AFB, Md., with three Predators, 13 Hellfire missiles, ground control stations, and a rented Jeep that had to be returned to Hertz at Reagan National Airport in Washington, Clark said. One of the three MQ-1s that then deployed to Afghanistan was tail number 3034the first to fire a Hellfire in testing. This same Predator was also the first to fire a Hellfire in combat over Afghanistan, and it is now on display at the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum in Washington. The Predator was integral during the early years of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, becoming more effective with the addition of upgraded video capabilities, remote split operations, and improved weapons. In 2005, 11 years after the beginning of the ACTD program, the MQ-1 officially reached initial operating capability. Predator production ended in 2011, with delivery of the 268th aircraft. At the same time, demand for persistent ISR was skyrocketing. In 2004, the Air Force flew just five combat air patrols, which translated to 20 Predators flying 24-hour orbits over targets of interest. By 2016, though, USAF was flying 60 CAPs, while the Army was flying its own RPAs, and still more government-owned drones were being flown by contractors. It still wasnt enough to meet commanders voracious demand. The Predators operations in Afghanistan and Iraq ushered in the era of drone warfare, with a persistent eye watching potential targets and even providing close air support for US and allied ground forces. Predators flew ISR and strike missions as part of ongoing missions in Yemen, Somalia, and Libya. Since 2008, MQ-1s flew almost 70,000 sortiesexecuting almost 2,700 strikes. Three Predators in a hangar at a base in southern Afghanistan. MQ-1s were integral to operations in the early years of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Photo: SSgt. Samuel Morse MQ-1s did not just serve in combat. Predators were requested to provide reconnaissance of the storm-ravaged city after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, but the Federal Aviation Administration had no rules for allowing RPAs to operate in domestic airspace over inhabited land. Predator camera systems wound up being mounted on skyscrapers in the Katrina relief effort. However by 2006, Air National Guard-operated Predators were given the green light for use in disaster responses of various kinds. They flew ISR during wildfires and after hurricanes domestically and assisted international aid efforts after earthquakes hit Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in 2010. In 2014, Predators were the first to respond to what would become a four-year-long effort, so far, against ISIS. As the fighters with that group rapidly took over parts of Iraq, Predators were dispatched to the area and told to go north, Cheater said. There were no rules of engagement at the time; no detailed guidance. Predators were the eyes for the US and its coalition partners as ISIS surrounded Mount Sinjar in Iraq and began trying to wipe out the Yazidi people. The response from the international community was Operation Inherent Resolve. Since then, MQ-1s flew in every major battle against ISIS, including the liberation of Mosul, Iraq, and Raqqa, Syria. MQ-1 operations prevented ISIS from destroying dams and helped save the Yazidis. Predators saw 17 years of constant combat in the Middle East as a mainstay of operations. From its first operational missions through early 2018, the Predator flew a total of 135,750 sorties and 2,061,864 flight hours. Of that total, 1,904,287 flight hours were in combat92.4 percent of its flying total. As MQ-1 operations expanded, Predators footprint at Creech swelled considerably. Previously known as Indian Springs, an auxiliary airfield for Nellis used mainly for marshaling Red Flag forces, the surrounding area had little more than a casino and a gas station, Clark recounted. The surrounding area was so vacant that few would noticemuch less careif a Predator crashed. Creech has since become the global hub of RPA operations. The original cadre of just one squadronthe 11th Reconnaissance Squadron (redesignated the 11th Attack Squadron in 2016)grew into a wing at Creech that also governed Active Duty, Guard, and Reserve MQ-1 squadrons across the country. The unitwhich Clark described as pirates and misfits for cobbling a capability out of small amounts of money and appropriating space, resources, and missions along the waywrote Air Force history, Clark said. Those who have designed this aircraft, who have flown this aircraft, who have maintained this aircraft, who have supported it in some way have epitomized this ability to take an idea and rapidly transform it into a vital resource, Cheater said. Members of the 11th Reconnaissance Squadron preflight a Predator at an undisclosed location during Operation Enduring Freedom. Photo: TSgt. Scott Reed FUTURE OF THE AWAY GAME The MQ-1 was an integral part of every combat operation since 1995, but USAF is already well into the MQ-9 Reaper era. The Reaper fleet is expected to surpass the Predator fleets peak, with a total of 346 aircraft to be flown at several bases across the service. To find the pilots to fly them, the Air Force has opened its pilot ranks to enlisted airmen, letting them train to fly the RQ-4 Global Hawkwhich does not release ordnanceso more officers can take the controls of MQ-9s. In 2015, USAF requested a large funding increase to build up its MQ-9 fleet, as well as its ranks of pilots and maintainers, to keep it healthy as the services ISR commitments expand. Despite the retirement ceremony, as of April USAF still had 128 MQ-1s in its fleet. Many of these have been placed in crates, with some still awaiting demilitarization before they are sent to a final destination, according to ACC. The Air Force doesnt anticipate the US will sell these aircraft to allied nations, and some have already been chosen for display in museums in the US and England. A1C Chris Korenaga checks the camera system of an RQ-1 Predator at Balad AB, Iraq. The unmanned aerial vehicle performed surveillance and reconnaissance patrols around the bases perimeter. Photo: SSgt. Cohen Young The Predators ability to have constant eyes and ready weapons over a battlefield a world away from its pilot means the US is able to have an away game against the worlds most ruthless enemies, without putting airmen in peril, Cheater said. Wars are destructive, Karem noted. For the United States, the goal is to win with the minimum casualties both us and them. And I think armed UAVs being able to look at the targets for a long time and throw a small missile, can do that better than an F-16 coming with a 2,000-pound bomb. Although hardly an air show crowd pleaser, with its spindly profile and low-power engine (and indeed, it never flew in air shows, as all available aircraft were dedicated to operations throughout its service life), Predator was a highly significant warplane in the changes it brought to modern warfare, Karem said.While the Predator may fly slowly, our enemies are afraid of it for good reason, Cheater observed. We have been able to reach long distances, to fly sorties for longer than 22 hours, to launch a precision Hellfire missile through a specific window to remove callous snipers, and as a result, our joint and coalition forces sing the praises of the mighty MQ-1. The Peoples Liberation Army Air Force is rapidly modernizing and growing its combat forces to counter the US Air Force. Here, airmen of an H-6K bomber unit march in formation before the start of a long-range training exercise. Photo: Yang Ruikang, Ministry of National Defense Of the three world superpowers, two have operational squadrons of stealth fighters. One is the US. The other is not Russia, but China. In fact, the National Defense Strategy, released in February, suggests that Chinas conventional power is growing more rapidly than that of Russia. Flush with cash, China has the resources to maintain a brisk pace of technology advancement for all its military services, but especially the Peoples Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). Top USAF leaders have dropped the near from the sobriquet near-peer adversary when referring to China. The PLAAF has made a great leap forward in the last 20 years, continuing to shift from a fleet of mostly obsolescent license-built second and third generation Soviet combat aircraft to a mostly modern, fourth generation force featuring counterparts to almost every type of US Air Force system. In fact, if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, USAF should feel extremely flattered, indeed: China has fielded clones of USAF aircraft ranging from the Global Hawk and Reaper remotely piloted drones to the C-17 transport and F-35 fighter, and air-to-air missiles that look remarkably like the US AMRAAM. _Read this story in our digital issue: Chinese defense white papers in recent years tout that, even as the nation seeks to asymmetrically counter US strengths, it will build up its conventional airpower, fundamentally copying the US Air Force. It now fields up-to-date airborne warning and control aircraft, aerial tankers, bombers, fighters, electronic warfare, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets all largely organized to mirror USAF. (Where the counterparts differ is that the PLAAF has responsibility for the helicopters that transport and tactically support the Peoples Liberation Army ground forces, as well as ground-based air defenses.) The J-20 fighteraround which PLAAFs first stealth squadron, at Dingxin, is organizedhas no real USAF analog. The J-20 has features that echo the F-22 and F-35 (its chin-mounted electro-optical system is externally identical to that on the F-35), and US intelligence has no doubt it is based on stolen US technology. However, USAF and industry watchers deduce that it is not necessarily built for agility, but for speed and stealth in the forward quarter; capabilities that would make it useful for surprise attacks on land units or, more likely, critical airborne assets such as tankers and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platforms. In some circles, its described as the AWACS killer. A PLAAF J-20 stealth fighter. The fifth generation Chinese jet looks strikingly similar to USAFs F-22 Raptor but might not be as agile. Photo: Sunson Guo The J-20 is also not the only stealth aircraft China is working on. The J-31 fighter in development is a ringer for the American F-35 and differs mainly by having two smaller engines instead of one big one. The J-31 seems to be making slower progress than the J-20, and there are rumors it may be intended as an export aircraft. Though based largely on US technology, both the J-20 and J-31 are indigenous designs, China having largely broken off deals with Russia to collaborate on fifth generation platforms. Engines, however, continue to be Chinas weakness, and in this category it is still forced to rely on Russian designs. Chinas government has made improving its engine capability a priority, and the J-20 may soon trade its Russian-designed AL-31FN engines for the domestically built WS-10B. As its military built up a head of steam in the late 1990s and early 2000s, China at first imported, then license-built, variants of Russia top fighter, the Su-27 Flanker, and later versions in the Su-30 and Su-35. Known as the J-11 in China, the basic Flanker has been modified and improved, and China now also builds the J-16 variant domestically, including versions optimized for ground attack and electronic warfare. The J-15a carrier-capable version that operates off the Chinese carrier Liaoningis adapted from the Russian SU-33, another Flanker variant. It has folding wings and canards and uses a ski-jump to get airborne quickly. China airpower observers have said the J-15 seems to have limited range and weaponry compared to western carrier aircraft counterparts. Its operated by the Peoples Liberation Army Navy. All told, China has about 300 Flanker-derived fighters. Another Chinese stealth fighter, the new J-31, is a ringer for USAFs F-35 but features two smaller engines instead of a single big one. Most experts believe the J-31 and J-20 were developed with the aid of stolen US technology. Photo: Danny Yu The Flanker variants are generally considered on a par with the US F-15. The J-10 is one of the PLAAFs proudest achievements. Designed with Israels assistance and based somewhat on that countrys canceled Lavi fighter, the J-10 is Chinas answer to the F-16. The PLAAF is already fielding the third iteration of the J-10, each with more sensor capabilities, processing power and improved aerodynamic performance, as evidenced externally by its evolving chin intake. The J-10 is intended to be the backbone of the PLAAF combat forces; a multirole fighter able to swing between dogfighting and ground attack. US intelligence pegs the J-10 as roughly comparable to the F-16 Block 42 in capability, and the latest versions, equipped with active electronically scanned array radars, may give it an edge over the F-16 Block 50-52. China has more than 250 J-10s in service. An Xian Y-20 heavy-lift transport flies over Jinwan Airport during Airshow China 2016. It is similar in size and performance to USAFs C-17 Globemaster III. Photo: Jim Woodward The J-10 is rapidly supplanting older Chinese fighters based on or derived from the MiG-21. In the attack role, the J-10 complements the JH-7 and JH-8, which are optimized for precision ground attack. Older types like the J-7, based on the Russian MiG-21, have been modernized but are being phased out. Chinas bomber force comprises about 120 H-6 aircraft, which are of roughly the same vintage as USAFs B-52s and are based on the Russian Tu-16. According to a 2017 Pentagon report on Chinese military capabilities, the H-6 has been adapted to launch cruise missiles, extending its power projection capabilities well beyond the first island chain of Chinese strategy. The Pentagon has said China could unveil a new, low-observable bomber in the next few years, called the H-20, but reports differ as to whether this will be a flying wing design like the B-2, or a scaled-up version of the J-20. A J-10 multirole fighter sits on the runway in 2017. The J-10 is intended for air superiority missions or surface attack, carrying an array of air-to-air missiles or bombs and rocket pods. Photo: Sunson Guo Chinas newest airlifter is the Y-20still in flight testwhich should become operational in the next few years. Strongly resembling the C-17, the Y-20s development is said to have been accelerated by the C-17s ability to deliver aid to Chinese provinces after the massive 2008 earthquake, when Chinas own IL-76s could not use the short and damaged airfields available, thus causing some embarrassment for the PLAAF. Airborne warning and control assets include the KJ-200similar to the Swedish Erieyeand the KJ-2000, which, with its rotating saucer-shaped radome, resembles the US AWACS. The KJ-2000, hosted on an Il-76 transport, can track more than 100 targets simultaneously. China also seems likely to press ahead with building more aerial refueling IL-76-based tankers to extend the range of its land- and sea-based aircraft alike. Innovation and improvement of Chinas air force is likely to continue unabated, as the nation seeks to become the hegemon in the South Asia region and an equal challenger to the US in the Pacific. It has become, as the National Defense Strategy states, the pacing threat for the US military. An Allegiant Air flight made an emergency landing Thursday morning in Gainesville due to a medical emergency. Flight 1304 landed at the Gainesville Regional Airport at 8:39 a.m. The plane departed from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport about two hours prior, according to FlightAware, a flight-tracking website. The original destination was headed to Punta Gorda, Florida. Gainesville Fire Rescue received a call at 8:24 a.m. and were told that a crew member was having a medical emergency. According to Gainesville Fires Twitter, the pilot suffered from a seizure. GFR District Chief Don Campbell declined to elaborate on the patients condition. Moments after the call, a rescue team was at the airport waiting for the plane to land, Campbell said. The plane landed safely, and the rescue team was able to get to the patient, who was taken to the hospital and is in stable condition, Campbell said. There were 155 people aboard the flight. Our teamwork with the Gainesville Police Department and the Gainesville Regional Airport made it possible to intervene quickly, Campbell said. We were able to get to our appropriate places and access the patient while maintaining operations. Erin Porter, from the Gainesville airport, said a new crew was brought in. Passengers were boarding their flight by 1:16 p.m. This is not an Allegiant airport, Porter said. We fly American Airlines and Delta (Air Lines), but in a medical emergency, any airport would open itself up to assist. Follow Jessica Curbelo on Twitter and contact her at jcurbelo@alligator.org. Ways to watch the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle by Alex Watson Tremellen Avenue Writer For fans eager to see the royal wedding of the first American-born British princess, May 19 cannot come soon enough. The world watched Prince Harry grow up from his birth in London, to accompanying his late mother, Princess Diana, in her funeral procession, to his life as a soldier. Now, the world gets to watch as Prince Harry marries American actress Meghan Markle this Saturday. There are a number of ways to view the royal wedding, as it will be covered on almost all networks. The event can also be live streamed and will be shown at select movie theaters nationally. Gainesville residents can also catch the wedding here in town. Haile Village Bistro, located at 5323 SW 91 Terrace, is hosting a Royal Wedding party on May 19 from 3-5 p.m. Here, an English high tea will be served with finger sandwiches, quiche, scones, jam and clotted cream for $22 per adult, $11 for children. There will be trivia and fascinator contests, though no special attire is needed. Call 352-378-0721 to reserve your table as reservations are required. Those hosting their own watch party, can watch on a variety of networks. To stay true to theme, pick up scones, jam, quiche and Earl Grey tea from Whole foods, Publix or Trader Joes to watch at home. Broadcasting starts early Saturday with the first guests arriving at St. Georges Chapel at 10 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time, 5 a.m. EST. The wedding service starts at 7 a.m. EST. NBC kicksoff its multi-day coverage with a primetime special, Inside the Royal Wedding, on May 16. On Friday, the entire Today show cast will spend its four-hour show live at Windsor. On May 19, NBCs Hoda Kotb will kickoff live coverage of the wedding from 4:30 a.m. to 11 a.m EST. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now CBS has wedding coverage at Windsor all week with Gayle King and King Frazier starting the wedding coverage at 4 a.m. on the 19. After the royal wedding takes place, CBS will air Royal Romance: The Marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at 8 p.m. If you dont have cable, CBSN and CBS will live stream their coverage starting at 4 a.m. HBO offers a humorous take on the Royal Wedding with Will Ferrell and Molly Shannon reprising their roles as mock broadcast legends, Cord and Tish. You may recall that Shannon and Ferrell previously hosted coverage of the Rose Bowl Parade as their comedic personas of Cord and Tish, broadcast anchors. The comedic duo will start their coverage at 7:30 a.m. and their humorous coverage will repeat later that night at 9:45 p.m. ABC will send Robin Roberts and David Muir to cover the wedding starting at 5 a.m., and can be watched online atABCNews.com. If you would like a royal wedding photo but cant make it to Windsor Castle, download the ABCNews app to take your royal wedding photo using augmented reality. You can choose a photo with the queens guard or with the royal carriage. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pose for an official engagement photo at Frogmore House, in Windsor, England. Calstrip Industries is building a $15 million processing facility at Nucor Steel Arkansas as part of the companys efforts to support traditional medium-and high-volume service center customers. Calstrip Industries is building a $15 million processing facility at Nucor Steel Arkansas as part of the companys efforts to support traditional medium-and high-volume service center customers. Construction of the Mississippi County, Arkansas based facility is slated to begin during the second quarter of 2018, with an initial size of more than 100,000 square feet. Two planned expansions will push the facilitys size to more than 300,000 square feet, the company said on Wednesday May 16. Calstrips announcement follows a spate of expansion activity for Nucor in Arkansas. The steelmaker recently unveiled plans to build a $240-million, 500,000-tons-per-year galvanizing line at its sheet mill near Blytheville, Arkansas to increase its share in the automotive market. This follows Nucors 2016 announcement to invest $230 million to build a new specialty cold mill at the same location. As global steelmaking capacity continues to outpace demand, trade protection measures and their consequences for the international flow of steel products are foremost in the minds of many steel producers. Alongside Metal Bulletins annual ranking of steelmakers by output, correspondents around the world review developments in their regional steel sectors NORTH AMERICA Global steel trade, and the much-litigated abuses that can attend it, have been a persistent feature of the North American steel landscape for decades. Last year, and in step with President Donald Trumps pledge to Make America Great Again, international trade not only dominated but drove the market dynamics, mindset, and fortunes of the five US-based steel producers listed in the accompanying table and their counterparts across the North American industry, as well as up and down the supply chain. In an April 2017 move resulting in what has been described as the mother of all trade cases, the Trump Administration self-initiated an investigation under Section 232 of the Trade Act of 1962 to determine if steel imports threaten to impair US national security. Several missed deadlines and some nine months later, in mid-January 2018, the US Department of Commerce submitted its findings in the form of a report to the president. On March 8 of this year, and after weighing three options put forth by Commerce, President Trump announced that imports of steel products into the US will be subject to a 25% tariff. The decision drew reactions ranging from a mounting flood of requests for exclusions and exemptions to quota-based arrangements negotiated with individual countries. As Metal Market Magazine went to press, steel trading partners in Canada, Mexico and the EU were awaiting a June 1 exemption deadline. Seemingly undeterred by the Section 232 trade action, or more likely rushing to land product in the US before the tariffs took hold, steel traders upped the ante in 2017. Total steel imports jumped by more than five million net tons, or 15.5%, compared with 2016 volumes, with finished steel imports accounting for an estimated 27% share of the US market. The US capacity utilization rate averaged 75% last year, according to the Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA), a Washington, D.C.-based, primary trade association for electric-arc steel producers. The double-digit ramp-up in 2017 imports was offset to a degree, however, by a steady strengthening in steel prices and what Steel Dynamics Inc (SDI) president and CEO Mark Millett described in a fourth-quarter conference call with analysts as an improvement in underlying demand. The automotive sector remained strong and the construction and energy sectors continued to improve, he noted. Other events of significance to steel producers playing out in the nations capital in 2017 ranged from the bipartisan confirmation of Wilbur L. Ross, a financier with extensive knowledge of the steel sector, as US Secretary of Commerce and then the confirmation several months later of Robert Lighthizer as US trade representative (USTR). Add to that the signing in late December by President Trump of a sweeping and hotly contested tax reform bill (the Tax Cuts and Job Act) into law. The measure, effective January 2018, creates a single corporate tax rate of 21% well below the previous top corporate rate of 35 % and promises to deliver an immediate step-up in earnings, stronger balance-sheets, and an increase in fixed asset investment, which is typically accompanied by a rise in steel consumption. All five US-based steel producers cited in the accompanying list moved up in global ranking. Nucor Corp, the highest-ranked North American producer, continued to grow its footprint, expanding organically and through acquisition. In late 2017, the Charlotte, North Carolina-based steelmaker announced that it would add a $180-million, 500,000 ton per year, full-range merchant bar quality (MBQ) mill at its existing facility in Bourbonnais, Illinois, as well as construct an at least $250-million rebar micro-mill in Sedalia, Missouri. Last year was a pivotal one for US Steel (USS), which announced the retirement of Mario Longhi, CEO and a key architect of the Carnegie Way rejuvenation/rescue plan. David Burritt, president and COO and former top executive at Caterpillar, succeeded him. A month later, in late-June and after extensive negotiations, USS finalized the restructuring and sale of USS Canada (formerly known as Stelco) to the Bedrock Industries Group LLC a New York-based, privately funded metals, mining and natural-resource company. Throughout 2017, and like Nucor and US Steel, SDI, AK Steel and Commercial Metals Co. spent significant time and energy traveling to Washington to attend and testify at a series of Section 232-related hearings. Closer to home, AK Steel ratified a string of successive labor agreements covering operations at its Mansfield (Ohio) and Dearborn (Michigan) Works, Rockford (Illinois) plant, and AK Tube LLC operation in Walbridge (Ohio). In April, AK opened the doors of its world-class, $36-million Research and Innovation Center in Middletown, Ohio, and in late summer completed the $360-million downstream acquisition of Ontario-based Precision Partners Holding Co, a provider of engineering, tooling, and hot and cold stamped products. Commercial Metals Co (CMC), which also saw a change at the top with Barbara Smith promoted to CEO in September and adding the title of chairman in November, completed the sale and exited its raw materials trading business last year. And only days into 2018, the Texas-based steelmaker acquired rebar steel mill and fabrication assets from Gerdau S.A. for a cash purchase price of $600-million. The buy added four steel mills and 33 rebar fabrication plants to the CMC fold. Jo Isenberg-OLoughlin CIS In 2017 the steel producers in the Commonwealth of Independent States benefited from increased steel consumption, after a continuous decline during the previous three years. Consumption reached 52.8 million tonnes in 2017, rebounding from the decline in 2016, when it was 49.4 million tonnes, according to Worldsteel data. The growth was mainly related to higher consumption in Russia, where steel use improved to 40.6 million tonnes after two years of decline. Steel consumption in Russia started to decrease in 2015, when it fell to 39.4 million tonnes, from 43.1 million tonnes in 2014. In 2016 consumption reduced to 38.2 million tonnes. The economic slowdown in Russia accounted for the reduced consumption. In 2018, steel consumption in the CIS is forecast by Worldsteel to increase to 54 million tonnes, mainly on expectations of higher use in Russia, where it is predicted to be 41.5 million tonnes. In the past two years, we have seen a rebound in the domestic market and in 2018 we expect steel consumption to increase by 3-4%, mainly [due to an] improvement in the construction sector, Severstals sales director Evgeny Chernyakov has told Metal Bulletin. Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK), Russias largest steelmaker, expects that Russias 2018 steel consumption will increase by 1.5-2%, and the countrys long-term growth rate will be around just 1%. The Russian market is too small for us, we cant achieve our growth goals in this market, considering [the slow] rate of its growth, Oleg Bagrin, NLMKs CEO, said. In contrast to the favorable situation in domestic markets, CIS producers faced challenges in exports. In early October 2018, the European Commission (EC) imposed fixed charges in the range of 17.60-96.50 per tonne as a definitive trade defense measure in the case against hot-rolled coil originating from four countries; Russia and Ukraine were among them. As a result, Severstal, which received a relatively low duty 17.60 per tonne, managed to continue HRC sales to the EU, but volumes were reduced. Metinvest was able to sell HRC to the EU too, but only when the market was high and the price for its products, including 60.50 per tonne duty, was competitive. The next shock came from the US, when it imposed the Section 232 tariffs in early March 2018. Even if Russian and Ukrainian suppliers can overcome the 25% import tariffs in the US, they will meet tightened competition in other outlets, where other global suppliers will redirect volumes away from the US market. In 2017, Russia shipped 2.9 million tonnes of steel products to the US, while Ukraine exported 241,000 tonnes there in 2017, according to data from the US Department of Commerce. Later in March, the EC launched its safeguard investigation into 26 steel product types to prevent the redirection of imports from the US to the EU market. Turkey joined in considering trade protection measures in late April by starting an investigation into imports of flat, long and stainless steel, along with steel tube & pipe products. The investigations in the EU and Turkey will add pressure on the CIS steel exporters. In 2017, Russia exported around 4 million tonnes of HRC, almost 40% of which was accounted for by Turkey as the destination, and 9% for the EU, Metal Bulletin estimated on the basis of International Steel Statistics Bureau (ISSB) data. Over the same period, Ukraine exported around 1 million tonnes of HRC, 24% of which was shipped to the EU and 14% to Turkey. Total finished steel and semi-finished product exports from Russia were around 28.7 million tonnes in 2017, Metal Bulletin Research estimated, based on Worldsteel data. In 2016, Russia exported 31.2 million tonnes and became the worlds third largest exporter. Ukraine exported around 15.4 million tonnes of finished steel and semi-finished products in 2017, MBR estimated. In 2016 total exports were18.2 million tonnes, according to Worldsteel. In 2017, steel producers in the CIS kept crude steel production unchanged at 102.1 million tonnes, according to Worldsteel data. Russia produced 71.3 million tonnes, which was an increase from 70.5 million tonnes in 2016. Ukraines crude steel output was 22.7 million tonnes in 2017 down from 24.2 million tonnes a year earlier. Production has reduced in Ukraine because Donetskstal (DMZ), Metinvests Yenakiieve Iron & Steel Works (Yenakiieve Steel) and the Makiivka unit, and Industrial Union of Donbasss (ISD) Alchevsk Iron & Steel Works were seized by pro-Russia rebels in 2017. The rest of the 8 million tonnes of steel in the CIS were produced by Byelorussia, Kazakhstan, Moldova and Uzbekistan. In 2018, steel production began to decrease in the CIS. Russia produced 16.6 million tonnes in January-March, which was a decline from 17.7 million tonnes last year. Ukraine has reduced steel output to 5.23 million tonnes, compared with 5.37 million tonnes in the period last year. Marina Shulga EUROPE Support from trade defense measures and increased demand led to higher prices, boosting European steelmakers over the second half of 2017 and in the first half of 2018. But concerns about the increasing threat of protectionism amid the US Section 232 tariffs on steel imports and the potential redirection of steel from the US to the EU market have led to uncertainty in the market ahead of the second half of 2018. In late April, US authorities postponed until June 1 the imposition of import tariffs on steel and aluminium from the EU, Canada and Mexico. The threatened 25% tariff on steel arises from the countrys Section 232 trade investigation, but the final outcome is still awaited at the time of writing. The EC started its own safeguard investigation into 26 steel products on March 26 this year, with the intention of shielding the regions steel industry from the effects of a possible surge in import volumes that could come from material being redirected from the US. Crude steel production in the EU rose by 4.11% to 168.68 million tonnes in 2017, according to Worldsteel, as EU steelmakers took advantage of stronger market conditions. EU flat steel prices strengthened in the second half of 2017 on the back of higher raw material costs, the recovery of international coil market prices, and positive effects from anti-dumping measures in Europe. The EC imposed definitive anti-dumping measures on HRC from China in April 2017, as well as from Russia, Brazil, Iran and Ukraine in October 2017. Total steel imports into the EU fell by 1.8% in 2017, reflecting a 7.9% year-on-year rise in the first half of the year and an 11% year-on-year drop in the second half, according to regional steel association Eurofer. Metal Bulletins assessment of prices for Northern European domestic HRC gradually rose to 570-590 per tonne on March 7, 2018, up gradually from 485-510 per tonne on July 12, 2017. ArcelorMittal, retaining its position as the worlds largest steelmaker in 2017, was at the forefront of driving price increases for both flat and long steel products. The Luxembourg-headquartered producer reported an operating income of $2.36 billion for its European operations in 2017, up sharply from $1.27 billion in 2017. ArcelorMittals acquisition of Italian steel producer Ilva received conditional approval from the EC on May 7, after it proposed to sell a number of flat steel plants throughout Europe to one or more buyers to preserve effective competition in the European steel market. Elsewhere, the proposed flat steel merger between Germanys ThyssenKrupp and the European subsidiary of Indias Tata Steel is expected to be agreed by the end of June this year. The venture is expected to generate annual revenues estimated at 15 billion and to ship about 21 million tpy of steel. Concerns remain over the ambitious fourth phase of the EUs Emissions Trading System (ETS), which will run from 2021 to 2030. Eurofer has said that the plan still fails to secure a global level playing field for the regions steel industry. Negotiations on the reform of the EU ETS were concluded to reach a provisional agreement between the European Parliament and Council in November 2017, after a legislative process which lasted more than two years. Market participants will also continue to watch UKs Brexit negotiations with the EU closely, with a continued lack of clarity. Viral Shah ASIA Of all the recent developments in the Asia steel industry, none has garnered quite as much attention as the supply-side reforms in China, where the government has mandated strict industrial policies to control pollution levels. This included the cutting of at least 120 million tonnes of blast-furnace-based steelmaking capacity in 2016-2017, and another 140 million tonnes of induction-furnace-based steelmaking capacity in the same period. Another, additional, planned 30 million tonnes of capacity cuts is to be completed in 2018. This has come as a surprise to market participants, who have expected Chinas production capacity to drop because of these reforms. However, almost all of Chinas major steel producers saw steel production increasing on a year-on-year basis in 2017. This was due to these steel producers increasing their run rates and steel output to fill the gaps vacated by smaller, older and obsolete mills, as well as the induction furnaces producing substandard steel. Chinas largest producer, Baowu Iron & Steel, increased its steel output to 65.39 million tonnes, or by about 2.48%. The percentage increase in steel output at the worlds second-largest steel producer is just about on par with world No. 1 steel producer ArcelorMittals 2.53% increase on a year-on-year basis, although the Luxembourg-based steelmaker continues to be the single largest steel producer in terms of production output at 93.1 million tonnes. Japans Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp (NSSMC) increased its steel output by 3.65% to 46.82 million tonnes in 2017, up from 45.17 million tonnes in 2016. Chinas Hebei Iron & Steel (Hesteel) reduced its steel production output in 2017, decreasing by 1.91% to 44.06 million tonnes. All of the Asian mills in the top 10 held on to their positions in the ranking. South Koreas Posco remained in the fifth position as its steel output was nearly the same as last year at 42.20 million tonnes. Major Chinese producer Jiangsu Shagang, which is known to be the main price setter of long steel in eastern China, kept its sixth position, increasing its output by 15.33% to 38.35 million tonnes in 2017. While Indias Tata Steel kept its 10th position, its recent successful acquisition of Bhushan Steel will likely affect the ranking order. It presently has 25.39 million tonnes of steel output, although bringing Bhushan Steel under its fold will add about another 5.6 million tonnes to its nameplate capacity. Other notable climbers in ranking were Chinas Jianlong Group and Valin Group. Jianlong Group climbed after increasing its steel output by 23.13% to 20.26 million tonnes in 2017. Valin Group climbed after increasing its steel output by 11.41% to 20.15 million tonnes in 2017. As the Chinese government continues to encourage the orderly development of the domestic steelmaking industry, it is likely that more mergers and acquisitions will occur. The steelmaking world is watching with interest as to how the central and provincial governments negotiate mergers as China works to reduce the fragmented steel market and increase industry consolidation. Once these mega-mergers are confirmed, more mega producers are expected to emerge and move their way up th e output ladder. Paul Lim LATIN AMERICA The Brazilian steel industry spent 2017 trying to recover from its worst crisis ever, experienced in 2016, when several mills cut production levels to adapt themselves to weak market demand. Last years crude steel output, local sales and apparent consumption figures improved, but on a poor basis of comparison. Consumption in Brazil, for instance, increased by 5.30% year-on-year in 2017, to 19.18 million tonnes, according to national steel institute Aco Brasil. This growth, however, was in part driven by higher import volumes, which rose by 23.90% over the same period, to 2.33 million tonnes, against an increase of only 2.30% in domestic sales, reaching 16.90 million tonnes. Stronger signs of a rebound in the Brazilian steel sector are only being recorded now in 2018. As a result, Aco Brasil had revised upward its forecast for the countrys steel consumption, sales and output this year, due to recovering market conditions. Apparent steel use in Brazil is now expected to rise by 6.9% year on year in 2018, to 20.50 million tonnes, the group said. It also predicts Brazilian domestic steel sales to increase by 6.6%, to 18.01 million tonnes, while the countrys crude steel output is expected to grow by 8.6%, to 37.31 million tonnes. Gerdau, ranked 20th in Metal Bulletins Top Steelmakers list, restarted in March operations at its steel mill at Mogi das Cruzes, Brazils south-eastern Sao Paulo state, due to improved conditions in the local car market. Also, flat steel producer Usiminas, ranked further down the list, resumed activities at its No. 1 blast furnace at its Ipatinga works, in the countrys south-eastern Minas Gerais state, in April, to align output with steel demand now. But the Brazilian market will return to 2013s peak level only in 2028, according to optimistic estimates, Aco Brasil noted. The Mexican steel industry reported positive results in 2017, despite the uncertainties involving the countrys commercial relationship with major trade partner, the US, after President Trump took office. Mexicos crude steel output increased by 6.20% in 2017 compared with the previous year, to 20 million tonnes, according to national steel association Canacero, with the sector operating at 68% utilization of its installed capacity. Meanwhile, increased demand from the domestic automotive industry continued to stimulate investments in steel production. In the past couple of years, steelmakers such as Ahmsa, Voestalpine, Tenigal and Grupo Simec have announced investments in Mexico to meet demand from the growing local sector. The car sector in Mexico accounts for around 10.6% of steel consumed in the country, according to Canacero. Besides being the two largest steel markets in Latin America, Brazil and Mexico have something else in common: concern about the effects of the US Section 232 investigation into steel imports in their local industry. At the beginning of March, the US government imposed a 25% tariff on steel from several countries, as a result of the Section 232 probe. Brazil was among the nations temporarily exempted from the tariffs until May 1, while negotiations between Brazil and the US about introducing a quota system were taking place. Early in May, the Brazilian steel sector agreed to the US governments offer to set quotas for steel shipments into that country, thus avoiding a 25% tariff. Producers have agreed to limit their exports to 70% of the 2015-17 average for finished steel products and 100% of the three-year average for semi-finished steel products, although the final details about the measure have yet to be defined, according to Aco Brasil. The quotas should mostly affect Brazil-origin slab exports, whose annual volumes allowed to enter the US market is set at 3.50 million tonnes, to begin retroactively on January 1, 2018. Meanwhile, Canacero welcomed the decision by the US government to temporarily exclude Mexico-origin steel from its new Section 232 import tariffs, but has voiced concerns about the growth of redirected import flows. The announced US import tariffs of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminium will exclude North American Free Trade Agreement members Canada and Mexico at least temporarily, while renegotiations of the Nafta treaty continue, according to Trump. Canacero urged the Mexican government to prevent the local market from being used as a trade triangulation environment by exporters intent on redirecting steel volumes previously destined for the US, as well as to defend the national industry from unfair steel imports. In the meantime, uncertainties involving the trade relationship between Mexico and the US remain. Ana Camargo MIDDLE EAST Middle East crude steel production increased by 11.80% in 2017, with a total output of 32.45 million tonnes, compared with 29.03 million tonnes in 2016, according to Worldsteel data. The countries in the total include the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iran, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Steel demand in the Middle East will keep growing in 2018 and beyond, but the region needs trade protection measures to support local producers, according to UAE-based flat steel re-roller and coater Al Ghurair Iron & Steel (AGIS) CEO Abu Bucker Husain. In an interview on the sidelines of the 21st Middle East Iron & Steel (MEIS) conference in Dubai in December 2017, Husain told Metal Bulletin that because the Middle East (and especially the UAE) has historically been seen as a trading hub, the focus of governments in the region has been on promoting trade and logistics and they have not yet turned to nurturing their domestic manufacturing industries. He also said the issues of unfair trade practices and dumping by foreign mills had been raised with the local chambers of commerce and the ministry of economy several times since 2009, but that he was still waiting for concrete actions to be taken. Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries are finding common ground over the threat from steel being redirected as a result of the US decision to impose tariffs on imports following the Section 232 trade investigation. Saeed Al-Romaithi, CEO of the UAEs biggest steelmaker, Emirates Steel, said that GCC countries were acutely aware of the issue and are keen to limit the impact of steel being redirected from the US. The GCC countries are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. We see positive support from the authorities in the UAE and also in Saudi Arabia in moving to this direction everybody is seeing what damage is being done and whats happening to the steel industry in the region, Al-Romaithi said at Metal Bulletins 6th World DRI & Pellet Congress in Dubai in late April 2018. Its a bit slow because the whole GCC is linked together [in terms of anti-dumping legislation] but something is definitely happening the region is lacking the rules and regulations that we need to give us freedom to compete fairly in the market, he said. From our point of view, the demand outlook for rebar [for] 2018-19 looks stable we have the 2020 Dubai Expo and related infrastructure construction currently going on in the UAE, Al- Romaithi said. Right now, the market is still resilient and demand is still there - [and even] if there is not an increase, it will still be stable, he added. In March 2018, Saudi Arabias National Committee for the Steel Industry (NCSI) called for urgent action to be taken against imports being dumped in the country, specifically by raising import duties. A report published in June 2016, by the Economic Policies Research Centre in London, points out that, among the G20 [group of industrialized] countries, Saudi Arabia has the fewest legal protection measures implemented, the NCSI said. The GCC ministerial committee announced a safeguard duty on imports of pre-painted galvanized coil (PPGI), or color-coated coil of over 600 mm in width in April 2018. The duty will not be applied on products from developing countries whose share of imports in the region accounts for less than 3% individually and less than 9% collectively. UAE Crude steel production in the UAE totaled 3.309 million tonnes in 2017, up by 5.08% on an annual basis from 3.149 million tonnes in 2016. Abu Bucker Husain expects steel demand to improve in 2018 and in the years ahead in the UAE and the rest of the Middle East. [The full] 2018 should definitely be better than 2017 for a few reasons, he said at MEIS 2017. Gross domestic product (GDP) growth should be an overall benefit for all businesses, and getting closer to the 2020 Expo [in Dubai] should be particularly beneficial for our galvanized sector because [increased] demand for galvanized [steel only] comes towards the completion of construction projects, he added. Husain also said that there was potential in the Middle East for automotive manufacturing. If the industrial environment is made more appealing to auto manufacturers, then the big auto makers of the world will come here, he said. The country has almost stopped importing rebar since the second half of 2017, while billet imports continue, mostly from Iran. There are several new investments in the country, meaning it will be less dependent on imports in the coming years. Conares Steel started construction of a new line to produce color-coated coil, or pre-painted galvanized iron (PPGI), early in January. It is being built in the Jebel Ali Free Zone, with equipment supplied by CMI Belgium. Conares Steel also started production at its 250,000 tonnes per year pipe mill in April 2018. Dana Steel is adding 400,000 tonnes per year to the United Arab Emirates coated steel output with the installation of an HDG line and PPGI line in Dubai. United Iron & Steel started to produce HDG in January 2018. Its capacity is 250,000 tpy. Iran Iran recorded the highest crude steel output in the region, with 21.726 million tonnes of output, up by 21.41% from 17.895 million tonnes in 2016. The country ranked as the 13th largest steel producing nation in 2017. However, US President Donald Trump announced his countrys withdrawal from the nuclear deal on May 8 and that the sanctions on Iran will be reimposed. If Iran has to cut its steel export volumes [because it is] unable to finance deals, it will have to reduce steel output because the domestic market will not be able to consume it, despite recent demand improvements, an Iranian producer source told Metal Bulletin on May 11. The Iranian government set a target for steel production of 55 million tonnes per year by 2025. Iran has steelmaking capacity for around 30 million tpy of steel at present, of which 75% would be from direct-reduced-iron-consuming electric-arc furnaces (EAFs). DRI-based steel production is the preferred method in Iran because the country has extensive reserves of both iron ore and natural gas. Saudi Arabia and Qatar Saudi Arabia produced 4.77 million tonnes of crude steel in 2017, a 12.65% increase compared with 5.461 million tonnes a year earlier, according to Worldsteel data. Demand for rebar imports remained weak in 2017, and so far in 2018, as local material was sufficient. In addition, the country removed the ban on rebar exports in late 2017 and the country started to export its products, mainly to East Asian countries. However, local demand for steel is not strong in Saudi Arabia, whose economy is also having hard times. Qatar produced 2.644 million tonnes of crude steel in 2017, a rise of 4.88% from 2.521 million tonnes a year earlier. Serife Durmus Mexican steel association Canacero has welcomed a decision by the federal government to take reciprocal measures against the United States following the imposition of Section 232 duties on steel imports from the country. According to a principle of complete reciprocity, the decision that Mexico adopts must contemplate a mirror measure, considering the same products and the same tariffs, without exceptions, the group said late on Thursday May 31. A minor decision would be unacceptable. Mexicos economy secretariat said on Thursday that it would take reciprocal actions against the US, imposing equivalent measures against several products, including flat steel material. Earlier on Thursday, US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced that the US would be imposing tariffs of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminium imports from Mexico, Canada and the European Union effective from June 1. The duties imposed by the US will cost Mexico's steel industry $2 billion per year, according to Canacero. The US decision to impose tariffs on Mexico-origin steel is a meaningless strategy and does not contribute to a positive environment in the North American region, the association said. The prospects of a successful conclusion to the ongoing talks to renew the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) have taken a heavy blow from US President Donald Trumps decision on Thursday to impose duties on steel and aluminium products from Canada and Mexico. Canacero also believes that Mexican authorities must continue looking at ways to be exempted from the US import duties, citing the quota systems agreed between the US and Argentina, Brazil and South Korea. Moreover, Canacero has voiced concerns about the growth of redirected import flows into the Mexican market. Therefore, it is imperative to impose safeguard [measures] into steel imports from all countries without a trade agreement [with Mexico], with a percentage equal to that established by the US, the group said. In addition, it is important to establish a quota scheme for steel imports from countries with which Mexico has signed [trade] deals. In October 2017, Mexico extended - for the fourth time - a 15% tariff imposed on imports of slab, hot-rolled coil, heavy plate, cold-rolled coil and wire rod to protect the domestic steel sector. But the tariffs expired in April this year. In late April, Latin American steel group Ternium said that the Mexican government was analyzing whether to renew the 15% duty against steel imports. I am the Revd Sister Veronica CSC and the Provincial Sister of the Community of the Sisters of the Church in the Solomon Islands. I am the only ordained female in the Anglican Church of Melanesia, because I received my training and was ordained in UK before coming home. Last year (2017), I returned to my home country to take up the role of Provincial Sister. Sometime later, I was asked by some local mothers living near our Community to start a school for their children. There is no school for these children and the nearest is not safe for the little ones, because the road is very busy with logging trucks carrying logs and making it too dangerous and dusty. As I reflected on what this school should look like, I realised that we needed teachers first. Fortunately Br Samson SSF was looking for a school in which to teach. I asked him to do the teaching for me with the help of our two Novitiate members, Jacqueline and Brenda. So Mother Emilys Kindergarten School was started in the kitchen with 30 children and the number grew in June 2017. By August, we needed more space and another area was built on the ground floor of our house, which was blessed in January 2018. This year, we have Br Samson and Sr Neslyn teaching full time. We see this as a vital part of our mission. The teachers are not paid. If this school had not started, these children would be treated as child labour. They would carry on helping their parents to harvest coconuts and cocoa, because they live in the plantation, which has been left unattended after the ethnic tension we had in the Solomon Islands from 2000 2003. The children would not have a good future. However, there is a brighter future for them now and I am very pleased to see them enjoying their school and having a space to learn like any other children. Jesus said, Let the children come to me, because the kingdom of God belongs to them (Matthew 19:14). Most of the children come to our Sunday School and they encourage their parents, but especially their mothers, to come to Church. It is really amazing that children encourage the adults to come to Church. From time to time, we have baptism services as well. Posted on: June 1, 2018 4:43 PM A distinguished liturgist approaching her 100th birthday is to be honoured by the Lutheran and Anglican Churches in Canada for her work on the Book of Alternative Services. Blanche Kate Gates will receive the Companion of the Worship Arts honour (CWA) alongside Lutheran pastor Eric Dyck at the National Worship Conference, in Victoria, British Columbia, next month. The CWA has its roots in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC). It has been presented jointly with the Anglican Church of Canada since 2014. Every two years, a Lutheran and Anglican are honoured with the CWA award to recognise the immense gifts and offerings of a particular individual to the worship life of each church at the local and national level, the Anglican Church of Canada said in a statement. Blanche Kate Gates played a vital role in the development of contemporary liturgy in the Anglican Church of Canada as part of the task force that developed the Book of Alternative Services (BAS), the Churchs statement said. As a member of the national Doctrine and Worship Committee in the early 1980s, Gates interpreted the work of the committee to prepare for the publication of the BAS. During this period, she read many liturgical texts and commentaries including experimental liturgical texts developed in the 1960s and 70s, the 1979 Book of Common Prayer published in the US, and the Roman Missal as revised by Pope Paul VI to expand her knowledge and facilitate the work of the task force. Instrumental in creating the BAS and specifically its revised funeral liturgy, Gates spoke about the BAS to the House of Bishops and, as a delegate to General Synod, seconded the motion by which the Anglican Church of Canada officially adopted the BAS in 1985. Her award also recognises her work as President of Anglican Church Women for the Diocese of British Columbia, where she left a considerable impact on her counterparts from other dioceses at national meetings. As a member of the Altar Guild and talented seamstress, she has consistently offered valuable assistance with linens, vestments, and parish and diocesan fabric banners that today enhance the worship space of Christ Church Cathedral in Victoria and various parishes, the Church said. Reflecting her passion for quilting, Gates created the Tree of Life quilt for St Pauls, and sewed a stole and chasuble based on the same theme for the congregation. As she prepares to mark her 100th birthday, her contributions to worship and liturgy at the national level continue to influence the way Anglicans across the country interpret and practice their faith. The Lutheran recipient, Eric Dyck, is Pastor of St Johns Lutheran Church in Montreal, a role he combines with teaching liturgy and supervising seminarians at the Montreal Diocesan Theological College. He lectures on eucharistic development and history, oversees workshops on presiding, text delivery, movement in the liturgy, and offers extensive consulting on adapting appropriate liturgies into various settings. His contributions to the worship life of his church, in all of its expressions, are well known and extend beyond his own Lutheran tradition, the Churchs statement said. He has contributed to the worship life of the church in the local, synodical, national and even international levels. Posted on: June 1, 2018 9:35 AM Thousands of Christians from Uganda and neighbouring countries are arriving in Namugongo for special services to commemorate the Ugandan Martyrs. In 3 June 1886, the Kabaka or King of Buganda, Mwanga II, killed 32 young Anglicans and Roman Catholic men who worked as his pages by burning them alive at Namugongo. They were among 23 Anglicans and 22 Roman Catholics who were put to death by the king for killed by for refusing to recant their faith between 1885 and 1887. Yesterday, services were held at both the Anglican and Roman Catholic shrines in Namugongo, led by bishops from both Churches. Other similar events will be held in the coming days, leading up to national commemorations on Sunday. The Anglican and Roman Catholic Archbishops of Uganda, Stanley Ntagali and Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, with bishops from the two churches at the Ugandan Martyrs Shrines in Namugongo. Photo: Bishop Henry Katumba / Diocese of West Buganda Speaking at a service in the Anglican shrine yesterday, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Uganda, Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, asked Ugandans to repent over the widespread kidnaps and killings of women and children in the country, according to the Daily Monitor newspaper. We have lost many people through kidnaps and murder, he said. We need to use this time to repent. We need to ask God to forgive us because we have sinned in different ways. The martyrs suffered because of their faith and as the Joint Christian Council, we need to take this time not to preach to convert people to our religions but bring ourselves together to fight against the ongoing evil in our country. Archbishop Stanley Ntagali, the Anglican Archbishop of Uganda, speaking at the Catholic shrine, echoed the call, saying: What is our purpose as the Church when there are all these murders and kidnaps? We call upon security organs to quickly bring this mess to its end. We are living in an evil world and we need to help each other and encourage ourselves to repent. Although there are separate Anglican and Roman Catholic shrines, the joint ecumenical services at each one were not extraordinary. In 2015 Pope Francis visited the Anglican shrine with Archbishop Stanley during his visit to Uganda, and spoke of the ecumenism of blood. All these witnesses nurtured the gift of the Holy Spirit in their lives and freely gave testimony of their faith in Jesus Christ, even at the cost of their lives, many at such a young age, Pope Francis said at the time. The gift of the Holy Spirit is a gift which is meant to be shared. It unites us to one another as believers and living members of Christs mystical Body. We do not receive the gift of the Spirit for ourselves alone, but to build up one another in faith, hope and love. Pilgrims have already started to arrive at the shrines ahead of Sundays national commemorations. Many have been camping out. Security is tight and road closures are in place preventing vehicular access to everybody except VIPs. Pilgrims attending from the Democratic Republic of Congo are being screened for Ebola and an isolation ward has been established at a nearby hospital to treat any suspected cases. (ANSA) - Berlin, June 1 - The German daily Der Spiegel has told ANSA in an interview that views expressed by one of its columnists on the situation in Italy was only one of several different, contrasting positions within the publication. President Sergio Mattarella called comments made in the column by Jan Fleischhauer - on "Rome scroungers" - "unacceptable and grotesque". Online editor Barbara Hans said Fleischhauer's column was provocatory and conservative as a rule and that his opinion was one of several, but that it should not be understood to represent the position of the publication as a whole. She added that the newspaper cultivates pluralism and that this is seen in other parts of the newspaper dealing with debt reduction in Italy. When asked whether there are articles that are seen as problematic for the paper due to the general judgments they contain - for example, on Italy - Hans said that Der Spiegel has no influence on the very emotional reaction to some of the articles published. She added that it would be against their editorial line not to publish something simply because someone (a government, company or politician) felt under attack by it, stressing the value of press freedom. The Der Spiegel online editor said that though it would be better if European populations understood each other better, this was the duty of politicians and not the media. (ANSA) - Catania, June 1 - The Aquarius ship of the NGO SOS Mediterranee rescued 158 people on an overcrowded dinghy some 158 miles north of the Libyan town of al-Khoms on Friday. Among the 158 passengers were 26 women and 5 children. The migrants were from West Africa, Bangladesh, Sudan and Morocco. Most of them, the NGO said, told volunteers onboard the ship that they had suffered violence, abuse, arbitrary detention and extortion in Libya. The Acquarius will land in Pozzallo on Saturday after authorization from the Italian authorities. SOS Mediterranee's rescue coordinator for the Acquarius, Loic Glavany, noted that "the ship can carry over 500 passengers for 2-4 days and is at the moment the only NGO rescue ship in the area. We left deeply worried since if other boats were to find themselves in danger they will most likely not be discovered and rescued in time. And this will likely result in tragedies that we cannot even know about." BEIRUT - Thirty years after its foundation, one of the most important newspapers in the Arab world, al Hayat, created in its initial version in Beirut in 1946, is ending publication of its print edition due to spending cuts, according to sources close to the publisher. A statement published Friday morning on the website of the pan Arab daily, for years edited in London and Beirut with Saudi funding, said the decision was taken last spring. Sources close to the editor, Saudi prince, Khaled ben Salman, said the current domestic political transition in the Kingdom and difficulties related to the oil crisis led the editorial board to cut down spending. The regional offices, including one in Beirut, were closed in the past few months and the newsroom was moved to Dubai where - according to ANSA sources - more employees from Gulf countries were hired at the expenses of workers from Lebanon, Syria and other Arab countries. Readers will be able to continue reading al Hayat on the internet. The newspaper was one of the most-read among the middle and upper classes of the region, thanks to its pan Arab inspiration and the contribution of high-level intellectuals and editorialists from around the Arab world. Italy: Conte to lead 'government of change' Tria econ min, Savona EU, Moavero FM, Salvini, Di Maio deputy PM (ANSAmed) - ROME, JUNE 1 - Law professor Giuseppe Conte got a mandate as premier from President Sergio Mattarella Thursday and said his 18 new ministers, five of them women, would be sworn in Friday afternoon for a "government of change". Accepting the mandate, he said the new government would work to lift Italian living standards. "We will work intensely to achieve the political objectives anticipated in the (government) contract, we will work with determination to improve the quality of the lives of all the Italians". The government comes 88 days after the inconclusive March 4 general election and Mattarella said "a complex itinerary has concluded.". The government rests on an alliance and government contract between anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) leader Luigi Di Maio and anti-migrant Euroskeptic League leader Matteo Salvini. Both will be deputy premiers and hold key ministries: Salvini at interior where he will implement a promised crackdown on undocumented migrants, and Di Maio at a new joint industry and labour ministry where he will roll out a basic income for job seekers and poor families. Di Maio said "thanks you all, really. The government of change is a reality! We dedicate all this to (late co-founder) Gianroberto Casaleggio. I embrace you all! See you tomorrow!" The M5S said "today is a historic day. The 5-Star Movement is set to govern the country". It urged everyone to celebrate "all together" on Saturday, Republic Day, saying "Luigi Di Maio and all our spokesman (MPs) will be there, in piazza from the Mouth of Truth in Rome at 19:000 to embrace and charge up with the energies we will need to finally change Italy". Salvini said on Facebook "commitment, consistency, listening, work, patience, good sense, head and heart for the good of Italians. Perhaps we're finally there after so many obstacles, attacks, threats and lies. Thanks for your trust friends, I love you and know that I'll need you". later at a rally in Sondrio, he said "my commitment is for the security of 60 million Italians. "I will make felt my, our closeness to the forces of law and order, who do not deserve to be fooled by criminals who enter and exit jail every quarter of an hour, and we'll see them left there longer". Salvini said "open doors in Italy for decent people and a one-way ticket for those who come to Italy to create problems and think they can be maintained for life. 'Go home' will be one of our priorities". He said "I'd like to give a nice cut to those 5 billion euros, that seem a bit much to me" (for migrant reception). Salvini aid "I want to make Italy a protagonist in Europe again. With good manners, without causing confusion, but I'm fed up of governments with cap in hand. We are second to none". He said "the mafia has always made us and will always make us sick, wherever there is injustice I will try to be there with a team. I ask you to be close to us because you can't do anything on your own". salvini said "I will be the minister of everyone" and the new government is a "government of good will, of decent people without debts to anyone. I will be in an office a lot but as much as possible among you, among people, And may God preserve us". The two leaders had met in Rome earlier for talks on the possible new government, 88 days after the inconclusive March 4 general election. They were later joined by their potential premier pick, Florence law professor Conte. The talks were said to be focusing on a possible new post for anti-euro economist Paolo Savona, whose rejection as economy minister by President Sergio Mattarella led to the collapse of the first M5S-League government formation bid on Sunday. There has been speculation as to who would take Savona's place at the economy ministry. Rome Tor Vergata University economics lecturer Giovanni Tria is now being lined up as economy minister, M5S sources said. Savona would move to European affairs and Enzo Moavero Milanesi, a former EU affairs minister, would be foreign minister, the sources said. Salvini said earlier he was engaged in the "last hours" of talks to form a government with the M5S. "Last hours of work for the government, we're putting everything into it! Meanwhile the news takes us back to harsh reality, with an immigrant picking off the feathers of pigeons in broad daylight and in the middle of the street...Go home!" he wrote on Facebook. Far-right nationalist Brothers of Italy (FdI) leader Giorgia Meloni met Salvini earlier amid speculation she might be a candidate for a ministry if the FdI joined the government majority. But Meloni said Di Maio had ruled this out, and FdI would abstain in a confidence vote. She also said she could rule out there being any FdI ministers "without our knowledge". Di Maio was said to be wary about having another far-rightist as well as Salvini as his partner, since polls show the M5S has been bleeding voters it gained from the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) on March 4 because of the possible new government's rightward drift. Rightwing policy points in the "contract for a government of change" the League and the M5S drew up include a 'flat tax' with two rates, 15% and 20%, which would allegedly disproportionately benefit the better off, and a huge crackdown on migrants, with Salvini vowing to eject over half a million of them and set up detention centres across Italy. More leftwing policies, advanced by the M5S, include a universal basic income for job seekers. Salvini, for his part, was said to be looking at criticism from his voters about his perceived unwillingness to join a government and instead bank on benefitting from a surge in support in fresh elections. Meanwhile law professor Conte left his post as lecturer in Florence to travel down to Rome on Thursday afternoon. Conte was to be the premier of the M5S-League executive that self-destructed after Mattarella vetoed Savona, citing the threat to Italians' savings because of market turbulence that would ensure from having an economy minister who was openly against the euro and Germany. Since then, both Di Maio and Salvini have repeatedly stressed they do not want to leave the euro. Meanwhile ex-IMF official Carlo Cottarelli, who had been waiting in the wings as a possible stopgap technocrat premier to lead Italy to new elections at the end of this year, handed back his mandate, paving the way for the new executive which could be sworn in as early as Friday. Cottarelli said it had been a "great honour to work for the country, if only for a short time" and that a political government was "a better solution". He sent his best wishes to the possible new government, saying "I hope it is born".(ANSAmed). Migrants: Austria, Germany boost Brenner controls To fight illegal immigration (ANSAmed) - BERLIN, JUNE 1 - The Austrian and German police will be cooperating starting Friday to boost controls at the Italian-Austrian border at the Brenner Pass to fight illegal immigration, a federal police official in Munich, Thomas Borowik, told ANSA. ''The decision was taken two days ago and is stems from weeks of talks between German and Austrian security officials'', he said. According to official data, illegal entries are decreasing. In 2017, 14,600 people tried to enter Austria illegally and 7,200 were sent back. Many try to enter Austria on the way to Germany. In the first months of 2018, 3,800 people tried to enter illegally and 2,100 were stopped. ''The intention is to avoid the many accidents that occur to migrants when they try to illegally cross the border'', said Borowik. (ANSAmed). Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. The morning air was quite chilly in the early morning hours in the train station of Rome as I waited for the board to announce the platform number for the train to Foggia. Platform 23. When I finally settled down on my seat, I tried to catch a glimpse of the woman in the front row, a seasoned travel journalist, whom I knew was traveling with me to the same destination. There are seven of us coming from different parts of Italy - Turin, Sicily, Naples, Milan and a couple of us from Rome. We had one destination that day and one aim: to be a part of a press tour "Candela in Fiore, Discovering Monti Dauni"organized by the municipality of Candela and the region of Puglia. The six-day program highlights visits of a few towns in the Monti Dauni, a mountain range in southern Italy, but the foreground is the Infiorata of Candela. Entitled Candela in Fiore, the event is already on its 5th year which has been enjoying a huge success with visitors from neighboring towns. On the day of the Infiorata, Corso Vittorio Emanuele, the main road, is covered with mosaic carpets of flowers starting from the Municipal building all the way to its main square, Piazza Plebiscito. Thirty six thousand flowers, petals separated from the receptacles and stalks and composed skillfully into fragments of colorful artworks by the people of Candela are utilized in making one of the most beautiful spectacles. With a population of less than three thousand, the whole town had an important project to conclude within 24 hours: to execute the flower carpets on the ground that were designed by six Infiorata masters. Candela a small town thats a part of the Comunita Montana Sub-Appennino Dauno Meridionale, currently headed by Mayor Nicola Gatta and with a population of not more than three thousand. It has maintained a tranquil rural imprint over time in which the town sustains a tightly-closed community. With its high position at about 500 meters above sea level, you can enjoy a 360-degree picturesque view of the hills surrounding the town . Infiorata literally means decorated with flowers in English. Its story started in the Vatican in the 17th century when Benedetto Drei, Vaticans head florist and his son Pietro created the first flower tapestry on the 29th of June 1625 to commemorate the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, patron saints of Rome. In the year 1633, the second floral art came out and it was done by Gian Lorenzo Berninis collaborator, Stefano Speranza. While the art of floral carpets disappeared in Rome at the end of the seventeenth century, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, revived it in the eighteenth century in the outskirts of Rome, mainly the Castelli Romani during the baroque art festivals he organized. The first big floral carpet display that was set up was in 1778, in the town of Genzano in Castelli Romani in connection with the Corpus Domini festival. Since then, more localities in Italy, as well as Europe set up their own infiorata, usually linked to the Christian religious festivals. The Making of An Infiorata in Candela Candelas Infiorata is younger and smaller, compared to the others that are celebrated in Italy but what makes it special is that every single citizen of its small population of less than three thousand, participates and contributes in their own way to the fruition of this colorful feast that happens two weeks before Corpus Domini. From the first citizen of the town, Mayor Nicola Gatta to the smallest member whos able to lend a hand, a collective heave of effort that lasts for almost 24 hours occupy the usually quiet hilltop town of Candela. Calendas celebration is a personal festivity and quite an impressionable experience to observe and to be a part of. Some preparations start a couple of days before while the principal work starts a day before the Infiorata. In the morning the day before the festival, the bulk of the flowers and plants arrive to the main hall as the men set up the road and square for laying out the guides on the ground flattened sand, long rolls of paper and chalk designed on the road. In the early afternoon, more people start working in laying out the coffee granules on the designs, and colored wood shavings are spread out on the carpets, a job assigned to the kids and their teachers for this year. In the main hall, the atmosphere is feverish as the women start snipping the petals away from the stalks and receptacles with their scissors continuously. Groups are assigned to different colors. The more physical work of delivering new bunches of flowers to the cutters and taking out large boxes of petals were handled by the men as the ones assigned outside fill up the designs with the petals. Theres a lot of noise, incessant laughter, and raised voices of orders. Not a single pair of scissors is left unused for longer than a minute as soon as its user lays it down on the table to rest. People take over the jobs of the ones who are resting. Chairs are all fully-occupied, hands doing fast repeated movements, cold refreshments arrive continuously. No one had the reason to stand up unless theyre going straight home. It was frenetic especially when the sun was going down. The Infiorata was starting the morning after and Candela was expecting thousands of visitors for that day. Along with the Infiorata, the town also has an outdoor market during the day and a display of vintage cars coming from different parts of the country. The Infiorata was concluded with a beauty pageant participated by seventeen local girls to be crowned Miss Candela. A major supplier of flowers is Eurosa of the Ciccollela Group, the largest energy farm in Italy and the second largest in Europe with 250 hectares of space, 85 hectares of which are dedicated to greenhouses. Its located just a few kilometers from Candela and they produce dipladenia (or sundaville), more than 100 varieties of succulents and other seasonal plants. , the largest energy farm in Italy and the second largest in Europe with 250 hectares of space, 85 hectares of which are dedicated to greenhouses. Its located just a few kilometers from Candela and they produce dipladenia (or sundaville), more than 100 varieties of succulents and other seasonal plants. The Arabian Section of the Ninety Nines has announced the first Scholarship given to their member, Hanane Chaabna ( Algerian ) from The joint programme between Airways Aviation & the Arabian Section of the Ninety Nines . As part of our commitment to encourage future generations to join the growing field of Aviation, Airways Aviation Academy has become a lifetime sponsor for the Arabian Section of the Ninety Nines, said Alia Twal governor of the Arabian Section of the Ninety Nines. Over the past five years, Airways has sponsored every annual gathering for the Arabian Ninety Nines, and provided discounts and scholarship to 30 females, some of which are flying a commercial aircraft. Airways recently launched a joint scholarship program with the Arabian Ninety Nines that allows us to jointly screen, and sponsor, female student pilots. The first to benefit from this scholarship is Hanane Chaabna who is currently training at Airways in Oxford, UK. Hananes dream of becoming a pilot was almost cut short due to family circumstances, but she managed to apply for, and win, the first Airways/Ninety Nines Scholarship by showing her dedication and determination, said Twal. Encouraging and support women is our goal and we are working together with Airways Aviation to increase the number of women pilots and encouraging more women to choose aviation as a career. Qatar Airways celebrated the start of its new direct non-stop service from Doha to Mykonos on Wednesday at Mykonos International Airport. The newly-launched seasonal service to the Greek island will operate a four-times-weekly service from Doha. Mykonos is a worldrenowned cosmopolitan island and a paradise in the heart of the Cyclades. The small island is known for its picturesque views and beautiful sandy beaches. There are many things to do in Mykonos such as walking along the narrow streets of Chora, watching the sunset from Little Venice, staying in luxurious hotels and swimming in the clear sea of the Aegean. Mykonos holidays are often combined with holidays to Santorini and other Cycladic islands. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr Akbar Al Baker, said: We are thrilled that we have further expanded our operations to the beautiful island of Mykonos, only two months after the launch of service to Thessaloniki. Todays inaugural flight to popular Mykonos marks further growth and strengthening bonds between the State of Qatar and Greece. We are looking forward to further enhancing this relationship, connecting Mykonos to Qatar Airways extensive global network and helping to open up and develop these attractive destinations for business and leisure travellers from around the world. Chief Executive Officer of Fraport Greece, Mr Alexander Zinell, said: "It is with great pleasure that all of us at Fraport Greece welcome Qatar Airways new route from Doha to Mykonos. Mykonians, who have turned their island into a unique global touristic attraction, will now welcome passengers arriving four times a week directly from Doha. This new route offered by our partners from Qatar Airways links these two beautiful and diverse worlds, enabling travellers to reach their destination fast and in five-star comfort." Four weekly seasonal flights to Mykonos International Airport will be operated by an Airbus A320, featuring 12 seats in Business Class and 132 seats in Economy Class. With the launch of Mykonos, Qatar Airways increased its flights to 58 times a week from Dohas five-star Hamad International Airport to Greece. Qatar Airways currently holds the title of Airline of The Year as awarded by the prestigious 2017 Skytrax World Airline Awards. In addition to being voted Best Airline by travellers from around the world, Qatars national carrier also won a raft of other major awards at the ceremony, including Best Airline in the Middle East', Worlds Best Business Class and Worlds Best First Class Airline Lounge'. Qatar Airways currently operates a modern fleet of more than 200 aircraft via its hub, Hamad International Airport (HIA) to more than 150 destinations worldwide. Earlier this year, Qatar Airways revealed a host of forthcoming global destinations for 2018-19, in line with its expedited expansion plans, including Tallinn, Estonia; Valletta, Malta; Langkawi, Malaysia; Da Nang, Vietnam; Bodrum and Antalya, Turkey and Malaga, Spain. Flight Schedule: (30 May-30 September) Doha (DOH) to Mykonos (JMK) QR 311 departs 08:05 arrives 13:00 (Sat, Sun, Wed, Thu) Mykonos (JMK) to Doha (DOH) QR 312 departs 14:00 arrives 18:40 (Sat, Sun, Wed, Thu) Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA), has welcomed passengers from the newly-opened King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. Saudi Arabian Airlines Vice President Corporate Communications, Abdulrahman Altayeb said: The opening is a highly momentous occasion for the nation, the airline, and for the 137 valued guests that flew to Gurayat on SV1291 yesterday. The entire airline operations team has been preparing for and anticipating this important milestone, which marks a new era for Saudias operations out of Jeddah, He added: The gradual transition of the Saudia fleet to the New Jeddah International Airport means that capacity will significantly increase, and the overall guest experience will be transformed with the state-of-the-art technological systems that are now in place and ready for our guests. The existing airport in Jeddah and the new terminal will continue to operate concurrently, with a majority of the Saudia network set to remain operating from the existing main airport. A phased transition will take place, with flights gradually moved and starting operations from the new airport. Passengers will be notified and tickets will be clearly marked, indicating which terminal the flight will be operating out of. As of May 1st this year, Saudia also opened the new Al Fursan domestic lounge at the new airport, available and ready for use for its loyalty club members and premium guests. The airline is currently on an accelerated transformation track, revitalising every aspect of its airline business, from operations, to fleet management, network growth and optimisation; guest experience and expanding Hajj and Umrah capacity. The U.S Armys newest addition to its Stryker fleet, the 30mm Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle - Dragoon, was introduced by Palehorse Troop, 4th Squadron, 2d Cavalry Regiment during a combat capabilities display in Stara Boleslav, Czech Republic, May 30, 2018. The U.S. Soldiers setup two Stryker ICV-Ds and several fact boards for a presentation to the media as well as the U.S. Ambassador to Czech Republic, Stephen King. The Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle - Dragoon (ICVD) with a new 30mm chaingun is showcased at a static display in Stara Boleslav, Czechia, May 30. (Picture source U.S. MoD) The U.S. Army initiated the Stryker 30 mm Infantry Carrier Vehicle Dragoon (ICVD) program in July 2015 in response to an Operational Needs Statement (ONS) from U.S. Army Europe for improved or upgraded lethality of organic direct fire weapons to support dismounted infantry when engaging like units, or those supported by light armored vehicles. The first upgraded Stryker, designated XM1296 "Dragoon", was delivered for testing on 27 October 2016. The vehicle was fitted with a Kongsberg Protech Systems' Medium Caliber Remote Weapons Station armed with an Orbital ATK XM813 30mm cannon variant of the Mk44 Bushmaster. The ICVD integrates an unmanned turret manufactured by the Norwegian Company Kongsberg armed with a 30 mm automatic cannon onto a flat-bottom Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle chassis with upgraded suspension and larger tires. The 30 mm autocannon is able to fire High Explosive Incendiary Tracer and Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot Tracer rounds. All firing and loading operations by crew can be performed under armor thanks to the use of an unmanned turret. Second armament of the Stryker Dragoon includes one 7.62mm coaxial machine mounted on the right of the main armament and 8 smoke grenade dischargers located on each side of the turret. U.S. Units equipped with the Stryker ICVD will provide Combatant Commanders a medium-weight force capable of rapid strategic and operational mobility to disrupt or destroy enemy military forces, to control land areas including populations and resources, and to conduct combat operations especially in Europe. The direct fire weapon system upgrade is intended to provide effective mounted and dismounted combined arms and freedom of maneuver during combat operations. Total GST compensation released to the states for the FY 2017-18 (July 2017 to March 2018) has been Rs 47,844 crore. As many as 62.47 lakh businesses filed their summary sales return GSTR-3B in the month of May. New Delhi: GST collections in May declined to Rs 94,016 crore from over Rs 1.03 lakh crore in April, the Finance Ministry said on Friday. As many as 62.47 lakh businesses filed their summary sales return GSTR-3B in the month of May. The total gross GST revenue collected in May 2018 is Rs 94,016 crore, of which CGST is Rs 15,866 crore, SGST Rs 21,691 crore, IGST Rs 49,120 crore and cess Rs 7,339 crore, the ministry said. "Though current month's revenue collection is less compared to last month's revenue, still the gross revenue collection in the month of May (Rs 94,016 crore) is much higher than the monthly average of GST collection in the last Financial Year (Rs 89,885 crore). The April revenue figure was higher because of year end effect," the ministry said. As much as Rs 6,696 crore has been released to the states as GST compensation for the month of March 2018, as on May 29. Therefore, the total GST compensation released to the states for the FY 2017-18 (July 2017 to March 2018) has been Rs 47,844 crore, the ministry said. "The total GST collection for May 2018 is Rs 94,016 crores, which is higher compared to average monthly collection of Rs 89,885 crores of 2017-18. This reflects better compliance after introduction of e-way bills," Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia tweeted. The police also suspect that Arbaaz had allegedly placed bets during the recently concluded 11th season of the IPL. Mumbai: The Thane crime branchs anti-extortion cell (AEC) on Friday summoned Arbaaz Khan, Bollywood actor-cum-producer and brother of Salman Khan, for questioning in the Indian Premier League (IPL) betting racket, which was busted on May 16 in Dombivali. Arbaaz has been asked to visit the Thane CB office to record his statement after his name allegedly cropped up during the interrogation of bookie Sonu Jalan, aka Sonu Malad, who was arrested earlier this week by the police. According to sources, the AEC found pictures and the contact number of Arbaaz, along with a few other Bollywood personalities, contractors, bookies and builders from Jalans diary. The police also suspect that Arbaaz had allegedly placed bets during the recently concluded 11th season of the IPL. Pradeep Sharma, senior police inspector from AEC, Thane said, It cropped up during the probe that Arbaaz was being threatened by Jalan as the latter had lost money in one of the matches. Inspector Sharma added, We have also found a diary, which includes the numbers of other bookies along with Bollywood celebrities, contractors and builders. In addition, Jalan had also arranged a meeting in Dubai, where Arbaaz was present. The police has sent summons to Arbaaz at his Bandra residence to ascertain his role in the betting scam. He has been asked to be present at the Thane crime branchs office on Saturday, where he will be asked questions about his association with Jalan, and if he had placed any bets in the recent IPL matches. The police believes that some more Bollywood personalities could be involved as they had placed and participated in the betting ring run by Jalan. As the probe progresses, these names will come out gradually. Jalan and the four others were arrested for allegedly running a betting ring during the 11th season of the IPL and were booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, Bombay Gambling Act, IT Act and Indian Telegraph Act, on May 16 during a raid at a shop in Shanti Sadan, Dombivli (east). They were caught betting online as well as on their mobile phones during the match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab played at Wankhede stadium. Arbaaz has been asked to join the investigations on Friday. Arbaaz Khan, 50, is the brother of superstar Salman Khan. (Photo: File) Mumbai: Actor-Producer Arbaaz Khan has been summoned by the Thane police in Maharashtra in connection with the Indian Premier League (IPL) betting case. Arbaaz has been asked to join investigations on Friday. According to reports, his name came up while the police were interrogating a bookie, Sonu Jalan, who was arrested on Tuesday. Arbaaz Khan, 50, is the brother of superstar Salman Khan. The police are reportedly investigating allegations that he placed bets during the recent IPL season through Jalan. Jalan was allegedly trying to extort money from him. Jalan allegedly ran his betting racket from Dombivli in Thane district. The racket was busted by the Anti-Extortion Cell of Thane Police on May 15, and Jalan and three others were arrested, news agency PTI reported. The world-renowned Buddhist pilgrimage town Bodh Gaya, about 90 km from capital Patna, was rocked by a series of blasts on July 7, 2013. In addition to the five convicts, another accused Taufiq Ahmed was held guilty in the case by a juvenile court in October 2017 and sent to a remand home for three years. (Photo: File/PTI) Patna: Five Indian Mujahideen militants, convicted by a special NIA court here in the 2013 Bodh Gaya blasts case, were sentenced to life imprisonment on Friday. Special NIA judge Manoj Kumar Sinha also slapped a fine of Rs 50,000 each on the five accused -- Imtiyaz Ansari, Haider Ali, Mujib Ullah, Omair Siddiqui and Azharuddin Qureishi -- who had been convicted on May 25. The world-renowned Buddhist pilgrimage town Bodh Gaya, about 90 kilometres from capital Patna, was rocked by a series of blasts on July 7, 2013 which had left a number of people, including some monks, injured though there were no casualties. In addition to the five convicts, another accused Taufiq Ahmed was held guilty in the case by a juvenile court in October 2017 and sent to a remand home for three years. All the six are also among those facing trial in the Patna blasts case of October, 2013, when a series of explosions took place at the historic Gandhi Maidan while the maiden rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was then Gujarat chief minister, was underway. Talking to reporters after the verdict was pronounced, special public prosecutor Lalan Kumar Sinha said, "The court was fully convinced with our contention that the intention of the accused was to cause heavy casualties and hence they deserved the maximum possible punishment." "Since no deaths had taken place in the series of explosions, the court did not award capital punishment," he said. Sinha also said that among the five convicts, "Haider Ali was punished with an extra fine of Rs 10,000 because it was established that on the basis of admissible evidence, he had entered the Bodhi Temple premises shortly before the blasts took place." "On this account, he was found guilty under Section 158 of the Indian Penal Code, in addition to the sections of IPC and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act under which others have also been charged," he said. However, defence lawyer Surya Prakash Singh expressed dissatisfaction with the judgement, saying "our plea was that our clients were young, in a confused state of mind, and displayed good conduct during the trial period and hence they be awarded less severe punishment. It was ignored". "This was despite of a number of shortcomings in the investigation. One of the guards, posted at the temple on the day of the incident, had said that he saw four to five foreigners sneaking inside the premises whom he could identify. The probe agency did not trace the foreigners to get them identified," Singh said. "Moreover, CCTV footage of the relevant period, which could have given a better idea of the movements at that point of time, were not brought on record. We are confident that when we go to the higher courts in appeal, our contention will be taken into account and the trial court order will be set aside," he added. Madras High Court has asked Tamil Nadu govt to explain by June 6 the circumstances that led to firing in Thoothukudi. The Madras High Court on Friday asked the Tamil Nadu government to explain the circumstances leading to firing in Thoothukudi. (Photo: File) Chennai: The Madras High Court on Friday asked the Tamil Nadu government to explain the circumstances leading to firing in Thoothukudi. The court has sought a reply from the state government by June 6. The high court has also directed Tamil Nadu police not to disturb the families of missing accused in the name of inquiry. 13 people were killed in police firing on May 22-23 when violence broke out at the protest by locals, demanding closure of Sterlite Industries in this district over pollution issues. Witnesses at the protest said that police in the port city of Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu gave no warning before firing with live ammunition on protesters seeking the closure of a copper smelter owned by London-listed Vedanta Resources Plc. Also Read: No warning: Witnesses tell how police shot, killed anti-Sterlite protestors The ruling-AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu had on Monday ordered the state Pollution Control Board to seal and 'permanently' close the Vedanta group's copper plant in Tuticorin. Soon after the issuance of the order, top Tuticorin district officials sealed the copper smelter unit premises and pasted the order at the main gate. State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) land, which was allotted by the Tamil Nadu government to Vedanta Sterlite, for phase 2, was also cancelled. Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam had asserted that the government would take resolute steps for the permanent closure of Vedanta group's copper plant. India, Singapore also inked 8 pacts, including one on logistics cooperation between their navies. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong reviewed progress in the bilateral relations and discussed the roadmap for the future. (Photo: Twitter/@narendramodi) Singapore/New Delhi: India and Singapore on Friday agreed to deepen their economic and defence ties as they signed eight agreements including one on logistics cooperation between their navies after wide-ranging talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his counterpart Lee Hsien Loong. The two leaders also exchanged views on the regional and global challenges and reiterated their principled position on maritime security and expressed commitment to 'Rules Based' Order. "India-Singapore relations fulfill the criterion of strategic partnership in the true sense. There is no uneasiness in our relationships, rather it has only warmth, harmony and faith," Modi said in a joint press statement after the meeting. The two countries signed implementation agreement between their navies concerning mutual coordination, logistics and services support for naval ships', submarines and naval aircraft (including ship borne aviation assets) visits. "Both Prime Ministers welcomed the exchange of the Implementing Arrangement between the Navies of both countries Concerning Mutual Coordination, Logistics and Services Support, and called for the early renewal of the Army Bilateral Agreement," said a joint statement issued after the meeting. Appreciating India's leading role in the Indian Ocean region, both sides agreed to New Delhi's proposal for continuous and institutionalised naval engagements in their shared maritime space including establishing maritime exercises with like-minded regional / ASEAN partners, it added. "We welcome the continuous increase in these relations. I congratulate the navies of India and Singapore on 25th anniversary of SIMBEX. Soon we will start the tripartite naval exercises too," Modi said. The two leaders reviewed progress in the bilateral relations and discussed the roadmap for the future. "We have been able to conclude successfully the second review of Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) but we agreed this is not just our target and goal but this only means to an end," he said. "Our officials will soon begin discussions on upgrading and reforming this agreement." Since CECA was signed in 2004, India-Singapore bilateral trade more than doubled from SGD 12 billion (USD 8.97 billions) to SGD 25 billion (USD 18.69 billion). Singapore was the second largest investor in India in FY-2016. "Combating cyber security, extremism and terrorism will be an important area of our cooperation in the coming days. We consider them to be among the biggest threats to our countries," Modi said. Modi and Lee also exchanged views on the regional and global challenges and reiterated their principled position on maritime security and expressed commitment to 'Rules Based' Order. The two leaders also agreed on the need to maintain an open, stable and fair international trade regime. "We both have reaffirmed our views on maritime security and have shown our commitment to a 'Rules Based' order...We also agreed for a peaceful, open, and friendly maritime environment in the Indo-Pacific region," Modi said. Both sides reiterated their desire and determination to work together to maintain peace, stability, growth and prosperity in the region and beyond. They also reiterated their support for security, safety and freedom of navigation and over flight, and unimpeded commerce, in accordance with international law, the joint statement said. China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas. Beijing has also made substantial progress in militarising its manmade islands in the past few years, which it says it has the right to defend. China claims sovereignty over all of the South China Sea. But Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims. In the East China Sea, Beijing has territorial disputes with Japan. Modi and Lee "called on all parties to resolve disputes through peaceful means without threat or use of force and exercise self-restraint in the conduct of actions that could escalate tensions in the region," the joint statement said. The two leaders recognised that terrorism continues to remain the single most significant threat to peace and stability and reiterated their strong commitment to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. PM Modi welcomed the progress towards realisation of the ASEAN Community and expressed full support for ASEAN's unity, centrality and leadership in the evolving regional architecture. On his part, Lee India and Singapore are collaborating on technology, smart cities and skills development, both at the national and the state level. Lee said India is a significant market for Singapore FinTech companies, while Singapore - as a global FinTech Hub - can be a gateway for India to enter the Southeast Asian market. The two countries have agreed to establish a Joint Working Group on FinTech to support this new effort, he added. He said Singapore, as the current ASEAN chair, will work with India to continue strengthening the regional architecture, and in particular to conclude the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. Lee reaffirmed Singapore's continuing support for India as a permanent member in a reformed United Nations Security Council. Modi, who arrived in Singapore on Thursday on the last leg of his three-nation visit, earlier made a courtesy call on President Halimah Yacob after a welcome ceremony at the Istana where he was given a guard of honour. University said decision is being hailed by students as it is bound to help medical students especially those from rural areas. University Vice Chancellor said the decision to allow 'Hinglish' besides Hindi and English was taken as many students, especially those from rural areas, are not at ease in writing in English even when they know the correct answer. (Representational Image) Jabalpur: The Madhya Pradesh Medical Science University (MPMSU) has allowed use of "Hinglish" (a mix of Hindi and English) in all written and oral examinations. "Following a detailed discussion, the board of studies has decided that the students of all colleges will have the option to answer questions in their examinations in English, Hinglish (a mixture of Hindi and English) and Hindi," a circular issued by the varsity on May 26 said. "The decision is being hailed by students and other concerned people as it is bound to help medical students especially those hailing from rural areas," university Vice Chancellor Dr. R S Sharma told PTI on Thursday. Giving an example, he said a student can now write "heart ka daura" instead of heart attack in the examination. The university took the decision to allow "Hinglish" besides Hindi and English as many students, especially those from rural areas, are not at ease in writing in English even when they know the correct answer, he said. These students also struggle to express themselves effectively in oral examinations, and at times it annoys the examiners, he said. The varsity has 312 colleges teaching various courses including MBBS, Ayurvedic medicine and nursing affiliated to it. Examinations are held twice a year - in July and January. Major Gogoi had booked a room in Hotel Grand Mamta in tourist frequented Dal Lake area of Srinagar online. Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir police has informed a local court that no case is made out against Armys Major Leetul Gogoi who was detained briefly by local police on May 23 after he had a scuffle with the staff of a Srinagar hotel on being refused to check in with a local teenage girl. The police has informed the court of Srinagars Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) that the incident was not cognisable as the girl has in her statement to it recorded in presence of a magistrate said that she wanted to meet and spend some time with the Army officer at her own sweet will. The case was not found cognisable. The girl was handed over to the family while Army officer Leetul Gogoi and his associate Sameer Ahmed Malla were handed to their Army unit, the report submitted by the police in the court said. The court had earlier asked the police for status of the case after a local human rights activist Muhammad Ahsun Untoo approached it and sought directions from it to the police to know what action was taken and why Major Gogoi was set free by it. Major Gogoi had booked a room in Hotel Grand Mamta in tourist frequented Dal Lake area of Srinagar online. A teenage girl from Chak-e- Kawoosa village of the Valleys central district of Budgam along with a local man Sameer Ahmed Malla who later turned out to be soldier also arrived at the hotel with him. The hotel staff had told the police that the person by the name of Leetul Gogoi who had introduced himself as a businessman from Assam while booking a room on line for two persons for one night had arrived at the reception around 11 am on May 23 along another person and a girl. The second person, it said, was driving the Maruti Alto car in which they had come to the hotel. While mentioning the purpose of his visit and mode of payment, Major Gogoi had said I am travelling for business and I may be using a business credit card. The staff at the hotel front desk had asked him to show his identity card which he failed to do and instead gave it his driving license. When the front desk staff asked him about the girl he wanted to check in with, neither he nor she could give it a satisfactory answer. This made the hotel staff suspicious and when it refused them to check in, the driver became violent and started abusing and threatening us. The argument turned into a physical brawl. The hotel staff called the police after the brawl, which took the trio including Major Gogoi to citys Khanyar police station. A day later, the Army ordered a Court of Inquiry against Major Gogoi and said in a statement that if found guilty, appropriate action would be taken against him. Army Chief General Bipin Rawat had during a visit of the Valley assured that exemplary punishment will be awarded to Maj.Gogoi if found guilty of any offence. He had told reporters at Pahalgam If any officer of the Indian Army is found guilty of any offence, we will take strictest possible action. If MajorGogoi has done something wrong, I assure you that he will be awarded punishment at the earliest and the punishment will be such that it will set an example. Major Gogoi of Armys 53 Rashtriya Riffles is the same person who had earlier in April 2016 stirred up a hornets nest by ordering his men to tie Farooq Ahmed Dar, a Kashmiri shawl-weaver from Chhil Brass village of Budgam, to the bonnet of an Army jeep during by-poll in Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency. He is a resident of Assam. Women and Child Development Ministry, Home Ministry are starting with CFSL in Chandigarh on improvement of forensic labs across country. Money from the Nirbhaya Fund, named after a Delhi rape victim, has been granted for increasing its capacity, Union Minister Maneka Gandhi said. (Photo: File/PTI) Chandigarh: Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi on Friday said there was no forensic analysis in 13,000 rape cases every year as the country's laboratories lacked the capacity. "We have found that the weakest part of crime detection is forensic, she said while announcing a plan to strengthen the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) in Chandigarh. Her ministry and the Home Ministry are starting with the CFSL in Chandigarh on improvement of labs across the country, she said. Money from the Nirbhaya Fund, named after a Delhi rape victim, has been granted for increasing its capacity. I was shocked to learn that the premier forensic laboratory carries out analysis of less than 160 cases a year, she added. Forensic labs in the whole country do not conduct analysis of 13,000 out of 16,000 rape cases each year. They conduct analysis of just 3,000 cases, she said. The capacity of CFSL Chandigarh will be raised from 165 to 2,000 cases in a year, the minister said. Maneka also said five more forensic labs would come up in Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Bhopal and Guwahati, raising the capacity of labs across the country to handle 50,000 rape cases a year. She added the collection of evidence was important to enable courts to deliver quicker verdicts in rape cases. Maneka Gandhi was in Chandigarh to lay a foundation stone for the Sakhi Suraksha Advanced DNA Forensic Laboratory. She said her ministry will soon come out with a kit for police stations and hospitals for the collection of evidence like blood and semen samples in rape cases. The kits will contain instructions on the evidence that needs to be collected from the crime scene. The kit with the samples will then be locked and sent to the forensic laboratory. It will mention the time when it was sealed and the names of the police officer and the doctor involved in the case. The Union Minister said the rape kits, for which the money will come from the Nirbhaya Fund, will be available by July-end at every police station. She also added that there was zero tolerance in the government on attacks on women. Maneka said after the Kathua case in Jammu and Kashmir where a minor was allegedly raped and killed, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called a cabinet meeting which approved an ordinance enabling death penalty for such attacks on children below 12 years. She said her ministry has set up 193 one-stop centres, called Sakhi, for women who are afraid to go the police station for lodging a complaint of domestic violence or rape. The centres will come up in every district, she said. Women will get the services of a lawyer, a doctor, a nurse and a psychologist there. Gandhi said trials were on in Uttar Pradesh for smartphones with a panic button'. On Non Resident Indians abandoning their wives, the minister said the government was working on ensuring registration of NRI marriages within 48 hours. Then the registrar would have to send the information to her ministry for creating a database. There was also a proposal to send court summons through an External Affairs Ministry portal to NRIs who abandon their wives, she said. The summons put up there will be deemed as served. Under the proposal, if the NRI still does not appear in court, his family property will be put in an escrow account until he returns and resolves the issue. She said if a woman fears that her NRI husband might leave her, she could write to her ministry. A committee of three joint secretaries will decide whether that NRI can be stopped from going abroad, she added. The questioning is set to take place on June 6, officials said. The HC had asked P Chidambaram to join questioning in the INX Media case as and when called by the CBI. (Photo: File/PTI) New Delhi: Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram has been summoned for questioning in the INX media case by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The questioning is set to take place on June 6, officials said. The Delhi High Court on Thursday had granted interim protection to the senior Congress leader and informed the CBI that Chidambaram could not be arrested till July 3 in the INX Media Case. The HC had asked P Chidambaram to join questioning in the INX Media case as and when called by the CBI. The CBI had registered an FIR on May 15, 2017, for alleged irregularities in the FIPB clearance to INX Media for receiving overseas funds to the tune of Rs 305 crore in 2007 when Chidambaram was the finance minister during the UPA-1 government. Chidambaram's son Karti Chidambaram was also arrested in the case for allegedly receiving funds to the tune of Rs 10 lakh. The other accused in the case include then INX media director Indrani Mukerjea and then INX news director Peter Mukerjea. (With agency inputs) 'PM should be educated. Its dawning on people now that the PM should be educated,' Arvind Kejriwal tweeted. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had earlier accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of 'creating hurdles unsparingly' in the functioning of Delhi government. (Photo: File) New Delhi: After rebuking Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a host of issues, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said people were missing an educated prime minister like Dr. Manmohan Singh. Kejriwal had earlier accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "creating hurdles unsparingly" in the functioning of Delhi government. "People missing an educated PM like Dr. Manmohan Singh- PM should be educated. Its dawning on people now that the PM should be educated," Kejriwal, a former bureaucrat, tweeted as he shared a Wall Street Journal report on the falling rupee. People missing an educated PM like Dr Manmohan Singh Its dawning on people now -PM https://t.co/BQTVtMbTO2 Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) May 31, 2018 Manmohan Singh has a PhD from Oxford University and he taught at the Delhi School of Economics. He has served as the finance minister and has been an advisor to the prime minister on economic affairs. Kejriwal and his partymen have always questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's academic credentials and expressed doubts over his degree. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo, who had targeted the former prime minister in his anti-graft campaign during the 2013 Delhi Assembly polls and the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, decided to highlight the contrast between the academic qualifications of the two prime ministers after reports that rupee has become the worst performing currency in Asia this year. However, that wasn't all. Arvind Kejriwal continued his attack and blamed the ruling BJP of ignoring the issues of the national capital and orchestrating CBI raids against the AAP leaders. Despite attempts and letters, when Arvind Kejriwal reportedly failed to get the centre's attention to Delhi's "crisis-like" power situation, water shortage, execution of its CCTV project and sealing of shops, he claimed the BJP was playing "dirty politics" in the national capital. "BJP playing dirty politics with Delhiities war. Delhi was getting this water for 22 yrs. Suddenly, present BJP govt of Haryana drastically reduced this supply. Why? Pl don't make people suffer due to ur dirty politics," the Delhi chief minister tweeted on Thursday after Haryana's refusal to share water with Delhi. The founder of India Against Corruption also criticised the "Modi government" for the CBI raid at Delhi Health and Power Minister Satyendra Jain's home on Wednesday saying such raids are being conducted as a weapon to "harass" and "crush" the AAP. He described the move as a reaction to the profit-capping policy on private hospitals proposed by the AAP government. "Yesterday, Satyendra Jain announced a policy to cap profiteering by private hospitals and today the Modi government conducted a CBI raid. The BJP wants to get this policy dismissed. This is a revolutionary policy which will benefit people in a big way. We are not afraid of the CBI. Even if more raids are conducted, the policy will continue to be enforced," Kejriwal tweeted. Sharma also said that journalism began during Mahabharata and Narad Muni, the messenger of Gods, was the Google of those times. Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma in a bizarre claim said that goddess Sita was possibly born though test-tube technology a statement aimed at highlighting ancient Indias gifts to modern science. An embarrassed BJP swung into damage control by asking him to exercise restraint in his speeches. Speaking at a function on Friday, Mr Sharma said, It is believed that Sita was born from an earthen pot which implies that during the era of Ramayana, the concept of test-tube baby existed and Sita was born through this. A day ago, Mr Sharma said that live telecast technology was available during the Mahabharata era and it was though this that Sanjay narrated the developments in the distant battlefield to blind king Dhritrashtra. Mr Sharma also said that journalism began during Mahabharata and Narad Muni, the messenger of Gods, was the Google of those times. Your Google has started now, but our Google started long time back. Narad Muni was the epitome of information. He could reach anywhere and transfer a message from one place to another by saying Narayana three times, the deputy chief minister explained. Mr Sharma said that aeroplane was first invented during the Ramayana era and the Pushpak Viman was an ancient form of this. The deputy chief minister has now joined the growing list of leaders of the ruling BJP who have courted controversy by claiming that advance medical procedures like cataract, plastic surgery, nuclear tests and even the gravitation theory, started during the ancient times in India. Party sources said national general secretary Bhupender Yadav called up Mr Sharma to convey its displeasure for his comments and asked him to exercise restraint in his speeches. Meanwhile, BJP spokesman Rakesh Tripathi defended the Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister and said that he had been quoted out of context. He was simply talking of a similar technology having existed in ancient times and there are scriptures to prove this. The media is trying to create a controversy over a simple statement, he said. This is BJPs third consecutive defeat in Lok Sabha by-elections. Samajwadi Party workers celebrate their partys success in Uttar Pradesh byelections, outside their party office in Lucknow on Thursday. (Photo: PTI) Lucknow: Ganna scored over Jinnah, and the BJP lost Kairana Lok Sabha seat to Rashtriya Lok Dal and the Noorpur assembly seat to Samajwadi Party. This is BJPs third consecutive defeat in Lok Sabha by-elections. The party had lost Gorakhpur and Phulpur seats to Samajwadi party in March this year. The plight of sugarcane farmers, particularly in western UP, emerged as a bigger issue in these by-elections and the BJPs effort to convert migration of Hindus and the Jinnah controversy into an election issue boomeranged. This is clearly a victory of real issues and ganna has scored a point over Jinnah. People have rejected the politics of hatred and the message is that political parties must address basic issues instead of indulging in rhetoric, a jubilant Jayant Chaudhary, vice president of RLD told reporters. Sugarcane is the main cash crop in western UP region. Cane dues in excess of Rs 12,000 have mounted in UP. RLDs Tabassum Hasan won the Kairana Lok Sabha seat with a margin of over 55, 000 votes defeating Mriganka Singh of BJP. She was supported by all opposition parties. In Noorpur assembly seat, Naemul Hasan of Samajwadi party won the seat with a margin of 6211 votes, defeating Avni Singh of BJP. Like in Gorakhpur and Phulpur, the victory for the Opposition candidate in Kairana was also a decisive one with a sizeable margin. New Delhi: It was ultimately the win of Ganna over Jinnah in Kairana! The crucial bypoll results close on the heels of Gorakhpur and Phulpur not merely indicated that a united Opposition could emerge as a major hurdle for the saffron juggernaut, but the coming together of Jats and Muslims after the Muzffarnagar riots sent out a signal that the electorate was in a mood to reject attempts to polarise votes along communal lines. Things were also not looking up for Nitish Kumar in Bihar as the JD(U) lost the Jokihat Assembly bypoll to Lalu Yadavs RJD. Though the results of the bypolls in four parliamentary and 10 Assembly seats were announced on Thursday, the Kairana verdict remained the centre of attention as it was a lab test for the combined Opposition in a given state or a given constituency versus BJP on the other side. Faced with a formidable Opposition in the combination of the BSP, SP and RLD, the BJP pulled out all stops, including the infamous invocation of Jinnah by Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, which was countered ably by RLD leader Jayant Chowdhary, who said: Ganna (sugarcane) mattered in the sugar belt of western UP, not Jinnah. Like in Gorakhpur and Phulpur, the victory for the Opposition candidate in Kairana was also a decisive one with a sizeable margin. The BJP had won the Kairana parliamentary seat by a margin of 2.4 lakhs in 2014. Kairana was also the epicentre of the Hindu exodus theory. It might be recalled that the key to BJP wins in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls as well as the 2017 Assembly polls had been the Jats, who backed the party to the core. Thus the coming together of Jats and Muslims in Kairana spells doom for the Bharatiya Janata Party as it shows that the politics of polarisation might not work in the run-up to the 2019 general election. A desperate BJP had even fielded Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who launched an expressway to campaign next door to Kairana, taking out a roadshow. Meanwhile, after losing the Jokihat Assembly seat to the RJD, there were murmurs from the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U), which indicated all was not well as far as the NDAs relationship with its allies was concerned. JD(U) national spokesman K.C. Tyagi warned the BJP that the NDA coalition should be made more cohesive and that concerns raised over issues related to farmers and dalits, as well as the petroleum price rise, should be addressed properly. Mr Tyagi said the biggest challenge for the Bharatiya Janata Party was in Uttar Pradesh, where two major regional parties BSP and SP have come together. According to researchers, humanity could go through a soft landing, a gradual die off or full blown collapse. Using a maths model, the team from University of Rochester in New York calculated what would happen to the planet as population grows. (Photo: Pixabay) Scientists have concluded that civilization on Earth will probably be killed off by one of three ways. Using a maths model, the team from University of Rochester in New York calculated what would happen to the planet as population grows and the effects of climate change creates havoc, According to researchers, humanity could go through a soft landing, a gradual die off or full blown collapse. Gradual die-off: This is when 70 per cent of life on Earth is wiped out before things go back to normal. And it turns out that this is by far most likely outcome. Soft landing: By far the most positive outcome, this is where humans avoid mass extinction. This happens when a civilisation adapts to radically changing weather and sea levels over time, dodging the bullet. Full blown collapse: This happens when our planet becomes too sensitive to recover from damage caused by its humankind. In this doomsday scenario even when planets switched to renewable fuels to save themselves from extinction, the damage done was sometimes so bad it could not be reversed. Writing in the Atlantic, coauthor Professor Adam Frank said: Given that more than 10 billion trillion planets likely exist in the cosmos, unless nature is perversely biased against civilisations like ours, we're not the first one to appear. He went on to add that it means each exo-civilization that evolved from its planet's biosphere had a history. And just as most species that have ever lived on Earth are now extinct, so too most civilisations that emerged (if they emerged) may have long since ended. The reaction from Uddhav came after the Sena candidate lost the prestigious Palghar bypoll to the BJP candidate. MUMBAI: Refusing to accept defeat in the Palghar bypoll, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday again raised concerns about the malfunctioning of electronic voting machines (EVMs) on polling day and said that the same had marred democracy. He said that the Sena would contest future polls independently. The reaction from Uddhav came after the Sena candidate lost the prestigious Palghar bypoll to the BJP candidate. I do not believe in this defeat. This is not a defeat because we have seen public anger. It was a close fight and out of 8.87 lakh voters, 6.97 lakh have refused to go with the BJP. The BJP got a very close win, Uddhav told reporters at Sena Bhavan Thursday evening. On the malfunctioning of EVMs, Uddhav held the election commission (EC) responsible and questioned why the machines had been bought from Surat. I am concerned about the EVM malfunctioning. This has marred democracy. The EVMs stopped functioning, the voters were frustrated, and could not vote. They were very upset with the election commission. I wonder if we should contest the elections or not in the backdrop of EVM malfunctioning, he said. Pointing at other factors that brought victory for the BJP, Uddhav said that the person who was caught distributing money was the first to celebrate after the BJP win. We caught a BJP worker distributing money to voters. But no action was taken against him. On Thursday, he was the first to celebrate after BJPs win. BJP candidate Rajendra Gavit asked for increasing voting timings and I have the letter. The collector declared voting on polling day and the next day, the number increased by one lakh votes. How did they get a greater number the next day? Uddhav questioned. We had said that we will contest the polls alone. We did in Palghar and gave the BJP a tough fight, he said. The most significant byelection result was from Kairana in UP, where the BJPs communal strategy failed. The byelection results of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Bihar show that the BJP is on a slippery slope; its communal strategy has come a cropper and its election wizard, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been exposed as a Muggle. Short of getting rid of the current leadership, there is little that the BJP can do in the limited time available till the general election. An uneducated, abusive and discredited propagandist as Prime Minister and a party president whose body language makes even his partymen flinch cannot really inspire confidence. The arithmetic also does not favour the BJP. The states of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Jharkhand account for 182 Lok Sabha seats. The BJP had won 158 of these in 2014. The rout in these states in the latest byelections suggests that with a united Opposition, the party cannot repeat that performance. The most significant byelection result was from Kairana in UP, where the BJPs communal strategy failed. The partys desperation was evident in the election-eve stunt of the Prime Minister in organising a 6-km roadshow to inaugurate a 9-km stretch of a yet-to-be-completed 91-km expressway next to Kairana. Along with Muzaffarnagar, Kairana had become the BJPs Hindutva nursery in UP. Communal riots were engineered in Muzaffarnagar on the eve of the 2014 general election to consolidate the Hindu vote. The BJP had tried to repeat this formula in the UP Assembly elections by claiming that there was a Hindu exodus from Kairana because of a certain community. The two dominant communities of Western UP, the Jats and Muslims, were, however, wiser this time around. The dominant Jat party, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) of Ajit Singh, fielded a Muslim woman, ensuring that both communities voted for her. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Congress supported the common Opposition candidate. Earlier, the united Opposition had shown its strength in Eastern UP in the Gorakhpur and Phulpur byelections. Its latest success in Western UP shows that UPs heart now beats to a different drum. That the BJP is in dire straits in the rest of the country is also evident. It has lost all state Assembly byelections in the states it rules except for Uttarakhand. The sole Lok Sabha victory of the BJP over the Shiv Sena in Palghar in Maharashtra was won with 2.72 lakh votes. However, the total vote of the divided Opposition was more than double that. If there are direct or indirect (in the case of the Shiv Sena), seat adjustments in Maharashtra, then the BJP is history in that state as well. Its fate depends on whether the Shiv Sena will go back to a BJP alliance in 2019. The Shiv Sena controls the richest municipal corporation of Asia, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), in alliance with the BJP. Running the BMC is the main source of the Shiv Senas power. However, if push comes to shove, it can also run the BMC with the support of the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress. The Jokihat byelection in Bihar is the third byelection victory of the Rashtriya Janata Dal in a row this year. With the public mood turning against chief minister Nitish Kumar, his government could be brought down by dissidents within his party and a new alliance, minus the BJP, installed. These byelections also have important lessons for the Congress. The partys future depends entirely on the adjustments and alliances it makes for the general election. Despite losing the peoples mandate decisively in Karnataka, its prolonged negotiations over ministerial portfolios shows that its old arrogance persists. Any talk of the Congress leading an Opposition alliance, projecting Rahul Gandhi as a potential Prime Minister or refusal to concede space to other Opposition parties will be fatal. The BSP, for example, has a presence in multiple states and the Congress will have to give it a respectable number of seats in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. As for the BJP, the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah duo will wonder whether it makes sense to hold the state Assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram at the end of this year. Losing in one or more of these states would weaken them for 2019. Early elections are out for the BJP, which made that mistake under Atal Behari Vajpayee in 2004. However, simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and several state Assemblies in April next year are a possibility. According to a plan reportedly being discussed, Assembly elections due at the end of this year could be postponed and state elections due later in 2019 could be brought forward. Simultaneous elections can be promoted on the grounds of cost-effectiveness and the governments slogan of one nation, one election. The Election Commission may also fall in line as it has itself proposed one year, one election. As a first step, the BJP could get the chief ministers of states it controls (Rajasthan, MP and Chhattisgarh) to resign in October and impose Presidents Rule. Before the 6-month period for ratification comes up before Parliament, it would be general election time. Until then the BJP-appointed governors will rule these states. Whether the Congress-led government of Mizoram can be convinced remains to be seen. The second step would be to deal with the states of Haryana and Maharashtra, where elections are due in 2019. The chief ministers of these BJP-ruled states could recommend dissolution of the Legislative Assemblies. They would remain acting chief ministers to oversee the elections. Sikkim, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Arunachal Pradesh and Odisha in any case go to the polls along with the Lok Sabha. In this way about 10 to 11 state Assembly elections can be held simultaneously with the general election in April 2019. This way, Prime Minister Modi can convert the elections into a presidential one, making the campaign about himself, Modi vs Nobody. Simultaneous elections could also attenuate local anti-incumbency in the election-going BJP-ruled states. However, if the Opposition parties remain united, instead of striking gold, Mr Modi may still be headed for Lonely Gulch in 2019. The mandatory evacuation zone lies within a slightly larger area that was already under a voluntary evacuation and curfew. At least 75 homes most of them in Leilani Estates have been devoured by streams of red-hot molten rock creeping from about two dozen large volcanic vents, or fissures, that have opened in the ground since Kilauea rumbled back to life four weeks ago. (Photo: AP) The Hawaii community hardest hit by the Kilauea Volcano was ordered sealed off under a strict new mandatory evacuation on Thursday as the eruption marked its fourth week with no end in sight. The Big Islands mayor, Harry Kim, declared a roughly 17-block swath of the lava-stricken Leilani Estates subdivision off-limits indefinitely and gave any residents remaining there 24 hours to leave or face possible arrest. The mandatory evacuation zone lies within a slightly larger area that was already under a voluntary evacuation and curfew. The latest order was announced a day after police arrested a 62-year-old Leilani Estates resident who fired a handgun over the head of a younger man from the same community, apparently believing his neighbour was an intruder or looter. The confrontation on Tuesday was recorded on cell phone video that later went viral. But the mandatory evacuation was decided prior to that incident, said David Mace, a spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency currently assigned to the Hawaii County Civil Defense authority. Civil defence officials have previously said about 2,000 residents in and around Leilani Estates were displaced at the outset of the current eruption, which began on May 3. But the total number of evacuees was estimated to have risen to about 2,500 after authorities ushered residents from the nearby Kapoho area as a precaution on Wednesday, as a lava flow threatened to cut off a key access road. At least 75 homes most of them in Leilani Estates have been devoured by streams of red-hot molten rock creeping from about two dozen large volcanic vents, or fissures, that have opened in the ground since Kilauea rumbled back to life four weeks ago. Lava flows also have knocked out power and telephone lines in the region, disrupting communications. Besides spouting fountains of lava around the clock, the fissures have released high levels of toxic sulphur dioxide gas on a near constant basis, posing an ongoing health hazard. Meanwhile, the main summit crater has periodically erupted in clouds of volcanic ash that create breathing difficulties and other problems for residents living downwind. The heightened volcanic activity has been accompanied by frequent earthquakes, as magma the term for lava before it reaches the surface pushes its way up from deep inside the earth and exerts tremendous force underground. After a month of continual eruptions at Kilaueas summit and along its eastern flank, geologists say they have no idea how much longer it will last. Theres no sign were getting that anything is going to slow down at the moment, Wendy STOVL, a vulcanologist for the US Geological Survey, told reporters on a conference call on Thursday. We dont see any changes occurring. The islands mayor on Wednesday renewed an emergency proclamation for 60 more days, allowing construction of temporary shelters and other relief projects to proceed on an expedited basis, without reviews and permits normally required. The month-old eruption of Kilauea, one of the worlds most active volcanoes, followed an eruption cycle that had continued almost nonstop for 35 years. Stovall said geologists now believe the latest upheaval should be classified as a separate volcanic event, though an official determination has yet to be made. Waymo plans to pick up people in cars that wont have a human driver, making it the first one with a fleet of fully autonomous vehicles The technology will initially be deployed in a ride-hailing service in the Phoenix area before the end of this year and then expand into other US markets. (Photo: AP) A self-driving car service that Google spinoff Waymo plans to launch later this year will include up to 62,000 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans. The deal announced Thursday is the latest sign of Waymos confidence in its self-driving car technology, which sprung from a secret Google project started nine years ago. The technology will initially be deployed in a ride-hailing service in the Phoenix area before the end of this year and then expand into other US markets. Waymo plans to pick up people in cars that wont have a human in the drivers seat, making it the first ride-hailing service with a fleet of fully autonomous vehicles. The company already had bought 600 Pacifica Hybrid minivans from Fiat Chrysler with a commitment to add thousands more. Waymo and Fiat also are discussing other ways to expand their partnership, including possibly striking a deal to sell Chrysler vehicles with self-driving technology to consumers. Chrysler is the largest vehicle supplier for Waymos ride-hailing service so far. Waymo agreed to buy up to 20,000 electric vehicles from Jaguar Land Rover, but none of them will be ready before 2020. If Waymo ends up using all the vehicles from Chrysler and Jaguar, its self-driving car service will be potentially capable of providing millions of rides per day. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says he is trying to persuade Waymo to put its self-driving cars to work in his companys pacesetting ride-hailing service, but there is no indication yet whether that will happen. Waymo accused Uber of stealing its self-driving car technology in a lawsuit that was settled for $245 million after several days of testimony during a February trial.. Four of them were killed by the police. The attacks on three churches and the local police headquarters caused the death of 14 civilians and 13 bombers. Over 40 people were injured. The police chief: Terrorism embraced by entire families, but our quick response creates a sense of security. Jakarta (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Jakarta Security Forces have arrested 41 suspected terrorists, linked to a series of bomb attacks in Surabaya, the capital of the province of East Java. Four others were killed during counter-terrorist operations, reported local police chief Tito Karnavian last night to local media, adding that the victims had resisted arrest. "After the suicide bombings in Surabaya and Sidoarjo on May 13 and 14, we moved quickly and identified the culprits - he said - A suspected terrorist from Probolinggo (East Java) surrendered to the local police because he could not live in peace, as he was always on the run. Tito Karnavian also revealed the final toll of the victims of the attacks carried out in Surabaya by two militant families of Jamaah Ansharud Daulah (Jad), a local terrorist group linked to the Islamic State (IS). Attacks on three Christian churches and the local police headquarters have killed 14 civilians and 13 terrorists. Over 40 people were injured. The police chief stressed that although terrorism has come to involve entire families, including mothers and children", the rapid response of the security forces to the attacks should create a "sense of security" among Indonesians. On May 25, the Jakarta parliament passed a new law that gives the police more power to take preventive measures against suspected terrorists. The bill had been blocked for almost two years, but the wave of deadly suicide bombings has put pressure on legislators to approve it. Fines of up to 134 euros, tenfold if there are relapsers. Even hoods and fake beards that hide the face are forbidden. For Amnesty International, the law violates freedom of expression and religion. Muslims in Denmark are 4% of the population. Copenhagen (AsiaNews / Agencies) - From now on it will be forbidden to wear the full Islamic veil (burka or niqab) in a public place. Those who violate the ban can be fined. The Danish parliament established it yesterday with 75 votes against 30 and it was voted by center-right parties, but also by the socialists. Denmark thus aligns itself with other European countries with similar legislation, such as France and Belgium. From August 1, the date of entry into force of the law, any infringement will be punished with a fine of 1000 Danish crowns (134 euros). If the infringement is repeated, the fine rises to 10 thousand crowns (1340 euros). According to Amnesty International, the ban is "disproportionate and violates the rights to freedom of expression and religion". The ban also prohibits other accessories that hide the face, such as hoods and fake beards. Denmark is home to about 270,000 Muslims (4%) of a population of 5.6 million. Several women with niqab attended the parliamentary debate (see photo). In China it is forbidden to talk about the massacre of 29 years ago. Only activists in Hong Kong remember. Survivors recall being saved so that they could tell the truth to the world. A bust of Liu Xiaobo, symbol of the democratic movement, is unveiled. Artist launches a campaign to remember Tank Man. However, indifference and a sense of powerlessness grow among the youth of Hong Kong. Hong Kong (AsiaNews/Agencies) The imperative is to keep the memory alive and force China to take responsibility for the Tiananmen Square massacre. For this reason, thousands of Hong Kongers take part in numerous initiatives to commemorate the victims of the mass slaughter. On 4 June 1989, the Chinese army opened fire on pro-democracy demonstrators gathered in Tiananmen Square and perpetrated a massacre. Because of Chinas strict censorship, it is probable that the real death toll will never be known. Hundreds, perhaps thousands are thought to have died. Across the country, talking about and remembering Tiananmen Square is forbidden. Only in the former British colony of Hong Kong where many fled to is a memorial vigil held in Victoria Park, which usually draws at least 100,000 people each year. Among those calling for justice will be two survivors of the massacre, both originally from Hong Kong: Gloria Fung and Kenneth Lam, who spoke to the South China Morning Post. Lam lives in Hong Kong, where he is a human rights activist and lawyer, whilst Fung fled to Canada and is president of the Canada-Hong Kong Link. Both were saved thanks to the help of some residents of Beijing. Some students, said Lam, pushed me down to a lower level of the monument, calling my name and saying: What you Hong Kong people have done for us is enough. You must go back alive and tell people what happened here. Gloria Fung remembers asking the person who had helped her escape what he wanted her to do outside of Beijing. Tell the truth, he replied. Share the truth with the world and preserve the truth. Yesterday, a group of activists reiterated the demand for justice, unveiling a bust of Liu Xiaobo (picture 2), in Causeway Bay. The Nobel Prize laureate and iconic figure of the pro-democracy movement died in prison last year of cancer. Famous Chinese artist Badiucao has joined the activists, asking everyone in the world to put themselves in the place of the Tank Man (picture 3), the symbol of Tiananmen Square. "Armed" only with shopping bags, he bravely faced the tanks. The picture was seen around the world, but who he was and what happened to him remain a mystery. Badiucao had himself photographed dressed up like Tank Man, and shared the picture using the #TankMen2018 hashtag. Yet, for many activists, remembering the massacre is becoming increasingly difficult. On the one hand, younger people are less interested in the event; on the other, the fear of repercussions is growing as Beijing put more and more pressure on the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Albert Ho Chun-yan, chairman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which organises the vigil, is not afraid of Beijings repression and plans to continue. However, for him, the "bigger challenge" is the new generation, who seem to have confronted some sort of identity crisis ... cynicism and a sense of powerlessness. Discouraged by the crackdown against the Occupy Central student movement, many young people in fact plan to boycott the vigil on 4 June because it is too "ritualistic". The officials met today to discuss a joint office and the resumption of separated family meetings. The North proposes a joint celebration for June 15th. Kim Yong-chol will deliver a letter from Kim to Trump. Southern students ask for exchanges with the North. Seoul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The dialogue between the two Koreas resumed: today, high-level officials met to discuss the implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration. On the negotiating table, there is the involvement of the Red Cross and the resumption of meetings of family members separated since the 1950-53 war. In Panmunjom, representatives of the two Koreas will also discuss the establishment of a contact office in Kaesong, a city on the North Korean border. For its part, the Pyongyang delegation proposed a common celebration in honor of the "Declaration of June 15", adopted during the second intercontinental summit in 2000, but never applied. The future dialogue also presents thorny issues: for weeks, North Korea has renewed its criticism of the joint military exercises between the South and the US, and has been calling for the repatriation of a group of workers in the North that in 2016 had deserted going through China to the South. For Pyongyang they were "kidnapped" by the former Seoul administration, a position confirmed by some of their testimonies. According to some South Korean civil groups it is plausible that the desertion - at the time "publicized" in an unusual way - was a propaganda act of the conservatives ahead of the elections of that year. The inter-Korean meeting comes amid fresh openings in the US for a meeting between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump. Today, Kim Yong-chol will travel to Washington to deliver a letter from Kim Jong-un to the US President. The North Korean leader's right-hand man was in New York for a two-day summit with American Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (see photo). The senior US diplomat talks about "good progress" and there are rumors that the summit between the two leaders will be held as scheduled on 12 June. Dialogue for unity between North and South involve civil society. Today, the students of Seoul National University (SNU) have asked the South Korean Unification Ministry to approve contacts with the students of Kim Il-Sung University, the most important university in the North. At the moment, there are no "concrete discussions on exchanges" between the two institutions. However, it seems that the presidents of the universities met in Beijing on May 4 and 5, during a ceremony in honor of the 120th anniversary of the University of Beijing. by J.B. An Dang The Polish archbishop is also the new nuncio in Singapore, replacing Mgr Leopoldo Girelli. For Mgr Giuse Nguyen Chi Linh, There are still obstacles between the Vietnamese government and the Catholic community that have not been removed." Restrictions on religious freedom and land disputes are among the main difficulties the Church faces in Vietnam. Hanoi (AsiaNews) - On 21 May, Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Marek Zalewski of Poland (picture 1) as the new nuncio to Singapore and non-resident representative of the Holy See in Vietnam. Mgr Giuse (Joseph) Nguyen Chi Linh (picture 2), archbishop of Hue and president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Vietnam (CBCV), welcomed the decision. For the prelate, "Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli concluded his tenure as Vatican representative in Vietnam in September 2017, and I believe that all Catholics in Vietnam are eagerly awaiting his replacement. Speaking about the outgoing papal envoy, the Archbishop Nguyen said, the most burning desire in His Excellency's tenure was raising the relationship between the Holy See and Vietnam to a higher level. Mgr Girelli regularly consulted with the Bishops' Conference on all issues, from the smallest to the biggest, involving the Church in Vietnam and each diocese and congregation. Pursuant to the regulations of the Vietnamese government, each non-resident representative of the Holy See in Vietnam can only stay for a month. And Mgr Girelli always strictly abided by this diplomatic rule. At the same time, as a pastor, he did not mind the challenging distances and road conditions to reach parishes in remote and isolated areas, visiting the underprivileged and the unfortunate, regardless of their religion, to share love." Regarding the possibility of normalising diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Vietnam, the archbishop noted that, "After 1957 in the North and after 1975 in the South, the Vietnamese government did not maintain a diplomatic relation with the Vatican as the previous political regimes did. But under bilateral agreements, when a need arises, one party can send envoys to the other for negotiation or exchange of information. It was not until 2011 that the Holy See was allowed to appoint a representative in Vietnam, but only with a non-permanent status, that is, at the lowest diplomatic level. "The recent history of the Vietnamese people is complicated because of the Cold War mind-set still deeply rooted in many Vietnamese people. This is due to the fact that people's attitudes are not in unison and to the pressure coming from East and South Asia. The relationship between Vietnam and the Holy See was established in such a difficult context, so it is not surprising if it encounters many obstacles. Currently, one of the political goals the government has set out is to promote the integration of the country into the international community. I think the relationship between Vietnam and the Holy See will be improved if the Vietnamese government also integrates its diplomatic views with those of the Holy See, as do most other countries in the world. Talking about the restrictions on religious freedom on the Church in Vietnam, the CBCV president said, "Objectively speaking, there are still many restrictions, especially in the area of appointing bishops. Under the agreement between the Holy See and the Government of Vietnam, proposing bishops is the right of the Holy See. The Vietnamese State has no right to nominate candidates but has the right to refuse or approve. "In the past, this was quite a tough issue, but I have to acknowledge that the most challenging task today is the appointment of the archbishops of Hanoi and Saigon. Since the two sides have become more sensitive to each other, episcopal appointments have become relatively easier than before in all the other dioceses." "There are still obstacles between the Vietnamese government and the Catholic community that have not been removed. For instance, the Catholic community to this day has not been allowed to get involved in health, educational, and social activities at the national level. Nevertheless, in comparison with the period of reforms, many religious activities have been partially unshackled, such as celebrations, ordinations, and construction activities. We still hope that the government will speed up authorisations on a broader scale", Archbishop Nguyen said. The thorniest issue between the Church and the government remains that of land. "Land is a hot file, not only for the Church in Vietnam but also for many other social groups. Official statistics show that as many as 73 per cent of complaints are related to land and housing. Of course, on matters related to Church properties, the CBCV has the responsibility to speak up in a certain way. "The problem is how to speak up and with whom to speak? I think speaking out to the public and the media is a very sensitive issue. Without adequate consideration, it can mess up relationships and beliefs. Catholics are both Christians and Vietnamese citizens. Being loyal to both at the same time in a monolithic society like Vietnam is not a simple matter. "Still, the CBCV must take a stand, which is to speak out when necessary, speak out straightforwardly yet delicately. I mean: our voice must be heard and acknowledged as the message of a well-intentioned community that wants to build and improve, not attack and cause misunderstandings." At the annual Iftar gathering, Sahar Mehrabi pulls no punches criticising the country and its institutions, including the Pasdaran who are under Khameneis direct control. However, she distanced herself from those who call for regime change. In his response, the supreme leader said that her address shows the vital role of universities. Tehran (AsiaNews/Agencies) - With the courage and the cheekiness that characterise the young, a 28-year-old Iranian woman criticised the country's poor economic, political and social conditions during an annual meeting with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Speaking last Monday at the annual Iftar gathering that Khamenei holds to celebrate the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, Sahar Mehrabi noted that the agencies under his control are virtually untouchable. "The impossibility of conducting investigations into the work of some of the institutions under the supervision of Your Excellency, such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, the judiciary, the state broadcaster [. . .] is in itself problematic. The young womans speech comes at a troubled time in Iran, amid protests sparked by the countrys economic crisis and demands for more social rights (including the end of compulsory head covering). Demonstrations have taken place in at least 80 towns with 25 dead. On top of this come international tensions, exacerbated by the decision of US President Donald Trump to cancel the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and introduce new sanctions against Tehran, the toughest in history cording to US officials. Against this backdrop, Mehrabis speech takes on greater importance. The young woman, who sits on the committee overseeing university publications, criticised "the limits imposed on freedom" and the "illegal interference" of the security forces and the army in the "work of the peoples elected representatives. "We are worried, she told Khamenei, of the heavy atmosphere that reigns in the universities. You know of the arrest of students and long prison sentences against some of them". The protests of workers and teachers "are dealt as a security matter [. . .] and this does not help to solve the problem." At the end of her address, Mehrabi was careful to distance herself from "those who try, in vain, to overthrow the Islamic Republic" and its institutions. Because, for her, "the solution lies within" the state "and there is no need to add more to this. Thats all." The supreme guide listened attentively to the young woman and did not fail to respond to her. What she said shows that "universities are quite alive", he said, but at the same time he challenged the views that describe "democracy in Iran as a dictatorship". The supreme leader went on to say that it is necessary to include "active, religious, motivated" young people in the institutions and in the most important agencies of the State. "I am aware of the affairs of the country and I read the documents. I believe we have made considerable progress regarding the ideals of the Islamic revolution", he said. Sahar Mehrabis speech is not the first one by a young person to criticise the situation of the country in front of the highest religious authority. In 2009 Mahmoud Vahidnia complained about police violence against demonstrators protesting in the streets against the re-election of right-wing president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, deemed fraudulent by critics. This time, the young woman posted her address online with mixed reactions. Some congratulated her for her audacity whilst partisans of the supreme leader said that the speech was proof of the existence of freedom of expression in the Islamic Republic. 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. For Immediate Release, June 1, 2018 Contact: Jason Pfeifle, (510) 844-7160 x 313, jpfeifle@biologicaldiversity.org Appeal Challenges Permit Extending Oil Extraction in Alameda County County Supervisors Urged to Reverse Approval of Spill-prone Company's Permit OAKLAND, Calif. Community and environmental groups submitted an appeal today urging the Alameda County Board of Supervisors to reverse the approval of a permit that extends oil extraction in the countys only active oilfield. The Bakersfield-based oil company that operates the oilfield has a history of spills and violations across California. The Board of Supervisors can, and must, shut down this dangerous operation thats been threatening our water for too long, said Deborah McQueen, a local resident and member of Livermore Eco Watchdogs. Alameda County needs to bring this chapter of fossil fuel extraction to a close and start putting our health and environment first. E&B Natural Resources, which operates in California, Louisiana, Kansas and Wyoming, applied for a 10-year permit to extend and expand its operations at the Livermore oilfield. Last week the Alameda East County Board of Zoning Adjustments approved the permit, despite hundreds of residents voicing their opposition to the project. This permit would lock Livermore into another decade of dirty oil drilling, said Jason Pfeifle, a climate campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity. And given its disturbing track record of spills and accidents, this polluter shouldnt get any more chances to harm the community and the climate. In 2015 Alameda County officials reported a spill of toxic fluid at E&Bs Livermore site, which contaminated 12 feet of soil that had to be removed. E&B was fined for failing to report the spill and disposing of the soil without testing for hazardous chemicals. The company has reported at least 48 spills of oil or other hazardous materials in four different California counties since 2007, according to records from the California Office of Emergency Services. E&B has simultaneously sought state and federal approval to nearly triple the area of the Livermore aquifer into which it can inject toxic wastewater. The company has also added plans to acquire a state permit for an extraction technique called waterflooding, which uses pressure from injecting wastewater to push oil up to the surface. E&Bs previous permit expired in January 2018. If the Board of Supervisors reverses approval of the new permit, E&B will need to cease its Livermore operations, ending fossil fuel extraction in the county. After she had dropped us off in the village of Tarxien, Lady Harriet called later that evening to offer her advice. "Marcus, I want to tell you something that I don't think any other Maltese person would tell you." If she had revealed that she had been sheltering Lord Lucan in her guest suite for the past thirty years, I could not have been more taken aback by her secret... Formerly married to a member of the House of Lords, Lady Harriet is one of the islands larger-than-life personalities and from one of Maltas most important double-barrelled families. On first acquaintance, she proposed immediately going out for a drive. Does one say no to a member of the English aristocracy? Besides we had no plans for the afternoon so readily acquiesced to the suggestion as much to humour her eccentricity as for the opportunity to see more of the archipelago.Ensconced in her gleaming classic car, we visited wind-swept bays and coves on the islands untrafficked North West coast and finally landed up at the Radisson Golden Sands for tea. The choice of venue was not inappropriate as it turns out, since the Queen and Prince Phillip stayed at the property during their last official visit to the island for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2015. (Viewers of season one ofmay recall that Malta is the only country in the world outside the UK where HRH has ever lived, which she did in the pre-coronation days of her marriage to Prince Philip who served in the Navy and was stationed on the islands).Over tea, Lady Harriet regaled us with stories from her life which would have beggared Jeffrey Archer. I left wanting to write her biography something I may yet do especially since her husbands diaries reveal a secret revisionist history of British 20th century statecraft.After high tea in the North of the island, we were due for an evening third viewing on a bijou little double story on the piazza of Tarxien, a village in the South of the island. The property was opposite a band club (effectively a social club) so we were wary of noise levels and wanted to visit the location after dusk.The neat little house had a history whose significance I misunderstood. One of Maltas most famous prime ministers (in fact the only one from the twentieth century we had ever heard of before) was Dom Mintoff. In his pre-political days, it turns out he had been an architect and the Tarxien house was one of his early projects. I quite liked the bragging rights of owning a home by Maltas most famous son. Our Maltese architect was less star-struck calling it an undistinguished build and had proposed dropping the structure to take advantage of the extraordinary location on the village square to construct something more interesting.Despite having lived on the island for most of her life, Lady Harriet was unfamiliar with the town and was discomfited about having to navigate her way out of the village after dropping us off.When she called later that evening, she revealed the secret: she had never been to Tarxien in her life because it was Mintoffs hometown. Mintoffs Labour government had been very hard on her family he was persona non grata to her and she would find it very difficult to ever visit us if we landed up purchasing property in Tarxien.I thought about Lady Harriet and how political discrimination had coloured her world view, when the latest European Commission survey was published this year. In it, the Maltese are the most likely EU citizens to complain about harassment or discrimination based on their political opinions.The survey, which was partly about fairness and inequality, found that 2% of all EU citizens mentioned political harassment or discrimination. In Malta, however, that figure stood at 8%.Respondents were also asked to rank the most important factors for getting ahead in life. In the EU, being in good health topped the list (48%), followed by good education (33%), hard work (27%), knowing the right people (22%) and being lucky (21%).As for Malta, the most striking finding was that only 17% believed that working hard would affect their chance of getting ahead in life. The figure is slightly below the 20% who said that knowing the right people in Malta is a crucial factor.However, when the interviewers were more specific and asked if having political connections was crucial, 9% replied in the affirmative, which was 1% below the EU average. #Newsmaker: Adrian Miller, ECD at Riverbed Having consulted for Riverbed since the beginning of the year, the agency recently made Adrian Miller's appointment official. As ECD, Miller will be responsible for the overall creative strategy and direction for the agency. Commenting on his appointment, Miller says, Riverbed provides the possibility to do great work. This, plus the shared desire and vision to grow the agency against the back of great creative, is what excited me most about this opportunity. While many creative agencies market themselves as an integrated agency, in reality, many simply outsource these services and white label it. In contrast, Riverbed houses all through-the-line disciplines in-house, creating a unique opportunity to build astounding brand experiences across platforms. Its impressive to see how the teams work together on client briefs to build great brand stories and ultimately, effective campaigns. Here, Miller goes on to explain why he chose to take on Riverbed, a black female-owned agency, full-time Dialling into South African advertising with +27 How do you feel about the appointment? How do you feel about the appointment? Weve spent the better part of this year working on strategy and bringing in the best creative talent. Our team has clarity in what were doing and we all understand why, said CEO Monalisa Sibongile Zwambila. This year creative excellence will be our principal purpose, and all efforts will be strategically aligned to thrust us ahead to join the ranks of the top creative agencies.Commenting on his appointment, Miller says, Riverbed provides the possibility to do great work. This, plus the shared desire and vision to grow the agency against the back of great creative, is what excited me most about this opportunity.While many creative agencies market themselves as an integrated agency, in reality, many simply outsource these services and white label it. In contrast, Riverbed houses all through-the-line disciplines in-house, creating a unique opportunity to build astounding brand experiences across platforms. Its impressive to see how the teams work together on client briefs to build great brand stories and ultimately, effective campaigns.Here, Miller goes on to explain why he chose to take on Riverbed, a black female-owned agency, full-time What does the role entail? What does the role entail? Why the move to Riverbed; what excites you most about this agency and where its going? Why the move to Riverbed; what excites you most about this agency and where its going? When I sat down with Monalisa to chat about the vision for Riverbed, I found someone who wanted ideas to sit front and centre. Mona wanted to build a creatively-driven agency, not just a creative department. What do you love most about your career, being a creative and advertising in particular? What do you love most about your career, being a creative and advertising in particular? Whats at the top of your to-do list? Whats at the top of your to-do list? What are you currently reading/watching/listening to for work? What are you currently reading/watching/listening to for work? Tell us something about yourself not generally known. Tell us something about yourself not generally known. More about Adrian Miller Jessica Tennant's articles About Jessica Tennant Jess is Senior Editor: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com. She is also a contributing writer. Jess is Senior Editor: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com. She is also a contributing writer. moc.ytinummoczib@swengnitekram The opportunity to effect change and help take an agency to the next level is always an exciting one. So Im rather eager to get stuck in and start that journey.The job is multifaceted. In short, an ECD leads the creative output, shapes the agency culture, takes responsibility for hiring and bringing on teams, heads up pitches and helps people make the best work they can. In my opinion, the hardest job an ECD has is protecting the creative product. This, of course, involves having to say no a lot.Riverbed is independent, its black female-owned and it has a solid client base. Given the current climate in South Africa, these are particularity strong attributes. More importantly, keeping good ideas intact requires an agency that is truly integrated, doesnt operate in silos, has strong partnerships at the top and a shared vision across the entire agency.I immediately found that compelling.At the risk of sounding trite, using creativity to change peoples behaviour or attitude is the part I love most about the job. I also happen to like the dress code, or the lack thereof.In the past, Ive managed to build agencies and take them to the top creatively in Asia Pacific. Helping Riverbed achieve the same heights in SA is the primary goal. The only way to get there is one campaign at a time. I think weve started that journey with the new Aware work. Bringing Aware to life has been top of the to-do list over the last couple of months, as well as making a few key strategic hires.Im reading Neil deGrasse Tysons. I manage two pages a night. It has nothing to do with advertising, which helps immensely.Im an avid crossfitter. This particular obsession has led to three surgeries two shoulder and one hernia.Adrian is a multiple award winner with big brand experience across three continents and is one of the most awarded creatives in South Africa, with over 100 awards, including 15 Cannes Lions for some of the worlds largest brands. Miller has judged at Cannes, Clio, D&AD, Adfest, Spikes (Asian Cannes) and served as chairman of the South African Loerie Awards and in addition, has served on the worldwide board for both Lowe and JWT. The new consumer campaign of the Association for Alcohol Responsibility and Education (Aware.org), When you drink, drink like there is a tomorrow, turns the saying "drink like there's no tomorrow" on its head in a bold move unlike traditional responsible drinking campaigns. Deputy minister of Department of Social Development, Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu and Ingrid Louw, CEO of Aware.org. Image supplied. A banal message Think differently Free from the harms of alcohol About is a non-profit organisation (NPO) established by the South African liquor industry. It has, as its members, the liquor producers and manufacturers, distributors and traders. As such, Aware.org represents almost the entire local liquor industry. The core mandate of the organisation is to reduce alcohol-related harm in South Africa. Recognising that alcohol abuse is a multi-faceted problem, Aware.org is committed to making a meaningful impact through collaborative efforts with key stakeholders directly and/or indirectly involved in reducing the abuse and misuse of alcohol. Through partnerships with the public sector and non-government groups, Aware.org aims to: Raise awareness around the harmful effects of irresponsible drinking through education and awareness programmes. Conduct research that will aid in curbing alcohol abuse. Establish proactive strategic partnerships in line with our mission and strategic objectives through grant-funding programmes that can make an impact at grassroots level and create a society that drinks responsibly. Aware.org is a non-profit organisation (NPO) established by the South African liquor industry. It has, as its members, the liquor producers and manufacturers, distributors and traders. As such, Aware.org represents almost the entire local liquor industry. The core mandate of the organisation is to reduce alcohol-related harm in South Africa.Recognising that alcohol abuse is a multi-faceted problem, Aware.org is committed to making a meaningful impact through collaborative efforts with key stakeholders directly and/or indirectly involved in reducing the abuse and misuse of alcohol.Through partnerships with the public sector and non-government groups, Aware.org aims to: Our research shows us people tend to switch off when the finger pointing or the stick approach is used. The same response is elicited when the bad consequences of alcohol abuse are shown, says Monalisa Zwambila, CEO of Riverbed, the agency responsible for the campaign.ECD Adrian Miller, responsible for the TVC, agrees. The message promoting drinking responsibly has become a banal message. It has become wallpaper despite most campaigns ending in death and destruction.The agency examined responsible alcohol advertising and drink responsibly campaigns from around the world. We looked at what has been done and tried to veer away from the well-trodden paths and do something original and interesting an ad people want to watch more than once or twice, want to share and talk about, Miller explains.The result is an ad that is extraordinary in its delivery, making people look into themselves, and Miller believes this is a first for a responsible drinking campaign.It shows the progression many people go through when they go out for drinks; the guy in the bathroom looking at himself in the mirror, thinking, I have had enough, hitting on the girl you shouldnt in a way that is not appropriate, getting into a fight and then taking it to the extreme when the guy is thrown out of the bar/club, he says.The TCV does a complete 360 journey, with the person going out and coming home to have a pleasant evening and thinks differently to connect differently to consumers, adds Zwambila.The campaign stems out the realisation that industry cannot continue to do the same thing and hope for a different result explains Ingrid Louw, CEO of Aware.org. Despite the industry promoting responsible drinking for 20 plus years, the stats continue to climb. Thats the scary part.She says they realised that they need to be bold and approach this issue differently and be creative about it. To move forward we felt we need to engage with consumers and by having the right conversations, change peoples behaviour so they make informed choices that will reduce the harm associated with drinking responsibly.Responsible for the new strategy for Aware.org, Lou Boxall-Davies, LBD Consulting, head of strategy, explains that the campaign flows out of the strategy, which is to have a generation of South Africans free from the harms of alcohol.The vision is around changing the status quo and the essence of the brand is about being responsible for better, which is better lives without, for example, crime and HIV. Ironically enough if we succeed then we will have done ourselves out of a job.The deputy minister of Department of Social Development, Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu delivered a sobering keynote at the launch on the harm of alcohol. In her no-holds-barred keynote, she warned the liquor industry as well as the creative advertising industry to rather be her friend than her enemy. You dont want to know the realities we face every day in the department. She ended on a positive note congratulating the industry on its campaign. The 14th annual Wikimania 2018 conference, will be held in Cape Town where volunteers from around the world will celebrate Wikipedia and the Wikimedia projects, from 18-22 of July. Cornelius Kibelka - How can affiliates work better together, part 2, WikiIndaba 2018. The Ubuntu way forward Expanding non-Western topics Collaborative collection of knowledge More than 700 volunteers from around the world will come together to discuss and share ideas around the future of Wikipedia and free knowledge globally.Attendees will be made up of members of the global Wikimedia movement, including those who volunteer their time to edit and improve Wikipedia articles, create bots, or organise events and projects to draw more content onto Wikipedia and the Wikimedia projects. Other open knowledge advocates will also attend, along with local academics, teachers, heritage specialists, and interested stakeholders.Across more than 70 sessions, attendees will work to bring the conference theme:, to life by ensuring that some of the fundamental principles of the Wikimedia movement are contextualised within the rapidly evolving internet narrative.Confirmed speakers include internet geographist Dr Martin Dittus, who will be speaking on economic development, labour, power, participation, and representation. Joy Buolamwini, a noted female artificial intelligence expert fighting to remove bias in machine learning, and Prof. Sean Jacobs whose focus areas includes trends in digital culture are also invited thought leaders at the conference.Our vision is a world in which every single person can. We believe that knowledge belongs to everyone and that people from diverse backgrounds should be empowered to participate in the collaborative creation of knowledge, said Katherine Maher, executive director, Wikimedia Foundation.Wikimedia is also looking to expand its non-Western topics, where there is still not enough locally relevant content about Africa, particularly that which is gathered from African perspectives or shared in African languages. The same could be said for indigenous knowledge and local knowledge from many places outside the Global North, much of which is still missing.South Africa has active Afrikaans and isiXhosa Wikipedia editions, but most of the other indigenous languages from the continent are either missing or do not have regular contributions on Wikipedia.Challenges with software localisation, the structure of data, and even the forms of knowledge that Wikimedia has defined as verifiable (text-based, rather than oral, for example) are some of the issues the movement is grappling with as it moves actively towards incorporating more diverse kinds of knowledge within Wikipedia and the Wikimedia projects.This years Wikimania conference will take place at the Southern Sun, Cape Sun Hotel. Wikimania 2018 is co-organised by Wikimedia South Africa, the local Wikimedia affiliate organisation of South Africa, and the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit that supports the Wikipedia and other free knowledge projects.Wikipedia is a collaborative collection of knowledge that is open for anyone to edit. Today Wikipedia is available in more than 45 million across nearly 300 languages, and is read more than 15 billion times every month.Volunteer editors from around the world, or Wikipedians, come together to write and update Wikipedia articles in real time, collaborating to ensure that information is neutral and based in reliable sources. Each month, more than 200,000 people edit Wikipedia.The Wikimedia Foundation is the non-profit organisation that supports Wikipedia, the Wikimedia free knowledge projects, and its mission of free knowledge for every single person.Follow the conference on #Wikimania2018 as well as on Facebook Twitter and Instagram . For more information about the conference and to register, please click here Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) is calling for public comments and proposals for the renaming of four national and international airports in South Africa. rawpixel via 123RF Deadline for proposal submissions Process Cape Town International Airport, East London Airport, Port Elizabeth International Airport, and Kimberley Airport are subject to renaming as part of governments Transformation of Heritage Landscape programme.The renaming will be implemented in terms of the South African Geographical Names Council Act of 1998 (Act No. 118 of 1998).The minister of arts and culture is responsible for the approval of geographical names after receiving recommendations from the South African Geographical Names Council (SAGNC). The SAGNC is responsible for geographical features of national concern including towns, cities, suburbs and any form of human settlement, post offices, stations, highways, airports, and government dams.Proposals and comments should be sent to Acsa by. Proposals and comments may be sent by e-mail to Corporate.Affairs@airports.co.za or hand-delivered to the Acsa office at the nearest airport.An application will be made to the relevant geographical names provincial committee for processing by Acsa. These committees will verify that the applications comply with the guidelines in the national. This will include checking that the name is not offensive or a duplication of an existing one.The provincial committees will then forward the applications to the SAGNC. The council will then take a decision on the form or forms of names and recommend them for the minister of arts and cultures approval.Once the names have been approved by the minister they will then be published in the. A period of 30 days is required for any objections to be submitted in response to the. Should any objections be received, the minister of arts and culture will assess them before a final decision is published in the Government Gazette.The department of transport and Acsa will then implement the official names as soon as possible. This company article has been removed. Kfm 94.5, a Primedia Broadcasting regional radio station in the Western Cape, has unveiled the addition of a new member to the team - an African penguin called Rocket who joins the business as an extension of the brand activations team. The mascot was launched early in April 2018 with a strategic marketing campaign with community newspapers in the Western Cape calling on Cape Town kids to give him a name. Following thousands of entries from primary school learners and a vote by the Kfm audience, the penguin was named Rocket in May 2018.Earlier this week, the latest The Broadcast Research Council of South Africa (BRC) figures were released which researches and measures audiences in radio. Rocket was at the Cape Town BRC figures presentation and celebrated Kfm 94.5 regaining its position as the radio station with the most listeners in the Western Cape.The station underwent a brand refresh in June 2017 and the latest results are testament to audience buy-in for the heavyweight line-up, music offering and big brand events. Kfm 94.5 in the Cape has delivered a strong performance, showing a jump from 726,000 to 787,000 weekly listeners year on year, and making Kfm 94.5 the biggest regional music station in the Cape. We still have a long way to go but we are out to prove radio still has a big place in the hearts and minds of our listeners. We were happy that for the first time in history the presentation was attended by a penguin and that Rocket was there to celebrate the stations success, says Saskia Hickey, Marketing Manager for Primedia Broadcasting for Western Cape.Follow Rockets adventure on Kfms social media channels - @Kfmza. #AfricaMonth: "It's time to celebrate cultural nuances in creativity" - Andrew Human With the Loeries' strong focus on celebrating locally relevant creativity, the tail-end of #AfricaMonth is always a good time to catch up with CEO Andrew Human. Here, he shares his thoughts on the way regional cultural nuances and differences affect creativity and why we need to stop looking for campaigns that will resonate globally. Andrew Human at the most recent Loeries. #ICMYI: This years Loeries Creative Week will include award nights on the Friday and Saturday, as opposed to the Saturday and Sunday nights as weve become accustomed to in the past. There have also been changes made to the way to Loeries official rankings are structured, and entry deadline has been extended by a further week. Chance to win golden bird extended Here, Human explains how the change to the rankings structure in this, the Loeries 40th year, will result in more comprehensive reporting on local markets just what we need to celebrate true creativity in Africa Talk us through the importance of celebrating creativity in Africa, and original African ideas at that not trying to fit a Western idea onto these markets. Talk us through the importance of celebrating creativity in Africa, and original African ideas at that not trying to fit a Western idea onto these markets. #ICMYI: This years Loeries Creative Week will include award nights on the Friday and Saturday, as opposed to the Saturday and Sunday nights as weve become accustomed to in the past. There have also been changes made to the way to Loeries official rankings are structured, and entry deadline has been extended by a further week.Here, Human explains how the change to the rankings structure in this, the Loeries 40th year, will result in more comprehensive reporting on local markets just what we need to celebrate true creativity in Africa Its important that we recognise the cultural nuances and differences throughout our region. Africa is unfortunately often seen as one culture but the differences are massive: Nigeria and Kenya are about as similar as England and France. Elaborate on what the Loeries has done for creativity in the region so far. Elaborate on what the Loeries has done for creativity in the region so far. How does creativity differ across the continent to the work we tend to see in SA? How does creativity differ across the continent to the work we tend to see in SA? Lastly, what can SA agencies and marketers do to up their creativity, specifically in terms of local/homegrown brand messaging when they feel stuck in a rut? Lastly, what can SA agencies and marketers do to up their creativity, specifically in terms of local/homegrown brand messaging when they feel stuck in a rut? Leigh Andrews' articles About Leigh Andrews Leigh Andrews AKA the Leigh Andrews AKA the #MilkshakeQueen , is former Editor-in-Chief: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com, with a passion for issues of diversity, inclusion and equality, and of course, gourmet food and drinks! She can be reached on Twitter at @Leigh_Andrews I think people across the globe all want similar things to love and be loved, to be happy, and to be successful are some universal desires. However, the way in which we communicate things our feelings and emotions differs across societies.As a regional show, the Loeries emphasises locally relevant creativity. Rather than look for campaigns that will resonate globally, or in the Western centres of New York and London, the jury is instructed to seek out local relevance work made in Kenya for Kenyans, made in Egypt for Egyptians, made in South Africa for South Africans.The Loeries Official Rankings is the only index for the advertising and brand communications industry that looks across the whole region and provides a measure of whos doing what.This is important as a driver of improved creative quality and as countries begin to participate this benchmark allows them to measure themselves against the rest of the region and is an incentive to do better work.From 2018, the Loeries is including finalists in the rankings, specifically as a way to drill deeper into the performance across smaller and emerging countries. With this, we will be able to report more comprehensively on local markets, such as West Africa, East Africa, North Africa and Southern Africa.Great creative ideas transcend borders a great idea is recognised no matter where it comes from.However, some markets are more advanced than others, and I think most creative work is done on premium and luxury goods because these are brands that build an emotive relationship with the consumer rather than focus on the bare facts or price point.So, South Africa, with the most developed economy in Africa, tends to have a broader premium market than other African countries, and with this comes more emotive and creative advertising. But we can see similar great work emerging from other markets, like Guinness in Nigeria and Safaricom in Kenya, to name just a couple of leading brands.When you feel stuck in a rut, the best thing to do is to get away from your desk and find inspiration.As Garrick Hamm, one of our past jury presidents said the only place hes not creative , is at his desk. Djibril Diop Mambety'sis the story of two lovers - a cowherd and a university student - who dream of escaping to Paris from Dakar.For a film originally released in 1973,has been in the headlines a lot this year. In March, Beyonce took to Instagram to announce her On The Run II stadium tour with Jay-Z with a striking poster image of the couple on a bull-skull-trimmed motorbike, inspired by the classic Senegalese road trip movie. Its brilliant. Watch it now When Kaleche (Nyokabi Gethaiga), a young amnesiac, wakes up in the middle of the wilderness, she has no idea how she got there. She makes her way to Kati Kati, a nearby lodge, where she meets a motley crew of residents under the leadership of Thoma (Elsaphan Njora).At Toronto International Film Festival, the Kenyan film won the FIPRESCI Critics Prize, with the FIPRESCI jury hailing director Mbithi Masya as an exciting and unique new voice in cinema.was also named Best East African Film at the 2017 Africa Movie Viewers Choice Awards and won the New Voices/New Visions Award Special Mention at the Palm Springs International Festival, among other accolades. Watch it now When Burkina Faso filmmaker Idrissa Ouedraogo passed away in February, Variety hailed him as a towering figure of African cinema anddescribed him as legendary. Ouedraogo came to international attention in 1989 with, the story of two children who make friends with an old woman who has been outcast as a witch by her village. Yaaba won the FIPRESCI Critics Prize and a Special Mention from the Ecumenical Jury at the Cannes Film Festival, among other accolades. Watch it now In David Tosh Gitongas debut feature film, an aspiring actor moves to Nairobi with big dreams of becoming a star, but quickly discovers why the city of opportunity is nicknamed Nairobbery.called it a dynamic crime drama shot through with fresh social and stylistic energy.won the Breakthrough Audience Award at AFI in 2012 and four Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards in 2014. Lead actor Joseph Wairimu also picked up Best Actor at Durban and Most Promising Actor at the Africa Movie Academy Awards. Watch it now Infamously banned just before it was due to open the Durban International FIlm Festival in 2013,is the story of an obsessive affair between an introverted high school teacher (Mothusi Magano) and a 16-year-old pupil (Petronella Tshuma).called it an edge-of-your-seat thriller... Watch it now Winner of both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at Sundance in 2006, this documentary follows three of the Lost Boys of Sudan after their arrival in America after years of wandering Sub-Saharan African in search of safety. Directed by Americans Christopher Quinn and Tommy Walker,has a 91% critics score and a 94% audience score onFourteen-year-old Abila (Samson Odhiambo) awakes to find his father feeling so ill that hes unable to open their grocery shop. When his father says his soul has been stolen, Abi confronts the Nyawawa (Krysteen Savane), a spirit rumoured to steal mens souls. Admiring the boys bravery, the Nyawawa gives him seven challenges to complete in 24 hours to restore his fathers health. Watch it now Rapulana Seiphemo won Best Actor Awards at both Durban and FESPACO for his role as Lucky Kunene, infamous for hijacking buildings in Hillbrow. The crime thriller was South Africa's official entry for the Oscars and won the Audience Award at Durban, among other accolades. Watch it now Ghanaian writer/director Leila Djansi won Best Screenplay three years in a row at the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) - forin 2010,in 2011, andin 2012. At the AMAAs,also won Best Make-Up and Best Actress, for Ama K Ababrese. Watch it now 1975. As Mozambicans host their flag for the first time, hundreds of prostitutes are arrested and sent to reeducation camps in the countryside, where they are to be transformed into new women to serve the revolution. But some of those arrested, like the teenage Margarida, are not prostitutes.won eight international awards, including Best Supporting Actress (Iva Mugalela) at the Carthage Film Festival and the audience award at the Amiens Film Festival in 2012. Watch it now Stream Virgin Margarida only on Showmax in Africa:.Released from prison, Jack (Menzi Ngubane) cant find work. His former buddy Twala (Rapulana Seiphemo) offers him a job he cant refuse, but can he trust his new partners in crime? Winner of four Africa Movie Academy Awards, including Best Film, Best Director (Charlie Vundla) and Best Supporting Actress (Terry Pheto). Watch it now Check out the full African Classics collection on Showmax . To start watching now sign up for a free trial.To start your free Showmax trial you will be asked to select a payment method, dont worry, you can cancel during the free trial and you wont be charged at all. The finalists for the 2017 FCJ Excellence Awards organised by The Forum of Community Journalists NPC have been announced. Bank Phrom via Unsplash.com Local newspapers very much alive The Oscars of the local and community newspaper industry Photography General Carina Roux, TygerBurger Devidean Moses, Paarl Post Elsje Vermeulen, Vaalweekblad Ettienne van Rensburg, Vaalweekblad Hugo Redelinghuys, George Herald Isabel Venter, Zoutpansberger Lazarus Dithagiso, Sedibeng Ster Marguente Vermeulen, Vrystaat News Selogile Leshage, Potchefstroom Herald Zita Goldwain, Witbank News News Elsje Vermeulen, Vaalweekblad Isabel Venter, Zoutpansberger Jannie du Plessis, Vaalweekblad Ronald Sibiya, Pretoria Rekord Samantha Traill, Witbank News Zita Goldswain, Witbank News Sport Carina Roux, TygerBurger Ettienne van Rensburg, Vaalweekblad Herman Steyn, Die Pos Hugo Redelinghuys, George Herald Isabel Venter, Zoutpansberger Joe Dreyer, Far North Bulletin Ronald Sibiya, Pretoria Rekord Stefan de Villiers, Nelspruit Post Wouter Pienaar, Potchefstroom Herald Zita Goldswain, Witbank News Photographer of the Year Elsje Vermeulen, Vaalweekblad Ettienne van Rensburg, Vaalweekblad Isabel Venter, Zoutpansberger Ronald Sibiya, Pretoria Rekord Zita Goldswain, Witbank News Writing Digital reporting Headlines Ettienne van Rensburg, Vaalweekblad Hedde Mittner, The Village News Johnny Masilela, The Beat Keina Swart, Die Pos Madre Marais, Kalahari Bulletin Pieter Delport, Bloemfontein Courant Roelien Vorster, Roodepoort Northsider Wouter Pienaar, Potchefstroom Herald Editorial Comment Danie Keet, Eikestadnuus Hennie Stander, Potchefstroom Herald Lerato Serero, Sedibeng Ster Lise Beyers, Paarl Post Marlene Jordaan, Worcester Standard Tasmin Cupido, District Mail Tobie van den Bergh, Middelburg Observer Columns Cornelia Carstens, Mosselbaai Advertiser Jan-Hendrik Coetzer, Hermanus Times Johnny Masilela, Die Pos Marlene Jordaan, Worcester Standard Michelle van der Spuy, Eikestadnuus Murray Stewart, The Village News Raymond Willemse, District Mail Riaan van Zyl, Roodepoort Record Tobie van den Bergh, Middelburg Observer Zita Goldswain, Witbank News Sport Carli Koch, Lowvelder David Rush, South Coast Herald Earl Haupt, People's Post Ettienne van Rensburg, Vaalweekblad Hugo Redelinghuys, George Herald Joe Dreyer, Far North Bulletin Johann Gresse, Middelburg Observer Raymond Willemse, District Mail Tandy-Lee Marinus, Paarl Post/Worcester Standard Wouter Pienaar, Potchefstroom Herald Human Interest Alida Buckle, Weslander Andries van Zyl, Zoutpansberger Bianca du Plessis, Hermanus Times Carina Roux, TygerBurger Desiree Rorke, TygerBurger Lauren OConnor May, Northern News Lise Beyers, Paarl Post Nadine Williams, Eikestadnuus Nielen de Klerk, TygerBurger Tshifhiwa Mukwevho, Limpopo Mirror Investigative Reporting Andries van Zyl, Zoutpansberger Anton van Zyl, Zoutpansberger Dustin Wetdewich, Potchefstroom Herald Riaan van Zyl, Potchefstroom Herald Hard News Alida Buckle, Weslander Andries van Zyl, Zoutpansberger Dustin Wetdewich, Potchefstroom Herald Elmon Tshikhudo, Limpopo Mirror Gerhard Rheeder, Middelburg Observer Hazel Allies-Husselman, Athlone News Karen Watkins, Constantia Bulletin Ronel van Jaarsveld, Die Pos Samantha Lee, Peoples Post Tamlynne Thompson, The Capetowner Trish Goosen, Weslander Yolandi du Preez, False Bay Echo Alet Roux Award Carina Roux, TygerBurger Marianke Saayman, Potchefstroom Herald Selogile Leshage, Potchefstroom Herald Tamsyn Jantjies, District Mail Journalist of the Year Andries van Zyl, Zoutpansberger Bianca du Plessis, Hermanus Times Dustin Wetdewich, Potchefstroom Herald Jamey Gordon, District Mail Joe Dreyer, Far North Bulletin Lise Beyers, Paarl Post Marianke Saayman, Potchefstroom Herald Tamlynne Thompson, The Capetowner Trish Goosen, Weslander Zita Goldswain, Witbank News Front Pages Independent commercial newspapers Anton van Zyl, Zoutpanberger Nickey Jackson, The Village News Corporate-owned free newspapers Cecilia Hume, Peoples Post Roelien Vorster, Roodepoort Northsider Stehan Schoeman, TygerBurger Corporate-owned paid newspapers Keina Swart, Die Pos Lise Beyers, Paarl Post Tasmin Cupido, District Mail Newspaper of the Year Independent commercial newspapers De Waal Steyn, The Village News Anton van Zyl, Zoutpansberger Wicus Lee, Limpopo Mirror Corporate-owned free newspapers Michelle Linnert, TygerBurger Roelien Vorster, Roodepoort Northsider Sunette Visser, Pretoria Rekord Corporate-owned paid newspapers, circulation less than 10,000 Hultzer Trophy Hennie Stander, Potchefstroom Herald Suzette Herrer, Mossel Bay Advertiser Tasmin Cupido, District Mail Corporate-owned paid newspapers, circulation more than 10,000 Cronwright Trophy De Wet Potgieter, Lowvelder Lise Beyers, Paarl Post Tobie van den Bergh, Middelburg Observer The Awards is growing steadily as the only national competition for local and community newspapers and according to Fanie Groenewald, convenor of the panel of judges, there has been an increase of about 20% in the number of entries for the 2017 Awards, compared to the 2016 Awards. About 130 journalists from more than 80 local newspapers, in all nine provinces, entered.Announcing the finalists, Groenewald said the general impression of the judges is that local newspapers are still very much alive in South Africa. They are indeed serving their communities very well, he declared.Best Writing, Front Page and Newspaper of the Year categories were judged at North-West Universitys Potchefstroom Campus by a panel chaired by Joe Thloloe, Henry Jeffreys, Fanie Groenewald, Thalyta Swanepoel, Virginia Keppler and Cornia Pretorius assisted him.The Best Digital Reporting entries were judged by Izak Minnaar and Dinesh Balliah in Johannesburg.Roger Sedres, Sharief Jaffer and Leon Muller judged the photography category in Cape Town.It is the only competition in the country where journalists and publications can measure their work against their peers from all media outlets, big or small, corporately owned or independent, says FCJ executive director Marita Meyer.The prestigious awards ceremony affectionately dubbed the Oscars of the local and community newspaper industry will be held on 29 June 2018 at Leriba Hotel and Spa in Centurion. Finalists can expect an invitation soon. The theme of this years Awards ceremony will be The Oscars.See below the list of finalists (in alphabetical order) per category:Only a winner will be announced at the awards ceremony We Sell Books The Old Fashioned Way, We Read Them Uganda is in the news today across the globe for what is being called a "social media tax" on social media users in the East African country, which has in the past imposed draconian laws that curb press freedom and freedom of speech. In essence, Ugandas parliament has passed a bill levying a social media tax on anyone who uses social networking and messaging apps and platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter. The tax comprises a daily fee of about 200 shillings (5 US cents or R0.66), according to Engadget . The new law is due to go into effect on July 1, 2018, but it has not yet been made clear how the often-repressive Ugandan government will monitor its citizens or actually collect the tax.Engadget terms it a strange way to regulate the use of social media within a country: It's possible there may also be a political angle here, as President Yoweri Musaveni suspended access to social media apps and platforms in the run-up to the country's 2016 presidential elections.South Africas Times Live reports that opponents of the law say it is aimed at curbing criticism of President Museveni (73), who has been in power since 1986 long before the advent of the internet and social media Opposition critics have in the past been charged for allegedly insulting him in Facebook posts.Previously, a junior finance minister said the tax would be levied daily by mobile phone operators on each SIM card used to access any of the targeted social media platforms. BBC reports that the Ugandan President pushed for the law: He wrote a letter to Finance Minister Matia Kasaija insisting that the revenue collected by the social media tax would help the country cope with consequences of olugambo [gossiping]".According to Times Live, there was no immediate comment from mobile operators or social media platforms, but human rights advocates have condemned the move: It (tax) is a new tool of stifling free expression and citizen organising that has been beyond the control of the state, said Nicholas Opiyo, a Kampala-based lawyer who also heads a local rights organisation. Its intended to curtail the ever increasing central role of social media in political organising, he said.Social media have become an important political tool in Uganda for both the ruling party and the opposition, the BBC correspondent says. Access to platforms was shut during presidential elections in 2016. President Museveni insisted at the time that it was done to "stop spreading lies", according to BBC. PR Newswire LAS VEGAS, May 31, 2018 LAS VEGAS, May 31, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SWX) today announced that Southwest Gas Corporation ("Southwest") filed a general rate case with the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada ("Commission"), Docket No. 18-05031. The case requests a statewide overall general rate increase of approximately $32.5 million, which reflects any reduced tax liability associated with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. also announced that the Commission voted to approve an order granting Southwest's proposal to extend natural gas service to Mesquite, Nevada pursuant to Nevada legislation (Senate Bill 151). The Commission's order approves a capital investment of approximately $28 million. Below are summary details of both regulatory initiatives. 2018 Nevada General Rate Case Southwest's general rate case filing includes the following proposals: Southwest expects a final decision and new rates to become effective no later than January 1, 2019, as the Commission has 210 days to issue an order. Mesquite Expansion The Commission's order approving Southwest's expansion to serve Mesquite, Nevada includes the following findings: Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has two business segments: Southwest provides natural gas service to over 2 million customers in Arizona, California, and Nevada. Centuri Construction Group, Inc. is a comprehensive construction services enterprise dedicated to meeting the growing demands of North American utilities, energy, and industrial markets. Centuri derives revenue from installation, replacement, repair, and maintenance of energy distribution systems and developing industrial construction solutions. Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such statements include, without limitation, statements regarding Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (the "Company") and the Company's expectations, hopes or intentions regarding the future. These forward-looking statements can often be identified by the use of words such as "will", "predict", "continue", "forecast", "expect", "believe", "anticipate", "outlook", "could", "target", "project", "propose", "intend", "plan", "seek", "estimate", "should", "may" and "assume", as well as variations of such words and similar expressions referring to the future. In addition, the statements under the heading "2018 Nevada General Rate Case" that are not historic, constitute forward-looking statements. A number of important factors affecting the business and financial results of the Company could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated in the forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, the timing and amount of rate relief, changes in rate design, customer growth rates, the effects of regulation/deregulation, tax reform and related regulatory decisions, the actual expenditures to be incurred in order to expand service to Mesquite, Nevada, future earnings trends, seasonal patterns, and the impacts of stock market volatility. In addition, the Company can provide no assurance that its discussions about future operating margin and capital expenditures of Southwest will occur. Factors that could cause actual results to differ also include (without limitation) those discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in the Company and Southwest's current and periodic reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, even if subsequently made available by the Company on its website or otherwise. The Company does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements provided to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made. View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/southwest-gas-holdings-inc-announces-filing-of-nevada-general-rate-case-and-approval-of-mesquite-expansion-300657891.html SOURCE Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. PODCAST Coney Island is back! After being closed for 2020 due to the pandemic, the unusual attractions, the thrilling rides and stands selling beer and hot dog have finally reopened. So we are releasing a very special version of our 2018 show called Landmarks of Coney Island special, because this is an extended version of that show an extended remix, if you will featuring the tales of two more Coney Island landmarks which were left out of the original show. And this episode is dedicated to the Wonder Wheel which was to celebrate its 100th year of operation last year. So go show them some love this year! The Coney Island Boardwalk officially the Riegelmann Boardwalk became an official New York City scenic landmark in 2018, and to celebrate, the Bowery Boys are headed to Brooklyns amusement capital to toast its most famous and long-lasting icons. Recorded live on location, this weeks show features the backstories of these Coney Island classics: The Wonder Wheel, the graceful, eccentric Ferris wheel preparing to celebrate for its 100th year of operation; The Spook-o-Rama, a dark ride full of old-school thrills; The Cyclone, perhaps Americas most famous roller-coaster with a history that harkens back to Coney Islands wild coaster craze; Nathans Famous, the king of hot dogs which has fed millions from the same corner for over a century; Coney Island Terminal, a critical transportation hub that ushered in the amusement areas famous nickname the Nickel Empire PLUS: An interview with Dick Zigun, the unofficial mayor of Coney Island and founder of Coney Island USA, who recounts the origin of the Mermaid Parade and the Sideshow by the Seashore Listen Now: Landmarks of Coney Island (Extended Funhouse Mix) __________________________________________________________ A big thanks to the amazing Dick Zigun for being on the show! The Mermaid Parade is returning to Coney Island later this year! Check out the website for Coney Island USA for updates. And wed also like to thank Denos Wonder Wheel Amusement Park for graciously allowing us to record on the Wonder Wheel itself. Here are the seven official landmarks within the old Coney Island amusement area. 1) Coney Island Boardwalk Museum of the City of New York 2) Wonder Wheel 1944, Museum of the City of New York 3) The Cyclone 1935, Courtesy Museum of the City of New York 4) Parachute Jump pictured here at its original home at the 1939 New York Worlds Fair at Flushing Meadows Wurts Brothers, courtesy Museum of the City of New York The Parachute Jump and the boardwalk on a windy summers day in 2017. Greg Young 5) Childs Restaurant on the Boardwalk Forgotten NY A nice hazy day in 2017. The former Childs Restaurant can be seen in the distance. This image was taken from the Steeplechase Pier. Greg Young 6) Childs Restaurant on Surf Avenue (now the home of the Coney Island Museum) Courtesy Alex Rush Inside the museum: 7) Shore Theatre on Surf Avenue Brooklyn Public Library And while Nathans Famous may not be a landmark, nobody can argue with the fact that its a genuine Coney Island classic. 1939, Andrew Herman Federal Art Project, Museum of the City of New York From our 2018 adventure through Coney Island The Bowery Boys: New York City History podcast is brought to you . by you! We are now producing a new Bowery Boys podcast every other week. Were also looking to improve and expand the show in other ways publishing, social media, live events and other forms of media. But we can only do this with your help! We are now a creator on Patreon, a patronage platform where you can support your favorite content creators. Please visit our page on Patreon and watch a short video of us recording the show and talking about our expansion plans. If youd like to help out, there are six different pledge levels. Check them out and consider being a sponsor. We greatly appreciate our listeners and readers and thank you for joining us on this journey so far. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, at Istana (Presidential Palace), in Singapore on Friday, June 01, 2018. Photo: PTI/PIB SINGAPORE (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong on Friday agreed to deepen the bilateral economic ties and build on defence cooperation as the two sides signed eight agreements including one on logistics cooperation between their navies. The two leaders, who held wide-ranging discussions on regional and global issues of mutual interests, also called for a peaceful, open, and friendly maritime environment in the Indo-Pacific region. Prime Minister Modi said that the strategic partnership between India and Singapore has stood the test of time in the real sense. "We have been able to conclude successfully the second review of Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) but we agreed this is not just our target and goal but this only means to an end," Modi said in a joint press statement after the meeting. "Our officials will soon begin discussions on upgrading and reforming this agreement," he added. Since CECA was signed in 2004, India-Singapore bilateral trade more than doubled from SGD12 billion (USD 8.97 billions) to SGD 25 billion (USD 18.69 billion). Singapore was the second largest investor in India in FY-2016. Modi hailed the close defence cooperation between the two countries and welcomed the completion of the logistics agreement between the two navies. "In the coming times, dealing with cyber security and extremism and terrorism will be important areas of our cooperation," the prime minister said. Modi and Lee also exchanged views on the regional and global challenges and reiterated their principled position on maritime security and expressed commitment to 'Rules Based' Order. The two leaders also agreed on the need to maintain an open, stable and fair international trade regime. "We both have reaffirmed our views on maritime security and have shown our commitment to a 'Rules Based' order...We also agreed for a peaceful, open, and friendly maritime environment in the Indo-Pacific region," Modi said. China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas. Beijing has also made substantial progress in militarising its manmade islands in the past few years, which it says it has the right to defend. China claims sovereignty over all of the South China Sea. But Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims. In the East China Sea, Beijing has territorial disputes with Japan. The South China Sea and the East China Sea are stated to be rich in minerals, oil and other natural resources. They are also vital to global trade. On his part, Lee said the bilateral defence ties have grown stronger. "Our defence ties have strengthened, our navies have signed an agreement today on logistics cooperation and will also celebrate 25th anniversary of annual Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) this year," Lee said. He said India and Singapore are collaborating on technology, smart cities and skills development, both at the national and the state level. Lee pointed out that two projects, that arose from Prime Minister Modi's 2015 visit to the city-state, have been completed. "Andhra Pradesh Amaravati city project is progressing well with Singapore Consortium. We also recently launched Maharashtra-Singapore joint committee, to explore economic cooperation including planning and development of airport in Pune," he said. Lee said India is a significant market for Singapore FinTech companies, while Singapore - as a global FinTech Hub - can be a gateway for India to enter the Southeast Asian market. The two countries have agreed to establish a Joint Working Group on FinTech to support this new effort, he added. He said Singapore, as the current ASEAN chair, will work with India to continue strengthening the regional architecture, and in particular to conclude the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. Modi said Singapore has always been a source of foreign direct investment for India and also investments in foreign countries. It has also been a favourite destination for Indian investments abroad, he added. "I am happy to note that Indian companies use Singapore as a spring board for not only this country but for the entire ASEAN region. For Singaporean companies, as India develops, opportunities are coming up," he said. Recalling his meeting with CEOs yesterday, Modi said he was happy to see that top executives of many important companies looking at India with confidence. Modi said the air traffic between India and Singapore is growing rapidly and both countries will enter into a new 'Air Service Agreement' soon. He said the international launch of RuPay, BHIM and UPI based remittance app in Singapore yesterday represented Digital India initiative and the renewed partnership between the two sides. Lee said Indian tourists will be able to use their RuPay cards for electronic payments at Changi airport and selected operators across Singapore. He said he looked forward to welcoming Modi back to Singapore in November for the East Asia Summit, and "to continue working with him to further deepen our cooperation bilaterally and regionally". Modi, who arrived here on Thursday on the last leg of his three-nation visit, earlier made a courtesy call on President Halimah Yacob after a welcome ceremony at the Istana where he was given a guard of honour. He earlier visited Indonesia and Malaysia. Union Minister for Defence Nirmala Sitharaman with Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa and IAF Commanders during the inaugural day of Air Force Commanders Conference in New Delhi on Thursday, May 31, 2018. A PTI Photo. NEW DELHI (PTI): Top commanders of the Indian Air Force on Thursday reviewed the country's preparedness to deal with any aerial threat, particularly when China is increasing its air power and Pakistan making efforts to boost its military strength. In her inaugural address at the conference of the commanders, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman asked the IAF to lay the roadmap for absorption as well as production of high-end aviation technology. Officials said Sitharaman complimented the commanders for the success of last month's 'Operation Gagan Shakti' which was one of its biggest combat exercises by the IAF. The force, during the exercise, checked its operational preparedness to deal with a two-front war. Sources said China's fast-paced modernisation of its air force and India's preparedness to deal with any security challenge are being discussed at the two-day conference. They said IAF chief B S Dhanoa briefed the defence minister on the preparedness of the force as well as on 'Gagan Shakti'. The IAF said while addressing the commanders, the defence minister lauded the exemplary conduct of the biggest exercise of the force, calling it a "landmark" one for the air warriors. "She complimented all personnel for sustaining round-the-clock operations in the most-professional manner. She said that the focus of the exercise was to draw lessons for evolving the doctrinal loop which is an ongoing process," the IAF said in a statement. The exercise had taken place between April 8 and 22. Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa highlighted that the exercise was very fruitful in testing the IAF's surge operations, logistics supply chain, rapid augmentation of personnel, inter- theatre move of forces, communication network and reliability of equipment and systems. The commanders' conference was also attended by Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre and Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra. The statement said the defence minister emphasised that being a tech-intensive service, the air force should pioneer in laying the road-map for absorption and production of high-end aviation technology products in India and propel the country's growth in these sectors in the next 15 years It said she also commended the IAF for the key role played by it in nation-building by promoting regional connectivity by rendering support towards the UDAN scheme under which smaller cities are being connected with flight services. The IAF has opened up several of its airfields for operations by civil aircraft. The defence minister also complemented the force for setting a precedence on several aspects of convergence among the three services as suggested by the prime minister. "She specifically highlighted the efforts of IAF for having issued a path-breaking order empowering the CINCAN (Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command) to exercise full control over the IAF officers deputed to work with him," the statement said. The Andaman and Nicobar Command is India's first tri-services command. The commanders are also expected to deliberate on depleting strength of IAF's fighter squadrons. At present, the air force has 33 fighter squadrons as against the authorised strength of 42 squadrons. The actual strength may be down to 27 squadrons in the next few years as a number squadrons are set to be decommissioned. DEHRADUN (PTI): A joint military exercise between India and Nepal has begun at Pithoragarh with soldiers from both the countries sharing their experiences of counter insurgency and counter terrorist operations. The military exercise, which is set to conclude of June 12, is called 'Surya Kiran' and is conducted alternatively in India and Nepal every six months. Notably, Surya Kiran with Nepal is India's largest military exercise in terms of troop participation, a release from central command headquarters (Lucknow) said. Over 300 soldiers from both the countries are taking part in the exercise, the release added. According to the official release, the aim of this exercise is to conduct battalion level joint training with emphasis on counter terrorism operations in mountainous terrain. The joint military exercise will enhance the level of defence cooperation between the two neighbours which will further strengthen bilateral relations, it said. The French Ambassador to the UK, Jean-Pierre Jouyet, visited the South West Nuclear Hub recently for the signing of a strategic partnership agreement between the University of Bristol and the Ecole Nationale Superieure d'Arts et Metiers (Arts et Metiers). Arts et Metiers is one of the premier engineering schools in France, with a base of nuclear specialists adjacent to the French national nuclear energy research agency, the Commissariat a lenergie atomique et aux energies alternatives (CEA), located in Aix-en-Provence. The alliance with Bristol enables international exchange both of students and of expertise, which enhances the nuclear skills offering at both institutions, including the SW Nuclear Hubs Nuclear Science and Engineering MSc. Vice-Chancellor Professor Hugh Brady met with representatives from Arts et Metiers in the Universitys David Smith Building to sign the strategic partnership agreement. A technical workshop on nuclear materials was also held, in which leading experts from Arts et Metiers and the Faculties of Science and Engineering at the University discussed opportunities for collaboration. Professor David Knowles, Co-Director of the South West Nuclear Hub, said: This new partnership with such a respected nuclear skills and research institution in France substantially enhances our highly productive Franco-British collaboration on nuclear energy research, innovation and skills. Together with the framework agreement we recently signed with EDF Group at their R&D headquarters in Saclay, and the partnership we formed with the Institut National de Physique de Grenoble (INP), this alliance strengthens the potential impact our two institutions can make on the global nuclear research and skills challenges. Professor Brady said: Partnerships such as this international, strategic and focused on the great challenges of our age are crucial to the mission of our University. We look forward to working with Arts et Metiers and helping to shape the future of research and training in nuclear energy. Professor Xavier Kestelyn, Vice President for Education at Arts et Metiers, was also very enthusiastic about the opportunities this strategic partnership presents. He said: This strategic partnership fits totally with Arts et Metiers international strategy. Arts et Metiers, founder member of the French Industry of the Future Alliance, seeks to develop strategic partnerships with a limited number of institutions around the world in academic, research and innovation to accompany European industry in the challenges they face in the industry of the future. During his visit, Ambassador Jouyet also addressed members of the French community from Bristol and Bath in the setting of the Universitys Life Sciences Building. Here he spoke about the need for collaboration between the UK and France, particularly in the area of education and research, in light of the challenges Brexit poses. Mr Jouyet was given a tour of the Universitys nuclear teaching and research department, where he was able to experience the seismic qualification facilities within the Earthquake and Geotechnical Engineering research group which is being used to support integrity qualification for the graphite core of the UKs existing fleet of Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors. The French Ambassador continued his exploration of the South West with a visit to the nuclear power station construction site at Hinkley Point in Somerset. BRISTOL TOWNSHIP >> Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub has announced the creation of a reward fund to help solve three killings in Bristol Township. The reward through Bucks County Crime Stoppers was funded by donations from State Rep. John Galloway, State Rep. Tina Davis and the law firm of Stark & Stark. The unsolved cases are the murder of... Study: In MS, disintegrating brain lesions may indicate the disease is getting worse Representative example of an atrophied ("disintegrating") lesion. Top row shows baseline MRI images, and bottom row shows follow-up MRI images. The magenta region in the bottom right panel shows the part of the original lesion (top) that has disintegrated into cerebrospinal fluid over the intervening period. Nearly 20% of the lesion was lost over time. (Image: Michael G. Dwyer) New findings could alter how doctors predict whose disease will become more severe We didnt find a correlation between people who developed more or larger lesions and developed increased disability, but we did find that atrophy of lesion volume predicted the development of more physical disability. BUFFALO, N.Y. For decades, clinicians treating multiple sclerosis (MS) have interpreted the appearance of new or expanding brain lesions on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans as a sign that a patients disease is getting worse. Now, University at Buffalo researchers are finding that it may be the atrophy or disappearance of these lesions into cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that is a better indicator of who will develop disability. The five-year study, conducted by MS researchers in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB, was published in the Journal of Neuroimaging. Similar findings also resulted from their 10-year study of 176 patients that they presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in Los Angeles in April. Robert Zivadinov, MD, PhD, first author on the 10-year study and senior author on the five-year study, said: Using the appearance of new brain lesions and the enlargement of existing ones as the indicator of disease progression, there was no sign of who would develop disability during five or 10 years of follow-up, but when we used the amount of brain lesion volume that had atrophied, we could predict within the first six months who would develop disability progression over long-term follow-up. Zivadinov, a professor of neurology in the Jacobs School and director of the Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center (BNAC) in the Jacobs School, also directs the Center for Biomedical Imaging at UBs Clinical and Translational Science Institute. Brain lesions and MS Brain lesions in general are a sign of damage to the brain, such as physical trauma, a stroke, normal aging or chronic disease. Patients with MS receive MRI scans as part of their routine care so that doctors can track the appearance of new lesions and the enlargement of existing ones, typically seen as indicators of disease progression. Approval by the Food and Drug Administration for new MS drugs typically depends on the drugs ability to reduce the number of brain lesions over 24 months. Zivadinov noted that according to this premise, the loss of brain lesions could inadvertently be seen as a sign that the patients condition is improving. MS is characterized by the loss of myelin sheaths surrounding axons in the brain and disrupting the brains ability to send and receive neuronal messages. The growth of new myelin sheaths around axons may demonstrate that some brain tissue has been repaired spontaneously or as the result of medication. In order to focus specifically on the disappearance of lesions that likely indicate pathological change like atrophy, not beneficial change, like resolution or remyelination, the researchers looked exclusively at lesions seen on previous scans that were later replaced by cerebrospinal fluid. How do we know the lesions have disappeared? asked Zivadinov. Because where there was brain lesion tissue before, there now is just fluid. Lesions disappearing into cerebrospinal fluid The big news here is that we did the opposite of what has been done in the last 40 years, said Michael G. Dwyer, PhD, assistant professor of neurology and bioinformatics in the Jacobs School and first author on the five-year study in the Journal of Neuroimaging. Instead of looking at new brain lesions, we looked at the phenomenon of brain lesions disappearing into the cerebrospinal fluid. The researchers looked specifically at the rate of brain lesion loss due to atrophy compared to accumulation of lesion volume seen both at baseline and follow-up. They found that the amount of lesion volume that atrophied was the only significant lesion parameter that correlated with clinical disability as measured by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), the most widely used method of quantifying disability in MS. We didnt find a correlation between people who developed more or larger lesions and developed increased disability, said Dwyer, but we did find that atrophy of lesion volume predicted the development of more physical disability. While patients with relapsing remitting MS showed the highest amount of new lesions during the study, patients with progressive MS the most severe subtype had the most accelerated volume of brain lesion atrophy. The UB researchers said this indicates that this new imaging biomarker could be particularly important in transitional phases between relapsing and progressive MS subtypes. Paradoxically, we see that lesion volume goes up in the initial phases of the disease and then plateaus in the later stages, said Zivadinov. When the lesions decrease over time, its not because the patient lesions are healing but because many of these lesions are disappearing, turning into cerebrospinal fluid. More robust than whole brain atrophy Another important scientific finding of the studies, Zivadinov continued, is that atrophied brain lesions were a more robust predictor of disability progression than the development of whole brain atrophy itself, the most accepted biomarker of neurodegeneration in MS. Our data suggest that atrophied lesions are not a small, secondary phenomenon in MS, and instead indicate that they may play an increasingly important role in predicting who will develop a more severe and progressive disease, he said. The five-year study involved 192 patients with one of the three subtypes of the disease: clinically isolated syndrome, the earliest stage; relapsing remitting, an intermediate stage; or progressive, the most severe stage. In that study, patients underwent imaging studies in the Center for Biomedical Imaging in the Clinical and Translational Science Institute at UB and BNAC. The volume of lesions was quantified at the start of the study and patients received yearly scans on the same 3 Tesla MRI machine for more than five years. Lesion volumes were calculated over the five years of the study. In the 10-year study, the researchers conducted analyses at the Center for Biomedical Imaging in the Clinical and Translational Science Institute and the BNAC at UB. Patients in that study were scanned at the Department of Radiology and followed in the Department of Neurology and the Center of Clinical Neuroscience, all in the Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. Co-authors on the Journal of Neuroimaging study are: Niels Bergsland, PhD, research assistant professor of neurology in the Jacobs School and BNAC; Michael G. Dwyer, III, PhD, assistant professor of neurology and bioinformatics; Deepa P. Ramasamy, MD, clinical trial neuroimager, BNAC; Dejan Jakimovski, MD, PhD candidate at UB, and Bianca Weinstock-Guttman, MD, professor of neurology in the Jacobs School and a neurologist with UBMD Neurology. In addition to Dwyer, Bergsland and Ramasamy, other co-authors on the 10-year study presented at AAN are Jesper Hagemeier, research scientist at BNAC, and Tomas Uher, MD, PhD, Manuela Vaneckova, MD, PhD, Eva Havrdova, PhD and Dana Horakova, MD, PhD, all of Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. The research on atrophied brain lesion volume received no external funding but was supported in part by BNAC and the Center for Biomedical Imaging at the Clinical and Translational Science Institute at UB. Lee Foundation grants aim to train, retain UB psychology and psychiatry students in Western New York We believe the internship has the potential to substantially benefit Western New York, where there is a lack of mental health professionals and treatment resources BUFFALO, N.Y. The Patrick P. Lee Foundation has given two grants totaling $494,250 to the University at Buffalo for student internships and scholarships. The first grant will support a psychology doctoral internship program at UB, overseen by Daniel Antonius, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry. Antonius also directs the forensic psychiatry division in the Department of Psychiatry in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB. The psychology doctoral internship provides one year of fulltime training that serves as the transition between doctoral study and professional life, and is the capstone experience in doctoral psychology training, Antonius said. We believe the internship has the potential to substantially benefit Western New York, where there is a lack of mental health professionals and treatment resources, he continued. The internship will provide advanced training and high-quality trainees and services here, with the goal of retaining these psychologists in the area upon graduation from the program. This, in turn, will add invaluable quality and recognition to the mental health field in Western New York. The second grant is a renewal of the foundations commitment to the Western New York Medical School Scholarship Program, which provides full scholarships to students in psychiatry who pledge to work in the eight-county region after graduation. Steven L. Dubovsky, MD, professor and chair of the UB psychiatry department, said he is grateful for the generous gift from the Lee Foundation to the scholarship program, which supports third- and fourth-year students committed to going into psychiatry and remaining in Western New York for at least five years. Jane Mogavero, executive director of the Lee Foundation, said the foundation is grateful for the universitys partnership and commitment to mental health issues. These grants are very complementary and well aligned with the Lee Foundations goal to promote a well-trained, experienced mental health workforce in Western New York, Mogavero said. To address the considerable shortage of mental health professionals, specifically psychiatrists and psychologists, in our community, the Lee Foundation will continue to fund scholarships for medical students entering psychiatry, she said. She added: And we will expand our support to develop a psychology doctoral internship. With a focus on serious mental illness, the internship will ensure students do not need to leave Western New York to complete their training. The Patrick P. Lee Foundation, based in Williamsville, New York, focuses its investments in mental health and education. Patrick P. Lee, who built International Motion Control, a worldwide conglomerate with manufacturing facilities, formed the foundation in 2005. Boldly Buffalo: The Campaign for UB is the largest fundraising campaign announced by a State University of New York school and the largest in UB history. It will raise $650 million to transform student experiences, empower faculty research and discovery, and improve local and global communities. Boldly Buffalo is a university-wide initiative, with 17 UB schools, colleges and units declaring goals and fundraising priorities. When successfully completed, the campaign will create more scholarships and student experience programs, including study abroad and internships; will renovate and build innovative new facilities where students learn, create and discover; and will bring more talented professors, researchers and teachers to campus. A team from TG Enviro, part of the Tudor Griffiths Group in Ellesmere, have recycled a skip into a seating area which is now touring the country. The skip seat is now being displayed around trade and agricultural shows to promote TG Enviro and other Groups services, and was used at the British Ironwork Centre in Oswestry. Kevin Gardiner, Divisional Manager at TG Enviro, said: The design for the seat came from our Waste Manager John Pugh we had discussed how it would be a great way to promote our skip hire services, and so we came up with a plan of how to convert the skip and were delighted with the result. The seating areas creation comes as TG Enviro restructured its business, which caused an increase in demand for its services. Gardiner said: The complete restructure of the TG Enviro side of the business gave us an excellent opportunity to review our services and procedures, and our approach to sustainable and renewable energy. The increase in demand for our skip hire services is excellent news and is as a direct result of our rejuvenated approach to this part of the business. Thanks to the rise in bookings, we have also purchased an extra skip hire vehicle in order to meet the demands of our existing and new customers, and the business is continuing to grow. Pictured: Punters at the Field to Fork Festival at Harper Adams University try out the TG skip seat. Selco built and then donated BMX bikes to childrens charities Once Upon a Smile and Genie Networks. The bikes were built by workers at Selco as part of a team-building exercise, and have been fully tested. They have been donated to Once Upon A Smile and Genie Networks, where around 20 children will be able to use them. Genie Networks provides vital support for children and families with deafness while Once Upon A Smile provides emotional, practical and financial support to bereaved children and their families. Both charities are based in Stretford. Marc Lucock, Human Resources and Training Director at Selco, said: We are extremely proud to provide bikes to children who are supported by two fantastic charities. There was a lot of hard work involved in making the bikes but we also had a lot of fun doing it. One of our major principles at Selco is to support the communities in which we operate. We have three branches in Manchester at Ardwick, Baguley, and Ashton Moss so we couldnt have selected a better location for these bikes to be sent to. We hope that the children have plenty of fun riding them around Manchester over this summer and for many years to come. Aimee Hayhurst, Make Some Noises Partnerships Manager, added: Selco continue to be fantastic supporters of our charities and this donation is yet another example of the backing the company is providing. Virtually every child loves the experience of getting out in the fresh air and on their bikes. They look fantastic and there was certainly a huge buzz around both charities when they arrived. Pictured: Kelly Willison from Once Upon a Smile, Marc Lucock, Selcos Human Resources and Training Director, Angela Carrigan from Once Upon a Smile, and mascot Sidley. Peter Mafany Musonge W. Musa Ni John Fru Ndi, the National Chairman of the Social Democratic Front Party, SDF, has told members of the National Commission for the promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism that the body is incompetent is solving the Anglophone problem which has escalated into full blown war. He made the remarks in Bamenda, chief town of the North West region, on Thursday May 31, 2018 as members of the Commission met with the population of the North West region to discuss on the way forward in the current socio-political impasse. Mr Fru Ndi also lamented on the fact that there is gross marginalization of Anglophones in Cameroon but said the Government has decided to silence dissenting voices instead of listening to the people and providing lasting solutions to their worries. Other participants like civil society, religious authorities also partake in the discussion adding that the Head of State is unwilling to appropriately address the crisis. Suggestion by Dr Nick Ngwanyam to Musonge Commission The President Bilingualism Commission Bamenda 31st May, 2018 Dear Sir, Some Suggestions To Take To Government NEED FOR FEDERALISM The Bamenda City Council is very dirty. As we speak, there is a lot of grass all over the whole place. After this meeting I invite all of us to go there and see for ourselves. In fact we can hunt for antelopes and snakes out there. If you were to go there for a wedding, there will be no place available to take a nice picture. That is why there was the coffin revolution because of poor management of the city. That is why there are ghost towns and more. That is why Mancho and others are in prison because they complained in the loudest way about poor governance and they became the victims. That is why many people did not want to come here and participate because government punishes the messenger and does nothing about the complaint. In fact as we speak, primary schools in the most remote areas of the North West are cleaner than our city council. It is an indicator of the many other problems that are plaguing the city and many of our institutions. That is why Anglophones want a Federation to be able to manage their affairs effectively and efficiently. PROBLEMS OF THE DIASPORA Many persons in the Diaspora want double nationalities. While government officials might be breaking the law by having such double nationalities, they think other Cameroonians cannot and should not benefit from such privileges. I will suggest that the government should give those in the Diaspora Residence Permits so that they can come back to Cameroon, without the necessity for entry visas. GENERAL AMNESTY Amnesty should be granted to all those in custody and in the Diaspora so that healing and dialogue can take place. TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT I suggest that there should be a TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT in place now to correct the errors we are going through. It should strengthen state institutions and make them credible. It should champion the organization and management of a Truth and Reconciliation Committee that will set the records straight in the nation. We should do this before holding any elections. Elections in an atmosphere of tense and mistrust can degenerate into more chaos. GCE Board W. Musa Teachers of the English sub-system of education rallied under the All Anglophone Teachers Trade Union, have written a strong memorandum to Prime Minister Philemon Yang on what they described as destruction of the GCE Board. The complaint is coming over three months after the trade unionists ran the first warning bell to the Head of Government. Members of Cameroon Teachers Trade Union, CATTU, Presbyterian Education Authority Teachers Trade Union, PEATTU, Baptist Teachers Trade Union of Cameroon, BATTU, Teachers Association of Cameroon, TAC and Catholic Education Workers Teachers Trade Union, CEWOTTU, have reiterated that this time around , the issue be given prompt attention. They are complaining on the appointment of officials at the Board saying that it is carried out in violation of the statues of the Board, an issue raised in the first letter but ignored. The second missive is as a result the recent appointment of Deputy Registrar in charge of Technical Affairs, after the first letter was sent, describing it as an insult. They also frowned at the organization of GCE examinations saying it is in total violation of the norms of the Board urging the PM to intervene before it is too late. The Memo partially read, We were shocked that a circular signed by the erstwhile Minister of Secondary Education No. 346/18/MINESEC/SG on February 9, 2018, instructed Regional Delegates in the North West and South West Regions to designate teacher and parent representatives to the Cameroon GCE Board Council. Despite our recent warning against administrative influence peddling, another move from all indication, ultra vires and a display of defiant administrative high handedness, was taken. The fact that this administrative note studiously avoids the word elect is particularly noxiously ominous; this probably explains why the designation, especially in the Northwest, took the form of hurried, stealthy, exclusive business, with a tailored electoral college. These trade Unions and the Union of Parents and Teachers Association UPTA, clearly constitute very important teacher and parent representatives, were studiously sidelined, the teachers said. The letter is also coming after a former Registrar at the Board warned against such practices at the Board saying that it can lead to a doom. | BY Ricki Green | In an unprecedented move, a new campaign created by Sydneys Frost*Collective is encouraging gay men to drop their load to end HIV transmission. This campaign stars comedian Tom Sainsbury and has been delivered by Ending HIV a community-focused behaviour change programme run by the New Zealand AIDS Foundation (NZAF) to reach men who have sex with men. Says Michael Shaw, marketing manager for Ending HIV: Were unequivocally telling New Zealanders that if someone living with HIV has had an undetectable viral load for more than six months, HIV does not transmit through sex even if condoms arent being used. An undetectable viral load is when the amount of HIV in a persons blood is no longer able to be detected by a standard viral load test. This latest message from Ending HIV is in support of the global U=U movement, which declares that Undetectable = Untransmittable. Says Shaw: Evidence has been mounting for a long time now and with every new study saying the same thing, we made the decision to make this statement. People are still using unsafe as a synonym for condomless. That needs to change. We feel proud to tell New Zealanders that dropping their load has never been so risk- free. Kiwis will see this message popping up everywhere on the radio during their morning drive to work, flicking through Grindr, or walking down main streets all over the country. To spread the word further, Ending HIV have created 1,500 pun-filled cum rags, to educate about undetectable while loads are dropped. Ending HIV are expecting complaints as some people will find this message a bit hard-hitting. Says Shaw: Well always ruffle a few feathers when were talking about sex. But were not going to end HIV by whispering about it. A 2014 study found that only 7% of Kiwis would be prepared to have a sexual relationship with someone living with HIV. Only 45% would be willing to eat food prepared by an HIV positive person. For the 3500 New Zealanders living with HIV, this campaign will help tackle some of the stigma they still face, particularly within their own community. Maintaining an undetectable viral load might not be possible for everyone who is diagnosed with HIV, even if they take their medication as prescribed. It is important that people living with HIV are not pressured or expected to have an undetectable viral load. Regardless of achieving undetectable or not, getting on treatment early gives someone diagnosed with HIV the best change of leading a long and healthy life. New Zealand AIDS Foundation (Ending HIV) Michael Shaw, Marketing Manager Anthony Walton, Marketing and Communications Lead Trak Gray: Marketing Specialist Production Company: Chillbox Director: Gabriel Lunte Agency: Frost*Collective | BY Ricki Green | Inspired by recent student activism, The One Club for Creativity, the worlds foremost non-profit organizations in adverting and design, and MullenLowe, a global advertising agency network, are founding Fight Gunfire With Fire (FGWF), a creative force designed to inspire student creativity in the effort to curb gun violence. The strongest work submitted by students will be brought to life in partnership with advertising agencies, production and editorial companies, non-profits and national leaders to create active campaigns. Says Kevin Swanepoel, CEO, The One Club for Creativity: Now is the time for us to support our students, who through their vocal actions are making a difference in the fight against gun violence. Fight Gunfire with Fire supports their efforts further by amplifying their work and finding like-minded creatives to make their visions a reality. Fight Gunfire with Fire begins with a creative brief posted on The One Clubs Young Ones student programs website (www.theyoungones.org/), where students get information about the scope and goals of the initiative. As opposed to coming up with a big-budget national TV campaign, students are encouraged to create lower-budget grassroots ideas that can be developed and implemented quickly. There is no fee to enter ideas. All ideas submitted by students will be reviewed by the FGWF Creative Fire Council in the fall. The best ideas will be showcased on the website and connected to powerful sponsors, including interested agencies, production companies, brands and other organizations that want to take on an idea and bring it to life. Says Mark Wenneker, chairman of FGWF and CCO, MullenLowe: This is not about the right to bear arms. Its about the right to send our sons and daughters to school without fearing for their lives. Our industry can use its massive powers of persuasion, creativity, and media to help make sure that children are heard and protected. The FGWF project provides numerous opportunities for students to address issues that are reaching a crisis point, and seeks common ground on polarizing issues. The creative brief is designed to inspire students to address many issues including, legislative matters like state reciprocity laws and bans on gun sales to convicted stalkers and violent criminals as well as related issues such as gun buy-back programs, racial profiling and domestic violence. With the goal of launching student work into the market, the FGWF Creative Fire Council, made up of industry leaders, brands, non-profits and influencers, will review submissions at the beginning of the fall. The strongest ideas will be partnered with agencies, production houses, media companies and other groups that want to sponsor specific campaigns. The Creative Fire Council members include: Mark Wenneker, US CCO, MullenLowe Kevin Swanepoel, CEO, The One Club for Creativity Kirk Baxter, Oscar-winning film editor and Partner, Exile Keith Cartwright, ECD, 72andSunny Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, Oscar-nominated directors, Bob Industries Monte Frank, founder, Team 26, partner, Pullman & Comley, candidate for Lt. Governor of Connecticut Kathy Hepinstall Parks, novelist, creative director Susan Hoffman, CCO, Wieden+Kennedy Fernando Machado, global CMO, Burger King Ida Woldemichael, creative director, Everytown for Gun Safety Says Fernando Machado, global CMO, Burger King: The work of these students has inspired us all to use our talents and skills to make a real difference in our communities. I look forward to playing a role in helping fuel that Fire which has proved to be a powerful voice today. Once the Creative Fire Council has selected the best student ideas, Mophonics and other trailblazing companies will partner with creative industry leaders to help bring as many ideas as possible to life. These companies include Bob Industries, Exile, Mophonics, PS 260, Psyop, Smuggler and Team 26. Says Ida Woldemichael, creative director, Everytown for Gun Safety: Combining the power of creativity and activism is something I believe strongly in, and its a great way for students to make their voices heard to make a difference in todays world. In the coming weeks, Fight Gunfire with Fire will reach out to students as they enter summer sessions at the major portfolio schools, and also look to drive engagement with agency internship programs. The review of ideas will take place over the summer, as ideas are submitted, and can all be done digitally. The brief resides at: http://www.theyoungones.org/. | BY Ricki Green | The Board of IAB Australia has today announced that Vijay Solanki (left) has resigned from his role as chief executive officer. Gai Le Roy has been appointed interim CEO with immediate effect. Says Cameron King, chair, IAB Australia Board: Vijay has worked tirelessly to engage the digital media industry during his tenure, building out a stronger digital ecosystem and driving a number of valuable projects including the launch of our global best practice audience measurement Digital Content Ratings. Hes led closer working relationships with IABs in other markets to deliver initiatives that increase trust and transparency including ads.txt from IAB Techlabs. On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Vijay for his passion and commitment to helping us build a healthy, diverse and sustainable digital advertising industry. Says Libby Minogue, deputy chair, IAB Australia: Vijay has built a strong network of experts with the IAB Councils, who have built relevant standards, whitepapers and events. He leaves IAB Australia with stronger member engagement. Says Solanki: Ive genuinely loved leading the growth of the IAB. Our councils, membership and, most importantly, our output have all grown. Weve driven important initiatives together that have made a difference to the industry. Im grateful to the IAB team, our members and to the Board but its time for a change and Im looking forward to the next challenge. Le Roy, who has been IAB Australias director of research since 2016, is a well-respected industry figure, with over 20 years experience in the media and advertising industry. She has previously held senior roles at Fairfax Media, Nielsen and Nine. | BY Ricki Green | What better way of raising awareness of mental illness in the construction industry than getting a huge Hitachi ZX360 excavator and painting it the signature blue of a leading support group? Major civil construction company Winslow Constructors via Magnum Opus Partners, has boldly done exactly that to help address worrying trends in mental illness seen in the construction industry generally. As part of the effort, Winslow also made a substantial donation to beyondblue. Winslow and MOP came together to create this exciting new initiative to address the stark fact that construction workers suffer higher rates of mental illness than other occupations in Australia. The YouTube video highlighting the problem and Winslows response to it, was created and produced by MOP. Winslow Constructors highly welcome initiative has also been supported by public relations within the construction industry and the media generally, a longer video of the recent launch event to be distributed to all Winslow staff via EDM, on Winslows web presence, social media, posters around the workplace, and wallet cards that were placed discreetly in Winslow toilets for staff that might want some information or support from beyondblue. Winslow also offer support services to their staff via Drake Workwise. Says Rohan Davidson, executive general manager, construction, Winslow: Big Blue is a fantastic ice-breaker to increase awareness and break down the stigma that can stop people in our industry from seeking help. It is an eye-catching way to get the message out into the field and encourage people who are struggling to reach out and seek help. By shining a light on this issue we hope to create an environment in which people feel comfortable and supported to turn to their friends and colleagues, and organisations like beyondblue, for timely support. Says Pat Langton, creative director, MOP: When Winslow came to us about the initiative and we looked into the stats on mental health issues in the construction industry, we were very keen to help and get the message out to tackle this crisis. Its such an interesting way to get a message across by simply using a huge rugged object and painting it bright blue as a conversation starter and a beacon of hope to all people working in the industry. We have also produced a wide range of materials to make sure the message gets through. Our respect for Winslow Constructors tackling this thorny problem as part of their commitment to the safety and the wellbeing of their workforce generally is immense. Mates in Construction, a charity setup specifically to address suicide prevention in the construction industry, have the stats to back up Winslows action plan, revealing that its research shows that every year 190 Australians who work in the industry take their own lives thats tragically one person every second day. So throughout 2018, and supported by beyondblue and Mates in Construction, Winslow are providing employees with greater access to resources, and improved support networks. Mental health professionals are available 24/7 at the beyondblue Support Service on 1300 22 4636. Winslows launch of Big Blue was supported by the Victorian Minister for Roads, Luke Donnellan, and mental health ambassador and AFL/media personality Danny Frawley, and Hitachi themselves. The campaign will run throughout June across YouTube and Instagram and will be supported by a number of internal initiatives planned to run through to World Mental Health Day in October, 2018. Client: Winslow Constructors Agency: Magnum Opus Partners, Melbourne Creative Director: Pat Langton Copywriters: Stephen Yolland & Pat Langton Art Director: Johnathan Akiki Account Manager: Gina Elliott Photography/Filming: Jonathan Vasila ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen: What to do with your Thanksgiving leftovers For many, leftovers are often the best part of Thanksgiving. What we love about Thanksgiving leftovers is the ability to transform them into dishes that are equally if not more delicious. Here are some of our favourite ideas: Thursday, May 31, 2018 at 1:15PM By Sonya Davidson When it comes to sharing the creative process, Canadian fashion designer Hayley Elsaesser tells us shes super excited. At a recent creative class hosted by Microsoft Canada, Hayley shared how Microsoft's Surface is very much a part of her design and overall business process. Following the success of the Toronto Fashion Week show this past Spring where she included her Cosmic Dread collection, Hayley reached out to Microsoft Canada and mentioned that she really wanted to share her experience with a few of Torontos creative industry. The idea that creating stuff on the Surface is so easy for her, she felt passionate about showing others what it can do. Hayley is a Canadian Fashion Designer raised in Cambridge, Ontario by her single mom. As a kid, Hayley was quiet and shy. But, as her brother Connor, who's also her business partner, explains, "she used colour and imagery to differentiate herself. She dressed crazy ever since she was little. Hayley went design school in Brisbane, Australia. Upon graduation, she was selected to be part of Melbourne Fashion Week as one of 11 graduates. She didnt really have intentions to start her own brand but after receiving positive press and feedback at her first fashion week, she decided to dive right in. From the get go, Hayleys designs were inspired by pop culture. She uses elements from art, music, film, and television from her nostalgic childhood. Her collections are each inspired by a story. Her recent Teenage Wasteland collection was inspired by the thought of a post apocalyptic country club in the desert for delinquent youth. "The idea was that the world is over but some people survived and having lots of fun," said Connor. Hayley likes to use bright colours and interesting patterns and visual imagery then puts them on classic wearable silhoettes. Since shes began, shes grown a fan-base of young creative and celebrities alike including Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry, Joe Jonas, Lily Singh and many more. The pieces allow the wearer to stand out. Hayleys designs are very tongue and cheek rebelling against status quo. "People in Toronto lean towards darker clothing generally speaking, but Hayley tries to inject colour into that. And because her pieces are so recognizable, people now refer to the style as Hayley," said her brother. Shes also collaborated with other brands including Nike, Hasbro (My Little Pony inspired), and Annabelle cosmetics with designing their packaging. Hayley tells us her design evolution has now become a brand evolution ever since shes started working with Microsoft about two years ago. She explained to us that she actually weaseled her way into working with Microsoft. Before I worked on the Surface, I use to sketch out ideas on paper. Then, Id scan the ideas then retrace them and then digitally redo them in Illustrator and Photoshop. The whole process was really long," said Hayley. "Often when you draw something on paper, you might lose it or spill something on it. Because the process is so long sometimes you lose that inspiration. Now, with the Surface I can have a digital catalogue of all my ideas and everything that I do. I can also save and reconsider what Im doing later on. I can sit on ideas for a while and revisit and tweak ideas or colours when I want. If I just did this all on paper, Id probably forget about it or just lose it. Hayley explains that what she loves about the Surface is that its so easy to just draw out your ideas. Its so intuitive. Recently, she added the Surface Studio at the back of her shop on Queen Street West, saying it's also visually beautiful but having something that streamlines the process makes it more fun for her to create. "Technology has the power to create at great speed and helps you creatively grow," said Hayley. "Dont be afraid to have fun, you can always save for later or start over." She also mentioned the the love of using the Surface Pen which as we explored, also allows for more creative freedom and flexibility with four different pressure points for more layers and textures. The creative class event gave the opportunity for all invited participants to explore and customize their own GelSkin for their own Surface devices. Thank you to Hayley Elsaesser and Microsoft Canada for this experience! Third grade reading scores were lower than hoped, but the School District of Lee County faced a challenging school year, including a record number of out-of-class days due to Hurricane Irma, officials said this week. The hurricane caused a high rate of mobility and a lack of home life stability for many of our children, said Superintendent Dr. Greg Adkins in a prepared statement regarding student scores on the Grade 3 Florida Standards Assessments English Language Arts assessment. Although we want our children to be successful academically, our first priority is to provide a safe environment for social and emotional growth. With standards based learning, we recognize that children learn at varying paces. Dr. Richard Itzen, director of Accountability, Research and Improvement, agreed, stating the district did not do as well as officials there had wanted to or expected. We held our own giving our challenging year, he said. Executive Director of Student Development Shanna Flecha said the school district had great momentum starting off the school year, especially for elementary school students. Unfortunately, with students out 12 days because of Hurricane Irma, it took the little ones a little longer to get back into the swing of things. We have never been out for that many days in the history of our school district, Flecha said. Its pretty devastating to lose that much of instructional time. We had to restart school again after the hurricane. We still have families suffering after it, Flecha said. Although teaching and learning is always a huge priority for students, Flecha said they also had to amplify the safety of their students. The English Language Arts third grade test, a reading test, scores the assessment from 1 to 5. The state statue says that if you score in level 1, you will be retained unless you qualify for a good cause exemption, Itzen said, adding that retention for level 1 readers began in 2003. Retention decisions are not completely decided yet for the 2017-2018 third grade class because students have the opportunity to attend a Third Grade Summer Reading Camp, helping them move on to fourth grade based on their summer camp performance, he explained. Flecha said students who attend not only receive additional instruction in reading, they have another chance to pass an alternative assessment at the end of summer camp. Summer camp is reading standards that students are expected to achieve before moving to fourth grade, Flecha said. They go four days a week. Its a state mandate that we do that as well, provide them with another opportunity. Itzen said the state tries to return the third grade reading scores first, so school districts can take some action with the summer camp. Generally the school district has between 7,200 and 7,500 students taking the third grade reading assessment test every year. Over the past four years, 19 to 21 percent of those students score at a level, Itzen said. Level 1 is significantly below grade level, That has been right around the state average, he said. This year, 20 percent of the districts third grade students scored at a level 1. We have 20 percent of students scoring in level 1. Last year that was approximately 1,450 students. Approximately 67 percent of them were good cause exemptions, Itzen said. Good cause exemptions are applied for children with special needs, such as a diagnosed learning disability. There were 7,282 students who took the statewide standardized assessment this year. Fifty-five percent received a level 3 or above, compared to the state average of 57 percent. Twenty percent scored at a level one, the same as the state average; 25 percent scored at a level 2, still below level, compared to the states average of 23 percent; 29 percent scored an at-level 3, the same as the state average; 18 percent scored at a level 4, compared to the states average of 20 percent and 8 percent scored at a level 5, compared to the states average of 9 percent. Itzen explained that two-thirds of the students qualifying for a good cause exemption are English Language learners, students diagnosed with a disabilities, students maintaining a good portfolio showing they are good readers, as well as a couple of academic options if they score a particular score on alternative testing. If students have already been retained twice, anytime during their kindergarten, first, or second grade years, they do not have to be retained again, according to Itzen. Itzen said giving the challenging year with the disruption of Hurricane Irma in the fall, they thought the students came out OK. If you look at the scores across the state you will see a good two-thirds of the districts declined in their scores, he said of students scoring in a level 3 or above. The district compares itself to the 10 largest districts in Florida when looking at testing scores. We are about right in the middle, about No. 5 with students scoring a 3 or higher, he said. There were some success stories with this years Grade 3 Florida Standards Assessments English Language Arts assessment, according to Flecha. Cape Elementary School, for example, had an increase of 6 percent of their students scoring a 3 or higher. Cape Elementary had the most growth out of the elementary schools in the West Zone from last year to this year, she said. Other successes occurred at North Fort Myers Academy for the Arts with a 5 percent increase, Caloosa Elementary with a 3 percent increase, Tice Elementary School saw a 12 percent increase and San Carlos Elementary School saw a 11 percent increase. The district is continuously looking at ways to help its students improve their scores. They are implementing a districtwide K-12 curriculum map to help lay out standards for students to master throughout the year, Flecha said. Within the map is an instructional guide that will help provide framework for teachers, as well as what they should do if a student is or is not mastering the standard to continue to move forward. A comprehensive reading plan was also released this past Friday for all teachers K-12. We are excited about those initiatives, Flecha said. Although a new hurricane season is here, many Cape Coral and Southwest Florida home owners are still feeling the affects of last years historical storm. Lee County residents, almost nine months after Hurricane Irma blew through, are still maneuvering through insurance companies, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Small Business Administration disaster loans to return their property to its pre-hurricane state. Founder of Operation Open Arms, a 501(c)(3) charity that has been operating since 2005, John Captain Giddy Up Bunch feels FEMA has let him down. OOA has been recognized nationally for its philanthropical work, offering active duty military personnel fishing trips, vacations, weddings and other services including same day PTSD counseling. Ive done over $15.5 million in services for our troops, Bunch said. He recently received a prestigious Navy medal, the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award for his work with OOA. This award has only been given to 27 other recipients. Bunch, a former U.S. Marine officer, calls St. James City home and runs OOA from there. Following Irma, Bunch found his home with Three, Frisbee-sized leaks in his ceiling, he felt the damage was minimal due to water being blown under the shingles. Bunch, as many residents did, went to one of the big box stores to add his name to the list of home owners needing a FEMA blue roof to protect from more leaking while waiting for repairs. The roof lasted two to three weeks and the subcontractors FEMA hired to put this blue tarp on did a hack job; I got a call from a neighbor while I was in D.C. saying it was blowing around the neighborhood, Bunch said. According to Bunch, the blue roof did not serve its purpose, it only exacerbated the situation. Water was continuing to leak into Bunchs home, causing the small leaks to grow into surfboard sized leaks. I wouldve never gone to sign up to get the blue roof if I knew Id be shooting myself in the foot, he said. With the water continuing to come through my ceilings, the damage multiplied 10-fold. I had to pay another roofing company $300 out of pocket to properly put on another blue roof, he said. Bunchs issues with FEMA only start there, as he began the process to receive grant money to help levy the damages his house had suffered. I went through all of the interview processes in Bonita Springs with FEMA and SBA to try and find some financial relief. Bunch said he had flood insurance and home insurance, but not a hurricane or wind policy which he said are distinctly different. He said he endured an audit-like process and repeatedly jumped through the same hoops and had to provide many financial documents to both FEMA and SBA. He was not eligible for an SBA loan, leaving FEMA grant money as his only option. Bunch brought contractors in to assess the damage to his home post-blue roof placement and says they found around $70,000 worth of damages to his home. Between contractors and roofers, the damage was far worse than the original leaks. As they grew, water spread throughout my walls. I paid $15,000 out of pocket for a new roof, which still hasnt been installed yet due to back ups after Irma. I cant do any construction until I get a new roof. I need to rip out the sheet rock, put in a new ceiling and made $4,500 in emergency electrical repairs, said Bunch. FEMA sent an inspector to his home. Bunch said he did not even get on my roof to inspect it, rather, he looked at it from across the street. A slap in the face to Bunch, the first check he received from FEMA was for $341.70, for all of the damages inside his home. A second payment of $1,000 was sent to him after fighting with FEMA who said they had paid him in January, Bunch finally received it in April. A third payment, of $4,660 was sent to Bunch for his emergency electrical costs. And just this past week, on May 29, he received a payment of $1,912. Every one was getting grant money for $33,000. Im wondering why someone who has given back so much to military personnel, never took a dime from his own charity and has so much in damage costs, is only receiving a just under $8,000? he asked. I only stand to receive the $33,000 (maximum; Im not looking for $70,000. I want what everyone else got, Bunch added. His mission statement for FEMA reads asTo try and frustrate and instill a sense of quitting for those who apply for FEMA grants. Bunch is not currently living in his home in St. James City, as mold has developed due to the wet conditions. Im just trying to save my house and OOA, itd be tough to pull a great charity out of Florida he said. Bunch is fearful he may not have the means to restore his home and would have to move OOA up north to his second home; hes even sold a car to help pay for his roof. I just want fair and equal treatment for all who need it, some may not have a voice or the capacity to fight, but you better believe Ill fight until I cant swing anymore. When asked about maybe looking to the community for help, Bunch responded, I have asked so much for so many people, I dont have the audacity to reach my hand out. Bunch refuses to use any OOA money to pay for his damages, and said FEMA is not holding itself to a high standard. A great charity looks for ways to approve benefits, not deny them. Dont look for reasons not to do something. Bunch is still currently working to get the funds he believes FEMA owes him. Just take a look when you fly in and out of Southwest Florida at the thousands of blue roof homes we still have, Bunch said. Congressman Francis Rooney said, overall, FEMA has OK for Southwest Florida. We got 90 percent reimbursement from FEMA, as opposed to their normal 80 percent and received payments in installments instead of all at once after. The progress payments ease the cash-flow of the cities, with no huge debt to ask for after, he said. There are still rooftops damaged, but most have been brought back to normal. Rooneys office has lent a hand to those seeking monitory relief from Irma. Its a big part of our job. We contacted FEMA and SBA and got representatives in a room for residents over many districts in Florida. We helped people with paperwork and essentially put on a disaster recovery job fair. What did Rooney learn from last years record storm? We learned you cant be too prepared. Gov. Scott did great work as well. Were looking at our supplies such as gas and generators and how we could keep pumps open despite power-outages. Rooney said he thinks FEMA did a decent job despite the given circumstances, with about 90 percent of counties in Florida affected by Irma. Our website is to remind people of what to do in these situations. Know your evacuations routes, we are encouraging people to be vigilant in preparedness this year, Rooney ended. FEMA by the numbers in Florida after Irma (according to FEMA.gov): FEMA provided trailers and apartment units to 318 households in Collier, Hendry, Lee and Monroe counties. Households have received $497 million to pay rent. Survivors have received $173 million for home repairs. Survivors also received nearly $68 million to replace household items. Nearly $7.1 million in disaster unemployment assistance has helped Florida workers whose jobs were affected by Irma. Others have had issues with insurance reimbursement. A Cape Coral resident, Shelley Lack, found her bedroom and two more spots in her living room leaking water after Irma tore shingle after shingle off of her roof she had been living under since 2000. She had no power for five days, lost all of her food and found her lanai screen blown out with the outside ceiling fan dangling over destruction. Lack, despite the scary events, thought she would be OK because she had insurance. Her insurance company, though, denied her claim for roof repairs, despite never having put one in before, despite never missing a payment even when her premium was raised. After an adjuster came to inspect my home my insurance said that I did not need a new roof, that I just needed a couple of shingles replaced and that the deductible would be a wash. I knew I needed a new roof, Lack said. In fact, when Lack got her blue roof installed from the Army Core of Engineers, they told her there was significant damage to her roof, that it was simply not a couple of shingles that needed replacement. At one point, her insurance company deemed her case closed, but Lack would not take that for an answer and got her case moved within the company. After running in circles between FEMA and her insurance company, Lack found herself hitting a brick wall; she was contemplating getting a second job to pay for a new roof. FEMA told her because she had insurance, they couldnt help her. What makes one person more deserving than the other? Im not quite sure, she said of FEMA grants, as some of her co-workers did receive money despite having insurance. Im not sure how FEMA works. I know people with insurance that FEMA has helped, and people they havent. Sure, theyre helping some, but lots are falling through the cracks and we need to find out why. Working in an emergency room, Lack could not evacuate during Irma and still went to work every day. What she calls divine intervention happened one day on the job when a patient, Bob, and herself were discussing news about Irma on the television. He worked in the field and referred me to a roofer. I did not expect a call from him, but it came and it helped me more than words can describe, she said. Lack was put in contact with David Crowther, president of CFS Roofing Services. Without Bob, I wouldnt have a roof, Lack said. Crowther and his team helped with everything insurance-related, including photos, estimates, damages and helped her write her insurance company a letter, laying out all they found in damages and what needed to be replaced. Lucky for Lack, she had taken pictures of the inside and outside of her house prior to Irma. The first time I met Dave, he gave me $250 to go buy food because it all went bad. I knew then I was in good hands, she said. Despite their best efforts, Lack was once again denied by her insurance company. Finally, after continuing to plug away, the insurance company caved and decided to pay for Lacks roof in late February. This process was unnecessarily difficult. If I did not happen to meet who I did, on the day that I did, who knows where Id be now? Probably having to undertake the financial burden of roof replacement. I live with and take care of my son, who is a disabled veteran. I did not want to have mold grow and my house become unlivable. I couldnt find any other resources to help me, she added. Florida residents should be aware of what coverage they have and what damages it covers as the upcoming hurricane season arrives, officials said. My family and I moved to Lee County from upstate New York about six years ago. We moved for several reasons. Our property values were decreasing while our property taxes were increasing, and the public school system was failing our children. We wanted to find a place with good schools, low taxes, and a conservative constituency so that our children would learn to contribute to their community, rather than expect government to answer all of the ills of society. Basically, we voted with our feet. I had been reading the newspapers in several communities in the years before we moved. From the articles, I got a sense that Lee County was a community of people who shared our values. When I looked into the schools, I was encouraged. I learned that ones ZIP code did not dictate the quality of education. I also learned about the programs available International Baccalaureate, Career Academies, Arts and Cambridge and determined they would surely meet the needs of my own children in the years to come. Another reason we found Lee County attractive was the fact that the School District had never in its history exercised an option for a discretionary tax. I am a conservative who wants to raise my family in a conservative community. This, at its very core, means low taxes. It also means local control. Public education is perhaps, the arena of government that best exemplifies the need for local control. Policy coming out of Tallahassee or Washington, D.C. cannot possibly meet the unique needs of our community. For these reasons it might seem ironic that I am asking the voters of Lee County to vote yes on this referendum, but I have learned a lot about the funding of our schools in the past six years. Over the past decade, the state removed our ability to charge .5 mill in property taxes, resulting in a $200 million dollar decrease per year in capital funding for our schools. In addition, Public Education Capital Outlay (PECO) dollars have been all but eliminated. The funding decreases began during the recession. We, like every other local government, cut spending. We found efficiencies even when there did not seem to be any to find. We should thank the state for getting us to the point we find ourselves in today we are lean and our students are accomplishing academic success at record levels in Lee County. But, we have been forced to tighten our belt to such an extent that we now face a capital funding crisis. There are only six counties in the entire state that are growing the way we are growing. We have between 1,500 and 2,000 new students per year moving to Lee County. Our schools are at capacity. We have no place to educate these new students. If we do not act locally to generate revenue to build new schools, we will fail our students and our entire community. The other five growing counties all have a surtax. We need to step up to the plate for our children and provide funding for schools. Conservatism does not mean no taxes. Conservatism mean low taxes spent efficiently. The School District is spending your tax dollars efficiently. While the District is generating some revenue through innovative programs, we cannot bake sale our way out of a $478 million dollar need. Chris Patricca represents District 3 on the School Board of Lee County. To the editor: Two non-Florida residents visiting Sanibel wrote in a letter to the editor in another paper that the Civil War is over, get over it. They are thinking about becoming residents. Their reference is to the statue of Robert E. Lee and his portrait present in the Lee County Commission Chambers (and the concerns expressed). Let me reassure everyone, the Civil War is not over. Many citizens in this United States are still fighting it, especially those who are struggling to maintain white supremacy. Marginalized whites are specially threatened. If anyone thinks there was an absence of symbols of the Confederacy, racism, and white supremacy (unseen, not present) on Sanibel and the culture supporting (same), you should open your eyes. Plenty of symbols exist. In fact, they start at the tollbooth. Like snow on the mountain top, money covers many flaws. Lewis Robinson Fort Myers Photo: National Review Gold is used as a benchmark in certain economic times. It is a storehouse of wealth, a comparable for other currencies and assets and perhaps, as many people believe, a security against hard times and challenging economies. But there is something more precious than gold. Often, in management books you will read that time is the new precious commodity. I agree completely. For one who has consistently practised burning candles at both ends, nothing could be truer. However, what I am referring to is a currency that has no value, a currency that changes values radically both morally and practically, and a currency that we all have a storehouse of brimming to the top. The currency is our words. In a world where alternate facts have become the new truth a new term for a bold-faced lie our words are the most precious commodity we have. I have often told the story of business guru John Maxwell being quizzed by the media about business ethics. He confused the journalist by saying there is no such thing as business ethics. Apparently, today, there is no such thing as political ethics either, but that is another story. John went on to complete his thought with there are just ethics, plain and simple. Today, we grow up knowing how to budget, run a family and a household financially, run a business financially. Where do we learn how to run a business ethically? The examples we see and hear about today are often wrought with stretched truth at best and frankly, in many instances, lies. Whether a business is raising funds, selling products, negotiating a deal or applying for government permits, the truth is often too far away from reality for their values to be on target. A few direct questions will reveal a web of white lies that lead to a dead end. Yet, our integrity and moral values are what set us apart. If our definition of a leader in society would be more akin to what we would have seen 100 years ago, we would have upstanding gentlemen (or women) as leaders in our communities and governments. Not a leader of one of the largest economies in the world who sees lying as simply a communication/media tactic. We would have visible people and leaders in our community who our children could aspire too rather than having to shelter them from confusing rhetoric and distorted values. We would have examples of business leaders in our communities who traded profits for more important principles that put them on an ethical pedestal rather than in the Fortune 500 list. The world could be different if we understood that our words and integrity are more valuable than money. Photo: Jeffbullas.com From the moment we enter school, we are asked: what do you want to be when you grow up? We are primed for an office life of sitting, taking instruction and executing action plans. Growing up, we see evidence of hard-working parents who stayed with the same company for 20, 30, maybe even 40 years. Their tenure is celebrated with pins, parties, and plaques that hang nicely on their office wall. The mindset of following your passion and loving what you do wasnt as recognized or celebrated in generations past. While Gen Xers may have paved the way for millennials (Gen Y) to think and feel as they do, Xers defined their responsibility as making an income to support their family, grow their net-worth, and plan for retirement. Millennials dont necessarily think about responsibility the same way; Instead, they start with gratifying themselves. They strive to figure out what they are passionate about and how they can stand out while pursuing it. That statement is supported by facts such as: the declining rate of pregnancies the average tenure in a job or with a company (Hint: it sure isnt 20 years) Millennials are focused on themselves and if they dont like something they move on. That may be viewed as selfish by some members of the exiting workforce, but its not. There is nothing selfish about wanting to be happy. There is more self-awareness in the pursuit of finding your passion, which leads to increased contentment and the associated ripple effect that we all enjoy. But, what if you are stuck between two generations of thought process? What if you think you should have a career role at an established company and yet, your heart is telling you to go find your purpose? For those of us born in the 80s, this could mean a life-long struggle of deciding which path to pursue: long-tenure at a company and the pins to celebrate it or searching for what makes your heart beat faster and attempting to monetize it. Of course, this article cant address each person. Perhaps youre part of the group whose purpose is clear, and you love where you work and what path youre on. I tip my hat to you wish you all the best. Most of us millennials born on the border between Gen X and Gen Y will, however, struggle with how to achieve that goal. If this article rings true for you, know that you arent alone. Its a challenging place to be stuck, and not just for you think of the employers looking for good talent and a committed work force. How does a business attract and keep millennials? Think of those who raised you and cant understand why you arent successful by their definition of long-tenure. It isnt that these groups dont want to understand. It is just an incredibly different approach to life for them. Employers are scrambling to work with millennials by looking at flexible working arrangements, and job perks that extend beyond pay incentive. Parents are supporting their childrens pursuit of happiness by supplementing their finances through living arrangements. Young adults now live with their parents longer than any previous generation. So, what does someone do when they cant decide on the path? There is no clear answer. But, look at those who have been successful by following their dreams. It wasnt easy. They worked tirelessly and often without recognition or support, but in the end, they succeeded because they believed in themselves. The pursuit of happiness is the worthiest path you can be on. Remember to thank those who helped or are helping you walk it. Dont judge those who cant understand it. Instead, help them understand by sharing your story of why you feel inspired and what success looks like for you. This is your life. Ill finish with this amazing quote from Karen Lamb: A year from now youll have wish you started today. Photo: The Canadian Press Bill Morneau Canada's finance minister says a meeting of officials of the seven major industrial countries will now be focused on trade after U.S President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports on America's allies. Finance Minister Bill Morneau said at the start of the three-day meeting on Thursday that the "absurd" tariffs will "absolutely" be the focus. Morneau says he expects the G-7 to keep pressure on the U.S. with the hope the Trump administration reconsiders. And Morneau fully expects the effort to continue at next week's leaders' summit in Quebec. The summit will be Trump's first visit to Canada as president. The G-7 countries are the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Canada. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will meet with Morneau on Thursday. Photo: The Canadian Press A aerial view of Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain tank farm is pictured in Burnaby, B.C., is shown on Tuesday, May 29, 2018. Lawyers for Trans Mountain will be back in court today to ask a British Columbia judge to amend an injunction order limiting people from protesting within five metres of two work sites in Burnaby. B.C. Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Affleck granted the order in March, when he turned down a request for a 50-metre exclusion zone at the Burnaby Terminal and the Westridge Marine Terminal. Trans Mountain says in its notice of civil claim that protesters have changed their tactics to maximize disruption at the construction sites and to avoid arrest for breaching the injunction order. It says a group of protesters obstructs access to a facility and when RCMP arrive, they are advised to comply with the order within 10 minutes to prevent arrest. The notice says shortly before that time is up, all or most of the blockade participants leave, only to be replaced by a second group to which police also read the injunction order, before a third group arrives and repeats the process. Lawyer Maureen Killoran told the judge Thursday that participants are expected to further escalate their protests starting today. The notice of claim says plans to block trucks, contractors and workers "hour by hour" without getting arrested have been posted to a public Facebook page by a group called the Justin Trudeau Brigade. "Blockade participants are structuring their tactics to avoid the spirit and intent of the injunction order," the notice says. "The amendments to the injunction order Trans Mountain seeks are necessary to prevent blockade participants from engaging in further unlawful activity that contravenes the injunction order and interferes with Trans Mountain's work, operations and legal rights." Photo: CTV/Chopper 9 A tractor-trailer went up in flames in a spectacular blaze on the shoulder of the Trans-Canada Highway in Coquitlam Thursday evening. The semi, hauling a Trans-X trailer was fully engulfed in flames on the shoulder of the westbound lanes, near the King Edward Street overpass and Coquitlam IKEA store. The blaze happened about 7 p.m. Traffic continued to flow past the fire, but was slowed significantly. The front end of the rig was completely engulfed by flames, but it's believed the driver got out OK. with files from CTV Vancouver Photo: CTV Hundreds of protesters marched in Victoria's Inner Harbour Thursday evening in opposition to Ottawa's purchase of the Trans Mountain pipeline. People waved Canadian flags and inflatable orcas as environmental activists and First Nations marched through the streets. Traffic was disrupted, but the protest was peaceful as about 20 police officers monitored the crowd. Participants voiced opposition to the federal government's plan to buy the Kinder Morgan expansion line and Burnaby terminal for $4.5-billion in the face of B.C.'s opposition to the project. B.C. Premier John Horgan's court battle over regulating the flow of diluted bitumen from Alberta sparked the federal intervention. Horgan said this week the purchase has no bearing on the case before the B.C. Court of Appeal. with files from CTV Vancouver Island Photo: Contributed Volunteers are being sought to help clean up more than 100 flood-damaged homes in Grand Forks. Charitable disaster relief organization Samaritans Purse has brought a specially equipped Disaster Relief Unit tractor trailer to the flood-ravaged community. It's stationed at River Valley Community Church, but the group needs more volunteers to train, equip and send out in teams to help flooded residents. It says many of the affected residents are seniors with health problems and no flood insurance because their homes are too close to the Kettle and Granby rivers. "They cant clean out their homes and make them safe on their own," it said in a media release. Anyone who can help is asked to visit SamaritansPurse.ca and fill out an application form. Residents who need help with their homes should call 1-866-628-6565. Photo: Contributed British Columbians appear to oppose the federal government's purchase of the Trans Mountain pipeline but believe it will now be built, according to a new study by Insights West. The poll has found the majority of British Columbians, 53 per cent are opposed to the federal governments acquisition of the pipeline and only one third , 33 per cent support the decision. Insights West has taken the temperature on sentiment towards the proposed expansion of Kinder Morgans Trans Mountain pipeline ten times over the past five years and, for the second consecutive time, the majority of British Columbians, 51per cent say they support the proposed project, while 39 per cent oppose it. Though overall support has dropped slightly, from 55 per cent, since the Insights West poll conducted in April 2018. Not surprisingly, 63 per cent of men aged 55 and over, and those who voted for the BC Liberals in last years provincial election, 81 per cent are more likely to support the expansion, while women, 46 per cent, aged 18-34 and 35-54, 44 per cent, respectively, and those who voted for the BC New Democratic Party, 57 per cent and BC Green Party, 61% are more likely to oppose it. You can see the full results online. Unfortunately for the federal Liberals, those in BC who voted for them in the 2015 federal election are largely opposed to their decision to buy the pipeline, 49 per cent opposed vs. 40 per cent support. This is surprising given that the same Liberal voters are supportive of the pipeline being built overall, 55 per cent support vs. 39 per cent opposed. Even though opposition to the Federal governments decision is strong in BC, the general public feels that this decision will result in a higher likelihood of the project moving forward. Support for the pipeline expansion has improved dramatically in the past several months in British Columbiapartly as the result of the public making the determination in their minds that high prices at the pump lately are caused by pipeline delays and uncertainty according to our last release, says Steve Mossop, president of Insights West. However, despite overall support for the project, residents are opposed to the federal governments decision to acquire the pipeline and its assetsincluding federal Liberal votersleaving support for Trudeau waning as an outcome. To all you B.C. protesters out there, thank you for the pipeline. Your protests were so effective, you scared away a major corporation from owning this pipeline. You made a premier think he was doing all this anti-pipeline delay stuff, thinking protesters were the majority, the rightous ones. Thank you, B.C. government for supporting these protesters, even being charged and fined with the protesters. Thank you, MP Elizabeth May. You were so courageous on the federal payroll. Thank you all protesters. Canada is a better place without protesters, but now we have a pipeline. Gary Niki, Kelowna Photo: Wikipedia Provincially-operated liquor stores are now accepting donations to help residents in B.C. affected by spring flooding, the province announced on Friday. Money donated at any of the 197 BC Liquor Stores will be provided to the Canadian Red Cross appeal fund. People can give donations in multiples of $2 and $5 at the cash register, the BC Liquor Distribution Branch said. Stores have been taking donations for a week already, and in that time have raised more than $35,000 collectively. The money will be used for the Red Cross to provide residents with essential items and cleanup kits for homes. "We are so grateful for the support of partners like BC Liquor Stores when disasters strike," Kimberley Nemrava said, vice-president of the B.C. and Yukon Red Cross. "This support from across the province will help the Red Cross provide assistance right now, and in the weeks to come." Provincial liquor stores will be accepting donations until June 24. The provincial government has also committed to matching all donations to the Red Cross for flood victims until July 31. BC Liquor Stores has partnered with the Red Cross for 14 years, and in that time they have transferred more than $2.5 million to help with crisis relief in various places around the world. Photo: BC Conservation Service Conservation officers suspect an animal parts trafficking ring may be behind a gruesome discovery north of Prince George. The Conservation Officer Service says a grizzly bear carcass was found beside Highway 97 on Wednesday. The animal had been shot and all four paws had been removed. Grizzly bear hunting across British Columbia was banned last year. Anyone exporting, importing or trafficking in bear paws, bear gall bladders or genitals could face a six-month jail term, $250,000 fine, or both, if convicted. Some bear parts are used in traditional broths and medicines and can fetch thousands of dollars when sold overseas. UPDATE: 6:45 p.m. COSAR search manager Ephraim Nowak says crews are dealing with challenging terrain in the search for Jordan Mooney. Crews are still on site at a rural construction site in McKinley Landing and mapped areas Friday for a wider search on Saturday. "The terrain in the search area is quite varied ... we have everything from mountains to cliff faces down to swamps and also multiple ponds," Nowak said Friday evening. Specialty teams are being brought in to search those areas on the weekend. "The plan is scale up the search significantly over the weekend," he said. RCMP are assisting with aircraft and a dog team. UPDATE: 2:20 p.m. The search continues for a missing Vernon man in the McKinley Landing area of Kelowna. Searchers are hoping Jordan Mooney may have wandered down into an abandoned house, and COSAR asks if homeowners could check their out buildings and neighbour's vacant properties. Thirty searchers combed the area Thursday, but a smaller crew is on site today, preparing for mutual aid from Vernon Search and Rescue and other groups tomorrow. COSAR members are mapping out high probability areas today for a larger sweep of the area over the weekend. So far, no leads or evidence have been found since the discovery of Mooney's car Wednesday night. ORIGINAL: 10 a.m. Search crews are back in the McKinley Landing area on the northern reaches of Kelowna this morning, after the discovery of a missing Vernon man's vehicle. Twenty-four-year-old Jordan Mooney was last seen Sunday night, leaving a home in Kelowna's Dilworth Mountain area. His abandoned Volkswagen Jetta was found in a rural construction area Wednesday night, about two kilometres up a dirt road. Ephraim Nowak with Central Okanagan Search and Rescue said Friday morning COSAR has an eight-member team combing the area this morning. The search is currently on land, although there had been talk Thursday of extending it into Okanagan Lake. Nowak said if there are no results today, COSAR will likely conduct a larger-scale search over the weekend. Police used drones and a fixed-wing aircraft on Thursday to search the area from the air. Police dogs were also on site. The public is asked to avoid the search area so crews can effectively do their jobs. Photo: Contributed Norm Letnick Kelowna-Lake Country MLA Norm Letnick believes the NDP government is trying to "manipulate the system" to get the result it desires out of election reform in B.C. Letnick made the comment following an emergency debate in the legislature, Thursday. The first emergency debate since 1995 was called after the NDP announced the referendum questions that will be put to voters this fall on electoral reform. The BC Liberals argued during the debate the report on proportional representation should be sent to an all-party committee for study. That committee, says Letnick, would have time to produce riding maps and provide a picture of what is being proposed as a replacement for the current first-past-the-post system. The last referendum, which was defeated, was designed by an independent citizens assembly. "They did all the work, they produced the question. It was simple," said Letnick. "People saw that, in many parts of the province, their ridings would actually double in size. Many ridings in our province are already bigger than some countries. "I think that's why the current government has manufactured this short time-line, and used it as an excuse for not producing maps." Letnick also believes the timing of the referendum, set to be held no later than the end of November, plays into the hands of those in favour of change. "This fall, we are going to be in the middle of municipal elections and a referendum at the same time," he said. Photo: CTV Bike to Work Week turned deadly on Friday after a cyclist collided with a dump truck in North Vancouver. CTV reports a man in his 50's died in the collision. RCMP and traffic reconstruction remain on the scene. The collision occurred Friday morning just after 7 a.m. and the identity of the deceased, a North Vancouver resident has not been released. However, police indicate he passed away at the scene of the collision. -with files from CTV Photo: BC SPCA The SPCA is investigating after a duct-taped cat was thrown from a car window. A witness tells CTV two men in a grey sedan pulled over in the Victoria suburb of Langford, dropped the cat out the window, and drove off. The animal appeared to be injured, and it was then noticed that the elderly cat had its hind legs duct taped. The incident took place on the 3000 block of Pickford Road on Tuesday. The cat "appeared to be dragging her hind legs, and upon inspection, the Good Samaritan discovered that the cat had duct tape wrapped around her stomach and her hind legs, animal protection officer Erika Paul said in a statement. A veterinarian treated the feline for a large abscess and lesion on the side of its body. Anyone with information is asked to call the SPCA cruelty hotline at 1-855-622-7722. with files from CTV Vancouver Island Madison Erhardt Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran admits the city has made some mistakes when it comes to getting the homeless off the streets. He made the comment during the groundbreaking for a new 46-unit supportive housing complex on Commerce Avenue. Basran suggested the 80-bed Cornerstone shelter established last year on Leon Avenue is just too big to be managed properly. "We learned from Cornerstone. We know that Cornerstone was too big, too many people, and as a result was too hard to manage and had some negative impacts on the surrounding neighbouhood," he said. "We've learned from that, and I think smaller facilities like this will be more manageable and will fit more seamlessly into the surrounding neighbourhoods." Basran acknowledged concerns have been raised by neighbours. He says the city does have an expectation of how things should run, but says the actual impact won't be known until it is up and running. "We have impressed upon the provincial government to make sure this is a smooth transition and the neighbourhood isn't negatively impacted." Kelowna's Journey Home Task Force, which is almost set to release its final report, suggests about 350 people in the city are in need of this type of housing. "The good news is we are working with BC Housing and the provincial government for more of those. It's my understanding we are in negotiations for approximately 180 (beds)," said Basran. To that end, the province acknowledged it has purchased property at 2025 Agassiz Rd. for a second supportive housing project. The $8-million Commerce Avenue project is part of a provincial strategy to build 2,000 rapid response homes in the province. The modular homes being built by Kamloops-based Horizon North will be ready for occupancy by the end of September. It will be run, and staffed 24-7 by the John Howard Society. Penticton council recently rejected a similar complex due mainly to its proximity to schools and seniors homes, while more than 90 units will be going up soon in Vernon. Photo: Contributed If you have ever thought about running for a position in a municipal election, you'll want to attend an upcoming panel discussion at the Okanagan Regional Library Vernon Branch on June 23 at 1:30 p.m. Vernon councillors, as well as a school trustee, the mayor and regional district director will all be included on the panel. The panel will discuss information regarding local government structure, campaigning, and what to expect if youre elected. The next general local elections in British Columbia are on October 20, 2018. Photo: Wikipedia The Defence Department is poised to take over background investigations for the federal government, using increased automation and high-tech analysis to tighten controls and tackle an enormous backlog of workers waiting for security clearances, according to U.S. officials. The change aims to fix a system whose weaknesses were exposed by the case of a Navy contractor who gunned down a dozen people at Washington's Navy Yard in 2013. He was able to maintain a security clearance despite concerns about his mental health and an arrest that investigators never reviewed. Problems had earlier surfaced with former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, who now lives in Russia to avoid charges for disclosing classified material, and Army Pvt. Chelsea Manning, who went to prison for leaking classified documents, triggering calls to update the antiquated system to include more frequent criminal and financial checks of workers who have security clearances. Another problem has been delays: a backlog of about 700,000 people, including high-ranking federal officials waiting as much as a year to get clearances. President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, for example, received his permanent clearance just a few weeks ago, more than 16 months after Trump took office. The delay, his lawyer said, was caused by the backlog in the new administration and Kushner's extensive financial wealth, which required lengthy review. Pentagon officials said that over the next three years, the Defence Department will take responsibility for all background investigations involving its military and civilian employees and contractors. But according to a U.S. official, the White House is expected to soon give the department authority to conduct security reviews for nearly all other government agencies as well. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the decision before it was publicly announced. Plans to transfer responsibility from the Office of Personnel Management to the Pentagon for all of the roughly 3.6 million Pentagon employees, directed by defence legislation for fiscal 2017, are already in the works. The new program will involve a system of continuous checks that will automatically pull and analyze workers' criminal, financial, substance abuse and eventually social media data on a more regular basis, rather than only every five or 10 years as it is done now. Garry Reid, director for defence intelligence, said the shift of responsibility to the Pentagon will allow OPM officials to begin eating away at the current backlog of about 700,000, of which roughly 500,000 are Defence Department workers. The Pentagon won't take over any of the backlogged cases because they are already underway in OPM. While the Office of the Director of National Intelligence is the executive agent for the program, and sets the guidelines for the security requirements based on federal investigative guidelines. OPM and the Pentagon carry out the vetting process, working with the DNI. Photo: Darren Handschuh Things are pretty chaotic at the Vernon Recreation Complex, but that is exactly what organizers want. The annual Creative Chaos kicked off today and is expected to attract thousands of people. The free event features almost 300 vendors all of whom have items they have made themselves. Chaos president Gail Craig said there a number of new vendors this year. This is one of the largest craft fairs in Western Canada, said Craig. It is all hand-made items, there is nothing that is store bought. Chaos takes up three buildings in the recreation complex and runs until 9 p.m. tonight, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Anna Amelia K. Mayers, 90, entered fully into the presence of the Lord on Friday, September 10, 2021. While she will be missed by many, we are thankful she is reunited in heaven with... Ongoing Rise is collecting donations of backpacks and school supplies for local students of all ages from elementary school to high school that will be handed out before the new school year begins. Students can come in to the Rise Thrift... The Tennessee Valley Authority is celebrating National Trails Day 2018 with several events. Every year on the first Saturday in June, hundreds of thousands of people across the U.S. get together to celebrate National Trails Day. This year it will be observed on Saturday, June 2, and is sponsored by the American Hiking Society. We look forward to participating in National Trails Day every year because its a great opportunity for people to discover TVA trails and recreation destinations, and to deepen their appreciation for the outdoors, said Bucky Edmondson, director of Natural Resources. TVA trails, including water trails, are tangible ways to show our commitment to environmental stewardship and economic growth as part of TVAs mission of service to the Valley. TVA is kicking off its observation on June 1, and the celebration will continue through July. Two special events are scheduled to honor the 50th anniversary of the laws that created the Wild & Scenic River System (a Water Trails Celebration on June 21) and the National Trails System (on the Appalachian Trail on July 7). "TVA maintains more than 170 miles of trails across the Tennessee Valley, offering something for every hiker, biker and horseback rider. With our guide map on TVA.com, finding the right one has never been easier. Find detailed trail descriptions, information on amenities, difficulty, distance, uses and additional notes to enhance the experience," officials said. The Biesterfeld group continued its successful track record of business development in 2017. Based solely on organic growth, the business group grew its corporate sales to EUR 1.2 billion and expanded its operating result to EUR 51.2 million. The family-owned business generated its growth largely in European markets, with its home market of Germany being particularly worthy of mention. Once again, all four operational business divisions contributed to this positive trend. Both the expansion of Biesterfeld Plastic's market shares in Europe and Latin America and Biesterfeld International's ongoing development of international trading activities strengthened the company's consistent record of growth. Biesterfeld Performance Rubber, the company's newest business division, experienced a successful start to its sales activities in Brazil and was able to expand its European product portfolio. Biesterfeld Spezialchemie, which is focused on technically demanding and consultation-intensive solutions, also grew its business in its 13 core sectors and expanded its highly specialized product and service portfolio. Thomas Arnold, CEO of Biesterfeld AG, explains: "2017 was once again a very successful business year for us. We have our outstanding employees to thank for that, who have used their know-how, commitment, and rich set of ideas to make Biesterfeld what it is today: an internationally successful and highly specialized family-owned company. All 800 employees are following the strategic approach of 'One Biesterfeld' to achieve successful long-term business development." The first quarter of 2018 has likewise been a successful one for Biesterfeld. This is making the corporate group optimistic that it will be able to continue its success story of past years into 2018, despite persistent geopolitical and industry-specific challenges. Biesterfeld remains focused on its areas of specialization and on expanding its portfolio of products and services accordingly. Thanks to that and its long-term partnerships with suppliers and customers, the distributor is confident that it will continue to operate with expertise, reliability, and success on the international chemical distribution market. Voice of the People Audio Article Native son Tom Smiths history of East Chesterton (Chesterton Tribune 9-30-21 Commentary) was interesting and a poignant tribute to his five-generations back ancestors, the Morgans, who traveled from West Virginia and Ohio to settle here in 1833 to raise a family, to farm and... Voice of the People Audio Article This summer the Times of NW Indiana again suggested in an editorial that Dunes Action had been in opposition to the renovation of the State Park Pavilion. We never did. In fact, most of us had been waiting for it for decades. They did not... Guest Commentary Audio Article This is a short history of the Morgan family farm before the possible development of the remaining 49 acres east of Chesterton. Jesse and Jane Morgan arrived in Northwest Indiana in 1833 after traveling through Ohio, northern Indiana, stopping off in LaPorte County for a... Echoes of the Past Audio Article 10 Years Ago Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011 Bethlehem Lutheran Church will host a wellness screening event. . . CHS girls soccer team beats LaPorte 5-0 and clinches a share of the DAC title. Scoring goals are Rosie Biehl (2), Hannah Kollar (2), and Sam... Google, which has nowhere else to expand at 1000 W. Fulton Market, is leasing 14,000 square feet on the ground floor that once had been planned as retail space for the building, Google spokeswoman Kayla Conti confirmed. She said that space will be used for Googles salespeople to interact with clients. The Loop-based company is almost there, he said. Avant launched its credit card to about 10,000 middle-class customers and plans to grow that to 100,000 by years end. It started partnering with banks to power lending activity, run online fraud prevention and help with compliance. It partners with three already, including Puerto Rico-based Banco Popular and Alabama-based Regions Bank, and is set to launch four more this year. The banks direct customers that are declined under their credit criteria toward Avant. Advocacy and other groups pushed the bill in response to concerns that treatments for mental health and substance use disorders are not being covered at the same level as those for physical medical conditions despite a federal law prohibiting such disparities. Advocates considered the issue especially pressing given the epic of opioid addiction that has gripped the U.S. and Illinois. There seems to be plenty of runway for more growth. Dollar sales of snack, performance and nutrition bars grew 20 percent from 2012 to 2017 and represented an almost $6.9 billion industry last year, according to a report from market research firm Mintel. And while that growth is expected to slow in the next five years, TeaSquares products are marketed toward some of the trends considered most important by the Mintel research, such as being high in protein and having no artificial ingredients. Facebook is discontinuing its troubled "trending" section, the social network announced Friday. (Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg) Oak Park is holding a Vintage Car Show on Sunday, June 3. Cars from the 20s, 30s up through the 90s are expected to be on display. Ford Model T and Model A as well as woody station wagons will be in the mix near downtown Oak Park. On a recent Friday at the food court at The Shops at North Bridge, one woman quickly whipped out her phone and recorded the quick chop-chop-chop of scrapers rolling up cigarette-shaped tubes of ice cream, which were subsequently nested into a colorful paper cup and topped with a macaron, a special thanks for her video recording efforts. For those seeking relief from the summer heat while shopping on Michigan Avenue, WondeRoll, a new rolled ice cream shop, is here to help you cool off with some sweet treats. Much has changed since the Delany sisters first had their say from stages in New York and Chicago in the 1990s. Their stories were dramatically adapted by Emily Mann from the book written with Amy Hill Hearth. But Bessie (who died in 1995 at 104) and her sister Sadie (who died in 1999 at 109) were but one generation removed from slavery times. They knew America before Jim Crow took hold. Here they are again at the Goodman Theatre, their personal warmth and testimonies a fine match for the direction of Chuck Smith, essayed now by Ella Joyce and Marie Thomas in such a way as to foreground not only their differences but the rock of familial love on which they stood. Through June 10 at the Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St.; $20-$75 at 312-443-3800 or www.goodmantheatre.org And what an event it was: Baller travel aside, the party was held at a beautiful ranch, with snow-capped Rocky Mountains as a backdrop and a dozen horses in a pen next to the giant speakers set up in a circle inside where the listening would take place. The attention to detail was top-notch: Wait staff eagerly offered a variety of drinks, there were several fully stocked bars and flowers on every table, guests served themselves from ample and delicious barbeque, and there was a who's who of celebrities and media, radio and musical luminaries in an unexpectedly approachable setting: Jonah Hill, Nas, Chris Rock, Pusha T, Lil Yachty, Kid Cudi, Ty Dolla $ign, Fabolous, Teyana Taylor and many others maybe weren't totally psyched about posing for selfies or conversation with star-struck strangers, but they rolled with it and generally seemed to be in relaxed party mode, if understandably a bit guarded considering how accessible they were. Mrs. West, aka Kim Kardashian, fresh from her summit on prison reform with President Trump, was also in the house but protected by an imposing bodyguard. Yet the overriding theme, even as he comes clean about most of what his life has become, is one of defiance. Would his fans want him any other way? West promises a string of albums in the next few weeks that he will produce for other artists, including Kid Cudi, Nas and Teyana Taylor. With West, redemption is always one hit away. Mantello wants his audience to breathe in not just his characters, with their one-liners, quips, power trips and deep sadness, but also to imbue the breathtaking contrast with the self-assured men who now are playing them, luckier men not born when the play was written. That is not to imply condescension on the part of these actors on the contrary, for you can read the seriousness with which they take their assignments to play men much less famous than themselves but merely to claim Mantello's clear purpose, as intensified by a design from David Zinn that has one foot in two eras and its cleverly timeless body in the close proximity of such contradictions as intimacy and performance, privacy and display. I suspect she had much fiercer opposition than you see in Turners short drama, which features only one student character, which is a strange, if low-cost, choice for a play about life in a college. That puts a lot of pressure on Pearl (the vibrant Aurora Adachi-Winter) to be a kind of all-purpose representative of youth, and, alas, she has no peer with whom to wrestle. Meanwhile, all of the forces of conservatism are embodied in a dean named Welsh (Mary Beth Fisher), who basically has to keep showing up to report someone else having trouble with what Woolley is doing. It gets a tad repetitive, and it lacks credibility. I understand the need for small-cast plays, but Turners vision here demands more amplification. Maybe for the movie. Formerly titled "Infamy," "Proven Innocent" is a legal drama set in a Chicago wrongful conviction firm. Led by a fierce and fearless female lawyer with a hunger for justice, the team reopens investigations, putting their own lives in danger to exonerate the innocent that were 'proven' guilty. Our lead's motivation comes from her infamous past; as a young adult she was found guilty and later exonerated in a high-profile case in which she became a tabloid sensation, household name and national celebrity. While a hero and a victim to some, her bold and bullish tactics garner her some enemies-- one of whom will do anything to see her go down for a crime we know she did not commit. We will watch her defend others as she fights to maintain her own innocence. She also repeated the excuse she has publicly given for likening Valerie Jarrett, a former top aide to President Barack Obama, to an ape. "He said: what were you thinking when you did this?" Barr continued. "I said: I thought she was white, she looks like my family! He scoffed & said: 'what u have done is egregious, and unforgivable.' I begged 4 my crews jobs. Will I ever recover from this pain? omg." I imagine the people who might be listening, and I think about what my words might mean to them, Knight writes in Life After Darkness. I visualize a woman being bullied by her partner who hears me and begins to look at her life differently and finds the strength to make a change. I see in my head a young girl who thinks her life is worthless because people have told her she is too ugly, too fat, too skinny. I think about the people who still need to come home as I did, and I think about the people still waiting for them to come home. The street signs are bilingual in Hancock, just across a shipping canal from Houghton. Finlands Independence Day, Dec. 6, is cause for festivities bigger than those on the Fourth of July. Midsummer brings great revelry. This month, people will flock to Juhannus gatherings June 22-24 for dancing, folk music and a giant bonfire, all to welcome the summer solstice. He said legislation likely will be drafted within two weeks and could be introduced as early as the November veto session. McSweeney said other measures may be considered as well, given the extent of the problem. The night began as a gathering among two groups of friends at Pops Bar and Grill, they recalled, only to turn violent. Flannigan and his friends met at the bar to remember the life of a friend who had recently died; Platt showed up to celebrate a friends birthday. Flannigans group, though, became unruly and was kicked out of the bar. They lingered in a nearby parking lot. When one of Platts friends walked out to move his car, he became embroiled in a dispute with Flannigans group. Platt went to defend his friend, who he knew had two prosthetic legs but which were covered by pants that night. For the first time, Herbert said Van Dyke may take the witness stand at the trial to testify in his own defense. He is expected to argue self-defense that he feared for the lives of himself and other officers from McDonald, who held a knife in his hand and was high on PCP. Prosecutors said Issa, who also went by the street name "Lucky," joined the gang at 13 and was promoted to "Inca" by 2006, the year he was charged in a sweeping racketeering indictment that named more than two dozen Latin Kings leaders. After turning himself in to authorities in 2008, Issa began cooperating and eventually pleaded guilty to racketeering, conspiracy and assault with a dangerous weapon. The resolution of the lawsuit short of trial could mean there will never be a full public airing of evidence in a case that had wide-ranging implications on the states criminal justice system including the abolition of the death penalty. The settlement occurred before Simon could be deposed, and much of the other discovery in the case remains sealed by a protective order, records show. CEO Ferrer pleaded guilty to a count of money laundering, and admitted in a plea agreement with prosecutors that he had long been aware a majority of the advertisements on the site were for prostitution, had conspired to find ways to facilitate the ads and had moderated them to create a veneer of deniability. There were no visible signs of trauma, according to Guerra. The identity of the man was not known but he appeared to be African-American, she said. Surveillance also captured an alleged getaway car a white Chrysler 300 that Hummons allegedly was driving in December 2017 when he was arrested by law enforcement in Tennessee on charges of driving under the influence and reckless driving. In one piece of footage allegedly obtained by agents investigating a robbery, someone in the passenger seat of the vehicle is captured trying to toss a gun from the vehicle into the Chicago River near State Street and Wacker Drive. The gun struck the bridge and fell to the ground, where it was later recovered, the complaint said. 4. A federal agency reviews clemency cases. Hundreds of people apply for pardon or commutation every year with the Office of the Pardon Attorney under the Department of Justice, according to Samuel Morison, an attorney who specializes in federal clemency. Trumps picks so far, however, appear to be for people he knows whose cases have not been investigated by the office, Morison said. Trump is not required to follow the offices recommendations or use it at all. Ill tell you another one theres another one that Im thinking about. Rod Blagojevich, Trump said, according to a pool report. Eighteen years in jail for being stupid and saying things that every other politician, you know that many other politicians say. Cummings said she woke up to people yelling and noticed smoke filling her room. Through a window, she saw flames rising from the top of the building next door, some reaching nearly as high as her window. She got her dog, Barley, and ran outside. All of us, were all politicians, so we all look in our own way at our own times to seek political advantage, he said. But this time theres been a real effort here to kind of cull those instincts and put away the loud voices and the sharp elbows in order to do something that we all know needs to be done. While there have been many rallies about the amendment since then, the activities this year havent included the theatrics from both sides of the issue that occurred in Springfield in 1982. At the time, Illinois was targeted as one of three states needed to ratify the ERA before its original deadline. Technology has become a very distracting thing, as weve seen, said Castro, who noted she was using a hands-free device to legally speak on the phone while driving. And youre seeing a lot of accidents because of that, and one of the things that we thought is that we can deter people from doing that. At least to think twice. In the video, Emanuel attempts to defuse the situation, saying, Dont worry and No, no, as security approaches the women. He then tells the two hell talk to them about their concerns if they let him finish his remarks. But the women start chanting while holding a banner that reads, From Gaza to Garfield Park Invest in Education not Occupation, and get escorted from the room by guards, the video shows. In this May 30, 2018, photo, Shaun Harrison reacts as attorneys give closing arguments in Suffolk Superior Court in the jury trial of him in Boston. Harrison, the former dean at a Boston high school, has been convicted of shooting and nearly killing a 17-year-old student. (Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff / AP) As the Parkland students became vocal advocates for gun control, embracing their public positions as few school survivors had before, Trump quickly became a focal point for their anger. In Trump's visit to Florida after the shooting, aides kept him clear of the school, which could have been the site of protests, and he instead met with a few victims at a local hospital and paid tribute to first responders at the nearby sheriff's office. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Kim Yong Chol, left, former North Korean military intelligence chief and one of leader Kim Jong Un's closest aides, after their meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Friday, June 1, 2018, as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo listens at center. (Andrew Harnik / AP) "My God, the amount of women that have something to say about your clothes or the way you dress or anything like that is just, holy cow," said Katie Hill, who ran an organization that provides housing for the homeless and is running for Congress in California's 25th District. At one point, a female voter told her she needed to wear pantyhose to be taken seriously. But their constructed bodies create a structural ambivalence that allows them to take on contradictory roles simultaneously: Because their bodies are mechanical, we can perceive them as things that have no rights and that are, therefore, disposable; but at the same time, because their anthropomorphic personalities can be so recognizably human, we can still appreciate them in the same way that we do non-droid characters. With rather painful irony, this very double consciousness has been essential to our history of Western colonialism, American slavery and racial subjugation. It is what has allowed those in power to treat people of color both as things and as people whichever is most convenient in a given context. The TSA has a long history of intimidation. In 2002, it created a system of fines to penalize travelers with bad attitudes, charging up to $1,500 for any alleged nonphysical interference. This included any situation that in any way would interfere with the screener and his or her ability to continue to work or interfere with their ability to do their jobs, according to a spokeswoman. The TSA failed to specify how much groveling was necessary and eventually abandoned the regime of fines. Witness the now-legendary CNN chyron thats the line of headline text gracing the bottom of the screen during every news story which has taken to reminding viewers, often in cheeky parentheticals, what exactly one should think. Heres a doozy from February: WH: TRUMP HAS BEEN TOUGHER ON RUSSIA IN ONE YEAR THAN OBAMA WAS IN EIGHT (NO, HE HASNT). On Thursday, in response to a rather fluffy White Housesponsored Sports and Fitness Day, CNN got weirdly ponderous: TRUMP AND FITNESS: AN EXERCISE IN HYPOCRISY? During my brief yet torturous airport restaurant foray, the networks chyron read something like and please forgive my paraphrasing, but I was desperately trying to ignore the TV blaring over my head TRUMP FALSELY SLAMS SPYING DURING HIS CAMPAIGN (ISNT HE CRAZY? IT WAS AN INFORMANT, NOT A SPY!). We ask because Chicagoans suffer from CPS whiplash. For years theyve heard Emanuel and CPS leaders warn about the districts crushing debts and unmet basic needs. Suddenly CPS is on somewhat firmer footing, thanks to new taxes and money from Springfield via a new educational funding formula passed last year. But rather than assuring Chicagoans that hell devote the new revenue to fix CPS current shortcomings, Emanuel plans to spend millions on, yes, a new and expensive program. The village of Buffalo Grove opposed the Hauber familys application for the maximum pension and still could appeal in court. In documents and testimony in the case, the village pointed to other studies challenging theories that firefighters are more vulnerable to colon cancer than the general population. In suburban departments such as Buffalo Groves, the majority of calls are for medical service. Structure fires are rare. Medical reports indicate Hauber was in generally good health prior to his diagnosis and was not known to have been exposed to toxic chemicals or carcinogens on the job. That process is broken. It is riddled with conflicts of interest. It is not independent. It is built to protect the accused, not the accusers. Loncar went public with her allegations because she did not trust the legislature and its leaders to investigate her complaints independently. Trumps Commerce Department has picked a trade fight with Canada over that countrys newsprint exports to the U.S. That means higher costs to American newspapers. Fortunately, some members of the U.S. Senate want to end this needless confrontation. If you care about the future of newspapers as we obviously do we hope youll look at the facts and support efforts to resolve the mess. In this particularly odd case, the Commerce Department is helping one U.S. manufacturing firm at great cost to an entire national industry. We the people have the power to force our elected representatives to represent us and not the gun lobbies. We have our right to vote. So I propose that at the coming election in November, we vote for the people whom we believe will best represent us, and not the gun lobbies and the National Rifle Association. We have the power to measurably reduce the gun violence in our country, but we have to vote. His claim that it was a bad deal for the U.S. was only a smoke screen. His real reason is his hatred for President Barack Obama. It is revenge for Obama poking fun at Trump over his "birther" claim that Obama was not born in the U.S. at a media event several years ago. When President Obama made his joke, Trump appeared to be seething with anger. Ever since Trump was elected, he has done everything he can to undermine Obama's legacy, including junking the Paris climate accord and the Iran nuclear deal. The fire departments major concern when it comes to freight trains is determining the contents of any car that derails and identifying the material that has spilled, Krienitz said. They treat each scenario as worst case as if the cars contain hazardous or flammable material until they can identify what is in the car. Rails that are warped or under pressure are also a concern, he said. Having the tax increment financing district and owning several key properties within the downtown allows the village to be selective about bringing in the right kind of development to achieve this goal, Di Santo told The Beacon-News in an email. We believe the proposed plan perfectly meets our vision for this property. He was a very funny guy who would always make people laugh and had his own little personality, she said. He always wanted to help everybody, including his grandma. He was on disability and not working right now, but he wasnt afraid to get his hands dirty. He was a jack of all trades. Corti says that encounter turned into an immediate friendship no surprise since both are former dancers and choreographers. And the more he learned about Simply Destinee, named in honor of Lunas niece, a Waubonsie Valley High School student who took her life eight years ago in May, the more determined he was to help this place where kids can find their voice and self-worth. We are so thankful to all of Auroras 200 NALC Branch 219 letter carriers for distributing the bags, picking up the donations and transporting the food to the post office. We are also grateful to the countless Aurora residents who donated food. The letter carriers put in so much hard work for our hungry neighbors, and Aurora residents were so generous, that they definitely all deserve a loud round of applause. 720 Ardsley Road, Winnetka: $6,999,000 | Listed: Sept. 13, 2021 This six-bedroom English Tudor home has four full bathrooms, two half baths, built-in features, period millwork and sits on 1.5 acres of rolling landscaped grounds on a private road. The kitchen has hardwood floors, an island, a butlers pantry, custom cabinets, a double oven and space for a table. The home has an office, a library, a Great Room, a Family Room, a Living Room and a Dining Room. Four fireplaces, a wet bar, and a finished basement complete this home, which was designed by the renowned architect Benjamin Marshall. The property also has an in-ground pool, a patio, a hot tub and an attached four-car garage. Agent: Sarah Elder Lyons, Compass, 847-436-4351 *Some listing photos are virtually staged, meaning they have been digitally altered to represent different furnishing or decorating options. To feature your luxury listing of $800,000 or more in Chicago Tribunes Dream Homes, send listing information and high-res photos to ctc-realestate@chicagotribune.com. Join our Chicago Dream Homes Facebook group for more luxury listings and real estate news. A physical fight ensued and Rodriguez allegedly shot the other man seven times, including several times while standing over him after hed already fallen to the ground, prosecutors said. The victim, who also was armed, suffered gunshot wounds to the side, back, arm and head where a bullet remains lodged but survived, according to prosecutors. In this state I cant help but be skeptical of the political motives behind a sudden full court press in an election year. The disingenuous nature of this effort is further highlighted by the fact that the vote was an unscheduled surprise, McDermed said. There is a concerning lack of commitment on the part of public officials to address our state's very real problems and instead focus on dishonest efforts that nab headlines and easily draw on the emotions of voters. In its lawsuit, the Justice Department alleges community opposition to The Reserve was based on discriminatory attitudes toward African-Americans and other groups based on race, and village officials bowed to that pressure in not approving the project. In its response to the lawsuit, the village denied it engaged in a pattern or practice of unlawful discrimination. The need for an additional Level 1 trauma center serving the south and southwest suburbs has been debated since the St. James elimination of Level 1 services, although a study conducted by the University of Illinois at Chicagos school of public health showed no immediate adverse effects on trauma patient care in southern Cook County as a result of the closing. St. James Olympia Fields had provided Level 1 trauma care since the inception in 1988 of the Illinois Trauma System, according to the report. Trump doesnt care. President Donald Trump has accomplished one thing nobody can argue with: making the publishing business more profitable. His book The Art of the Deal was proven to be a falsehood. Theres at least six books and none of them are favorable to him. When his tax plan hits the middle class or anybody under the 2 percent and they realize that they really didnt get anything because he took so many so-called loopholes away from them, they wont be too happy. He doesnt care. We must take away the U.S. House and Senate from him but its never healthy to have one party controlling the country. Any party without moderates keeping them in control is a problem for us all. In the ordinance, the definition of an assault weapon includes, among others, semiautomatic rifles that have a fixed magazine with a capacity to accept more than 10 rounds of ammunition; shotguns with a revolving cylinder; and semiautomatic pistols and rifles that can accept large-capacity magazines and possess one of a list of other features. Among the dozens of specific models cited are the AR-15, AK-47 and Uzi, according to the ordinance. Money raised will go toward getting a building the group can use to store and distribute food, clothing and furniture, he said. It will also be put toward maintenance of vehicles and potentially acquiring a van. "We have seen many children acquire library cards and become regular attenders to the library," he said. "This is huge because children are experiencing more than just Fox View as well as having the opportunity to better their reading skills. The library has been great in receiving the kids and providing them a safe place to learn and grow." In my speech, I said that things dont always work out the way we want them to, but everythings going to be OK, she said. These graduates are great citizens, believers. They care about God and exemplify what it means to be a Charger. He also said Rogers children need him, and that since the accident, Rogers has done nothing but work and go home, was in compliance his entire time out on bond and was remorseful to the point of wishing he could trade places with his fiance. The latest round of closures will leave the ailing department store chain with roughly half the number of Sears and Kmart stores it had two years ago. Along with the two Lake County locations, Sears stores in Aurora and Springfield and a Rockford Kmart were among the 63 closing stores Sears identified, part of a group of 100 unprofitable stores the ailing Hoffman Estates-based retailer is targeting for closure. Volunteers worked with a representative of state Rep. Lou Lang, a long-time proponent and state sponsor of the ERA; met with other pro-ERA groups across Illinois to determine ways to proceed on the issue; held public informational meetings on the amendment; and wrote countless emails, letters and witness slips to members of the Illinois House who were on the fence or opposed to the passage of the ERA, Nan Parson said. Volunteers also reached out to constituents of those legislators, urging them to call upon their elected leaders to vote for ratification, and rallied outside the State Capitol Building in Springfield, she said. This has been an excruciatingly difficult decision, but ultimately I have decided not to run in the 2018 election, she said. As a citizen, I will continue to advocate for our community and bring our state back to where it should be. Trinity Baptist Church: 1831-37 Virginia St. God's Girls Rock will host a Spring Bazaar on the church parking lot from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on June 9. Pastor Dr. Otis Moss Jr., of Cleveland, will deliver the opening anniversary celebratory message at 10:30 a.m. on June 10, while Rev. Dwight E. Mobley, Pastor of Van Buren MBC in Gary, will present the afternoon celebratory anniversary service at 4 p.m. Vacation Bible School will be at 5:30 p.m. from June 11-15. The church will hold its Centennial Celebratory Banquet at 6 p.m. on June 16 at Marquette Park. On June 20, Village Keepers' Fish Fry will start at 11 a.m. The donation is $10 per plate. Call Village Keepers members and/or 219-883-2720 to place orders. On June 24, Rev. R.E. Robinson, Pastor of St. John MBC, Gary, will present our closing afternoon celebratory anniversary service at 4 p.m. An officer was passing by Dunbar-Pulaski Middle School on 19th Avenue in Gary on April 27 when he saw a blue Nissan in the parking lot and King and Beatty carrying a saw, a probable cause affidavit states. The Gary officers weapon fell to the ground and the officer, (the cousin) and Cruz-Burgos jumped for the weapon, court records state. (The cousin) and the Gary officer wrestled with each other on the ground, according to the affidavit, as Cruz-Burgos picked up the gun, pointed it at (the Gary officer) and stated, I told you I would kill you (expletive). Firefighters training at MAAC can leave their equipment at their home station so they dont have to take it out of service, McMillan said, and the center can host six or seven departments at a time, rotating between different set-ups, without having to worry about a shortage of equipment. One of our big points was that science and engineering do things to improve lives, but then they also sometimes cause problems, she said. So, then scientists and engineers have to go back and figure out how to solve some of those new problems that they created. The Porter County Council recently agreed the hospital met the terms of the abatement for another year. That process hasnt always gone so smoothly, as the hospitals number of employees fluctuated a few years ago and initially, county and hospital officials went back and forth over when the abatement should start and what the hospitals assessed valuation should be. Grand Hotel Executive Chef Hans Burtscher has been with the property since 1983 and in the busy summer resort months, he works with his trained kitchen staff of 100 to feed as many as 4,000 guests a day. Of course, no motorized vehicles are allowed on the island, so ingredients and supplies are either grown on the island or transported from the ferry boat dock by horse or bicycle. In summer 2017, his kitchen served 9,000 pounds of prime rib, 102,500 pounds of potatoes, 5,500 pounds of rack of lamb, 6,400 pounds of bacon and 42,500 pounds of strawberries. Eric Ho, 25, and Bryan Otero, 27, both from Cincinnati, were two of three men arrested after a 14-year-old girl went missing at the end of April 2017 from her home in unincorporated Lake County between Schererville and Griffith, police said. Writing a budget involves making trade-offs and priorities, but these must be examined and ratified by others, elsewhere. The power to pardon is more uniquely personal, both in that pardons tend to be granted to individuals, based on the circumstances of their particular cases, and in that it is an authority that resides solely within the purview of the president. When I go shopping, I look for the best deal. If Walmart beats Kmart, then Walmart gets the business. Trade should be the same way free trade with no tariffs. May the best supplier get the business. We need to improve our performance of American industry instead of just adding tariffs. The same goes for other countries putting tariffs on our beans or corn decreases the amounts we export. This is no longer just a difference between political beliefs. Anyone that has friends or loved ones that have fallen into this Trump cult will tell you that this is way beyond normal. Watching people that have become combative about ridiculously false issues that have no truth to them, is really hard to comprehend. Will de-programming be the only way out for them? We have a number of issues coming up that need to be attended to right away, and if we were to try and do a search process it would take probably several months to find a suitable replacement, Fleischhauer said. Metro board agrees to fiber-optic internet to Pueblo West To meet demands of its growing community, Pueblo West Metro Board approves an agreement with a new internet provider, installing fiber optic network. Our weekly round up of other news affecting foreign investors throughout Asia: Laos Increases Minimum Wage for the Third Time in Eight Years The Lao government has increased the countrys monthly minimum wage from Kip 900,000 (US$108) to Kip 1,100,000 (US$132) with effect from May 1, 2018. HR and Payroll in India: 10 Best Practices for Employers As India integrates into the global market, foreign firms entering the country have to strike a balance between following their own best practices while adapting to local norms and having a firm understanding of legal requirements in the country. Russia, India Strengthen Bilateral Ties as Putin and Modi Meet in Sochi Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin last week for an informal summit in Sochi, a resort city located in southern Russia, on the shores of the Black Sea. A Brave New World: China, Russia, and ASEAN Lead Eurasian Free Trade A strange sense of an unexpectedly inverted trade world has permeated this weeks St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). A feeling of developing changes in the manner in which global trade is conducted is beginning to be replaced by something new, if yet embryonic. Vietnam: Positive Outlook for Long-Term Trade The growth in foreign direct investment in Vietnam, driven by its strategic location, low wages, and improvement in the business environment, is the major factor that transformed Vietnam into a manufacturing hub in the region. The largest freshwater pearl on earth, called "Sleeping Lion Pearl" due to its natural shape, was purchased for 320,000 euros (373,364 U.S. dollars, excluding premium) by a Japanese art dealer during an auction in the Hague on Thursday. The projected price was estimated to be between 340,000 and 540,000 euros. The Sleeping Lion Pearl originates from China, where it grew in a freshwater oyster during the first half of the 18th century. It measures approximately 70 x 43 x 39 mm and weighs 118.65 grams. The auction house, Venduehuis, cited the English journal The Journal of Gemmology classifying it as the largest freshwater pearl in the world. The pearl was shipped to Batavia [former name for Jakarta, Indonesia] by a Dutch merchant of the United East Indies Company (VOC in Dutch) in around 1765. There, Hendrik Coenraad Sander, the VOC's accountant, became the first European to own the pearl. In 1778 it was acquired by Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia. In 1865, goldsmith Lodewijk Willem van Kooten, who was working in Rome for the Italian court jeweler Castellani at the time, bought the pearl. In 1867, Van Kooten returned to Amsterdam and for four generations, this pearl remained in possession of this famous Dutch family of jewelers. The Amsterdam Pearl Society bought the pearl in 1979 intending to research it and trace its history. After almost 40 years, the Society decided to auction the pearl at the Venduehuis in The Hague. Now it seems that the Amsterdam Pearl Society is satisfied with the sale. "It is like letting go of a child: you want to be sure it lands safely on its feet. The Sleeping Lion Pearl is a unique object of great historical value. It deserves a good home in a specialist collection or in a museum," it stated. Albania is holding a Puppet Theatre Festival this week welcoming theatre troupes from five countries that will introduce different forms of use and communication through puppets, exchange of experiences, traditions and cultures of different countries. From May 27 to June 1, the participating theatre troupes and companies from China, Spain, Turkey, Romania and Albania will perform their theater works, valued at international awards. Albanian troupe will perform on Tuesday with the show Don Quixote. "Seeing in the context of a novelty of classical literature implemented for different ages for families, we think it was the best choice to be represented at the international puppet festival," says Klajd Ymeri, director of the performance and of the festival. Through the cultural exchange, this project aims to recognize the spectator and artists of this genre in the country, with new forms and contemporary concepts of different countries in the world, creating the possibility of qualitative cultivation of this artistic and educational genre. Sonila Kapidani, director of the "Metropolitan Theater" in Tirana, said, "We have seen this festival as a strong point of meeting, inter-cultural exchange of experiences." On the closing day, the festival will be opened with an ethnographic exhibition of works by different authors from Albanian-speaking lands at the Albanian National Museum. Appearances are given on an open stage for the afternoon public even in main "Skanderbeg" square of the capital. The total value of China's artificial intelligence (AI) industry output will reach 160 billion yuan (US$25 billion) by 2020. The output of the country's AI industry exceeded 70 billion yuan in 2017. The figure is expected to increase to more than 160 billion yuan by 2020, according to a document released at the International Conference on Robot and Intelligent Manufacturing, which kicked off in Wujiang District in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, on Thursday. It said that China's AI industry would grow rapidly with more investment in the future. Statistics showed the investment in the AI industry was 58.2 billion yuan last year, a 65 percent increase from 2016. The document also said that AI talent is in high demand in China and suggested that colleges and universities should increase efforts to cultivate more talent in this field. U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Thursday that U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the European Union (EU), Canada and Mexico will take effect from Friday. U.S. President Donald Trump has decided not to extend the temporary steel and aluminum tariff exemptions for these three key trading partners, Ross told reporters at a conference call. "We look forward to continued negotiations with Canada and Mexico on one hand and with the European Commission on the other hand as there are other issues we need to get resolved," he said. In March, Trump announced plans to impose 25-percent tariff on imported steel and 10 percent on aluminum, while delaying implementation for some trading partners to offer concessions to avoid the tariffs. The White House said in late April that the steel and aluminum tariff exemptions for EU member countries, Canada and Mexico would be extended until June 1 in order to give "a final 30 days" for them to reach agreements over trade negotiations. But those negotiations have so far failed to result in a deal. "The United States was unable to reach satisfactory arrangements, however, with Canada, Mexico, or the European Union, after repeatedly delaying tariffs to allow more time for discussions," the White House said Thursday in a statement. The Trump administration is using the so-called Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act from 1962, a decades-old law, to slap tariffs on imported steel and aluminum products on the ground of national security, which has drawn strong opposition from the domestic business community and U.S. trading partners. The administration's latest move is likely to further increase trade frictions between the United States and its major trading partners. "The EU believes these unilateral U.S. tariffs are unjustified and at odds with WTO (World Trade Organization) rules. This is protectionism, pure and simple," Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, said Thursday in a statement. EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom added that the EU will now trigger a dispute settlement case at the WTO, since these U.S. measures "clearly go against" agreed international rules. The EU will use the possibility under WTO rules to rebalance the situation by targeting a list of U.S. products with additional duties, and the level of tariffs to be applied will reflect the damage caused by the new U.S. trade restrictions on EU products, according to the EU. Analysts said the U.S. decision to move forward steel and aluminum tariffs against Canada and Mexico could also complicate the talks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Talks on renegotiating the NAFTA began in August 2017 as Trump threatened to withdraw from the 23-year-old trade deal. Following multiple rounds of talks, the three countries remain divided over the rules of origin for autos and other issues. You are here: Business The Bangladeshi government has relied on a Chinese engineering giant to conduct a feasibility study and carry out detailed design for construction of the 230-km high-speed railway from capital Dhaka to seaport city Chittagong, officially known as Chattogram. The proposed Dhaka-Chattogram rail route is set to be the first stretch to be explored for the Bangladesh Railway sector's first high-speed railway project. Bangladesh Railway Thursday signed an agreement with China Railway Design Corporation (CRDC) to conduct the feasibility study and detailed design. Md Quamrul Ahsan, project director, and the authorized representative of CRDC, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective sides here on Thursday. According to the agreement, the feasibility study and detail design work will be completed within 18 months. The Chinese consultant firm, in cooperation with Bangladesh Railway and Mazumder Enterprise, a Bangladeshi consultancy firm, will conduct the feasibility study. At the signing ceremony, Bangladeshi Railway Minister M. Mazibul Hoque said Dhaka-Chattogram railway is very important. Upon fruition, it will cut the traveling time from Dhaka to Chattogram by two hours as the new route of the proposed high-speed train would reduce the distance between the country's two largest cities by about 90 km. The train will run at a speed of 200 km per hour on the new rail link. The existing Dhaka-Chattogram rail link runs for 320 km and it's a journey of seven to ten hours. Officials said the preliminary work will be completed by 2019 and then the ministry will invite tender to construct the country's first high-speed railway. With daily traffic of tens of thousands, Dhaka-Chattogram highway and rail way are the main transportation arteries in Bangladesh. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will hold the "Peace Mission 2018" joint military drill in Russia in the latter half of this year, Ren Guoqiang, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, said Thursday. "As an important area of cooperation for the SCO, defense and security cooperation has been smooth and effective in recent years," Ren told a press conference. China is willing to continue to engage in exchanges and cooperation in defense and security cooperation with SCO member countries on the basis of mutual trust and benefit, and improve capacity to jointly cope with new challenges and threats, Ren said. Yang Junxing has been devoted to protecting rare fish species for 35 years, and his methods for breeding them in captivity as a way to commercialize the preservation of endangered species have proved successful. "For so long, the protection of rare species was shouldered by the government and academic institutes," the 56-year-old scientist said. "We have to fully mobilize the masses to ensure sustainable and more effective protection." Yang is a senior researcher with the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Kunming Institute of Zoology in Yunnan province and a pioneering fish expert who, with his team, has commercialized three species of fish after mastering captive breeding conditions, enlarging their populations and saving them from the brink of extinction. He pursued his master's and doctoral degrees at the institutehome to more than 600 species of freshwater fish, including about 100 rare varieties, accounting for around 40 percent of the country's total. "I wrote many papers concerning fish protection when I came to Yunnan in 1983, but with fish populations dropping and about 60 percent of local species in plateau lakes in Yunnan becoming extinct, I felt that I must take more concrete measures," Yang said. "Especially after witnessing the situation of the Kanglang fish." Kanglang are endemic to Yunnan's Fuxian Lake. In only about three years, the annual output of Kanglang caught in the lake dropped from 1,500 metric tons to about 1 ton. The cause was an introduced species, the noodlefish, which competed for the same food. "In 1983, about 200 Kanglang would cost 2 yuan (30 US cents), but the price soared to more than 1,600 yuan a kilogram, or about 30 fish, in the 1990s due to the steep fall in output from 1987 to 1990," he said. About 60 kilometers from the provincial capital of Kunming, Fuxianwith a depth of over 150 metersis one of China's deepest plateau lakes. Kanglang once made up more than 70 percent of the fish in the lake. Yang and his team started a project to save the species in 1990. "Kanglang require a specific combination of various complicated conditions such as temperature, sunlight and water velocity for healthy breeding," he said, adding that in the beginning "failure was normal". "All we could do was observe, think and experiment with the conditions again and again," he said. After a year of trial and error, the captive Kanglang successfully reproduced in 1991, and the team started to release millions of fish into the lake in 1993. "Locals saw us releasing the fish, which in their eyes meant economic profit, and they asked us about the breeding techniques and conditions. We taught them free of charge and promoted the commercialization of Kanglang around the lake," Yang said. "Ordinary people are realistic. If they feel their livelihoods are closely related to the species, they are more actively engaged in protecting them from extinction." The annual output of Kanglang in commercial fish farms is now about 10 tons, and at Fuxian Lake it has climbed to 8 tons. The fish are sold for around 800 yuan a kilogramabout half their price in the '90s. "Fish farmers now invest more into breeding Kanglang, and they will never let the species die off," Yang said. "Their supply and demand determines the price, and I hope the price for Kanglang will drop to 200 yuan per kilogram because that means the output is back to a normal level." With support from the Global Environment Facility international fund along with the local government, Yang established a 1.53-hectare breeding and research base for rare fish species in 2004. "Yunnan has abundant biological diversity and plateau lakes. The protection of its resources is of global importance and value," Yang said, citing the GEF. The base now has more than 80 rare species of fish, 30 of which have successfully reproduced in captivity, he said, adding that "many more endangered fish species are waiting for me to save them". China's domestically-developed J-20 stealth fighter recently took part in a nighttime training exercise with J-16 and J-10c fighters in an effort to further improve the combat capability of China's air force, the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). During the exercise, the J-20 pilots used their aircraft's advantages in terms of situational awareness and stealth to gain air superiority, while the J-16 and J-10c fighters carried out precision strikes on ground targets. The training sought to take full advantage of the different capabilities of the fighter jets, said He Xing, a pilot with the PLAAF. The J-20 stealth fighter made its maiden flight in 2011. A unit of three jets made an appearance at the military parade to mark the 90th birthday of the People's Liberation Army last year. The chief designer of the J-20, Yang Wei, said peacekeeping needs not only defense, but also offensive capability. The J-20 jets are a major part of efforts to modernize the PLAAF. Ever since the financial crisis of 2008 there has been a renewed interest in Marxism among the younger generation of Americans. A 2017 article in Bloomberg News, citing poll numbers, reported: "In a Harvard University poll conducted last year, 51 percent of 18-to-29-year-olds in the U.S. said they opposed capitalism; only 42 percent expressed support." Many universities across the United States offer courses on Marxism, usually taught by the philosophy department. However, these courses focus on post-World War II Western reinterpretations of Karl Marx's ideas. University professors in the United States who educate young people about Marx's ideas, generally discourage students from engaging with those who actually put these ideas into practice. The socialist revolutions of the 20th century and the writings of figures like Vladimir Lenin, Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping or Fidel Castro are dismissed in vague Cold War stereotypes about "Stalinism." The actual achievements of these leaders and the understanding of Marxism that they popularized and utilized to exercise political leadership is ignored. Young people who seek to study Marxism in the United States are usually taught the ideas of the Frankfurt School in West Germany. These courses give priority to figures like Herbert Marcuse, Susan Sontag, Jean-Paul Sartre, Judith Butler, and other "New Leftists" who utilized Marx's ideas, primarily as a way to understand and critique art and culture. Despite drawing from Marx, these "post modernists" were largely critical of Marx's economic principles and his concept of historical materialism. With the Cold War long over and the Soviet Union gone, this refusal to study Marxism in terms of political and economic policy, not abstract philosophy, cannot be justified. This refusal is even less justifiable in 2018, when the second largest economy in the world is directed by a Marxist political party. President Xi Jinping, the leader of the Chinese Communist Party, gave an eloquent presentation in honor of the 200th birthday of Karl Marx. Xi said, "Like a spectacular sunrise, his theory illuminated the path of humanity's exploration of the laws of history, and humanity's search for their own liberation." Xi reflected on the brilliance of the Chinese Communist leaders in applying these universal laws of history and economy to China's unique historical conditions. The Chinese Communist Party, a party that has always had a thorough Marxist worldview, has achieved real results in terms of poverty alleviation, promoting scientific breakthroughs and technological innovation, and raising China from being the "sick man of Asia" to the status of a global power. Western academics will often allege that China is misinterpreting or misapplying Marx's teachings. Even if they take this mistaken position, is it still not worth studying how China has interpreted and applied these concepts? In the context of our 21st century global community, isn't the Chinese understanding of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought and Deng Xiaoping Theory relevant to those who want to understand contemporary politics? Xi Jinping has published a wide body of work regarding Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and its role in both the Chinese domestic situation and the world. Those who are interested in Marxism should engage with these ideas, not dismiss them. Marx's famous essay "Theses on Feuerbach" ends with the often-quoted phrase: "The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point is to change it." The Chinese Communist Party, arguably more than any other existing political organization, has changed the world. Those who are serious about understanding Marxist thought as well as the realities of contemporary international relations should come to understand Xi Jinping's ideas and the ideological principles that guide the People's Republic of China. Caleb Maupin is a journalist and political analyst who resides in New York City focusing on U.S. foreign policy and the global system of monopoly capitalism and imperialism. Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. You are here: World Flash Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday met with Laotian President Bounnhang Vorachit, calling for closer cooperation with the neighboring country in key areas, including traffic infrastructure, agriculture, education and tourism. Li said China and Laos are friendly neighbors, and the fruitful talks held Wednesday between the leaders of the two countries lifted bilateral ties to a new level. China is willing to consolidate the long-term friendship between the two political parties and countries and build China-Laos community of shared future on the basis of mutual respect and support, said Li. Li said China stood ready to work with Laos to enhance cooperation in key areas, including traffic infrastructure, agriculture, education and tourism, in the hope of enhancing the comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation in multiple areas and levels. He said China supported Chinese enterprises with a reputation and the capability to invest in Laos to achieve win-win cooperation. Bounnhang, also general secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee, spoke highly of China's achievements and the long-term support it had provided to Laos. As a comprehensive strategic partner of China, Laos is ready to further advance mutually beneficial cooperation with China on infrastructure, agriculture, education and medical care and enhance people-to-people exchanges to forge ahead bilateral ties, he said. Zhao Leji, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, also met with Bounnhang Thursday. Both sides agreed to enhance communication and cooperation on anti-corruption. Flash U.S. President Donald Trump met with the families of the victims of the Santa Fe High School shooting on Thursday in Houston, Texas, the United States. The meeting was held at Ellington Airport, about 30 km southeast of downtown Houston, where he landed earlier of the day. It lasted about one hour and was closed to media at the request of the families. According to White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Wednesday, Trump would meet with the families in Houston to "personally offer his condolences and support" as part of his previously announced trip to the state. The president's visit to Houston comes about two weeks after the massacre at the Houston-area school, which left 10 people dead. Trump's trip also comes a day after Governor of Texas Greg Abbott announced a plan to make schools across the state safer in response to the shooting. The School and Firearm Safety Action Plan, announced by Abbott on Wednesday, contains 40 recommendations and includes proposals calling for increasing law enforcement presence at schools, strengthening existing campus security programs, enhancing firearm safety, and providing mental health evaluations that identify students at risk of harming others, among others. This is the fifth visit to Texas for Trump since Hurricane Harvey's landfall last August. He is attending political fundraisers in Houston and Dallas, about 380 km north of Houston. Flash Representatives from China, Japan and Thailand on Thursday spoke highly of Thailand's Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) and expressed willingness to push for trilateral business cooperation there. The comments came at an international seminar held here in the Thai capital Bangkok on Thursday to discuss trilateral cooperation in the EEC. Ning Jizhe, deputy head of China's National Development and Reform Commission, said leaders of the three countries attach great importance to the trilateral cooperation concerning the EEC. The EEC plays a significant part in boosting local economic growth, and elevating the level and quality of industrial development, he added. The Chinese official called on the three sides to step up policy communication and exchanges between government agencies, provide business communities with better guidance and services while encouraging them to give play to their respective advantages and conducting mutually beneficial cooperation. Uttama Savanayana, Thailand's minister of industry, said the EEC is the flagship project of "Thailand 4.0" strategy, which calls for extensive participation of the international community. Business cooperation among Thailand, China and Japan will not only benefit the three countries, but also help promote the development of the surrounding area, he said, adding that Thailand stands ready to assist the cooperation in a sustained and comprehensive manner. Japanese Ambassador to Thailand Shiro Sadoshima said the Japanese government is willing to work for the business cooperation of the three countries and create an enabling environment for realizing win-win outcomes of all parties. Flash U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that a senior official of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was planning to travel to the White House to deliver a letter from the DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Un to President Donald Trump. Pompeo made the remarks at a press briefing in New York after wrapping up his two-day meeting with a visiting DPRK delegation, led by Kim Yong Chol, vice chairman of the DPRK's ruling Workers' Party of Korea Central Committee. Earlier in the day, Trump told reporters that he is expecting the delegation led by Kim Yong Chol to come to Washington on Friday to deliver a personal letter from Kim Jong Un. In the briefing, Pompeo noted that his talks with the high-level DPRK official, whom he had met twice during his trips to the DPRK, went on well and he was confident that the two sides were "moving at the right direction" after a string of talks over the past week. Pompeo said progress had been made in New York as well as at other venues where conversations were taking place. However, the U.S. top diplomat responded with "don't know" when asked if the summit will take place as originally scheduled for June 12 in Singapore. "There remains a great deal of work to do," Pompeo said. On Thursday morning, the U.S. president also downplayed the opportunity for any big breakthrough in one meeting. "Hopefully we'll have a meeting on the 12th ... It doesn't mean it gets all done at one meeting; maybe you have to have a second or a third. And maybe we'll have none," Trump told reporters before leaving for Houston. The latest positive progress for the summit followed recent twists and turns and the whirlwind of diplomacy over the weekend. Trump announced cancellation of the meeting in a letter to Kim Jong Un last week, citing "tremendous anger and open hostility" displayed by Pyongyang recently. In response to Trump's letter, the DPRK's First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan said Friday that the country is ready to sit down with the United States any time in any manner for talks to solve the problems existing between them. Trump then reversed course, saying both sides wanted the meeting to happen and it could still go ahead after productive talks. He also confirmed on Sunday that a U.S. official team had arrived in the DPRK to talk about preparation for the talks. Flash The Italian president reappointed law professor Giuseppe Conte as Prime Minister-designate on Thursday in order to lead a coalition government. Conte accepted the role, and will be sworn in with his cabinet ministers on Friday afternoon, the presidential office stated. The latest development came after anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) and far-right League agreed to restart their consultations, so to avoid a caretaker cabinet. Conte's first attempt to assemble an M5S-League coalition government collapsed on Sunday, after the president nixed his choice of a Eurosceptic economist as finance minister. Conte was summoned by Italian President Sergio Mattarella late on Thursday, and unveiled a list of 18 ministers thereafter. "We are going to work hard to fulfil all of the political goals included in our government contract," the Prime Minister-appointed said in a short speech after the meeting. "We will work to improve life conditions of all Italians." His cabinet line-up would directly involve M5S leader Luigi Di Maio and League leader Matteo Salvini both in the role of vice prime ministers. Di Maio will also serve as Economic Development and Labour Minister, and Salvini as Interior Minister. The crucial Economy and Finance Ministry will be given to Giovanni Tria, professor of Political Economy at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, and president of Italy's National School of Public Administration. Economist Paolo Savona -- whose nomination by M5S and League in their previous government attempt triggered the confrontation with the president, and the failure of their bid -- will now serve as Minister of European Affairs, according to Conte. Enzo Moavero Milanesi, director of the School of Law at LUISS University in Rome, will be made Foreign Affairs Minister. The scholar already served as advisor to Italy's Prime Minister for EU affairs and privatization of state-owned companies between 1993 and 1995, and as Minister of European Affairs between 2011-2013 and 2013-2014, according to his online resume. In other key government departments, lawyer and League senator Giulia Bongiorno will serve as Minister of Public Administration, and Italian army's former defence advisor Elisabetta Trenta as Defence Minister. About one hour before Conte was summoned on Thursday, former International Monetary Fund official Carlo Cottarelli had returned to the head of state his mandate to form a caretaker cabinet. The top economist had been given the task some 24 hours after consultations between M5S and League consultations had failed on Sunday. In a statement, the president "thanked Cottarelli for his seriousness, sense of the institutions, and constant attention paid to the national interests that have marked his commitment." Conte's new government would put an end to a stalemate that lasted more than 12 weeks, during which the protracted political instability of the euro-zone's third largest economy rattled financial markets. Five Star Movement and League run as rivals in general election held on March 4, which proved inconclusive. They decided to join their forces after emerging as the two most voted parties. Flash A media forum was held in Beijing on Thursday to increase understanding and cooperation among media organizations from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Co-organized by the China Public Diplomacy Association, the Information Office of the Beijing Municipal Government and the Radio Beijing Corporation, the SCO Media Beijing Forum brought together senior media executives in Beijing with executives and journalists from media organizations of the other seven SCO member states, to discussions around the topic of "integrated innovation and win-win cooperation." During his keynote speech, Du Feijin, director of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Beijing Committee, hailed the forum as a platform to boost media cooperation as established under the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Belt and Road Initiative. Du said he hopes the media organizations from SCO member states can boost people-to-people exchanges, explore new potential areas of win-win cooperation, and boost Belt and Road development through multidimensional and multimedia coverage based on better understanding. During the forum, representatives from nine media outlets from SCO countries shared their best practices and new ideas on media cooperation. Earlier in the day, forum attendees visited several Beijing-based media outlets including Beijing Radio, Beijing Daily and Beijing TV station and held exchanges with their local counterparts on innovative ways of content building and media operation. At the forum, the Radio Beijing Corporation and Independent News Pakistan (INP) signed a news exchange agreement, committing to cooperation in the fields of reporting, content building, and personnel training. China Aviation Daily | May 30, 2018 Embraer's Legacy 450 medium cabin business jet set a new speed record on a recent flight between Portland, Maine in the United States and Farnborough in the United Kingdom, according to the U.S. National Aeronautic Association (NAA). The record-setting flight occurred on March 7, 2018, with two pilots and two passengers on a ferry flight of Embraer's new Legacy 450 demonstrator aircraft, which debuted at the European Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva, Switzerland, with new seat designs and the lowest cabin altitude in its class (5,800 ft.). The flight departed at 9:25 a.m. from Portland International Jetport Airport (KPWM) and landed at Farnborough Airport (EGLF) at 8:30 p.m., achieving an average speed of 521.89 mph (840 kph). The Legacy 450 landed with fuel reserves in excess of those required for NBAA IFR as well as for critical operations. The flight lasted six hours and five minutes, covering a distance of 2,756 nautical miles (5,105 km). The Legacy 450 has a full range capability of 2,904 nm (5,378 km) with four passengers and NBAA IFR Reserves, and it can operate at up to Mach 0.83 with an altitude ceiling of 45,000 ft. The aircraft's cabin altitude is the lowest in its class, at 5,800 ft. The aircraft's environmental control system also preserves a sea-level cabin altitude while flying under 27,050 ft. The NAA has confirmed that this flight set a U.S. speed record and the Federation Aeronautique Internationale has certified that this flight set a world speed record. Contributed by Embraer Nov 12, 2006: Zhang Wenzhong, former chairman of Wumei Holdings, which operates one of China's biggest retail chains, Wumart, was probed for graft by discipline authorities. Zhang later resigned from Wumei. Dec 25, 2007: Prosecutors in Hengshui, Hebei province, formally charged Zhang with fraud, embezzlement and bribery. Oct 9, 2008: The Hengshui Intermediate People's Court sentenced Zhang to 18 years in prison for fraud, embezzlement and bribery, with a fine of 500,000 yuan ($78,038). Zhang appealed to a higher court. Shanxi recovers thousands of stolen cultural relics ( chinadaily.com.cn ) Updated: 2018-05-31 Police officers attend an exhibition of 4,431 recovered stolen cultural relics, mostly bronze ware from the Shang and Zhou dynasties, at Shanxi Museum in Taiyuan May 27. [Photo/Shanxi Daily] An exhibition highlighting 4,431 recovered stolen cultural relics, mostly bronze ware from the Shang (c.16th century-11th century BC) and Zhou (c.11th century-256 BC) dynasties, opened at Shanxi Museum May 27. Among the pieces on displa, 25 have been classified grade 1 national relics, with 80 classified grade 2 and 199 grade 3. The exhibition is the largest ever presentation of the results of the efforts of Shanxi public security departments over the past two decades to stop the theft and destruction of cultural relics. Shanxi has intensified a crackdown on the theft of ancient tombs, architecture, stone carvings, frescoes and sculptures in the past three years, and has so far apprehended 296 suspects and 29 gangs in cultural heritage-related crimes. According to the provincial public security department, some 230 cases have resulted in 2,525 items being retrieved in Shanxi. Shanxi is home to 452 sites containing cultural relics under State-level protection, and to more than 28,000 ancient architectural sites, the most of all provinces in China. The exhibition will run until August. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form 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. Space News space history and artifacts articles Messages space history discussion forums Sightings worldwide astronaut appearances Resources selected space history documents advertisements UN postage stamps to mark 50 years of 'peaceful uses of outer space' June 1, 2018 A new set of postage stamps to be issued this month will mark the half century since the world first came together to discuss the peaceful uses of outer space. The United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) will release six commemorative stamps celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. UNISPACE I, held in Vienna, Austria in 1968, brought together 78 countries to discuss the potential benefits of space exploration for all humankind. Two more conferences, UNISPACE II and III, were held in 1982 and 1999. The new postage stamps, to be issued June 20 in Geneva, New York and Vienna, coincide with UNISPACE+50, a special segment of the 61st session of the United Nations' Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) in Austria. "I am sure all of you who collect space-themed stamps will be intrigued by these stunning designs, which highlight humankind's achievements in space," Thanawat Amnajanan, UNPA chief, wrote in the postal administration's Philatelic Bulletin. The six stamps, which will be issued in pairs with U.S. dollar, Swiss franc and Euro denominations, depict images related to human spaceflight and space technology, as well as Earth observation and space exploration. Each 1.4-by-2-inch (35-by-50- millimeter) stamp comes 20 to a sheet. Two of the stamps show the International Space Station. A $1.15 stamp reproduces a 2011 photograph captured by Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli of the space shuttle Endeavour docked with the orbiting laboratory. And a 0,80 stamp reproduces an image of Russian Soyuz and Progress spacecraft set against the green glow of the Aurora Australis as taken by a member of the space station's Expedition 29 crew also in 2011. A CHF 1,00 stamp depicts Egypt as seen from aboard the space station by NASA astronaut Scott Kelly during his year in space in 2015. "Your colors never cease to amaze!" Kelly wrote, captioning the photo when he originally shared it on Twitter. A CHF 1,50 stamp shows the launch of Tiangong-1, China's first prototype space station, on Sept. 29, 2011. The small space lab, which hosted two crews of three Chinese taikonauts each, fell back to Earth and was destroyed in April 2018. A 0,68 stamp presents the Great Red Spot on Jupiter. The photo of the large swirling storm was assembled from three frames transmitted by NASA's Voyager 1 interplanetary probe in 1979. A sixth stamp in the set, a 50 cent issue, depicts the Milky Way galaxy. The photo, which is focused on an area around the galaxy's center, is a composite of images in X-ray, optical and infrared wavelengths. Three "souvenir sheets" will offer three additional stamps, including a $1.15 issue depicting Scott Kelly during a spacewalk outside the International Space Station; a CHF 2,00 stamp showing the comet 65P/Gunn as captured by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE); and a 1,70 stamp showing the eastern edge of the Sundarbans in Bangladesh as taken by the European Space Agency's (ESA) Sentinel-2A satellite in 2016. The souvenir sheets measure 3 inches square (81 mm), which frames a 1.7 inch (43 mm) stamp. In addition to the stamps, the UNPA has also produced three special postmark devices for the UNISPACE+50 set's first day of issue. The New York cancellation features a meteor entering the atmosphere of a planet; the Geneva device shows a solar system; and the Vienna postmark depicts a telescope. The UNPA will offer 14 different first day covers, or stamped envelopes canceled on the day of release, using the pictorial postmarks and new issues. Each of the six stamps will be printed in quantities between 70,000 and 90,000. The souvenir sheets will be limited to 22,000 to 27,000 sheets. The stamps were created by UNPA art director Sergio Baradat. His previous work has included a 2013 set of stamps themed around photographs of nebula. The UNPA earlier marked the 50th anniversary of the world's first satellite, Sputnik with a 2007 set of six World Space Week postage stamps featuring illustrations of astronauts, orbiting observatories and space stations. (United Nations Postal Administration) 2021 collectSPACE.com All rights reserved. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Global Genetic Analyzer Market Size, Share, Trends, Growth factors, Top Key Players, Competitive Intelligence 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 to 2024 Global Genetic Analyzer Market report offers Market Size, Dynamics, Regional Market Share, Top Key Players, Latest trends, Growth factors, Industry Stats, Historic Market, Business Intelligence, Business Research Reports, Competitive Intelligence 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 to 2024 Genetic analysis is a method of learning and research in genetics and molecular biology fields that involves use of wide group of applications while basic system of the analysis is usually pertained to the orthodox genetics. Customary forms of analysis of genetic includes the gene identification and inherited diseases analysis. Genetic analysis also implicit the patients physical observation and the microscopic evaluation of genetics as it is conducted for the long time. Genetic analysis is also applied in differential diagnosis during the analysis of specific diseases, in mutation detection, copy number changes in DNA. Factors like advancements in the technologies of genetic testing, rise in prevalence of the genetic diseases, growing in the awareness are boosting the genetic analyser market globally. Furthermore, initiatives taken by the governments and increase in R&D investment and activities in the genetic field are also driving the genetic analyzer market. However, due to certain factors genetic analyzers use is restricted. The operability of such kind of automated advanced machines requires technical expertise leaving little room for human error. Calibration is essentially needed for genetic analyzers. High cost of genetic analyzers resulting in their availability in a limited number of research organizations is also hampering the growth of the genetic analyzers market globally. A sample of this report is available upon request @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/global-genetic-analyzer-market/#ulp-4H8Z4LpNMLEuOnnx Global genetic analyzer market is segmented on the basis of instruments, consumables, application, end-user and geographical regions. Based on product type, global genetic analyzer market is segmented as: Instruments o DNA Microarrays o PCR o Next Generation Sequencing o Serial Analysis of Gene Expression o Northern Blotting Consumables o DNA Chips o Reagents Based on the end-user, global genetic analyzer market is segmented as: Diagnostics Centres Drug Discovery Research and Development Others To view TOC of this report is available upon request @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/global-genetic-analyzer-market/#ulp-c654SbFYO64MsOhu Increase in the clinical genome sequencing, increase in incidence of neurodegeneration diseases such as Alzheimers, Huntingtons and Parkinsons disease and also cases of cancers prompts the interest in genetic analysis. High swift in the acceptance of pediatric genetic testing used for of screening adult onset disorders are the factors contributing to the genetic analyzer market growth. Some of the government initiatives are improving the healthcare delivery to different sections of population, mergers, acquisitions and product launches of the companies are the factors driving the growth of the genetic analyzer market. Need more information about this report @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/global-genetic-analyzer-market/#ulp-14mlyhjMGhVjZqa3 Geographically, genetic analyzer market is divided into Europe, Asia-Pacific North America, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. Global genetic analyser market is dominated by North America due to the rise in diseases prevalence by genetic disorders and rise in advancements technologically in the region. Asia-Pacific, is expected to show significant growth during the forecast period in the genetic testing market. India, China and Japan are expected as the fastest growing genetic testing markets in the Asia-Pacific region due to increase in R&D investment, a large pool of patients and rising government funding. Some of the major companies dealing in genetic testing market are Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (U.S.), BioRad Laboratories (U.S.), Abbott laboratories (U.S.), AutoGenomics Inc.( U.S.), Celera Group (U.S.), PerkinElmer Inc.( U.S.), Quest Diagnostics Inc.( U.S.), ELITech Group (U.S.), Applied Biosystems Inc.( U.S.), F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG (Switzerland), Transgenomic Inc.( U.S.). Get access to full summary @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/global-genetic-analyzer-market/ About Precision Business Insights Precision Business Insights is one of the leading market research and business consulting firm, which follow a holistic approach to solve needs of the clients. We adopt and implement proven research methodologies to achieve better results. We help our clients by providing actionable insights and strategies to make better decisions. We provide consulting, syndicated and customised market research services based on our client needs. Precision Business Insights mission is to provide high-quality market research reports and generate key insights to our clients. PBIs approachable strategies are to help clients to make key decisions for business growth. Precision Business Insights vision is to become most valued partner to fortune 500 companies by providing agile, accurate, and actionable market insights Contact to Precision Business Insights, Kemp House, 152 160 City Road, London EC1V 2NX Email: sales@precisionbusinessinsights.com Toll Free (US): +1-866-598-1553 Website @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Global Vitrectomy Machines Market: By Product Type (Vitrectomy Machines, Vitrectomy Packs, Microscopic Illumination Equipment, Surgical Instruments, and Others), By Application (Retinal Detachment, Diabetic Retinopathy, Trauma, Macular Surgery, Pediatric Retinal Disorders, and Others), By End User (Hospitals, Eye Clinics, and Others), and Geography - Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2013-2017 and Forecast 2018-2024 Global vitrectomy machines market was valued at US$ XX Mn in 2017 and expected to grow at XX% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) from 2018 to 2024 Market Outline: Vitrectomy Machines Market Vitrectomy is a surgical procedure that is undertaken by the specialist where the vitreous humor gel that fills the eye cavity is removed in order to provide a better access to the retina. This allows various types of repairs such as treatment of macular holes, removal of scar tissue, and laser repair of retinal detachments. In order to help retina hold in position after the surgery, gas bubble or silicon oil, saline are injected. Market Dynamics: Vitrectomy Machines Market Increase in the prevalence of eyes diseases and rise in the geriatric population are majorly driving the growth of the vitrectomy machines market. The advancements in the technology is also playing a significant role in the growth of the market. The growing awareness among the patient population is enabling to adopt the new surgical procedures which is enhancing the vitrectomy machines market. However, the high cost of the surgical process, lack of government support to the non-profitable organizations and poor healthcare policies in developing countries may hinder the growth of the vitrectomy machines market. Free sample of this report is available upon request @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/vitrectomy-machines-market/#ulp-4H8Z4LpNMLEuOnnx Market Scope: Vitrectomy Machines Market Vitrectomy machines market is segmented based on the product type, applications, and end user. Based on the product type, the market is segmented into the following: Vitrectomy Machines Vitrectomy Packs Microscopic Illumination Equipment Surgical Instruments Others Based on the applications, the market is segmented into the following: Retinal Detachment Diabetic Retinopathy Trauma Macular Surgery Pediatric Retinal Disorders Others Based on the end user, the market is segmented into the following: Hospitals Eye Clinics Others Free TOC of this report is available upon request @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/vitrectomy-machines-market/#ulp-c654SbFYO64MsOhu Regional Analysis: Vitrectomy Machines Market Geographically, global vitrectomy machines market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. North America vitrectomy machines market growth driven by increase in the prevalence of eye diseases. Cost-effectiveness of surgical procedures and the awareness about the surgical procedures among healthcare fraternity in the region is driving the market. Followed by North America is the European and Asia Pacific regions are dominating the market. Competition Assessment: Vitrectomy Machines Market Some of the players in the global vitrectomy machines market include: IRIDEX Corporation (U.S) Synergetics, Inc. (U.S) Bausch & Lomb (U.S) Optos PLC (UK) Topcon Corporation (Japan) Leica Microsystems GmbH (Germany) Carl Zeiss Meditec AG (Germany) Alcon, Inc. (U.S) Ask Analyst for Full Information about this report @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/vitrectomy-machines-market/#ulp-14mlyhjMGhVjZqa3 Notable Market Developments: Vitrectomy Machines Market In August 2017, Bausch + Lomb has launched the Stellaris Elite vision enhancement system for retinal surgery in the US Get access to full summary @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/vitrectomy-machines-market/ About Precision Business Insights Precision Business Insights is one of the leading market research and business consulting firm, which follow a holistic approach to solve needs of the clients. We adopt and implement proven research methodologies to achieve better results. We help our clients by providing actionable insights and strategies to make better decisions. We provide consulting, syndicated and customised market research services based on our client needs. Contact to Precision Business Insights, Kemp House, 152 160 City Road, London EC1V 2NX Email: sales@precisionbusinessinsights.com Toll Free (US):+1-866-598-1553 Website @https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Global Uveal Melanoma Therapeutics Market: By Disease Type (Choroidal Melanomas, Iris Melanomas, and Ciliary Body Melanomas), By Treatment Type (Chemotherapy, Immunotherapy, and Targeted Therapy), By Distribution Channel (Hospital Pharmacies, Retail Pharmacies, and Online Pharmacies), and Geography - Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2013-2017 and Forecast 2018-2024 Global uveal melanoma therapeutics market was valued at US$ XX Mn in 2017 and expected to grow at XX% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) from 2018 to 2024 Market Outline: Uveal Melanoma Therapeutics Market Uveal melanoma is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the eye. The tumors arise from the melanocytes that reside within the uvea giving color to the eye. Uveal melanoma begins between the three layers of the wall of the eye. The first layer (outer layer) includes sclera and the cornea at the front of the eye. The inner layer has a retina, that senses light and send images. The middle layer is the layer in which the melanoma forms. This layer is called as uvea. Increase in the prevalence of uveal melanoma is driving the growth of the market. The rising awareness among the people regarding the disease among healthcare fraternity is anticipated to drive the growth of the uveal melanoma therapeutics market. However, the higher cost of the therapy and reimbursement policies are may constrain the growth of the market. Free sample of this report is available upon request @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/uveal-melanoma-therapeutics-market/#ulp-4H8Z4LpNMLEuOnnx Market Scope: Uveal Melanoma Therapeutics Market Uveal melanoma therapeutics market is segmented based on the disease type, treatment type, and distribution channel. Based on the disease type, the market is segmented into the following: Choroidal Melanomas o Small Melanomas o Medium-sized Melanomas o Large Melanomas Iris melanomas Ciliary Body Melanomas Based on the treatment type, the market is segmented into the following: Chemotherapy o Methotrexate o Others Immunotherapy Drugs o Pembrolizumab o Ipilimumab o Others Targeted Drugs Based on the distribution channel, the market is segmented into the following: Hospital Pharmacies Retail Pharmacies Online Pharmacies Free TOC of this report is available upon request @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/uveal-melanoma-therapeutics-market/#ulp-c654SbFYO64MsOhu Regional Analysis: Uveal Melanoma Therapeutics Market Geographically, global uveal melanoma therapeutics market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. North America uveal melanoma therapeutics market is driven by increase in the prevalence of the eye related disorders. The growing patient population with uveal melanoma disorder expected fuel the market growth in the region. According to the American Cancer Society, about nine of 10 melanomas of the eye develop in the choroid. It also states that 2,730 new cases were detected in 2014 of uveal melanoma in the U.S. Competition Assessment: Uveal Melanoma Therapeutics Market Some of the players in the global uveal melanoma therapeutics market include: Eli Lilly & Co. (U.S) Novartis AG (Switzerland) AstraZeneca plc (UK) Pfizer, Inc. (U.S) Merck (U.S) Roche (Switzerland) Amgen (U.S) Bayer (Germany) Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (U.S) Ask Analyst for Full Information about this report @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/uveal-melanoma-therapeutics-market/#ulp-14mlyhjMGhVjZqa3 Notable Market Developments: Uveal Melanoma Therapeutics Market Bristol-Myers Squibb and National Cancer Institute (NCI) completed the phase II study of Nivolumab in combination with Ipilimumab for Uveal Melanoma Get access to full summary @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/uveal-melanoma-therapeutics-market/ About Precision Business Insights Precision Business Insights is one of the leading market research and business consulting firm, which follow a holistic approach to solve needs of the clients. We adopt and implement proven research methodologies to achieve better results. We help our clients by providing actionable insights and strategies to make better decisions. We provide consulting, syndicated and customised market research services based on our client needs. Contact to Precision Business Insights, Kemp House, 152 160 City Road, London EC1V 2NX Email: sales@precisionbusinessinsights.com Toll Free (US):+1-866-598-1553 Website @https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Global Phototherapy Equipment Market: By Device Type (Fluorescent Lamps, Compact Fluorescent Lamps, Fiberoptic Phototherapy Equipment, LED Phototherapy Equipment, and Conventional Phototherapy Equipment), By Application (Neonatal Jaundice and Skin Diseases), By End User (Hospitals, Clinics, and Others), and Geography - Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2013-2017 and Forecast 2018-2024 Global phototherapy equipment market was valued at US$ XX Mn in 2017 and expected to grow at XX% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) from 2018 to 2024 Market Outline: Phototherapy Equipment Market Phototherapy or light therapy involves exposing the skin to ultraviolet light on a regular basis and under medical supervision. The UV part of the radiation emitted by the sun that is used in phototherapy, especially the ultraviolet B (UVB) and ultraviolet A (UVA) wavelengths. Using phototherapy, exposure of specific wavelengths of light using polychromatic polarized light, fluorescent lamps, and lasers is used for the treatment. Market Dynamics: Phototherapy Equipment Market Increase in the prevalence of neonatal jaundice and growing number of the preterm birth are the key factors attributed for the growth of the phototherapy equipment market. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), around 13 million babies are affected with jaundice all across the globe. The increasing incidence of the psoriasis is aiding the growth of the phototherapy equipment market. According to the International Federation of Psoriasis Associations (IFPA), around 150,000 new cases are reported in the U.S every year and 3% of people are affected by some form of psoriasis around the world. The treatment of these skin disorders requires phototherapy, which is expected to boost the growth of the market. However, the high cost of the equipment may hinder the growth of the phototherapy equipment market. Free sample of this report is available upon request @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/phototherapy-equipment-market/#ulp-4H8Z4LpNMLEuOnnx Market Scope: Phototherapy Equipment Market Phototherapy equipment market is segmented based on the device type, application, and distribution channel Based on the device type, the market is segmented into the following: Fluorescent Lamps Compact Fluorescent Lamps Fiberoptic Phototherapy Equipment LED Phototherapy Equipment Conventional Phototherapy Equipment Based on the application, the market is segmented into the following: Neonatal Jaundice Skin Diseases o Psoriasis o Eczema o Other skin diseases Others Based on the distribution channel, the market is segmented into the following: Hospitals Clinics Others Free TOC of this report is available upon request @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/phototherapy-equipment-market/#ulp-c654SbFYO64MsOhu Regional Analysis: Phototherapy Equipment Market Geographically, global phototherapy equipment market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. North America phototherapy equipment market to keep top spot in the global phototherapy equipment market. The rising awareness among the people regarding the modern treatment procedures for treating skin-related disorders is enhancing the growth of the phototherapy equipment market. For instance, according to the American Academy of Dermatology acne is the most common skin condition in the U.S., affecting around 50 million people in the country each year. Europe and Asia Pacific phototherapy equipment market is expected to grow exponentially over the forecast period. Ask Analyst for Full Information about this report @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/phototherapy-equipment-market/#ulp-14mlyhjMGhVjZqa3 Competition Assessment: Phototherapy Equipment Market Some of the players in the global phototherapy equipment market include: Atom Medical Corporation (Japan) National Biological Corp. (U.S.) Solarc Systems Inc. (Canada) GE Healthcare (U.K.) Philips Lighting Holding B.V. (Netherlands Natus Medical Incorporated (U.S.) Phoenix Medical Systems Pvt. Ltd. (India) Herbert Waldmann GmbH & Co. KG (Germany) Get access to full summary @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/phototherapy-equipment-market/ About Precision Business Insights Precision Business Insights is one of the leading market research and business consulting firm, which follow a holistic approach to solve needs of the clients. We adopt and implement proven research methodologies to achieve better results. We help our clients by providing actionable insights and strategies to make better decisions. We provide consulting, syndicated and customised market research services based on our client needs. Contact to Precision Business Insights, Kemp House, 152 160 City Road, London EC1V 2NX Email: sales@precisionbusinessinsights.com Toll Free (US):+1-866-598-1553 Website @https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Global Foley Catheters Market Size, Share, Trends, Growth factors, Top Key Players, Competitive Intelligence 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 to 2024 Global Foley Catheters Market report offers Market Size, Dynamics, Regional Market Share, Top Key Players, Latest trends, Growth factors, Industry Stats, Historic Market, Business Intelligence, Business Research Reports, Competitive Intelligence 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 to 2024 Foley catheter is also known as an indwelling catheter, which is inserted into bladder in order to drain the urine. It consists of a balloon which holds catheter inside the bladder at one of the end. The balloon is filled with the sterile water for preventing the catheter from being removed from the bladder. The urine is drained into the collection tube through catheter. Foley catheters are used for long periods. These are used after the urological surgeries in order to help the patients to ease the urination in conditions like prostate hypertrophy nerve-related bladder dysfunction, narrowing of urethra and prostate cancer. Foley Catheters market is anticipated to show significant growth during forecast period, due to increasing number of surgeries and rising demand of minimal invasive methods. In addition to this growing geriatric population and increasing demand for the sterile and disposable catheters, high reimbursement policies and technological advancements in the catheters are the factors which are fuelling the market growth. However, inadequate quality analysis and price sensitivity at domestic stages are hampering the market growth. A sample of this report is available upon request @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/global-foley-catheters-market/#ulp-4H8Z4LpNMLEuOnnx Global Foley Catheters market is segmented on the basis of type, material, end-user and geographical regions. Based on the material, global foley catheters market is segmented as: Latex Silicone Elastomer Coated Latex Silicone Teflon Coated Latex Hydrophilic Polymer Coated Latex Based on the type, global foley catheters market is segmented as: Indwelling catheter Condom catheter Intermittent catheters Based on the end-user, global foley catheters market is segmented as: Hospitals Nursing Homes Home care Clinics Ambulatory Surgical Centres To view TOC of this report is available upon request @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/global-foley-catheters-market/#ulp-c654SbFYO64MsOhu Globally, huge population is suffering with neurological, urological and cardiovascular, disorders who requires hospitalization in turn needs catheterization for the patients. As per World Health Organization (WHO), about 200 Mn people are suffering from the bladder control problems which require catheterization. As per the National Health Service (NHS) of UK, in 2013 imprecisely 3-6 Mn individuals are suffering from urinary incontinence in UK. Many market players are posing heavy investments in development of differencing products from the competitors products to enhance the competition, and players are focussing on the acquisitions, mergers and collaborations to enhance their market share. Need more information about this report @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/global-foley-catheters-market/#ulp-14mlyhjMGhVjZqa3 Based on the geographical regions, foley catheters market is segmented as Latin America, North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Middle East and Africa. North America has the dominating market shares in Foley Catheters Market followed by Europe, especially Germany dominates the market growth while UK is the speedy growing market in Foley catheters market. The Asia-Pacific is anticipated to have rapid growth in foresee period due to high government support, a large pool of geriatric population suffering from various urinary problems which requires immediate catheterization, rise in income levels, and widespread of awareness. Some of the market players in foley catheters market are Coloplast A/S. (Denmark), B. Braun Melsungen AG (Germany), Becton Dickinson & Co (U.S.), Boston Scientific Corporation (U.S.), Teleflex Incorporation (U.S.), Medtronic (U.S), CooK Medical. (U.S.), Hollister Incorporated (U.S.) and TE Connectivity Corporation (Switzerland). Get access to full summary @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/global-foley-catheters-market/ About Precision Business Insights Precision Business Insights is one of the leading market research and business consulting firm, which follow a holistic approach to solve needs of the clients. We adopt and implement proven research methodologies to achieve better results. We help our clients by providing actionable insights and strategies to make better decisions. We provide consulting, syndicated and customised market research services based on our client needs. Precision Business Insights mission is to provide high-quality market research reports and generate key insights to our clients. PBIs approachable strategies are to help clients to make key decisions for business growth. Precision Business Insights vision is to become most valued partner to fortune 500 companies by providing agile, accurate, and actionable market insights Contact to Precision Business Insights, Kemp House, 152 160 City Road, London EC1V 2NX Email: sales@precisionbusinessinsights.com Toll Free (US): +1-866-598-1553 Website @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com DUBAI, UAE and MONTREAL, May 31, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- UAE fastest growing passport in world, now with visa-free access to Canada As of June 5th, 2018, Emirati citizens will no longer need a visa to visit Canada for up to six months.A This is aA major step forA UAE'sA Race to the Very TopA with theA UAE's Passport Force Initiative.A A In addition to Canada,A UAE has visa waiversA comingA in force from Brazil andA Guyana, resulting in aA totalA visa-free score of 151A by beginning of June,A pushing it on theA 14thA rank of theA Passport Index'sA power ranking, shared with Cyprus.A The UAE has strong ties with Canada, with nearly 40,000 Canadians living and working in the nation, and some 150 Canadian companies with strong operational presence in the UAE. Additionally, the UAE is Canada's top export market in the Middle East and North Africa with recorded exports of C$1.79 billion in 2016. Having the tallest, biggest, and the best is part of the DNA of the UAE, and being granted visa-free access into Canada is a key step in achieving this goal. Emirati citizens, like other visa-exempt travelers, will need an electronic travel authorization (eTA) to fly to, or transit through a Canadian airport. TheA eTAA allows Canadian officials to screen travelers for admissibility before they board their flight to Canada.A A "The United Arab Emirates is a key strategic partner and lifting the visa requirement will help reaffirm the strong relationship between our two countries. It will also promote increased tourism, cultural, academic and study exchanges, as well as foster new business, trade, and investment opportunities," confirmed The Honorable AhmedA Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.A OverA the last decade, the UAE passport has seenA immense growth in its global visa-free score and is amongst the list of nations that has experienced the fastest growth in theA world.A HavingA gained the trust and respect ofA overA 35 countries in the past decade, UAE's passportA powerA isA slowly but surelyA reaching the summit.A A "We have been working with the UAE authorities to monitor and help boost the power of their passport," said Armand Arton, president of Arton Capital. "I am delighted that our efforts are bearing fruit." Our organization is committed to be the reference to ensure that global citizens have all necessary information to enjoy frictionless global mobility. About The Passport Index The Passport Index is the most popular online interactive tool, which collects, displays and ranks the passports of the world. It is the only real-timeA global ranking of passports, updated as frequently as new visa waivers and changes are announced. Visitors can dive in the fascinating world of passports, explore their designs, sort them by country, region and even by color. For the first time ever, visitors canA compare passports side by sideA and discover how to improve theirA Global Mobility Score.A (http://www.passportindex.org) About Arton Capital Arton CapitalA is a Canadian global financial advisory firm specializing in empowering governments in attracting foreign direct investments, global citizens and in providing strategic advice to developers and institutional investors reach their sustainable investment goals. Media Enquiries: Mr. Rupert Wright, Ashbright, rw@ashbright.com, T + 44 7557 371908, T +971 5 410 5478 Former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke wrote a letter of congratulations on the launch of the event attended by over 500 high-level government officials and business leaders SYDNEY, June 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2018 Moutai@Australia brand promotion event, launched by Chinese liquor maker Moutai, kicked off in Sydney. It is the first in a series of events to be held this year to promote the brand across major international markets. At 7:00 pm on May 30, Moutai Group held a large brand promotion event themed "Moutai China Cultural Trip to Australia" at Sydney Town Hall. The latest event launched by the group in Oceania came on the heels of similar promotional events in Russia, Italy, the US, Germany and South Africa. Former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke wrote a letter of congratulations on the launch of the event. Over 500 high-level government officials and business leaders from Australia attended the event, including New South Wales (NSW) Minister for Finance, Services and Property Victor Michael Dominello, NSW Parliamentary Secretary for Roads, Transport, Industry, Resources and Energy Anthony John Sidoti, NSW Legislative Council member Ernest Wong, NSW Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment and NSW Legislative Assembly member Jonathan Richard O'Dea, Sydney Councillor and former Sydney Deputy Lord Mayor Robert Kok, NSW Legislative Council member Mark Joseph Coure, Sydney Deputy Lord Mayor Jess Miller, NSW Legislative Assembly member for Parramatta and Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs Ge offrey Lee and NSW's first China-born parliamentarian Helen Sham-Ho, as well as Australian radio presenter, television presenter and journalist Lee Lin Chin, Network Ten senior journalist and anchor Sandra Sully, and former Australian rugby union player and national hero Mark Gordon Ella. Chinese Deputy Consul General in Sydney Tong Xuejun offered his congratulations at the event. Moutai Group deputy general manager and Moutai's subsidiary Xijiu chairman Zhang Deqin delivered a speech on behalf of Moutai Group during the event, with Moutai Group assistant general manager and board secretary Peng Yun, Kweichow Moutai (Group) Ecological Agriculture Industry Development chairman Zou Xin, Moutai Group Beijing Branch general manager Zhang Lianzhao, Kweichow Moutai Company Limited assistant general manager and office director Huang Wei, as well as Kweichow Moutai Company Limited assistant general manager and Kweichow Moutai Sales Company general manager Ma Yupeng in attendance. Hawke thanked the event organizer for the invitation and, in the letter, expressed his regret for not being able to attend in person. "I have visited China over 100 times and have long lost count of the number of times I have toasted to the relationship between the two countries with a glass of Moutai in my hand," he said. Hawke: The long-term relationship between Australia and Moutai can be expected to continue "When toasting the 46th anniversary of Sino-Australia relations at the event, you will realize that it relates closely to the diplomatic success of the former prime minister. In 1971, Gough Whitlam made his first visit to China, laying a foundation for Australia's existing relationship with China." As a politician who has witnessed the development of Sino-Australia relations, Hawke looked back on the history of the friendship between the two countries and confirmed that Moutai plays an important role in the relations between China and Australia. "Moutai dates back to the Qin and Han dynasties, so you have been able to love the liquor for hundreds of years. However, it is a new experience for us Australians." Tong spoke on behalf of the consulate general. Moutai is undoubtedly the national liquor brand of China, behind which there are many stories. Sydney is a beautiful city and one of the most developed cities in the southern hemisphere. Moutai plays an important role in the political and diplomatic relations between China and Australia, and has contributed in large measure to the bilateral relations," said Tong in his speech that included heartfelt words of encouragement for the further development of Moutai. He looks forward to Moutai playing an important role in Sino-Australian cooperation and relations as we look forward. Moutai has been exported to Australia for 15 years. Since the opening of its first store on Sussex Street in Sydney's Chinatown in 2003, Moutai has become an important gateway through which Australia's mainstream society has learned about and come to understand Chinese liquor culture. According to statistics, annual sales of Moutai and other brands under the Moutai umbrella in Australia have exceeded 100,000 bottles. Moutai's influence in the country has moved beyond Chinese communities and become a quality consumer product favoured by the mainstream market. Sales in Australia, a key export destination for Moutai, have risen 43% over the past two years. Moutai has a sales network encompassing a number of high-end restaurants, airport duty-free shops and liquor stores in Sydney, Melbou! rne, Brisbane, Hobart, Whitsundays and Perth. According to Guizhou Moutai Chiew Import and Export Co., Moutai liquor has entered the mainstream markets in 66 countries on all continents. In 2017, Moutai Group exported 1,721.03 metric tons of Moutai and other brands under the Moutai umbrella, achieving exports valued at US$314 million. Of the total exports, the Asian market accounted for 49.89%, Europe 24.56%, duty-free market 9.12%, Oceania 3.47% and Africa 1.12%. In 2017, exports of Moutai and other brands under the Moutai umbrella to Australia amounted to 50 metric tons, generating exports valued at US$9.29 million. Over the next three years, Moutai's overseas sales are expected to increase to a point where they account for 10% of the group's total. Moutai is undoubtedly the king of liquor, said Victor Dominello in his speech on behalf of the Governor. "We just held a ceremony to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the arrival of Chinese migrants to Australia," he said. "Now, we're starting a new celebration for you, Moutai. Thank you for coming to Sydney. Thank you for coming to Australia." Moutai: In the context of globalization, we need to learn from the world's leading liquor makers, including those in Australia "In the past four decades since China's reform and opening up, the economic and social landscape of the world's most populous country has not only been completely transformed, the reform has also brought about tremendous change across the global economy," said Mr. Zhang is his keynote speech at the event on behalf of Moutai Group. Moutai has begun to carry out its strategy of expanding beyond the home market for nearly a century, since winning the gold medal at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. So far, Moutai has won 18 gold international awards, and topped international rankings by WPP, Kantar Millward Brown, Forbes and Financial Times for many years in a row. In 2017, Moutai Group's annual sales exceeded US$12.1 billion, contributed to the national treasury through taxes of over US$4.1 billion, and increased the valuation of the bra! nd to US$23.2 billion. Its single product sales have ranked number one around the world consistently, while its brand and stock market valuations have also ranked at the top among listed liquor makers worldwide.A Zhang said affectionately: "Within the context of trade globalisation, we need to learn from world's leading liquor makers, including Australian alcoholic beverage producers, to draw meaningfulA lessons in brand marketing and market expansion, so that the brand culture of Moutai can be recognized and communicated in a better way in different contexts and cultural backgrounds. In the future, we plan to build more communication platforms to allow more Australian friends understand the Chinese liquor culture. Today's gathering is a feast for Moutai and the Australian people. Here, we can remember the past and look forward to a promising future." From inside to outside: Moutai establishes a deep connection with the World At Sydney's City Hall, the Moutai element is everywhere. The multimedia interactive display of Moutai's premium products and the Moutai cocktail tasting event complements the brand's products display area, delivering a three-dimensional "cultural Moutai" exhibition platform. Visitors were impressed by the dazzling array of beautiful exhibits, including the "Hundred Years" 100-bottle set, vintage bottles of Moutai that had been respectively distilled and stored for 80 years, 50 years, 30 years and 15 years, Chinese Zodiac Wine series and Soy-sauce Flavour series, in addition to Red Liquor, Health Tonic, Blueberry Wine and other Moutai specialties. By watching the blending of Moutai cocktails and taking the opportunity to personally sample the mysterious flavour of Moutai, Australian guests will have a more intuitive experience in savouring the taste of the unique drink. The interplay between Australian's Chinese and mainstream communities is not limited to what went on inside the event venue. Prior to the event, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian met the Moutai delegation and presented the award naming Moutai as a China-Australia Friendship Meritorious Enterprise. Moutai is putting together a roadmap based on demand from overseas markets that seeks to maintain current sales levels in the domestic market while driving growth across international markets. Moutai plans to gradually optimise the overseas market portfolio based on the objective of "breaking 100 within two years, covering the whole world and leaving no area untouched". "Breaking 100 within two years" signifies establishing a marketing channel and developing a loyal fan base in more than 100 countries and regions within the next two years. The theme "Let the world fall in love with Moutai, let Moutai go to the world" continues to make ever more sense within the context of the global development roadmap of Moutai. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/699012/Moutai_Australia.jpgA Photo -A https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/699013/Zhang_Deqin.jpgA Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/699014/cocktail_blended_by_Moutai_liquor.jpgA Four years after the proclamation of the caliphate in Syria and Iraq, the "Islamic state" (IS) is largely defeated militarily. The pace of its terrorist operations as well as its media activities have decreased significantly. Experts fears that IS would retreat into a "virtual caliphate" have not yet materialized. Yet, even though the jihadist dream of an extremist utopia seems to have burst for the time being and IS has lost some of its appeal, radicalized individuals and small groups still pose a considerable threat. Accordingly, Switzerland's third TETRA reportcall_made (2017) assumes that attacks carried out by individuals or small groups with minimal logistical effort represent the greatest challenge for Switzerland. Along similar lines, Switzerlands Federal Intelligence Service (FSI) notes in its current reportcall_made (2018) that in addition to the consumption of jihadist content on the Internet, personal networks and contacts play a central role when it comes to radicalization. These contacts are increasingly formed outside the confines of institutions such as mosques. Further, the core of these cross-border networks is often comprised of a few charismatic, radicalized individuals who aim to recruit others from within their own social circles. The topic of jihadist extremism has occupied CSS researchers for quite some time. As early as 2013, the CSS published a comprehensive study on "Jihadist Radicalization in Switzerland." Further analyses on jihadist foreign fighters and Swiss security (CSS Analysis No. 199, Bulletin 2014), the difficulties of dealing with jihadist returnees (CSS Analysis No. 210) and the engagement of Muslim organizations in Switzerland against violent extremism (Bulletin 2017) followed. Adding to this body of knowledge, the aim of the May 2018 conference was to take stock of the current research on jihadist networks in Switzerland and their transnational links. Insights from the Conference Radicals with North-African and Middle-Eastern backgrounds have long dominated domestic networks in Switzerland. However, jihadis with Balkan backgrounds especially Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo currently represent more than one-third of all jihadi foreign fighters from Switzerland. The influence of radical preachers from the Balkans is also on the increase. The emergence of local clusters, which are often characterized by pre-existing social ties, facilitates jihadi networking in Switzerland. The disproportionally high number of foreign fighters from cities like Winterthur or Lausanne indicates the existence of several such jihadi recruitment grounds within the country. While these clusters serve as epicenters for networks within the French, German and Italian-speaking regions in Switzerland, they do not maintain close national ties. However, this does not mean these clusters constitute isolated islands within the center of Europe. Switzerlands regional jihadi clusters are often linked to broader transnational networks in neighboring countries such as Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, and Italy. Furthermore, diasporic ties to radical communities in the homeland as observed in the cases of Bosnia- Herzegovina or Kosovo present ample evidence for the internationalization of the Swiss Jihad. In order to take this internationalization of the Swiss jihadist problem into account, the conference brought together experts from Switzerland, Austria, Germany, France, Belgium, Italy and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Over the course of four panel discussions, participants looked at the various linguistic-ethnic networks and their respective international contacts. While the causes and motives for radicalization and violence continue to be heterogeneous and complex, there was a general consensus among most participants that personal networks and their transnational connections pose a threat that should not be underestimated. With its recently adopted Counter Terrorism Strategy (2015), Switzerland is now relatively well prepared to combat jihadist-motivated terrorism. Nonetheless, the conference indicated that certain domestic networks continue to pose a significant threat. In order to better understand better how these networks operate, closer cooperation between national authorities in Europe is essential. What the Future Holds Unlike other countries, Switzerland does not appear to be a focal point for jihadist terrorism. Yet, no one knows which organizations and networks will emerge from the ties and contacts jihadists have formed in Syria and Iraq. The 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks have already shown that decades may pass between the initial formation of networks during a conflict and an actual attack. As a result, the threat posed by jihadist networks and returnees will almost certainly remain at the top of Switzerland's security agenda. Further CSS publications on the topic: Rupert Everett is lucky Colin Firth is a forgiving chap. Or his new film The Happy Prince, a passion project about Oscar Wilde that Rupert wrote, directed and stars in, may never have been made. Despite the pair's friendship getting off to a wobbly start Rupert admits he was downright horrible they became good enough pals that Colin agreed to take a role in Rupert's film, and his star power helped raise the money to make it. Even now, before the film's opening this month, it is generating the sort of buzz its writer has dreamed of for more than a decade. 'Colin has done me the greatest act of friendship without him the film would never have happened. He stood by it all the way through,' says Rupert. 'The whole deal-making structure of films nowadays relies on going to potential financial sources with names of leading actors. When I first wrote the script for The Happy Prince, Colin came and did the first reading. Rupert Everett, 59, shares the challenges of his acting career and creating new film, The Happy Prince based on Oscar Wilde's life He hadn't yet done The King's Speech or A Single Man. But we were both hot off St Trinian's 2. 'He signed on but it took years and years to get the money together. And he was the deal. It was about him taking part. So in a sense I owe the whole thing to him as well as Emily Watson and Tom Wilkinson and everybody in the movie. But Colin was the person that everybody fixed on. If he had dropped out, then my film would have collapsed. Which is a big responsibility for someone to have.' It's hard to believe the pair ended up such steadfast friends, given their first encounter, in their 20s, when they both appeared in the 1984 hit Another Country. Rupert was playing gay public schoolboy Guy Bennett and Colin was fellow schoolboy Tommy Judd, a Marxist. Rupert wasn't happy about the casting, as he had a huge crush on his co-star and was keen to do a few love scenes. 'I wanted him to play the other character, James Harcourt [Bennett's love interest, a role played by Cary Elwes], because I fancied him,' he admits. 'I was crazy about Colin and I was determined that he would be the other character. And then, typical me, as soon as he was in the film, I went right off him, so then I was horrible to him.' 'I was very mercurial in those days. I tortured him. So we did fall out a bit. Then we fell back in a bit filming Shakespeare In Love in 1998.' In the Oscar-winning film, Rupert played Christopher Marlowe and Colin was Lord Wessex. 'Then we made Wilde's The Importance Of Being Earnest in 2002 and that led to us becoming great friends. By then I could make him laugh something I found ridiculously satisfying. And after that, we made the St Trinian's films in 2007 and 2009.' Rupert (pictured as Oscar Wilde in the new film) portrays the final years of Wilde's life in a way other films have previously shied away from 'With growing older in the business, it's such fun when you've known people since you were teenagers. It's much more of a laugh. And I adore Colin.' In The Happy Prince, the pair play friends, too Rupert is Oscar Wilde and Colin is his close ally, writer Reggie Turner. Emily Watson is Wilde's estranged wife Constance, Tom Wilkinson plays Catholic priest Father Dunne and Colin Morgan is Bosie, Lord Alfred Douglas, Wilde's spoilt young aristocratic lover. The story takes place in the painful final years of Wilde's life, after he'd served time in prison for 'gross indecency' with men, and while he was living in exile in Naples and Paris, penniless, in poor health after two years of hard labour, and facing abuse from expat Brits. I tortured Colin Firth, I was horrible to him Wilde's final days are something other films about his life have shied away from. But this shows Oscar in all his crumbling magnificence, trying to keep up a buoyant facade to the end. Playing the tortured character is a challenge for any man. But Colin Firth was impressed by the way Rupert juggled acting with directing, saying, 'One minute he'd be raging at Bosie, poeticising in French or cavorting with young Italians, the next he'd be up a ladder with the lens, in a nightgown over a fat-suit, deciding on the next shot.' To disguise his angular good looks, Rupert didn't stop with the fat suit. He put padding inside his mouth to make his face look wider and older, and shot himself on widening lenses. Colin Firth (pictured left as writer Reggie Turner with his friend Wilde) claimed to be impressed with Rupert's ability to juggle acting with directing He also shaved his head so he could wear a wig moulded to Oscar's hairstyle. And before that, as part of his research, Rupert went to L'Hotel, Paris, and stayed in the same bedroom where Oscar stayed while there and where he died in 1900, aged just 46. 'But no message came through I was hoping for one! I didn't like the hotel. It's so claustrophobic, the winding staircase and too many drapes and too much dust. I didn't like it at all.' 'I'm an old-fashioned actor, I'm moving from the outside in. I was after the image of the character, then the rest came. I moved myself into a Wildean model and that was it. That worked very well and I had a great costume designer too.' In a sense, Oscar Wilde has been a part of Rupert since he was six. My career came to a standstill as usual! He remembers his mother reading him Wilde's children's story The Happy Prince, the heartbreaking tale of a statue of a prince who takes pity on poor townsfolk, and the swallow who sacrifices his life to help the prince aid them. 'I remember it very well,' he says. 'I think my emotional development kind of stopped, in a way, around that age.' 'The things that really move me still are things I first experienced then, from Bambi's mother's death to the end of The House At Pooh Corner, when Christopher Robin tries to explain to Pooh that he's not going to see him any more because he's going away to school. Even if I read that now, I get emotional.' 'And I remember perfectly my mother reading me The Happy Prince at that time. She was in her Jackie Onassis period, with big, white plastic earrings and short hair and a mini-dress. She was the perfect person. Rupert (pictured right with Colin Firth in 1984 film Another Country) began writing his memoirs during a quiet period of his acting career after 2000 'The relationship one has with one's mother when one is six or seven is so complete. That was my first introduction to Wilde.' As he grew, he identified with the struggles the writer had faced. 'I came out as gay in the middle of the 1970s in my late teens, and that was quite extraordinary, as it had only been legal to be gay for eight years. The police had not taken the legality much to heart. They still arrested us, right up to the 80s. You could be in the Gigolo Club, Chelsea, or wherever there were often raids. So Oscar Wilde's story was very much of the vernacular. We were still walking in his footsteps of illegality and imprisonment. 'After that, at drama school, I went off him a bit because we all wanted to do things more modern and shocking and Wilde's work seemed very conventional. 'Everybody wanted something different, not boring old Wilde or Coward plays. But they were what I would make my career being in.' I wanted to be sexy on a massive scale. I wasnt He appeared in his first Wilde production at Glasgow's Citizens Theatre in 1993 an adaptation of the novel The Picture Of Dorian Gray. It was a huge success. 'I realised I had a great affinity for the text. It just happened to fit me very well. I suppose I'm that dirty term, 'a light comedian'. 'Once you manage to make Wilde sound casual and throwaway and humorous, it's wonderful. I knew how to do it for some reason.' He was in the 1999 film of Wilde's play An Ideal Husband. 'And I did David Hare's play The Judas Kiss about Wilde in 2012 that was a great success for me too. Then my career came to a standstill, as usual! 'It always hits a brick wall at a certain point, for some reason. I always get so far and then hit a brick wall.' After his huge success in My Best Friend's Wedding in 1997, in which he stole the show as Julia Roberts's friend, and the well-received Shakespeare In Love and An Ideal Husband, he co-starred with Madonna in the panned film The Next Best Thing in 2000. Things then went a little quiet. Rupert (pictured in a scene from Wildes time in exile on the Continent) received positive feedback for The Happy Prince script from notable producers before he began filming 'I wasn't getting many roles at all. Everything was drying up. I thought, "I refuse to give in and give up and become some awful depressed blob, an also-ran." During a dry period Rupert began to write his memoirs. The first volume, witty and pithy, was published in 2006 and he started on his Oscar Wilde script around 2007. 'I didn't want to play tiny roles, so I created myself a role. The best role for me to write would be Oscar. And Oscar in exile all the other films cover the period before he goes to prison.' 'And I thought, now really is the time to go further and show what society did to him, beyond prison. So I wrote it, and between that time and making it, it became an obsession. 'For me he was more than a misfit in society. I think Wilde's a Christ-like figure for the gay movement. In other words, Christians have their crosses to bear and they relate those crosses to that of Christ and it's nice for them. Wilde is the source of inspiration for me.' When Rupert started out with his ambitious project, he says, he felt it was going to be a huge success. Rupert (pictured left with Colin Firth) describes the film industry as a tough business. He claims the struggles are important for fertilising 'I'd sent the script to Robert Fox, my producer, and he was immediately excited. He took it to Scott Rudin, who is the best producer in the world. He rang the next day saying, "I love it." 'I was walking on air. God! I was doing my acceptance speeches in the mirror! I was spending money. I thought, 'I'm back.' 'But the day after, Scott rang again and said, "By the way, I don't want you to play Oscar Wilde. I want Philip Seymour Hoffman." And I said no.' 'It was a depressing moment and I persuaded him to keep going with the film if I found six potential directors. Then, of course, I had to find the money, and that's very lonely. But despite it all, I had a current pulling me and this story along. And every time I was about to give up, something happened.' Gosh it's a tough business, I remark. 'Tough but good. I would never have done this otherwise. I'd never have become a writer, because after so many disappointments I wrote my books.' 'So struggle is really important. And this is the thing that maybe nowadays we forget, because people are not prepared for struggle. But struggle is fertilising. Blades of grass growing out of a concrete slab. The low points are always the points of growth for me.' Rupert admits he wanted to be seen as sexy as James Dean and Steve McQueen (pictured left to right) when he was beginning his career As always, Rupert is brilliantly entertaining company. We're meeting at Kettner's Townhouse hotel in Soho, in its restaurant, where Oscar Wilde used to entertain his lovers. It's the day of the Royal Wedding, and before we start he decides he wants to watch the television to catch the bride arriving at Windsor Castle, and see her dress. Spotting the youngsters the couple have chosen to help Meghan with her 16ft veil reminds him of the many times he's been a page boy. And that Colin Firth wasn't the first person he was horrible to. 'I was a page boy to my nanny and I ruined her wedding. I tried to stop her getting married and I pulled on the veil so hard I pulled it off her head. She had one of those hair pieces on and that came off too. And I made a huge scene crying at the church and had to be dragged out.' Today, more grown up he's 59 but looks considerably younger, even with a beard he's no longer the wild child he was when expelled from drama school for being insubordinate, and dabbling with drugs during his search for stardom. Right from the start of his career, he wanted fame as fast as he could get it. 'Fame is wonderful, but most of all I wanted to be sexy. I just wanted everyone to think I was the sexiest thing on the planet, which I wasn't.' Rupert says the film has been very inspirational for him. He believes understanding the history of being imprisoned for being gay is important for attacking current problems 'I was a good-looking man, but I wanted to be sexy. Like Steve McQueen or James Dean. Sexy to everybody. Sexy on a massive scale. 'Now I'm the opposite actually. Quite reclusive. I haven't been wild for a long time. I went through a period in my 40s when I was a bit like that. Then I went into a relationship [with Brazilian accountant Henrique], which I'm still in. It's been ten years now, which is amazing and fabulous. He's my best friend.' Another change has been that he has moved in with his mother, now 84, into the family's beautiful Queen Anne home in Wiltshire. 'We don't live together. We live side by side. She lives in a little bit by the side and I live in her house.' He wanted to move in to keep an eye on her, as his father died a few years ago.' All these changes have led him to naturally move away from drugs, heavy drinking and clubs. 'I'm so relieved because I'd always imagined I'd be one of those 75-years-olds on ecstasy, in a tie-dyed T-shirt being a pest at a rave. And I just couldn't imagine myself stopping. But there's a certain point when you lose that kind of curiosity. I don't feel curious about men any more. Not like I used to. And I'm too old to take drugs. I want to keep my brain as alive as it can be. That's what I'd really like. 'My curiosity is about completely different things. History, and how we got to be where we are.' Rupert believes there's more room for older-voice in film-making now than ever 'That's what is more interesting, and that is what's most interesting about Wilde that, a second ago, really, you went to prison for being gay.' 'I think the story of my film is, for me, very inspirational because I think the more history we know, the more we can attack the problems that we have now, with a truly positive mindset.' Ageing does not bother Rupert, and surprisingly he says, 'I'm longing for death. I'd love to be a tree for my next life. Some beautiful tree like an oak that doesn't get a disease. I don't know, I'm rather off human beings to be honest, in general. 'I certainly wouldn't like to be young. I'm so pleased to be as old as I am, I don't understand the modern world. I don't want to be virtual.' I don't want to be part of the Facebook group. I can't stand the Big Brother aspect of our governments. We have absolutely no freedom. We have less and less. I mean, it's gone insane. 'So I still feel quite angry about things. But also very lucky. I've survived in my business. Contrary to what people might think, it hasn't been handed to me on a plate. I've always had to elbow my way to the middle, and I feel good about that. 'I would like to keep engaged with it, if I can. And I think now, more than ever, there's room for older voices in film-making, because the narrative can't just be taken over by a millennial generation, who don't have any historical sense beyond six months ago.' 'Because otherwise it's a goldfish world we're living in. One swish around the bowl, you've forgotten what happened. So I feel engaged. Maybe my film's a one-off. But I hope I'm going to be able to do more. Because I've got lots more things I'd love to try to do.' The early signs for The Happy Prince are good, with some critics raving about it when it was shown earlier this year at the Sundance and Berlin film festivals. And already there are whispers that it could be a contender for an Oscar. An Oscar for Oscar! Rupert isn't resting on his laurels. He's halfway through writing his third volume of memoirs and has been filming a major television series in Rome, based on Umberto Eco's novel The Name Of The Rose, this time playing a monk. 'From Oscar to a monk!' he chuckles. But has he reached a point in his life where he feels happy? 'It depends on the day, to be honest. Some days I feel very fulfilled and some days I feel absolutely wretched. It's difficult. I'm moody, but I can become utterly hysterical in a matter of seconds!' The Happy Prince is in London West End cinemas from 15 June, and in cinemas nationwide from 22 June. There's a glamorous mother of the groom who seems to be on a mission to upstage the bride, an adopted woman about to meet her birth family, a blind bride and someone who wants a 'mother of the bride' outfit for her dog. These are the customers of the dress shop at the heart of a new fly-on-the-wall TV series. Channel 4's The Posh Frock Shop is ostensibly about beautiful dresses but really it's a wonderful study of human behaviour, of women interacting with each other, supportive families and the power of feeling beautiful. At the heart of it all is Ian Stuart. Designer and ego-soother extraordinaire, he presides over a mini clothing empire, which includes his central London bespoke store The Blewcoat and a huge factory making his designs for top-end outlets all over the world.' Dress designer Ian Stuart (pictured) and his larger-than-life customers reveal what it takes to find the perfect outfit in Channel 4's The Posh Frock Shop 'It's amazing to see the happiness of someone finding the right outfit,' says Ian, whose wedding dresses sell for around 3,800 and other frocks for around 1,300. 'For a long time I sold through outlets but I opened my shop to meet the women wearing my dresses. I'm so pleased I did, even if people can say shocking things. 'My dresses are like Marmite no one likes everything. One lady threw a hat on the floor like a frisbee, but she'd probably just had a bad day. You don't know what's happened, but part of my job is calming people down.' From a young age, Ian knew he wanted to design dresses. He once made a kaftan out of bedsheets for his mother to her horror, as the linen was new. He favoured theatrical outfits but after failing to find a job in theatre he chose a career in wedding dresses, apprenticing for high-society salon Bellville Sassoon, a favourite of Princess Diana in her early married life. 'I then started selling my designs wholesale but I wanted to meet who I was dressing,' he says. 'I meet larger-than-life characters who change how I design. They might be young size eights, gorgeous size 20s or frail 82-year-olds who still want to be fabulous.' The cameras went into his store, housed in a beautiful building dating from 1709, for three months. Ians bespoke store in London,The Blewcoat (pictured) has regular aristocratic customers and celebrity fans such and Katherine Jenkins Ian (pictured at a bridal show) began designing wedding dresses after struggling to find a job creating outfits for theatre Some of his aristocratic regulars and celebrity fans, including Helen Mirren and Katherine Jenkins, declined to be filmed but other women from across the country were happy for the nation to see them choose their perfect outfit. In episode one, we see a blind girl, Sassy, ahead of her big day. She lost her sight a year ago due to arthritis. 'It was very emotional helping her,' says Ian. 'She chose the dresses she liked by the feel of the fabrics, and her family were her eyes. A lot of customers have had mastectomies or other reasons for losing their confidence.' 'Our job is to give them that confidence back and make them feel like a million dollars.' Stuart has famously dressed Helen Mirren who is pictured here wearing one of his designs alongside Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders at the 2009 BAFTA awards Teresa, a 55-year-old saleswoman from Dudley, needed to feel particularly special. Months earlier, while clearing her late mother's home, she found paperwork showing she was adopted. As an only child, she had never suspected her parents had adopted her aged two they even gave her a fake birth certificate when she got married. When she visited Ian's shop, she had recently been in touch with her birth family both parents were dead but she had two full siblings and two half-siblings. They were throwing a huge party for her to meet the entire family. 'I needed a dress that would make me stand out,' says Teresa. ' 'As soon as I tried the dress on, I felt amazing. It has a corset but you can sit and eat; it moves with you. It had the impact I wanted.' But for one mother, in episode three, none of the occasionwear had the right look she was going for, for her son's wedding. Ian was shocked when she headed towards the bridalwear. Ian revealed he regularly receives odd requests such as creating dresses with strange detachable areas (Pictured: Model Jenny Bishop wearing Ian's design at the V&A) 'She really liked a one-shouldered, very sexy wedding dress,' recalls Ian. 'I thought, 'How can you wear a wedding dress to your son's wedding?' But then we talked about dying the lace grey and removing the train. 'It will look great. I wouldn't sell an actual wedding dress to anyone other than a bride. To me, that's unethical.' Odd requests like this are quite normal for Ian. 'Some people want their dress to be detachable in strange areas. One woman wanted a mother-of-the-bride dress for her chihuahua. 'Commonly we have a bride who absolutely loves a dress but her friend or sister says, 'I hate it'. It's awful. It's hijacking someone's special moment. 'We've had a husband choose the dress for the bride to try on I wonder what that relationship is based on. I'm intrigued by the psychology of it all.' There is a good chance that after seeing this show, you will never see dress shopping in the same way again. The Posh Frock Shop will begin later this month on Channel 4. Not many broadcasters can say they owe their career to a horse, but Francesca Cumani thinks that she can. The daughter of one of the UKs top flat-racing trainers, Luca Cumani, she was tasked 11 years ago with transporting two of her fathers racehorses to Australia to compete in the world-famous Melbourne Cup. One of them, Purple Moon, was a favourite of Francescas, and as she was interviewed for Australian TV about his prospects, her enthusiasm and knowledge caught the eye of one of the countrys top broadcasters, who offered her a job as a commentator. Things just spiralled from there, she says now. I owe that horse a lot. You could say that several years later, Francesca, 35, is back in Britain as one of the faces of ITV racing and today, alongside Ed Chamberlin, she hosts the Epsom Derby, a race that has been contested since 1780 and this year has a prize fund of more than 1.5 million. Francesca Cumani, 35 (pictured with Purple Moon) shared her background in racing and breeding horses ahead of hosting this year's Epsom Derby Its a big event in the racing calendar although maybe not quite as nerve-wracking as co-presenting the Grand National earlier this year. Thats such a huge event so you feel the pressure but it all seemed to go well, she says. I need to work on my confidence though. Its funny because Ive never been a centre-of-attention person. Its weird Ive ended up in front of the cameras. Perhaps not that weird: the lissom Francesca looks the part but she knows her stuff too, after a lifetime in the stable yard. Along with her older brother Matthew, a successful racehorse trainer in Australia, she grew up among horses at her fathers training yard in Newmarket. Id wake up to the clip-clop of hooves outside the window, she recalls. Francesca was plonked on a pony before she could walk, and by ten was pestering her father to let her ride a racehorse. He wasnt keen but he relented when I was 12, she smiles. Hed put me on the quiet ones, but Id fall off or theyd bolt. I kept going, though. Her height shes 5ft 9in meant a career as a jockey was out of the question, though by 18 she was competing as an amateur. Theres a race at York where the jockey wins their weight in Champagne, she recalls. The first time I rode it my mum Sara was riding too. She beat me, but I won it the next two years. The Cumani wine cellars did well.' Competing gave me the experience of being a jockey, which helps me to analyse races I know how it feels to be out there. Francesca's career began when she was offered a commentator role on Australia's Channel 7 whilst transporting her father's horses Back then, Francesca had little idea that a broadcasting career beckoned. I was always going to do something with horses but I didnt know what, she says. After boarding school in Oxfordshire she studied languages at Bristol University before working on horseback safaris in Kenya and Argentina. On her return, she found herself transporting her fathers horses Down Under, a task that led to her being asked by Australias Channel 7 to commentate on the Melbourne Cup and then being signed for CNNs racing coverage, a job thats taken her all over the world. Two years ago ITV bosses asked her to join their racing team. It was an enticing offer but Francesca and her husband Rob Archibald, a former member of the Australian polo team, had put down roots in Sydney. And Francesca was shortly to give birth. In some ways the offer couldnt have come at a worse time, she laughs. But I wanted to do it, so it was a case of figuring out how to make it work. Having raced as a jockey, I know how it feels out there The answer, for now, is Francesca, Rob and their two-year-old son Harry spending eight months here during the racing season, before returning to Australia, where shes still in demand. Last year she even played in a celebrity polo match there against the Queens granddaughter Zara Phillips. Zara and I were captains of the opposing teams. Zaras team won my husband was playing on her side so there was friendly winding-up. Francesca looks effortlessly put together, even today in jodhpurs and a jacket her uniform. Francesca (pictured interviewing Joao Moreira) says that on occasion men can be dismissive of her despite her upbringing in the racing world I dont own a hairdryer and make-up isnt really a thing. Im not hugely into fashion, but on race days I dress up to give racing the respect it deserves. She is relaxed about the scrutiny her appearance attracts compared with her male co-presenters. TV is visual, and we comment on what we see. I look at women and say, I like that dress. Men dont have that but its just the way it is. Racing, of course, is still a mans world, though any suggestion of Jilly Cooper-esque pinched bottoms is met with a shake of the head. I havent experienced much sexism, she says. If anything Ive been lucky because when my media career began in Australia they were looking for a more female influence.' 'In the real world, sometimes as a woman your opinion isnt valued quite as much as a mans. I breed a few horses and own a few, but on occasions when Im giving advice, men can be a little dismissive. Its silly because Ive had as good an upbringing in the racing world as any man. Francesca believes her job in the racing world is to make it understandable and relatble No one could deny that: her father has trained two Epsom Derby winners. Last year when I presented the Derby for the first time the enormity of it hit me in terms of Dad having won it the older you get and the more knowledge you have, the more you realise what an achievement it is. In fact, the Queen has never had a Derby winner, and its been her lifelong ambition. What does Luca make of his daughters career? After four days of my presenting at the Cheltenham Festival Dad said, Well, you had three good days and one not so good and I didnt like the orange coat. But hes very proud, really. Her job, she thinks, is to make the commentary relatable, particularly for those watching as a one-off. The racing world is sometimes in danger of thinking people know more than they do, so its a question of making it understandable, she says. And fun. As for Purple Moon, the 15-year-old is retired in Newmarket and Francesca sees him most days. Hes a special boy, she says. I go and cuddle him. After all, as she says, she owes him. ITV Racings coverage of the Epsom Derby starts at 1.30pm today. 'I think we also need to respect the boundaries of other parents,' she said A woman shared the story of how a male parent slapped her child on the bottom What would you do if another parent slapped or disciplined your child? When you drop off your child for out of school activities, you expect that they will be happy and safe. Unfortunately, when one Australian mother picked up her 'school-aged' daughter from an extracurricular group, she was shocked to learn that her child had been 'slapped' by an adult volunteer. The event was supervised by a group of parent leaders, who were there to keep an eye on the children. However, when the woman came to collect her daughter, her child said that a man had slapped her on the bottom and another mum confirmed her story. Is it ever okay to discipline someone else's child? FEMAIL spoke to parenting expert Sharon Witt for her advice on where to draw the line with other children (stock image) 'I have never smacked my children. I don't believe in adults hitting kids. I don't think it's right, and I've read the research that says it's bad for kids in the long-term,' the anonymous woman told Mamamia. She confronted the man and said that he was wrong to slap her daughter. He responded by staring at the ground, as if he was acknowledging that his actions were wrong. Following this, another parent leader told the woman that the man would be asked to not return to the group. While her daughter felt guilty about this, her mother told her that no matter what, the man should not have slapped her. 'It's a very controversial topic. I've seen division in mother's groups where they have disbanded because there's been issues around how their children are being disciplined in a play group situation,' said parenting expert Sharon Witt (stock image) 'To me, that was it. It was over. Sorted. I felt glad that the incident was taken seriously and action was taken so quickly that this man, who probably didn't have the right temperament to work with kids, was removed,' she said. A few days later, someone from the group rang the woman to officially apologise and ask if she wanted to press criminal charges. Upon reflection, the woman decided to leave the matter and not press charges as she thought that the matter had already been dealt with effectively. 'He'd been removed from the role, and he would have to live with that shame. I didn't want to bring charges against him, and maybe have him end up with a criminal record,' the woman said. IS IT OKAY TO DISCIPLINE ANOTHER PERSON'S CHILD? 'I don't think we have a right to raise a hand to someone else's child, even if it's a smack on the backside, I don't think that that's appropriate,' said Ms Witt FEMAIL spoke to Sharon Witt, author, educator and parenting expert about where to draw the line, when disciplining other people's children. 'It's a very controversial topic. I've seen division in mother's groups where they have disbanded because there's been issues around how their children are being disciplined in a play group situation,' she said. I think the only time we should be using any type of physical force with someone else's child is if they're in direct harm's way. 'I think we also need to respect the boundaries of other parents and how they choose to discipline their children,' she said. However, Ms Witt said that it is never okay to physically discipline another person's child. 'I don't think we have a right to raise a hand to someone else's child, even if it's a smack on the backside, I don't think that that's appropriate,' she said. 'I think the only time we should be using any type of physical force with someone else's child is if they're in direct harm's way,' said Ms Witt. Ms Witt said that if a child is misbehaving, rather than physical discipline, it would be appropriate to have a word with the child about their behaviour. 'I think it's okay to say, excuse me, we don't behave that way,' said Ms Witt. YOUR HOUSE, YOUR RULES Parenting expert Sharon Witt (pictured) said that when hosting other children in your home, it is appropriate to set boundaries about acceptable behaviours Ms Witt said that when hosting other children in your home, it is appropriate to set boundaries about acceptable behaviours. 'I certainly think if you're looking after someone's child in your home, they need to adhere to your own rules and regulations and perhaps discipline. But I certainly don't think you should be raising your hand to someone else's child,' she said. She added that the guidelines shift according to the age of the children. When it comes to teenagers, Ms Witt says that it's appropriate to discuss your standards of behaviour with them. 'I think when they're teenagers, I think it's a whole new ball game,' she said. 'When you've got teenagers, and I do have teenagers, I think you have every right to be able to speak to those young people about what you expect in your home and what the outcome will be if they don't adhere to those guidelines,' she said. She's known for her perfect ornate handwriting after working as a calligrapher before finding fame on Suits, but Meghan Markle's signature has noticeably changed since meeting Prince Harry. A thank you letter Meghan wrote to fan Emily Sorrells back in 2016, which has recently resurfaced on social media, shows the new Duchess of Sussex's formal and elegant script. Now handwriting analyst Tracey Trussell of Hand Right has compared the note to Meghan's signature in a guest visitor book during a trip with Prince Harry to Belfast in March 2018. And she told Femail that her new, more informal style of writing shows a more 'relaxed' side to her, adding that Prince Harry's positive influence is making the 'secretly sensitive' Suits star feel at ease. Meghan Markle's handwriting appears to have changed since meeting Harry, with an expert explaining that he is having a positive effect on making the 'secretly sensitive' star feel at ease MEGHAN IS MORE RELAXED 'It is apparent that Harry is having a very positive affect on Meghan, 'she explained. 'Meghan is much more sensitive than people realise, and with Harry's royal clout and protection she has been able to relax and blossom more naturally and fulfill her desire to be a humanitarian and do "good deeds". 'Her main motivation used to be purely practical. Financial considerations took top priority and headlined her world. 'But now that she can relax and doesn't have to worry about money anymore, this gives her the opportunity to focus on other areas of life, which will likely benefit other people.' Analysing her old handwriting, Tracey described it as stylised and controlled, comparing it to that of Queen Victoria, noting her large sized letters with dominant loops and a right slant Tracey described Meghan's new signature as 'much less contrived, and much more natural than her usual calligraphic style of signature', with Harry helping her let her guard down SHE USED TO BE CONTROLLED AND PRESENT A FACADE Analysing her old handwriting, Tracey described it as stylised and controlled, noting her large sized letters with dominant loops and a marked right slant. 'Meghan's old handwriting was formal, professional and polished but showed a lot of self-control and discipline, she had a real perfectionist's streak. 'She came across as being outwardly confident, and adept at creating a facade.' Speaking about her latest signature, Tracey said: 'Her new signature is much less contrived, and much more natural than her usual calligraphic style of signature. 'The dramatic right slant, full loops, joined up letters and jumped-up above baseline position tells of her ebullient passion and enthusiasm for life. 'The little hook at the start of her capital 'M' also reveals that once she has set her heart on something, nothing will stop her until she's satisfied her goal. Meghan is likely to be extremely committed to whatever she undertakes.' The new Duchess of Sussex sees Prince Harry as her protector, and her handwriting shows that she's a romantic and devoted woman HARRY IS HER PROTECTOR And Tracey also notes the way Meghan's latest signature is nestled within that of her husband Harry's. 'It would appear that Harry is her new protector,' she said of the observation. 'She's much more sensitive than people realise, and pre-Harry she was always very self-protective. 'This is not only seen in the "persona" style of writing, which is like a mask, but also in the sweeping arcade stroke over her name, which is like a graphological shield. 'I would say that the way her name 'jumps up' and appears to nestle under his name, reinforces the idea that he is beginning to become her new protector. 'Her handwriting suggests she is a romantic, passionate and devoted woman, who will need the protection of the man she loves,' Tracey concluded. A documentary about the royal family sounds like a safe option to watch with your grandparents on a Sunday afternoon, but a gaffe by Netflix has made a show about the monarchy look rather rude. One viewer was forced to do a double take while scrolling through the streaming site when they spotted a show about the royals aligned with a thumbnail from a series about prostitutes. The result was an optical illusion that made it looks as if the Duchess of Cambridge was wearing raunchy black underwear and stockings while kissing Prince William on their wedding day. The mistake was shared by a Reddit user to the Casual UK forum, who called it the 'risque side of Netflix', and has received almost 1,000 likes. A gaffe on Netflix made it look like the Duchess of Cambridge's scantily clad bottom half was on show The movies and shows on Netflix are arranged by genre and displayed in horizontal rows stacked on top of each other. In this case, a programme called The Royals, which is about the British monarchy, sat on top of Escorts, a series about high-class sex workers. The Royals' thumbnail was a picture of Kate and Prince William sharing a kiss on their wedding day back in 2011, while the picture for Escorts showed a scantily clad woman holding a Champagne bottle. When the pictures lined up it looked like the underwear-clad woman was actually Kate's bottom half. The hilarious coincidence left Reddit users in stitches, with one saying they'd love to watch the fictional show While another pointed out that William hadn't been given legs, writing: 'My god, he's bottomless.' And it looked as if William had been disembodied, leaving only a floating torso. The picture left Reddit users in stitches when it was shared on the message board. One joked: 'There is no way that this is a coincidence, Netflix is onto something.' Another called for Netflix to use it as an idea for an actual series, while one added: 'Is this included in Netflix price? Something tells me it will cost extra...' The Netflix documentary follows the private lives of the royal family and is actually quite tame Britain's highest-ranking transgender soldier and her new actor husband have jetted off for their romantic honeymoon in Tel Aviv. Jake and Hannah Graf - who both say they were born in the wrong body - explained how they picked the Israeli city because they wanted to go to somewhere 'safe' and 'inclusive' for their honeymoon - and knew how LGBT-friendly it is. The couple, who are now based in Sandhurst, Berkshire, described how they are looking forward to spending some quality time together, after a whirlwind two months since their wedding in March. Jake, 40, who is also a film director, and Army Captain Hannah, 31, say they have shown others 'it is possible to find love', declaring that 'everyone deserves to be happy'. Transgender couple Jake and Hannah Graf have jetted off on their honeymoon, after tying the knot in March The couple are currently enjoying a luxury holiday in Tel Aviv, after picking the city because of how LGBT-friendly it is The couple are staying at the luxury five-star Dan Hotel, which has hosted countless celebrities in the past including the likes of Madonna and Michael Jackson. Jake said that the people of Tel Aviv have been 'nothing but welcoming', explaining how they picked the city because of its reputation for being inclusive. Speaking to FEMAIL from their honeymoon, Jake said: 'We've rarely experienced anything like this. 'It's so beautiful here. We were given an upgrade to a beautiful suite with a sea view. It's absolutely stunning. We've been very lucky.' Hannah, who is Britain's highest-ranking transgender soldier, and Jake, an actor and film director, tied the knot in a romantic ceremony at Chelsea Register Office in March He explained how it was important for him and Hannah, who is Britain's highest-ranking transgender soldier, to feel 'safe' on their honeymoon. 'Obviously being trans, there are places we wouldn't go', Jake said. 'We wanted it to be somewhere we would be safe. 'They've been nothing but welcoming here. There are rainbow flags everywhere, which is so positive to see. 'It feels very safe and inclusive, which is so important for us, particularly for Hannah. Trans women do face a lot of abuse'. The couple will be spending a lot of time on the beach on their four-day visit, as well as enjoying romantic dinners, seeing friends and watching the sunset. The newlyweds, who both say they were born in the wrong body, are still revelling in the joy of their wedding day Jason, 40, and Hannah, 31, say they've had an 'outpouring of love' from members of the public Hannah, 31, said it was nice to be able to spend some quality time together after a whirlwind couple of months since their wedding. The Army Captain has just taken up a new position at Sandhurst, where she and Jake have recently moved into office accommodation together. 'Our lives can be quite hectic, so some downtime will be really lovely,' Hannah said. 'Jake is taking me somewhere quite romantic on Sunday, I'm not sure where yet but I'm really looking forward to it'. The newlyweds have organised their honeymoon through LGBT travel agency OutOfOffice.com, who have created a tailored package for them. The couple say the people of Tel Aviv have been 'nothing but welcoming' since they arrived Both Jake and Hannah said it was important that they went somewhere 'safe and inclusive' on their honeymoon 'They organised everything for us, from flights to accommodation. They sorted out our itinerary, and gave us pointers of where to go,' Jake explained. 'At the moment we wouldnt go to places like Jerusalem anyway, because of the situation there.' The couple say they have received overwhelming support since they hit the headlines earlier this year after tying the knot at Chelsea Register Office. Jake and Hannah, who described themselves previously as 'just like any other couple in love', saw their story being covered by news outlets all over the world. Jake, who directs his own films and starred in The Danish Girl, began gender reassignment in his late 20s, having known that he was a boy inside from the age of two or three. Film director Jake (pictured before his transition) began gender reassignment in his late 20s Hannah, an Army Captain, (pictured before her transition) began her transition following a tour of Afghanistan Hannah, who also felt alienated from her body growing up, began her transition following a tour of Afghanistan, after building up the courage to tell her commanding officer she was transgender. The couple met through a mutual friend, first exchanging flirty messages on social media before going on a date. After dating for a couple of years, Jake proposed to Hannah during a trip to New York, before the pair tied the knot in March this year. Since the wedding, they've had strangers come up to them to congratulate them on their marriage. 'When we are JFK airport together recently, we were approached by someone, who said "Are you Jake and Hannah? I saw your story, congrats!," Jake recalled. Jake and Hannah say they are enjoying quality time together after a whirlwind two months The couple have described themselves previously as 'just like any other couple in love' HANNAH AND JAKE'S PATH TO LOVE Hannah Winterbourne and Jake Graf met back in 2015, after a mutual friend told Jake that Hannah thought he was 'cute'. The pair exchanged a few messages, before going on their first date together - when they had their first kiss. The couple have described how their shared experience of transitioning was something they quickly bonded over. Hannah and Jake - who have previously been dubbed a transgender 'power couple' - dated for a couple of years before getting engaged. Jake proposed to Hannah while on a rowing boat in Central Park, New York, in September last year. Hannah, 31, and Jake, 40, tied the knot in a romantic ceremony at the Chelsea Register Office in March, with their story hitting headlines all around the world. Advertisement 'We've had an outpouring of love from trans people, young and old. I think we've shown that you can have love, which we never thought we could have before. 'We feel very lucky and privileged. The wedding was a wonderful moment when we got to share our positive story to the world. Hannah and I never thought we'd ever get this far.' The couple say they definitely want children in the future, and are looking at their options. 'Absolutely, we definitely want children. Jake used to be a manny and is great with kids,' Hannah said. 'Ive got more broody recently as well'. Jake added: 'I've always wanted kids, but I never thought it was possible until I met Hannah. 'It's something that's very important to us, whether we look at surrogacy or adoption. Weve had gay friends whove adopted. 'Hannah's just so great with children. It makes my heart melt to see her with children.' Jake said it was positive to see rainbow flags all over Tel Aviv since arriving there for their honeymoon The couple are now hoping to start their own family, whether through surrogacy or adoption The newlyweds hope their story shows others that 'there is someone out there for everyone.' 'Neither Hannah nor I thought we would ever find love, and marry. Obviously that's happened for us,' Jake said. 'We're looking forward to settling down together, and having the happy traditional lifestyle that we've always dreamed of. 'Have faith that you'll find someone for you. We all deserve to be happy.' Shes been on a body positivity crusade of late. And now The Good Place actress Jamella Jamill is putting her money where her mouth is by appearing in a stunning un-retouched photo shoot in the June edition of Vera Magazine for Virgin Atlantic. Wearing a selection or 1950s inspired retro looks, the British-born 32-year-old beauty who was photographed by John Tsiavis, strongly insisted that the images were not airbrushed or digitally altered in any way in post-production. Rebel: Actress Jameela Jamil, 32, who stars in The Good Place has appeared in a stunning un-retouched photo shoot for the June edition of Vera Magazine for Virgin Atlantic Au natural: The British-born beauty reportedly strongly insisted that all images of her would not be retouched or airbrushed in post-production Retro mood: Wearing a selection or 1950s inspired retro looks, Jamil was photographed by John Tsiavis Cover girl: Jameela is named as 'the Hollywood rebel with a cause' on the cover of the magazine This moves comes hot on the heels of a recent Twitter post where she took issue with Kim Kardashians post about how she maximizes her fat loss through weekly cardio workouts. Sharing the post, the actress wrote: 'How do we minimize this womans bulls**? 'When will she just love herself and stop obsessing about how to "fix" problems that were never there? 'She was always beautiful. Shes never seen it because she is broken by the SAME society that she now contributes more toxicity to.' In a second tweet, Jameela added: 'This whole family makes me feel sad. All the money and fame in the world cant make you stop hating your nose, your lips, your arse, your weight, your skin, your age, your SELF. '10 years we have heard of little more than their obsession with looks and how to fix "imperfections."' Body positive: In several of the shots, Jameela shows off her natural curves in revealing outfits Agenda: This moves comes hot on the heels of a recent Twitter post where she took issue with Kim Kardashians post about how she maximizes her fat loss through weekly cardio workouts Controversial: Kim Kardashian posted the offending tweet with a link to her paid-content app on May29 Reaction: Jameela was quick to denounce Kim's apparent promotion of diet culture and tweeted that the whole Kardashian family makes her feel 'sad' Bad influence? On May 16, Jameela led the backlash over a now-deleted Instagram ad that Kim posted, promoting an appetite suppressing lollipop On May 16, Jameela led the backlash over a now-deleted Instagram ad that Kim posted, promoting an appetite suppressing lollipop. Sharing a snap of herself sucking a red lollipop, Kim had written: You guys @flattummyco just dropped a new product. They're Appetite Suppressant Lollipops and they're literally unreal. 'They're giving the first 500 people on their website 15% OFF so if you want to get your hands on some you need to do it quick! #suckit' Jameela responded: 'No. F*** off. No. You terrible and toxic influence on young girls. 'I admire their mother's branding capabilities, she is an exploitative but innovative genius, however this family makes me feel actual despair over what women are reduced to. 'MAYBE don't take appetite suppressors and eat enough to fuel your BRAIN and work hard and be successful. And to play with your kids. And to have fun with your friends. 'And to have something to say about your life at the end, other than "I had a flat stomach."' A new Nordic lifestyle trend has encouraged people to strip down to their underwear when they get home and drink as a form of relaxation. 'Pantsdrunk' is a self-care phenomenon that encourages 'a path to solitary relaxation, recovery and self-empowerment to help you face your future challenges,' according to a book entitled Pantsdrunk: The Finnish Path to Relaxation. Finnish journalist Miska Rantenen wrote the book about the new trend and explained it stems from people being trapped indoors during the harsh Nordic winter. Comfy: 'Pantsdrunk' is the latest Nordic lifestyle trend and involves sitting around drinking in your underwear at home The 'polar night' refers to the wintertime stretch where countries such as Norway, Finland and Denmark experience limited sunshine in the colder months. These cold spells can deter someone's drive to step out and socialize, so instead they remain indoors where it is warm. With Pantsdrunk, it encourages people to embrace this time by stripping down to their underwear after a hard day and relax on the couch by themselves. 'Place savory or sweet nibbles within reach, by bed or sofa, alongside remote control and devices to access social media. Open a bottle or can of alcoholic beverage,' Rantenen wrote. His book, out June 5, is to help Americans understand the philosophy of Pantsdrunk, which is actually called kalsarikanni in Finland. This practice is so routinely accepted in Finland that its own Ministry of Foreign Affairs introduced emoji characters participating in the practice. The male version features a man in his underwear holding a beer while the female version illustrates a woman sipping on wine. While the practice was invented because of the cold weather, these Nordic countries still have some of the happiest people in the world. Countries such as Norway and Denmark have high taxes to help pay for universal healthcare and cheap (or free) college. This investment towards everyone's happiness appears to being paying off. So it should come as no surprise that the region would also invent a happy way to get through the winter months, like stripping down and drinking to survive the harsh cold. They say that once you've attended a class you'll never go back to any other form of exercise. Such is the power of the cult workout, Barry's Bootcamp, which boasts a ream of celebrity fans in the US and UK, including Kim Kardashian, Jessica Alba, the Beckhams and Victoria's Secret models. Now the workout is coming to Australia, in what is being billed as the first 'luxury' fitness offering in the country. Barry's will open studios in Sydney's Surry Hills, Martin Place and one more Sydney location in September, with Melbourne to roll out in early 2019. Barry's Bootcamp - a workout beloved by the likes of Adriana Lima (pictured) and other Victoria's Secret models - is coming to Australia for the first time Barry's will open studios in Sydney's Surry Hills, Martin Place, and a third location in the harbour city in September, with Melbourne to roll out in early 2019 (pictured: the studio) Barry's Bootcamp famously hardcore classes claim to burn up to 1000 calories (or 4000 kilojoules) in 55 minutes and spike the metabolism for around 48 hours afterwards So what can you expect from the workout, which is set to rival homegrown popular fitness approaches F45 and Crossfit? The famously hardcore classes claim to burn up to 1000 calories (or 4000 kilojoules) in 55 minutes and spike the metabolism for around 48 hours afterwards. Classes are made up of 25-minutes interval-based cardio and treadmill routines, and 25 minutes of strength and conditioning before a five minute cool down. Workouts take place in Barry's signature 'Red Room' - an immersive and high-energy environment featuring mood lighting and nightclub-style music. Such has been the success of the program overseas that the 'Barry's body' has become something to covet. It is used to describe the lean and muscle-defined physique of fanatics. Classes are made up of 25-minutes interval-based cardio and treadmill routines, and 25 minutes of strength and conditioning before a five minute cool down - and Kim Kardashian (pictured) is a huge fan Workouts take place in Barry's signature 'Red Room' - an immersive and high-energy environment featuring mood lighting and nightclub-style music (pictured) Such has been the success of the programme overseas that the 'Barry's body' has become something to covet - the Beckhams (pictured) both attend in London 'The Barry's brand and workout have become an iconic part of the fitness industry in the United States and London,' Barry's Australia Head of Operation, Heston Russell, said. 'The Barry's model is based on delivering an unrivalled fitness product paired with a concierge-style client experience. 'From the time the client arrives in Studio to when they're ready to leave, we've accounted for every step of their visit to ensure a seamless and enjoyable experience.' Jessoca Alba (left) and Adriana Lima (right) are both devotees of Barry's Bootcamp workouts Speaking about her love of Barry's Bootcamp, Kim Kardashian has said in the past said it's the one workout she swears by to stay in shape As in the UK and US, Barry's Bootcamp studios will also offer a Fuel Bar to rehydrate customers with smoothies and protein shakes (pictured) Speaking about her love of Barry's Bootcamp, Kim Kardashian has said in the past it's the one workout she swears by to stay in shape. 'It's a treadmill workout but it's really insane, like, heavy, heavy working-out non-stop, for an hour, half weights, half treadmill,' she said. Kim isn't the only celebrity to love the classes either. Victoria's Secret models including Adriana Lima adore the classes, while the Beckhams, Ellie Goulding and Jessica Alba have been known to attend the bootcamp regularly. As in the UK and US, Barry's Bootcamp studios will also offer athleisure and performance sportswear for sale, as well as changing rooms with luxury grooming products and a Fuel Bar to rehydrate customers with smoothies and protein shakes. Barry's Bootcamp has 42 locations worldwide in 18 cities including Los Angeles, New York, London, Milan, Dubai and Toronto, with 65,000 members globally. Tickets are currently on sale for the world's longest flight which will travel from Singapore to New York three times a week starting October 11. Singapore Airlines announced the record-breaking feat on Thursday which will see 161 passengers subjected to 18 hours and 45 minutes of non-stop air time. And in an attempt to help paying customers get some shut-eye the carrier has removed economy seating and replaced it with just two classes: premium and business. Singapore Airlines announced the record-breaking feat on Thursday which will see 161 passengers subjected to 18 hours and 45 minutes of non-stop air time 'The two-class configuration was a business consideration to meet market demand,' Singapore Airlines told AFP about the lack of economy seats. 'This configuration will also provide our customers with greater comfort on non-stop flights.' The 16,700km route will start at Singapore's Changi airport and fly to Newark Liberty Airport, near New York, with the new Airbus A350-900 ULR (ultra long range) aircraft. The 16,700km route will start at Singapore's Changi airport and fly to Newark Liberty Airport with the new Airbus A350-900 ULR (ultra long range) aircraft Singapore Airlines will operate the flight on Monday, Thursday and Saturday when it launches, but will begin daily operations as of October 18 Singapore Airlines will operate the flight on Monday, Thursday and Saturday when it first launches, but will begin daily operations as of October 18. Staff told Daily Mail Australia that a flight leaving from Singapore on October 13 and returning again from Newark on October 16 will cost travellers $3,227 for premium and $9,020 business class - although these fares are subject to change. 'Singapore Airlines has always taken pride in pushing the boundaries to provide the best possible travel convenience for our customers, and we are pleased to be leading the way with these new non-stop flights using the latest-technology,' said Singapore Airlines' CEO Mr Goh Choon Phong. Daily Mail Australia discovered that a flight leaving from Singapore on October 13 and returning again from Newark on October 16 will cost travellers $3,227 for premium Previously, Qantas held the record for the longest flight, which travels 14,529km non-stop from Perth to London (Singapore Airlines pictured) 'The two-class configuration was a business consideration to meet market demand,' Singapore Airlines told AFP about the lack of economy seats Previously, Qantas held the record for the longest flight, which travels 14,529km non-stop from Perth to London. The route was launched in March to much fan-fare with passengers onboard delighted to take part in the historic ride, sharing photos of the specially crafted menu, complimentary amenity bags and the self-serve pantry, that's loaded with free treats and drinks. The inaugural trip took off with more than 200 passengers and 16 crew members, as those onboard began the journey with a round of applause. The plane has 42 business class flat-bed seats, 28 premium economy seats and 166 economy seats. Germaine Greer once told me she feared becoming her mother, whom she described as 'a little crazy' and soft in the head. 'She'll have to be locked up sooner or later,' was how she described the woman who beat her on the face with a stick when she was a child. Relatives thought that Peggy Greer was just mad, but her daughter thought her mother had a personality disorder that meant she didn't believe that other people existed. Before she was moved into a nursing home, Peggy lived alone in incredible squalor in a house silted up with half-eaten sandwiches and dirty clothes, where she would get stuck in the bath for days on end. I recall Greer's uncontrollable laughter when she told me about the bath. Crazy? Insensitive to the feelings of others? Marooned in a sea of dirty laundry? Ring any bells this week? Germaine Greer sparked backlash after she said rape was just 'bad sex' on Wednesday With the unerring stride of the serial controversialist, Greer once more waded into the rape debate like a gunslinger marching into Dead End Gulch. The 79-year-old dismissed the violence of some rapes, suggesting that the crime could be punished by 200 hours of community service instead of lengthy jail sentences. For more serious attacks the severity somehow calculated on her imaginary rape-o-meter she suggested that culprits could have an 'R' tattooed on their face. In fact, she called for an overhaul of the criminal justice system, saying that most rapes did not involve any injury and were merely 'lazy, careless and insensitive'. Rape is often not violent, but merely bad sex, was her message. Well, she has certainly changed her tune. A quarter of a century ago, writing in the Mail, Greer said that 'to be raped by a husband is the worst rape of all' and was dismissive of judges who suggested that being raped by a stranger was worse than date rape. This week, she went on about the penis and how it wasn't a lethal weapon I'll spare you the details. Anyway, you can imagine how this new tack has gone down with today's sisterhood, a group whose default victim settings ring alarm bells at even the merest whiff of the hint of a suggestion that women are anything but oppressed sufferers in a society engineered to demean them at every turn. Greer herself was violently raped aged 18 and 'beaten half-unconscious' afterwards. She doesn't understand how, if rape didn't destroy her life, it could destroy someone else's, writes Jan Moir To them, Greer has become a bogeywoman, a monster guaranteed to enrage with her incendiary comments. Recent provocations have included her insistence that women who were intimate with Harvey Weinstein because he promised them a film role had no cause for complaint; that transgender women are not real women; and her feeling that Meghan would soon become 'bored' with the Royal Family and 'run for the hills'. She's also been vociferous about the need for women to take responsibility by not placing themselves in no-exit situations with men and by not drinking too much so as to keep safe. I have no argument with the latter, and feel there's at least a kernel of truth in everything Greer says, but the sisters have no mercy. This week, many have called for the author of The Female Eunuch to stop calling herself a feminist, while others have slyly hinted that she is suffering from dementia. Not only is that patronising and cruel to dementia sufferers, it is unfair to Greer herself. She is not like her mother, and she has not suddenly gone mad Greer has been saying similar stuff for decades. She herself was violently raped aged 18 and 'beaten half-unconscious' afterwards but hey. With the vaunting ego of the true narcissist her real flaw, I think she cannot allow for the feelings of others. She doesn't understand how, if rape didn't destroy her life, it could destroy someone else's. If anything, it is her callous misunderstanding of trauma that does her the least favours. Rules must protect the weakest in society, and those rules can't be dismissed by hard-headed Aussie birds like Greer who just pulled on their knickers and got on with life. No woman should be asked or expected to tolerate the casual or otherwise abuse of their person. However, once the outrage about her more outlandish statements dies down, isn't there something in what she says about the reporting of sex crimes and the struggle to get attackers convicted? The whole thing is, indeed, a mess. The collapse of a series of high-profile rape cases recently because of evidence disclosure failures has exposed the desperation of the Crown Prosecution Service to increase rape conviction rates even at the expense of innocent men. In the end, unless there is overwhelming physical evidence of duress, it is simply a question of consent his word against hers. And that is the problem. Greer suggests that if we stopped pathologising rape and started thinking about it differently, then perhaps more juries would be willing to convict. I'm not sure the answer is to trivialise rape or to tattoo an 'R' on a rapist's cheek and not only because in some sections of society it wouldn't be long before it was seen as a badge of honour. However, I don't think Greer is mad or bad because her opinions don't conform to acceptable Leftist dogma. She has merely opened a new seam of debate and there's nothing wrong with that. There's no excuse for spouting ugly slurs Roseanne will pay the price Farewell Roseanne Barr, exposed as an ugly personality by an ugly thought. Her career ended after she tweeted that an African-American woman who was a senior adviser to Barack Obama looked like the 'Muslim brotherhood and Planet Of The Apes had a baby'. ABC cancelled her hugely successful show and it seems unlikely the comedienne will ever work in Hollywood again. In America, where ever-febrile race relations are even worse after more than a year of Trump, no one likens any person of colour to an ape and gets away with it and rightly so. Roseanne Barr had her show cancelled after she tweeted that an African-American woman who was a senior adviser to Barack Obama looked like the 'muslim brotherhood and Planet Of The Apes had a baby' In New York this week, I noticed something new. Servers don't ask if you take your coffee 'black' or 'white' any more. 'Light or dark?' is the politically correct query in restaurants and diners. Good people all over the country are scrupulous about avoiding anything that could be construed as a racial undertone or a perceived slight. That is why Roseanne (left) can have no excuse. Some supporters have asked why a white person comparing a black person to an ape is more offensive than Donald Trump being compared to an orangutan, as has happened. Likening Trump to an orangutan is unpleasant, but it has nothing to do with race. It is a comment on a man who persists in dyeing his hair orange and styling it into extravagant shapes, for reasons known only to himself. It might be rude, but it won't cause a riot. Had Roseanne's tweet gone unpunished, a riot would have been the least of it. Once again, thank you to my colleagues on Money Mail for giving sound financial advice. This week they advised readers travelling abroad that, when asked if they wish to pay for purchases in sterling or the local currency, they should always choose the local currency. Why? Because this stops vendors setting their own (advantageous) exchange rates. Buying a gift in Macy's in New York this week, I was asked by the card machine if I wanted to pay my $301.20 bill in dollars or pounds. I chose dollars and the store's receipt helpfully showed how much it would have charged me had I chosen pounds: 234.58. Back home in London, I noticed the amount I paid in sterling was actually 226.64. Shoppers, beware! Beeb's Eddie stays rock steady Eddie Mair is now believed to be the only top earning male star at the BBC not to have agreed to have his wage reduced Eddie Mair is the last man standing at the BBC, apparently the only one to resist having his salary cut. Honestly, I have nothing but admiration for his stance after all, this whole mess is entirely of the BBC's own making. Following the gender pay gap row, Andrew Marr, John Humphrys, Nick Robinson, Nicky Campbell, Jeremy Vine, Jon Sopel and many other high-profile BBC men have swallowed the bitter pill and negotiated pay cuts even if, as Marr told me, their initial salaries were based on where they had come from and what it had taken to lure them to the BBC. The same applied to well-paid BBC women but they haven't been asked to take a cut, have they? Who would dare? Mair is one of the BBC's brightest talents. If only they had chosen him to replace Jeremy Paxman on Newsnight! It would have been a must-watch instead of the sorry, glutinous porridge of PC babble it is today. Currently the host of Radio 4's daily news magazine PM, Mair has infuriated Beeb managers by resisting pressure to agree to a reduction of his annual salary, which is between 300,000 and 350,000. Mair wants more! Stand firm, Eddie. I don't mind paying my licence fee for you. Don't be such a dimwit, Sophie Tinkle, tinkle. What is that terrible sound? That's Sophie Winkleman, ringing the silver bell of snowflake privilege. The sister of Claudia Winkleman and wife of Lord Frederick Windsor was sticking up for her friend, Camila Batmanghelidjh this week, claiming that the disgraced former boss of the Kids Company charity was a victim, not a monster. Sophie Winkleman, the wife of Lord Frederick Windsor (pictured together), was sticking up for her friend, Camila Batmanghelidjh this week, claiming that the disgraced former boss of the Kids Company charity was a victim, not a monster Sophie says she was victimised by 'grubby little t***s' who went for her because she's 'a woman and a bit foreign'. Have you ever heard anything so pathetic? If even a scrap of that were true, Kids Company would not have been granted millions of pounds by the Government and other benefactors in the first place. Although Batmanghelidjh denies it, the charity only collapsed in 2015 after David Cameron withdrew its last 3 million grant following alleged breaches of its terms. The truth is, Batmanghelidjh was a woman with a taste for the finer things in life, the egotistic head of a chaotic company that mismanaged millions of pounds of taxpayers' money. That is important to us, if not to Sophie Winkleman, who is a pampered dimwit with a lot to learn largely that fault does not lie with those it is most convenient to blame. A Meghan Markle lookalike who recently married her own Prince Charming reckons her wedding gown was better than the Duchess of Sussex's. Danielle Harris, 33, bears such an extraordinary resemblance to the former Suits actress that she is mistaken for her at least four times a week. Despite their uncanny likeness, Danielle's big day couldn't have been further away from Prince Harry and Meghan's fairytale Windsor wedding earlier this month. Scroll down for video Like twins: Recent bride Danielle Harris (pictured on her wedding day) bears an uncanny resemblance to Meghan Markle Lookalike brides: The 33-year-old admitted that she preferred her $1,800 bridal dress (L) to Meghan's $500,000 Givenchy gown (R) Similar style: Danielle's high-neck lace gown (L) looked more like the Stella McCartney frock the Duchess of Sussex wore to her wedding reception (R) For starters, Danielle and her husband Wu Olsen, 38, pulled off their wedding with $50,000 0.001 per cent of Harry and Meghan's $45 million royal budget. While Meghan donned a $500,000 Givenchy gown to walk down the aisle, nurse Danielle looked equally elegant in a high-necked lace dress that cost just $1,800. Both couples stuck to traditional vows, but Danielle and Wu's January 2017 wedding was a much more intimate affair with 115 guests compared to the royal couple's overwhelming list of 600 attendees. Danielle and Wu, who wed in the Clayton on the Park in Scottsdale, Arizona, said their wedding was a 'giant party' with guests dancing all night long to a local DJ. Big day: Danielle and her husband Wu Olsen, 38, pulled off their January 2017 wedding with $50,000 far less than Harry and Meghan's $45 million royal budget Royal affair: Prince Harry and Meghan said 'I do' on May 19 at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle Uncanny resemblance: Danielle (L) and Meghan (R) share the same dark hair, chocolate brown eyes, and full lips Memorable moment: Danielle said she got up at 4am to watch the royal wedding, admitting she cried when Harry and Meghan said their vows 'We had such an elegant and modern wedding,' she said. 'It was very, very fun and I'm not just saying that because I was the bride. Our guests partied into the early hours.' And while she thought Meghan looked stunning her wedding day, she admitted that she preferred her own wedding gown. 'I got up at 4am to watch the wedding and I cried when they said their vows,' she said. 'Her dress wasn't my favorite. I preferred my own, but I thought she looked absolutely beautiful. 'Harry I just love him. But I'm lucky, I already have my prince, my husband Wu.' Smaller: Danielle and Wu's wedding was a much more intimate affair with 115 guests compared to the royal couple's overwhelming list of 600 attendees Good time: Danielle said she and Wu had 'such an elegant and modern wedding,' noting that guests dance into the early hours Now that's love: 'Harry I just love him. But I'm lucky, I already have my prince, my husband Wu,' Danielle said Although Meghan's doppelganger said she had the perfect day, she admitted that she envied a few aspects of the royal bride's wedding including The Kingdom Choir's performance of Stand by Me in St. George's Chapel during the ceremony. 'I wouldn't change our wedding for the world, but I was really jealous of Meghan's choir they were amazing,' she said. 'After watching her walk down the aisle I thought that maybe I should have worn a veil too. 'My dad walked me down the aisle and that was the perfect moment, but I really admired how Meghan walked almost the whole way by herself, she added. 'It was such a statement.' Jealous: Danielle admitted she was envious that Meghan and Harry had The Kingdom Choir perform Stand by Me during their ceremony More similarities: Although Meghan (R) wore her hair up for her wedding, she and Danielle (L) both wear their dark locks straight Start of it all: Danielle (L) said her friend told her that she looked like Meghan (R) four years ago, but she didn't think anything of it Danielle's big day wasn't without its glamour though, as her groom gifted her a Rolex watch prior to the ceremony. 'As me and the girls were getting ready, the best man came over and gave me a box, which had the most beautiful watch a Rolex. It was so romantic.' Danielle said she has even thought about launching a career as a professional Meghan Markle lookalike considering she gets mistaken for the Duchess of Sussex so often. 'It was four years ago when a mutual friend first said to me that I look just like Rachel Zane, Meghan's character in Suits,' she explained. 'I didn't watch the show then, but I couldn't see the similarities when she showed me the picture. More attention: Meghan's doppelganger (L) said she didn't start thinking about her resemblance to the Suits actress (R) until she started dating Harry She gets it: Danielle (pictured) said she can see similarities between herself and Megan Who's who? Danielle (L) said she has even thought about launching a career as a professional Meghan Markle lookalike. Meghan is pictured in April (R) 'I didn't think much of it until the past year or so when Meghan and Harry's relationship became public,' she continued. 'If I had five dollars for everyone who has said I look like her over the last 12 months I would be so rich.' The nurse said the funniest instance of mistaken identity happened while shopping in a designer store where staff lined up to meet the 'star'. 'My husband and I were in the Gucci store in Dallas and they were taking so long to wrap up my things I couldn't understand it until all the sales associates came out of the back to meet me. It was so funny,' she recalled. 'On Friday I was standing in the grocery store line and this old lady in front of me had a magazine with Meghan on it. Happens all the time: Danielle said she would be rich if she had $5 for everyone who has told her that she looks like the former actress Fun times: She said she was mistaken for Meghan while shopping in a Gucci store in Dallas, Texas Similar: 'We're both mixed race and I also have freckles like Meghan,' Danielle (L) said of her resemblance to the Duchess (R) Flattered: 'She's so beautiful I think it's a huge compliment when people tell me we look alike,' she said 'She started doing a double take and said, "Has anyone ever told you..." but I just finished her sentence for her.' 'Everyone always tells me, "Danielle, you need to get a job as her double." My husband even jokes that he'd be my manager.' Danielle said being mistaken for Meghan has been a huge boost to her confidence and she couldn't think of a better compliment. 'We're both mixed race and I also have freckles like Meghan. 'She's so beautiful I think it's a huge compliment when people tell me we look alike. It makes me laugh.' Advertisement Sam Bloom still remembers the day she and her son Noah stumbled on a weak baby magpie while walking into a carpark - a little bird that would change their lives forever. It was three months after the Sydney mother-of-three had returned home from hospital after falling from a rooftop while holidaying in Thailand. Her children Rueben, 16, Noah, 14, and Oli, 12, and husband Cameron watched her lie motionless twenty feet below them, and it was four hours before they could get Mrs Bloom to a hospital. Scroll down for video Sam Bloom still remembers the day she and her son Noah stumbled on a weak baby magpie while walking into a carpark They found Penguin three months after the Sydney mother-of-three had returned home from hospital after falling from a rooftop while holidaying in Thailand Her children Rueben, Noah, and Oli and husband Cameron witnessed Sam's accident and were equally as invested in her recovery Six months of surgery and rehabilitation later and Sam went home, 'gutted' that she would never walk again. That was 2013. 'We couldn't have left her there. She would have died - she could hardly walk. She couldn't fly,' Sam told Jules Sebastian in a new interview. In a way Sam and Penguin healed their physical wounds together, each one helping the other recognise that life is fragile. 'We couldn't have left her there. She would have died - she could hardly walk. She couldn't fly,' Sam told Jules Sebastian in a new interview (pictured) In a way Sam and Penguin healed their physical wounds together, each one helping the other recognise that life is fragile But two years after the Newport-based family built an unshakable bond with a wild bird, Penguin disappeared for weeks But two years after the Newport-based family built an unshakable bond with the wild bird, Penguin disappeared for weeks. Cameron wasn't sure if she would ever come back. 'As a joke I said it would be great if she came back on Rueben's 13th birthday - and she did,' Sam explained with a smile. 'I got a call from a neighbour over the hill who said she thought she had Penguin and so I raced over in my car and sure enough Penguin was sitting in their lounge room. I took a video of the moment Rueben spotted Penguin - he was beside himself. He said it was the best birthday ever,' Cameron said. 'As a joke I said it would be great if she came back on Rueben's birthday - and she did,' Sam explained with a smile 'I got a call from a neighbour over the hill who said she thought she had Penguin and so I raced over in my car and sure enough Penguin was sitting in their lounge room. I took a video of the moment Rueben spotted Penguin - he was beside himself. He said it was the best birthday ever,' Cameron said Sam was in Italy competing with the Australian Paracanoe team when Penguin left the nest for good, with the happy couple describing it as her 'coming at the perfect time and leaving at the perfect time' Sam was in Italy competing with the Australian Paracanoe team when Penguin left the nest for good, with the happy couple describing it as her 'coming at the perfect time and leaving at the perfect time'. But the home didn't remain pet-free for long, with the family adopting two baby magpies in October 2016. The tiny twins were blown out of their nest during windy weather, close to where Penguin was found in 2013. But the home didn't remain magpie-less for long, and in October 2016, two baby magpies were adopted into the fold The tiny twins were blown out of their nest during windy weather, close to where Penguin was found in 2013 Keeping with the black and white themed names, Puffin and Panda were a few weeks older than Penguin was when she was first rescued and are potentially her relations given the proximity of where they fell Keeping with the black and white themed names, Puffin and Panda were a few weeks older than Penguin was when she was first rescued and are potentially her relations given the proximity of where they fell. 'Our hope is that, like Penguin, they will return to the wild as soon as they are strong enough to survive on their own,' Cameron told Daily Mail Australia at the time. Their wish came true, with the two birds finding their feet and eventually flying away. 'Our hope is that, like Penguin, they will return to the wild as soon as they are strong enough to survive on their own,' Cameron told Daily Mail Australia at the time Penguin's incredible relationship with the family has been documented in a book titled Penguin Bloom featuring Cameron Bloom's photographs and a narrative by New York Times bestselling author Bradley Trevor Greive They are also working on a new film about the book, which will star Naomi Watts as Sam Bloom. They are currently looking for a director Penguin's incredible relationship with the family has been documented in a book titled Penguin Bloom featuring Cameron Bloom's photographs and a narrative by New York Times bestselling author Bradley Trevor Greive, with a percentage of the proceeds made going to Spinal Cure Australia. They are also working on a new film about the book, which will star Naomi Watts as Sam Bloom. They are currently looking for a director. You can follow Penguin on Instagram here and Sam here. In an environmentally friendly move, one supermarket is letting shoppers bring their own containers to buy fresh meat and seafood. But would you jump on the bandwagon? The Auckland supermarket, New World Howick, is trialling a program where customers bring in their own reusable containers to take home fresh meat and seafood. A New Zealand supermarket is testing a program to let customers take home fresh meat and sea food in their own reusable plastic containers (stock image) New World Howick announced the program on social media on Thursday. 'You can now bring in your own reusable containers for our serve overs.' 'At this stage butchery and seafood serve overs will accept customers bringing in their reusable containers,' the supermarket announced. The trial will be limited to the butchery and seafood counters, with the potential to extend to other departments such as the bakery, deli and bulk foods, if the program is successful. The supermarket is owned by Foodstuffs New Zealand. At this stage, the program has not been extended to other supermarkets. The supermarket, New World Howick, announced that customers would be able to take home their fresh meat and seafood in their own containers provided that the containers were clean, practical for weighing and safe for handling Foodstuffs New Zealand spokeswoman Anotinette Laird told FEMAIL: '[S]ome of our customers are really into reducing waste of all kinds and are asking to use their own containers at the deli, butchery, bulk foods, seafood and bakery departments.' However, Foodstuffs said that it's two main concerns were maintaining food safety and being able to accurately weigh food items. 'Our customers health and safety is a top priority, as is doing whatever we can in conjunction with them to reduce our impact on the environment,' she said. The trial, which may be cancelled at any time, has a few conditions. The program is designed to reduce waste and the use of plastic bags at the fresh meat and seafood serve over counters (stock image) Customers must use containers with lids that are suitable for weighing and handling and for security reasons, staff must place price labels on the containers. Ms Laird also emphasised that customers brought in containers at their own risk and were responsible for ensuring that they were clean. Auckland shoppers were excited about the eco-friendly initiative, setting the Facebook page aflutter by describing the initiative as 'forward thinking and creative'. 'This is awesome!!!!' said one shopper. 'Wow new world howick. Way to go,' posted another shopper. The initiative may not catch on immediately in Australia. The Coles supermarket chain has no plans to allow customers to bring their own containers for fresh meat and seafood. Would you bring your own containers to the supermarket, or stick to plastic bags for carting home fresh meat and seafood? (stock image) 'Coles does not allow customers to bring in their own containers to use as it poses a health and safety risk,' a Coles spokeswoman told FEMAIL. 'It also makes it very difficult for us to do a thorough investigation if a customer becomes ill and we are unsure where the container used came from,' she said. However, the Coles spokeswoman noted that the chain is trying to reduce waste in other ways, confirming that they will be 'removing single use plastic bags from all Coles supermarkets on July 1.' Similarly, a spokeswoman for the supermarket chain Woolworths commented: 'It's not something we offer at the moment due to food safety and operational reasons, but we are looking for new ways to help customers reduce plastic consumption right across our stores.' As for waste reduction, Woolworths has introduced a new closed loop recycling program where customers can return soft plastic, including bags and tubs from the delicatessen. The plastics will then be recycled to create products such as outdoor furniture. Customers can return tubs and bags from the delicatessen to new 'REDcycle' bins that Woolworths has introduced across the country. The Southern Hemisphere is shivering through its first full day of winter - but not everyone has been left out in the cold. A host of Australia's hottest Instagram 'It Girls' have fled the land Down Under and flown abroad in search of tans and turquoise oceans - while the rest of us bear the brunt of winter. While Natasha Oakley and her best friend Devin Brugman enjoy the tropic island of St Barts, Chloe Morello and Anna Heinrich have taken their partners to Italy to scale the seven seas on exclusive yachts. Natasha Oakley (pictured) and her best friend Devin Brugman are enjoying the tropic island of St Barts Devin Brugman looking devilishly red in her Monday Swimwear (pictured left) while holidaying in St Barts None of them are curling up on the couch with a dressing gown and hot chocolate, that's for sure. Yogi and chronic 'sun chaser' Sjana Earp has been staying at Aloita Resort on the Mentawai islands for the past few days, cuddling puppies and being 'greeted with coconuts.' The flexible female hasn't taken a break from her favourite meditation practice, choosing to instead balance on some coconut trees rather than a mat. Yogi and chronic 'sun chaser' Sjana Earp has been staying at Aloita Resort on the Mentawai islands for the past few days, cuddling puppies and being 'greeted with coconuts' None of them are curling up on the couch with a dressing gown and hot chocolate, that's for sure (Natasha Oakley pictured) 'Wake up with the sun, breakfast by the beach, morning surfs, daytime snorkels, boat rides, desserts at lunch time, Stand up paddle boards... what more could you want?!' She wrote in a humble-brag type caption. Meanwhile in Italy Youtuber Chloe Morello and her husband Sebastian Mecha appear to be having a second honeymoon, moving between Italy and Greece in a blissful sea of cliff-facing hotels. But the Bondi-based brunette hasn't let her makeup fall by the wayside, showcasing some dynamic and sparkly look for the trip. Meanwhile in Italy Youtuber Chloe Morello and her husband Sebastian Mecha appear to be having a second honeymoon (pictured) Anna Heinrich and husband-to-be Tim Robards are also holidaying in Europe, with rumours swirling they will get married while they're there Model Georgia Gibbs is toasting her successes in Europe - probably enjoying not wearing a coat like the rest of us Anna Heinrich and husband-to-be Tim Robards are also holidaying in Europe, with rumours swirling they will get married while they're there. The pair have been posting prolific photos under the Italian sun, with Anna in particular showing off her designer frocks and smocks. Her body is in peak physical condition - something she admitted to doing because of the wedding - and she hasn't been shy about uploading pool shots. Hannah Politesn (right), Shanina Shaik (left) and Elyse Knowles are similarly bikini-clad around the world Elyse Knowles looks ready for a jungle safari in her round hat and leopard print bikini Hannah Polites, Shanina Shaik and Elyse Knowles are similarly bikini-clad around the world, with long limbs and pert derriere's on full display. Elyse has been celebrating her boyfriend Josh's birthday in Sumba, Indonesia, while Tully Smyth has just headed north to the Kimberley region of Western Australia. So it would seem as though those of us on the east coast freezing our fingers off should take a leaf of out the ex-Big Brother star's handbook and head west. A thrifty mother from Melbourne has wowed thousands online with her incredible room transformations on a budget. Michelle Hegedis, 29, from Diggers Rest, works from home as a hairdresser seven days per week while raising her three-year-old son and as a result, spends the majority of her time in her home office and salon. Earlier this year she decided to revamp the spaces using tips and tricks she had spotted online and a couple of affordable items she had seen in budget stores. 'I have absolutely no experience in interior design whatsoever but have always had the passion to make things pretty,' Ms Hegedis told Femail. Michelle Hegedis (pictured), 29, from Diggers Rest, works from home as a hairdresser seven days per week while raising her three-year-old son Earlier this year she decided to revamp the spaces using tips and tricks she had spotted online and a couple of affordable items she had spotted in budget stores Pictured is the office space before the renovation 'The 24 hour Kmart is my go-to store for everything. Ever had a bad day? Go to Kmart. Child making you insane? Go to Kmart! 'Over two years I watched Kmart slowly up their game in homewares and I bit the bullet and away I went.' When adhesive vinyl came out Ms Hegedis knew it was time to get her office renovations under way. 'I think this is where I really put my skills to the test. I saw someone on Facebook do it so why couldn't I?' She said. 'I was lucky enough to start with a clean white canvas and two blue velvet chairs at $49 each from Kmart,' she said 'I have never felt such satisfaction from styling a room and the response was huge,' she said What did Michelle use to makeover her office space? Chairs: $49 from Kmart Plants: $4.99 to $9.99 From Ikea Tree: $69 from Ikea Fake cow hide: $49 from Kmart Brown leather cushions: $8 each from Kmart Cube shelf: $29 from Target Small side table: $29.99 from Spotlight White wood vinyl: $3 each from Kmart Framed print: $19 from Kmart Advertisement 'I was lucky enough to start with a clean white canvas and two blue velvet chairs at $49 each from Kmart. 'For the white wood grain on the walls I used seven rolls of vinyl at $3 each.' Ms Hegedis then used Kmart placemats ($2 each) in shadow picture boxes ($10 each) on the walls, a highland cow framed print for $19 and a few other pieces from Target, IKEA and Spotlight to finish off the room. 'I have never felt such satisfaction from styling a room and the response was huge,' she said. A few months later, Ms Hegedis renovated her home salon and was thrilled with what she came up with (pictured is the completed salon) 'I spend most of my day in there - 9am to 10pm seven days a week - so you can see why I needed it to feel a bit more lively and of course to give my clients a wonderful experience in the salon,' she said What did Michelle use to makeover her home salon? Black marble vinyl: Eight rolls $3 each from Kmart Black glass round side table: $15 Gold spray paint: $8 from Bunnings Brass plated hanging planter: Three for $5 each from Bunnings Extra chain from Spotlight: $5 Roof hooks: $5 from Bunnings Square wall shelves: $15 for a three pack Small gold candle holders: $3 and $5 from Kmart Stickers: $5 from Kmart Fake palm tree: $29 from Ikea Basket for the palm: $10 Advertisement 'There were a few negative Nancies that didn't like vinyl on the wall but it's my house and liked it so that's all that mattered to me.' A few months later, Ms Hegedis renovated her home salon and was thrilled with what she came up with. 'I spend most of my day in there - 9am to 10pm seven days a week - so you can see why I needed it to feel a bit more lively and of course to give my clients a wonderful experience in the salon,' she said. To revamp the room Ms Hegedis used eight rolls of $3 black marble vinyl on the walls, a black glass round side table spray painted gold and three brass plated hanging planters ($5 each). She also spent $15 on square wall shelves from Bunnings and spray painted them gold before adding two small candle holders ($3 and $5) She used stickers to put the name of the salon on the wall and marble vinyl from Kmart She also spent $15 on square wall shelves from Bunnings and spray painted them gold before adding two small candle holders ($3 and $5), stickers to put the name of the salon on the wall and a fake palm tree which cost her $29. 'Last but not least I added a basket for the palm for $10 and I painted that gold too,' she said. 'All up it took me about three hours and $137 for a room that looks completely different. 'Some may love it and some may hate it but it was only $137! The only way you're going to know if it works is if you do it so don't be afraid to think outside of the box. 'Who knows what colour that room will be next year? That's the exciting part!' Marie Amoureux suffered from a blood clot Marie Amoureux was reading an article on Facebook about a young Australian woman with deep vein thrombosis - only to realise the symptoms mirrored her own. However, the 28-year-old wasn't sick. Not according to the GP she visited three times to complain about a shortness of breath and pain in her left leg. 'Before I even finished reading I was in tears,' Ms Amoureux told 9Honey. She had been on the contraceptive pill since being diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) at age 20 and was using a steroid following complications from a cyst burst. But none of these things appeared to raise alarms for her doctor, who just referred her to a pain clinic. 'He didn't even look at my leg and said the shortness of breath was the steroids,' she told the publication. Incredibly Ms Amoureux's contraceptive pill and the steroid could have killed her. Incredibly Ms Amoureux's contraceptive pill and the steroid could have killed her (pictured is an x-ray of her lungs) After reading the online link she walked straight into a different doctor's office looking for a second opinion - only to be told her leg was filled with clots that had spread to her lungs. 'The doctors told me I had a massive pulmonary embolism and was dying. It's crazy to think if I wasn't on Facebook and read that article I could've died from those clots,' the NSW-based woman said. She spent a week in hospital and had to endure blood thinning injections for months before her symptoms stopped but that wasn't the last time she would face seemingly ill equipped medical professionals. Unfortunately, a hematologist prescribed her a medication that had the ability to cause clots while she was still recovering from her own near-death experience with a blood clot Unfortunately, a hematologist prescribed her a medication that had the ability to cause clots while she was still recovering from her own near-death experience with a blood clot. She was apologised to and told the 'busy' doctor hadn't realised her medical history, but the case has given Ms Amoureux cause for concern. The 28-year-old is hoping more medical professionals will spell out the risks involved in prescriptions so other people don't suffer in the same way. Australian hipsters are raising eyebrows across the nation with a new floral trend seeing them pay a fortune for unusual 'cotton branches'. In fact, according to the ABC, some in urban Sydney are forking out a staggering $35 for a single branch and as much as $50 for a bunch. One shocked Twitter user, Mark Dawson, spotted the quirky florals in a cafe and quickly took to the platform to comment on the new trend. 'Seen in a cafe today - if you look closely the price tag says $22 for the cotton plant,' he wrote. Australian hipsters are raising eyebrows across the nation with a new floral trend seeing them pay a fortune for unusual 'cotton branches' In fact, according to the ABC , some in urban Sydney are forking out a staggering $35 for a single branch and as much as $50 for a bunch 'At 10 plants per metre, that's $22,000 per hectare or equivalent to a yield of 44b/ha at $500/b. Are we marketing cotton all wrong?' The prices people are willing to pay for cotton blooms has also left farmers scratching their heads. Southern New South Wales farmer Gavin Dal Broi told the ABC he was shocked at just how much people are paying for cotton branches at urban florists and markets. It's a situation that's sent some straight for the calculator to work out just how much profit there is to be made Farmers are astounded at just how much people are willing to play for the trendy blooms Part of the appeal of using cotton in a floral arrangement is that it lasts up to five years and doesn't need any water 'It's mind-boggling that people are willing to pay for something that we have thousands of hectares of.' Part of the appeal of cotton stems, according to one cut flower grower, is that the blooms don't need water and can last up to five years. 'They are different which is why they are very popular at the moment,' said Sydney florist Wayne Phan from the Flower Room. 'Cotton is long-lasting, irrespective of the heat or cold, and it doesn't need any water.' A mother has given birth to identical triplet girls - beating odds of 200million to one - after conceiving naturally without the help of fertility drugs. Sian William, 31, and boyfriend Aaron Palfrey, 26, of Cwmbran, South Wales, welcomed daughters Jorgie, Belle and Olivia, in May last year. The proud parents said it was 'pure bliss' watching them grow, but admitted it comes with challenges. They have had to get creative when it comes to telling their daughters apart, and rely on different coloured nail polish painted on their toes. What a handful! Sian William, 31, and boyfriend Aaron Palfrey, 26, of Cwmbran, South Wales, welcomed daughters Jorgie, Belle and Olivia, in May last year Expecting: Sian and Aaron discovered they were expecting triplets at a check-up. Doctors told the couple the odds of having identical triplets without fertility drugs in 200million-to-one Three times the fun: Sisters Jorgie, left, Belle and Olivia have their toes painted different colours to help their parents tell them apart Sian said: 'Of course its hard work but we love every minute of it. We've swapped our Mercedes for a sensible family Land Rover - it is much easier to fit in three baby car seats.' The couple found out they were having identical triplets during a check-up. Sian, a finance worker, said: 'I was excited to be having one baby, but in the scan the doctor picked up two heart beats and then a third one. One little egg had created three miracles. Making room: Sian and Aaron have invested in a 'sensible' Land Rover for the triplets' car seats Well-oiled machine: The triplets are cared for by their parents and Sian's mother Julie Best friends: Each sister, pictured, will grow up having two people always by their side 'The doctors told us they were identical and the odds of that happening without fertility drugs was one in 200 million. 'We were completely speechless and stunned. At our 15 week scan we found out we were expecting three girls.' Due to the high risk of a multiple birth, Sian was booked in for a C-section in May last year at 32 weeks. Defying the odds: A scan revealed the parents were expecting the rare identical triplets Celebration: The couple at a baby shower celebrating the arrival of their daughters The tiny babies weighed between 2lbs 14oz and 3lbs 2oz and were whisked off to intensive care. Sian said: 'It was days before we were allowed to hold them but it was magical when we did. Aaron's face was a perfect picture of pride. We couldn't believe they were ours.' The triplets' arrival brought joy to Sian's family after a difficult time. She lost her father Kelvin and grandparents within a year. Juggling act: Sian and Aaron work as a team to look after (l-r) Jorgie, Belle and Olivia While Sian and Aaron handle most of the childcare, they also have help from her mother Julie, 57, who lives next door. She added: 'Aaron and I are a great team and we juggle the feeds really well. 'It is amazing but they all seem to sleep at the same time and long may it continue. Our house is right next door to my mum so it couldn't be more perfect.' Queen Letizia of Spain looked chic in a monochrome ensemble as she joined her husband King Felipe at a charity meeting in Madrid today. The mother-of-two, 45, paired a feminine white jacket featuring ruffled sleeves with a tailored black pencil skirt for the Princess of Asturias Foundation meeting. She finished off her stylish look with a pair of earrings, opting for a subtle make-up look. Meanwhile, Felipe, 50, looked smart in a tailored suit and blue tie for the meeting. Queen Letizia of Spain looked chic in a monochrome ensemble at the Princess of Asturias Foundation meeting in Madrid The royal teamed a feminine white jacket featuring ruffled sleeves with a black pencil skirt The Princess of Asturias Foundation is a non-profit organisation that aims to promote scientific, cultural and social values. The foundation was founded in 1980, with Felipe taking on the role of honorary president. His daughter, Princess Leonor, became the honorary president when he became King in 2014. The foundation is behind the annual Princess of Asturias Awards, which cover a range of areas, including science and the arts. Letizia joined her husband King Felipe, who looked smart in a tailored navy suit and blue tie The mother-of-two opted for a subtle make-up look, accessorising with a pair of earrings Letizia has had a busy week of engagements, attending a global cancer meeting in Geneva on Thursday. On Tuesday, the Spanish queen went to a journalism seminar in La Rioja, looking typically chic in a raspberry coloured trench Letizia swapped her journalism career for royal duties when she wed husband Felipe in 2004. The mother-of-two recently returned from a four-day working visit to Haiti and the Dominican Republic Dogs are said to be man's best friend - but that saying certainly doesn't ring true for one canine who has formed an unlikely bond with a brick. On Tuesday, Ariana Smoak, 19, of South Carolina, shared a series of adorable pictures to Twitter of her one-year-old rescue puppy named Sunny lying down with a brick alongside the caption: 'My dog's best friend is a brick.' The photos show the cute dog as a puppy sitting next to his brick and flash-forward to present day Sunny, in the same spot and still snuggled up to his 'best friend'. Pals: Ariana Smoak, 19, of South Carolina, shared pictures of her dog , Sunny, with his best friend - a brick Cuddles: The brick is used to prevent the corner of the rug from curling but ever since Sunny was a puppy, he would constantly play with the brick Viral: Ariana shared pictures of Sunny to Twitter alongside the caption 'My dog's best friend is a brick'. The tweet has gotten 134,000 retweets, 486,000 likes 'I rescued him and his siblings last year from the street. They were all covered in fleas and the mom had missing teeth and a skin condition. We cared for them for weeks,' Ariana told BuzzFeed. The brick is used to prevent the corner of the rug from curling but ever since Sunny was a puppy, he would constantly play with the brick. 'Since he was a puppy he would lay with it, kiss it and chew on it. We don't know why our other two dogs have no interest in it,' Ariana added. 'I'm happy I got to show the world the goofy side of him I see everyday.' Ariana also wants to shed light on why people should spay and neuter their pets 'because theres a lot more animals not as fortunate as Sunny'. Saved from the streets: Ariana rescued Sunny and his siblings last year. Her and her family cared for them for weeks Interesting friendship: Since Sunny was a puppy, he would lie with the brick, kiss it and chew on it Adorable: Since she posted the photos, people have taken to Twitter to share their love for Sunny Bizarre: One person said in a tweet that Sunny's love for a brick was so 'adorably weird' Too cute: And another person tweeted that it was the cutest thing he had ever seen Since she posted the photos to Twitter, she has gotten 134,000 retweets, 486,000 likes and thousands of comments from people enthralled by Sunny's cuteness. One person said: 'Omg that's so adorably weird!!!!' while another person said: 'Awww that's so cute hahahahahah.' And another person agreed and shared their joy over seeing Sunny with his brick in a tweet that said: 'If this isn't the cutest thing I've ever seen.' But the best reactions came in the form of other dog-lovers who shared pictures of their pets with their unusual toys. Not alone: Other people have shared photos of their pets with their bizarre 'best friends' Nuzzle: One person posted a picture of her 'pumpkin' snuggled up to his bowling pin One toy only: And another person posted a picture of a bug and said that the dog 'only likes socks, nothing else' Silly pup: Ariana (pictured) said she was happy she got to show the world the goofy side of him Sunny Awareness: Ariana said she wants to shed light on why people should spay and neuter their pets 'because theres a lot more animals not as fortunate as Sunny' One Twitter user posted a photo of her Rottweiler with the caption: 'My rot has had this rock for four years now.' Another person tweeted a photo of their dog sleeping next to its bowling pin with the caption: 'My pumpkin and his bowling pin.' And Twitter user @HarryClifford15 shared a picture of a pug with a pair of socks alongside the caption: 'This pug only likes socks, nothing else and teases you if you don't chase him for them.' It would seem like Sunny isn't alone when it comes to his love for bizarre toys but judging from the photos of Sunny and his canine friends, their owners wouldn't have it any other way. Dateline's Kate Snow has spoken out in praise of Bill Cosby victim Andrea Constand, sharing her admiration for how 'poised' and 'calm' the 45-year-old remained while detailing the moment that she was assaulted by the actor during her first TV interview about the shocking incident. Speaking to DailyMail.com ahead of the premiere of the Dateline special, Bringing Down Bill Cosby: Andrea Constand Speaks, Snow, 48, noted that while Constand, 45, was incredibly composed throughout the interview, this didn't mean she wasn't still struggling with a huge amount of pain and upset over the assault. '[Constand] was incredibly poised throughout the interview, but she did say that although she has found a way to remain composed on the outside, that doesn't mean the pain inside is any less difficult to deal with,' Snow explained. Scroll down for video High praise: Dateline's Kate Snow, 48, has spoken out to praise Bill Cosby victim Andrea Constand for her 'poise' and 'composure' during her first TV interview about the assault Exclusive: Constand and her mother Gianna will appear on NBC's Dateline on Friday night where they will discuss her sexual assault at the hands of Bill Cosby 'After she woke up, she described to me that he brought her breakfast,' Snow added while speaking about the interview. 'He brought a cup of tea and a muffin, and she's trying to process what has just happened. She drives herself home, she takes a shower, she cries - she said she had a good cry in the shower - and then she went to work.' Certainly it would be a struggle for anyone to stop themselves from breaking down while discussing such a painful and gut-wrenching experience; even Constand's mother Gianna, who sat by her side throughout the face-to-face interview, couldn't help from breaking down as her daughter detailed the attack for the first time on screen. When it came to preparing for the interview, Snow admits that she was 'like a Girl Scout' in terms of her process, ensuring that she had every possible detail in her mind before speaking with Constand on camera. 'I read articles, I read court transcripts, I did everything I could to prepare for it and to ensure that I had all of the information ahead of time,' she told DailyMail.com. When asked whether it was difficult to maintain composure herself while listening to Constand share such an emotional story, Snow explained that the ability to remain unbiased and to-the-point is something she 'is known for' and something she has had many opportunities to work on. Indeed, it is not the first time that Snow has come face to face with a Cosby accuser; in October 2015, she sat down with 27 women who said they had been assaulted by the actor, during which they detailed their horrifying experiences and the harsh skepticism they faced after coming forward. 'I've been following this case for four years,' she noted, before once again speaking in praise of Constand for being 'the one' who lead the charge as far as convicting Cosby. Since Snow first began working on the case, Cosby has been found guilty on three counts of aggravated incident assault and faces up to 30 years in jail, however he is currently appealing the decision. But the strength of the women who have come forward to speak out against the disgraced actor, as well as all of those who have joined the #MeToo movement, give Snow hope that society is going through a shift towards a safer future for young people. 'I do feel hopeful,' she noted. 'First and foremost I feel hopeful as a mother; I have two children, a 15-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl, and I talk to them about these things in a way that I was never spoken to as a child. 'Schools are beginning to talk about consent - that conversation is happening. I don't remember ever being taught that when I was younger. 'Things are changing, we are experiencing a shift. And I am hopeful.' Recording: During the interview Snow, Gianna Constand broke down as her daughter recalled the incident, however Andrea herself remained incredibly calm and stoic on screen Strength: In October 2015, Snow interviewed 27 Cosby accusers for another Dateline special When speaking to Constand about the trial, and the verdict, Snow explained that she said she had already 'come to peace' with everything before the courtroom's decision was made. 'For the verdict she told me she had come to peace with this and was sitting in the courtroom thinking, "Whatever way this goes, I am going to be OK with it,"' Snow noted while previewing the special. 'She didn't react much when the verdict was read. She describes to me hearing those words "guilty, guilty, guilty" on three counts and feeling stunned and feeling some level of redemption.' She added in a reporter's notebook piece about her interview: 'I honestly didn't know what to expect when we met in New York after the verdict. I knew Andrea was into wellness and holistic medicine. She works as a massage therapist in Toronto. 'When I watched her testify, Andrea was calm and centered. I saw her close her eyes at moments and take deep cleansing breaths. I wondered whether she would be quiet and subdued in our interview. As it turned out, she was thoughtful, frank, resolute and unflinching.' In the Dateline special, which airs on Friday night on NBC, Constand details the night of the assault, explaining that she went to Cosby's home under the assumption that she was going to get some career advice from him. After he assaulted her, she remained silent about the attack for nearly a year before finally coming forward. 'I didnt think anybody would believe me,' she said of her decision to keep it a secret for so long. 'It was Bill Cosby. It was Dr Huxtable. I thought I was the only person that he did this to. Whos going to believe me?' However, she eventually did report the incident to police and also spoke about what prompted her to do so. 'I woke up and I had a bad dream. And that dream was that Mr Cosby would do this to somebody else if I did not say or tell someone. So I woke up crying and I said, "Mom, Mr Cosby drugged me and he sexually violated me," and she was so caught off-guard.' Speaking about her own reaction, Andreas mother Gianna revealed: 'She said, "Mom, hes a b**tard" and I said "Andrea, who are you talking about?" and she said "Mom, he drugged me and he raped me,"' before revealing to her mother that she was talking about Bill Cosby. Gianna then explained how she called Cosby to ask him why he had assaulted her daughter. After he apologized for his actions, she got the idea to buy a recording device from her local RadioShack so she could get his confession on tape. Unconscious: As she drifted out of consciousness, Constand said she tried to call out for help but couldn't as her words seemed stuck in her throat and mind The call was played in the courtroom and will be played in full during the Dateline episode, and the other accusers who testified during the disgraced actor's recent retrial will also feature. In the Dateline interview, Constand also goes into greater detail about the night that the incident took place, explaining exactly what happened when she went to meet the disgraced TV star at his house - where he handed her three pills and told to take them to help her relax. 'He had three blue pills in his hand and he put his hand out,' she recalled. 'I said "What are those?" He said, "They'll help you relax"'. When Constand asked him if they were natural or herbal, he simply assured her that the pills were 'your friends'. 'I took them because I trusted that they would make me feel a little more relaxed,' she said. 'You trusted him?' Snow, who is a Senior National Correspondent for NBC, then asked her. 'Yes, I did,' Constand replied. 'Yes, I did'. Within a half hour, Constand started slurring her words and could no longer walk. Cosby helped her to a couch, where he began to assault her. 'My mind is saying, "Move your hands, kick, I don't want this, why is this person doing this?"' she recalled. 'I was limp. I was a limp noodle.' Constand recalled that Cosby said 'nothing' during the assault. And she wasn't able to speak. 'I was in and out of consciousness,' she said. 'I was crying out inside, in my throat, in my mind, for this to stop. I couldn't do anything.' Constand woke up hours later and knew what had happened. That morning, Cosby brought her tea and a muffin for breakfast. She then went home, where she cried in the shower before going to work. Relationship: At the time Constand, the operations manager for Temple University's women's basketball team (pictured), was being mentored by Cosby - a famous Temple alum Abuse of power: Cosby (pictured here after being found guilty of sexual assault) asked Andrea to come to his house so he could give her some career advice Peace: Constand (pictured with her prosecutors) said she has 'found her peace' after Cosby was found guilty in April of sexually assaulting her The special will also feature interviews with Janice Baker-Kinney, Lise-Lotte Lublin, Heidi Thomas, and Chelan Lasha. Those four women, along with Janice Dickinson, testified at the trial last month after the court ruled that five accusers could give testimony in the case. They consider Constand a 'hero,' as do the over 50 women who also publicly accused the once-beloved Hollywood star. The interview also delves into Constand's decision to help prosecute Cosby 12 years after the incident. Earlier this month, Judge Steven T. O'Neill ordered Cosby to return to the Montgomery County Courthouse in Pennsylvania on September 24 for the sentencing hearing in his criminal case. The court order also informed Cosby and his defense team that two days had been set aside for the hearing, which suggests that O'Neill might allow some of the 62 women who have publicly accused Cosby of sexual assault to come forward and speak. Constand is expected to deliver her victim impact statement at that time. Cosby is facing 30 years in prison after he was found guilty on three counts of aggravated incident assault. He also has two more jury trials ahead of him in Los Angeles at the end of the year after being accused of sexual assault by Chloe Goins and Judy Huth. Cosby has been under house arrest at his estate in nearby Elkins Park ever since a jury found him guilty of drugging and molesting Constand in 2004, while she was an employee at Temple University. He has also been outfitted with an electronic monitoring bracelet and may only leave his home to visit his lawyer or doctor. Ahead of his sentencing, Cosby will also undergo a Sexually Violent Predator Test, the results of which will be examined by the Sexual Offenders Assessment Board, who will pass along their recommendations to the court. In addition to Constand, it is likely that the five other women who testified at Cosby's trial will be able to deliver victim impact statements at the sentencing hearing in September. Baker-Kinney, Dickinson, Lasha, Lublin and Thomas all testified on behalf of the prosecution, who had hoped to have 13 witnesses take the stand during Cosby's retrial. Dateline's Bringing Down Bill Cosby: Andrea Constand Speaks airs on Friday, June 1 on NBC at 10pm ET/9pm CT Ivanka Trump looked incredibly chic in her safari-inspired outfit when she headed to Camp David with her family on Friday, but her belted wide-leg trousers were so long they were dragging on the grass. The 36-year-old first daughter was wearing a classic white blouse tucked into a pair of $1,490 Oscar de la Renta high-waisted pants when she boarded Marine One with her family in the afternoon. Standing just an inch shy of six feet, Ivanka is far from short, but her designer pants appeared to be a few inches too long even with her sky-high heels. Scroll down for video Seamstress for hire: Ivanka Trump donned $1,490 Oscar de la Renta pants to board Marine One with her family on Friday, but the trousers were so long the hem dragged across the grass Fashion faux pas: Standing just an inch shy of six feet, the first daughter is far from short, but her designer pants appeared to be a few inches too long Not quite high enough: Ivanka paired the high-waisted trousers with a pair of sky-high stilettos Photos of Ivanka walking across the South Lawn of the White House on Friday with her husband, Jared Kushner, show her long pants dragging across the grass as she makes her way to Marine One. It's likely that her heels were sinking into the ground during the walk across the lawn, and while she ended up walking on her trousers, she didn't seem to be worried about grass stains or tripping on her hem. Ivanka was smiling brightly while walking hand-in-hand with her 37-year-old husband, who was donning a navy suit and blue tie. The White House senior adviser topped off her outfit with a pair of aviator sunglasses and a red string tied around her left wrist, something she has been wearing off and on for about a year. Helping hand: The senior adviser walked hand-in-hand with her 37-year-old husband, Jared Kushner Katharine Hepburn-inspired: Ivanka wore a classic white button-down blouse tucked into her designer pants Family affair: Ivanka and Jared were joined by her half-sister, Tiffany, and her older brother, Donald Trump Jr. Trendy: Tiffany donned an A-line tweed dress by Eliza J and a pair of $650 Yeezy plexi ankle strap sandals Though she hasn't spoken about the purpose of the string, it does bear a resemblance to the type of red string that Kabbalah practitioners wear to ward off the 'evil eye.' Ivanka and Jared, who is also a senior adviser, trailed behind her 24-year-old half-sister, Tiffany Trump, and her 40-year-old brother Donald Trump Jr. While Ivanka opted for a Katharine Hepburn-inspired look for the trip, Tiffany was on trend in an A-line tweed dress by Eliza J and a pair of $650 Yeezy plexi ankle strap sandals. Tiffany's shoe choice is fitting, considering Kanye West revealed his affinity for her father, President Donald Trump, in April. Meanwhile, Kanye's wife, Kim Kardashian, had an Oval Office sit-down with the president on Wednesday him to discuss prison reform. Later that day, she visited Ivanka and Jared at their Washington, D.C. home. All smiles: Ivanka gave a wave right before she and Jared boarded Marine One Careful: The first daughter held on to the railing as she made her way up the steps She's got this: Despite the length of her pants, Ivanka didn't seem to have any trouble walking up the stairs President Trump headed to Camp David on Friday with most of his adult children in tow but his wife, Melania, stayed behind after not being seen in public for 22 days. The family's weekend getaway at the presidential retreat in Maryland comes three weeks after she was in the hospital for a kidney procedure. The first lady underwent an embolization procedure on Monday, May 14, likely to remove a cyst from her kidney. Her office said it was benign, or non-cancerous. She spent a week in the hospital recovering at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center before she returned to the White House on Saturday, May 19. Some medical professionals said the five-day hospitalization was long for such a procedure. Melania was last seen in public on May 10, when she joined her husband to welcome the return of three Americans who were being held captive in North Korea. Ivanka's brother Eric Trump and his wife, Lara, also appear to be skipping out on the family trip. While Eric's whereabouts are unclear, Lara and their eight-month-old son, Luke, are currently visiting her parents in North Carolina. For lovers of avocado toast and chocolate, you're in luck because one chocolate shop just launched an avocado toast chocolate bar and it's the perfect combination of both delicious foods. Los Angles-based chocolate shop, Compartes, released its California avocado chocolate bar last week and according to its website, it's a 'white chocolate dream' made with creamy white chocolate and full of fresh California avocados and crunchy bits of toast. The description continued: 'The most trendy delicious food of 2018 gets a chocolate dipped makeover, we take creamy white chocolate blend it with premium California Avocados and crunchy bits of caramelized toast for a crunchy, sweet delicious unique chocolate sensation unlike anything you've ever tried before!' Yummy: Los Angles-based chocolate shop, Compartes, released its California avocado chocolate bar The avocado toast bar is a partnership between Compartes and the California Avocado Commission, according to Bustle. And this isn't the first time, the chocolate company had partnered with the commission because last year, the two teamed up on a limited edition bar that was made with white chocolate and avocados. Thankfully, the brands have up the antics and made an avocado toast chocolate bar, which may just be the most millennial thing ever. The bars are available for $9.95 at Compartes stores in Los Angeles and on its website for those that don't live in the area. But unfortunately, fans will have to stock up on the creative sweet treat because it's only going to be available through August. Inexpensive: The bars are available for $9.95 at Compartes stores in Los Angeles and on its website Limited edition: Unfortunately, fans will have to stock up on the creative sweet treat because it's only going to be available through August The company is headed by chocolatier Jonathan Grahm who bought the business from his family in 2009 when they were about to give up on it and has since recreated it to include delicious and inventive conconctions. These days, Compartes offers around 50 different bars with new flavors and partnerships appearing regularly. The company has come a long way from its line of 24 chocolate bars including a Coney Island bar made with milk chocolate, crushed pieces of waffle cone and a box that was covered in unicorns and an ombre rainbow of neon colors, according to the Los Angeles Times. But if avocado toast isn't your thing, then fear not because Compartes also sells a rose chocolate bar infused with the sweet wine, a scones and jam bar and a strawberry champagne bar all for $9.95. And if you're not into chocolate bars and in the Los Angeles area, then head to pastry chef Dominique Ansel's store to try his avocado toast ice cream sandwich, made with avocado-flavored ice cream sliced and fanned out to look like the fatty green fruit. A shocking video has revealed the full extent of the damage caused to the heart by smoking. Released by the World Health Organization (WHO), it aims to raise awareness of the effect of cigarettes on the heart and encourage smokers to quit. The 30-second clip starts with a heart beating slowly, as it asks viewers if they were aware that tobacco is a major cause of heart disease. But as the video proceeds, it beats quicker and more smoke can be seen puffing from its valves - designed to mimic being overworked. The footage, released yesterday for World No Tobacco Day, ends with the message 'protect your heart and choose health - not tobacco'. Figures estimate that tobacco is the primary cause of 17 per cent of all deaths from heart disease, the world's leading killer. Released by the World Health Organization, it aims to raise awareness of the effect of cigarettes on the heart (pictured: a healthy heart, left, and diseased heart, right) Dr Tedros Adhanom, WHO chief, yesterday called for more awareness over the links between smoking and heart disease. He said: 'Most people know that using tobacco causes cancer and lung disease, but many people arent aware that tobacco also causes heart disease and stroke. 'This World No Tobacco Day, WHO is drawing attention to the fact tobacco doesnt just cause cancer, it quite literally breaks hearts.' How many people does smoking kill? Smoking is known to kill more than seven million people across the world each year, including 890,000 from breathing in second-hand smoke. But many people are unaware that nearly half of those deaths, around three million, are due to heart disease, including heart attacks and strokes. How does tobacco damage the heart? Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, including tar and others that can narrow arteries and damage blood vessels. While nicotine - a highly addictive toxin found in tobacco - is heavily linked with dangerous increases in heart rate and blood pressure. Smoking also unleashes poisonous gases such as carbon monoxide, which replaces oxygen in the blood - reducing the availability of oxygen for the heart. The 30-second clip starts with a heart beating slowly, as it asks viewers if they were aware that tobacco is a major cause of heart disease But as the video proceeds, it beats quicker and more and smoke can be seen puffing from its valves - designed to mimic being overworked A lack of awareness Yet in many countries, there is low awareness that smoking significantly increases your chances of developing cardiovascular disease, WHO said. In China for instance, a large survey showed more than 60 per cent of the population is unaware that smoking can cause heart attacks. While in India and Indonesia, more than half of adults are unaware that smoking can cause strokes. Dr Douglas Bettcher, head of WHO's non-communicable disease prevention unit, said: 'Governments have the power in their hands to protect their citizens from suffering needlessly from heart disease.' IS THE END OF SMOKING 'IN SIGHT' IN THE UK? The end of smoking is finally 'in sight', officials claimed in June 2017 following figures that suggested another drop in rates across the UK. Just one in six adults now regularly light up cigarettes - with 680,000 having given up the habit completely in 2016. The numbers of smokers dropped from 19.9 per cent in 2010 to just 15.5 per cent in 2016 in England alone, according to data from the Office for National Statistics. Across all ages smoking prevalence is in decline, with the largest fall in 18-to-24 year olds, while e-cigarette use is on the rise in this age group. Duncan Selbie, chief executive of Public Health England, said the UK has the second lowest smoking rate in Europe after Sweden, which proves that the Government's tobacco-control policies are effective. Advertisement 'Measures that reduce the risks to heart health posed by tobacco include making all indoor public and workplaces completely smoke-free and promoting use of tobacco package warnings that demonstrate the health risks of tobacco.' Smoking rates plummet WHO estimates that the prevalence of smoking across the world has dropped from 27 per cent at the turn of the century to 20 per cent in 2016. But it warned that the pace of reduction was too slow. Due to population growth, the number of smokers in the world has remained relatively stable at around 1.1 billion. The damage of smoking on the lungs The new clip comes after a separate video earlier this month showed the difference in healthy lungs and those of a smoker who got through a pack-a-day for 20 years. Uploaded by North-Carolina based nurse Amanda Eller, the footage showed the black, cancer-ridden lungs of the heavy smoker failing to properly inflate. This is compared to the healthy, red-coloured lungs that are shown inflating and deflating as normal in the videos, which have been shared more than 5,000 times. Thousands quit smoking The new clip also comes after health officials in the UK claimed last summer the end of smoking is finally 'in sight' following a stream of quitters. Around 680,000 adults gave up the bad habit completely in 2016, according to data from the Office for National Statistics. Masses of smokers are instead turning to e-cigarettes, with three million Britons now believed to use the battery-powered devices containing nicotine. Although thought to be considerably safer than tobacco cigarettes, studies have linked long-term use to heart disease and cancer. Opioids are involved in one in every five deaths of young adults in the US, a new study reveals. In 2016, about 64,000 people died from opioid overdoses, making it the leading cause of death in those under 50. The new report, from St Michael's Hospital in Ontario found that the proportion of deaths involving opioids surged by nearly 300 percent between 2001 and 2016. Its authors warn that their research, which follows up on previous analyses of young adults' deaths in Canada, confirms that opioids are at the heart of a multinational public health issue in North America. Opioid overdose deaths among young adults surged by nearly 300 percent in 2016 in the US Opioid drug abuse and overdoses have reached a crisis point in the US, as well as Canada. There are more overdose deaths in the two countries than anywhere else in the world, despite being high-income nations with robust public health campaigns against the opioid epidemic. The tens of thousands of lives lost to overdoses has prompted President Donald Trump to declare a 'public health emergency,' but government agencies have struggled to slow the epidemic's momentum. 'Despite the amount of attention that has been placed on this public health issue, we are increasingly seeing the devastating impact that early loss of life from opioids is having across the United States,' said study co-author Dr Tara Gomes. Opioid addiction has hit the youngest populations hardest in recent years, killing more people under 50 than heart attacks or car crashes. For the new St Michael's study, the researchers sifted through and analyzed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) data on all deaths in the US between 2001 and 2016. In every age group, the number proportion of opioid-related deaths was alarming, but young adults overdosed in droves. In 2016 alone, 11,552 people between the ages of 25 and 34 died in ways that involved opioids, accounting for 13 percent of all deaths in that age group. This age group accounted for fore than a quarter of the opioid-related deaths documented in the CDC's database. Deaths involving the powerful drugs were also involved in 9,747 deaths among people between 35 and 44 as well as as the deaths of 4,027 people between 15 and 24. That is not to say, however, that people stop overdosing in middle age. Among 45- to 54-year-olds, seven percent of all deaths in 2016 were still attributable to opioids. Taken together, these data, published Friday in JAMA Network Open, showed that one in ever 65 deaths across all age groups were related to opioids. 'Premature death from opioid-related causes imposes an enormous public health burden across the United States,' the researchers wrote. Opioids are involved in a relatively small proportion of the over-50 population in the US, but the study authors caution that the rate of misuse for this group is expected to be double what it was in 2004 by 2020. Men, too, are disproportionately affected by the opioid epidemic, accounting for nearly 70 percent of deaths related to the drugs in 2016. Misuse is not isolated to any one age group, gender or country, with Canada closely following the US with the second highest opioid death toll in the world. But the demographics of addiction and overdose in the US are particularly worrisome. 'The recent increase in deaths attributable to opioids among those aged 15 to 34 years highlights a need for targeted programs and policies that focus on improved addiction care and harm reduction measures in this high-risk population,' the researchers wrote. Whole Foods has put a pause on its plan to mandate that its food suppliers label all foods that have contain genetically modified organisms. After making a name for itself as the top national retailer of organic foods, Whole foods announced in 2015 that it would implement strict rules on clear labeling of these products by 2018. The use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is mostly intended to make food products more robust, but the practice has become controversial as some animal studies have linked GMOs to infertility and immune system issues. Whole Foods promised requirements were meant to protect a customer's 'right to know what they are eating. In an email to suppliers, however, Whole Foods's president said that the company would hold off on introducing its requirements until the US Department of Agriculture finalized its own rules, Fox Business reported. Whole Foods is reportedly holding off on its plan to require all food suppliers to disclose GMOs in their products' labels Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have long been a source of controversy in the agricultural industry and health and environmental circles. The catch-all acronym most commonly refers to changes made to the DNA of crops or animals to make them more robust in various environments, make them resistant to herbicides, immune to certain diseases or to make them grow bigger. Large farms love GMOs because they help to ensure they'll have a better yield from the products they raise. Small farms hate them because they don't have access to all of the same advancements, which makes it hard for them to compete. Some environmental and health experts say that these are nothing new, just advancements built upon what nature does, and what farmers have been doing for centuries through selective breeding. Other environmentalists and, healthy and organic eating advocates warn that the repercussions of using these seeds may exceed the advantages they offer. Whole Foods, which finds itself squarely between the growers that supply its shelves and its health-conscious, organic-loving customer base, seemed to decide on a compromise in 2015: labeling. The grocery giant, which sold to Amazon for $13.7 billion last year, promised in 2015 that it would require any of its suppliers that used GMOs to label their products. 'At Whole Foods Market, we believe you have the right to choose whats in your food, and we are committed to GMO (genetically modified organism) transparency,' the company says on its site. But now, it has reportedly backed quietly away from its campaign for clarity. In the email, as reported by Fox, Whole Foods said that it was holding off in view of the upcoming ruling form the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on GMO labeling. The USDA's current proposal would allow GMO labeling to come in the form of a QR code that consumers would have to scan with their phones to get information about the DNA of the foods they were putting in their shopping carts. It also may have some slippery loopholes for various kinds of meats. As proposed, Whole Foods's labeling plan mentioned no such options. The USDA proposed its own rules in early May, and, according to Fox, told suppliers: 'As the USDA finalizes the federal regulation in the coming months and the food industry assesses the impact, we do not want our Policy to pose further challenges for you and your business.' New York-based Renaissance Technologies boss James Simons is, for the second year running, the worlds highest earning hedge funder, raking in over 1.2billion last year, which works out at 3.4million a day. A reclusive, professor-like figure, bearded Simons, 80, is something of an enigma within the hedge fund community where hes known as Elvis. Why so? Because hes the king and you always know when hes left the building. New York-based Renaissance Technologies boss James Simons is, for the second year running, the worlds highest earning hedge funder The resignation of Pensions Regulator boss Lesley Titcomb, whos stepping down from her 225,000-a-year role after just four years, marks yet another scalp for prickly work and pensions committee chairman Frank Field. Following the recent Carillion collapse, Field, 75, accused the bubbly coppers daughter, 56, of being woefully under-prepared for her committee appearance, remarking dismissively: If wed bumped into you at a bus stop we would expect you to have been better informed. Enjoying life back in the private sector, Lloyds Bank recently hosted a spa evening for journalists at the Dorchester Hotel. Strictly a ladies-only affair, sadly, which will have disappointed the banks frisky chief, Antonio Horta-Osorio, 54, something of a pampering enthusiast. The old rake splurged 550 on treatments at Singapores Mandarin Oriental hotel while enjoying his notorious liaison dangereuse with sexy academic Wendy Piatt. Increasingly social media-obsessed Treasury secretary Liz Truss, 42, excitedly informed Twitter this week she was off to a performance of Chess, the West End musical set partly in Bangkok. Later, she shared pictures of her pre-theatre Thai supper, captioned: Obvs had to have a themed dinner beforehand. La Truss is a peculiar creature, isnt she? Barclays boss Jes Staley was in the North East yesterday to launch the banks new 500million fund for small businesses. The likeable Bostonian, 61, swung by Barclays call centre in Sunderland before paying a visit to Thornton Brothers, a family-run firm which refurbishes buses. Do we suspect 3.9million-a-year Jes is still being punished for his involvement in the recent whistleblower scandal? The departing finance chief at RBS, Ewen Stevenson The departing finance chief at bailed-out Royal Bank of Scotland has been in talks over a possible move to rival HSBC. Ewen Stevenson, 52, is understood to have been tapped up to replace HSBCs chief financial officer Iain Mackay, and to have been interviewed for the job. Stevenson is leaving Natwest owner RBS for a new role elsewhere but refused to say what it is. He will remain at RBS until a replacement has been found. It is thought that he was approached by HSBC as a shortlist was being drawn up to replace Mackay, who has been in the job since 2010 and has not publicly said he is leaving. Sources said there is no guarantee Stevenson will get the job. Lesley Titcomb will stand down as head of The Pensions Regulator (TPR) next February The boss of the pensions watchdog is leaving to spend more time with family, amid a collapse in early retirement for ordinary workers. Lesley Titcomb, 56, will stand down as head of The Pensions Regulator (TPR) next February to pursue a more relaxed lifestyle. Titcomb, married to Tory MP Mark Prisk, came in for heavy criticism for failing to protect workers at collapsed firms such as BHS and Carillion. She was not in the pension scheme at TPR, where she was paid up to 225,000, but is thought to have a generous pot from a previous role at the Financial Conduct Authority. It is not clear if she seeking another job. Insurer Aviva said this year that by 2035, almost no one will give up work before they turn 65. The number of retired under-65s has fallen from 1.6million in 2011 to under 1.2million. And the number of women working over the age of 50 has hit a record high of 2.7million. One of the Big Four accountants has been dragged into the massive scandal surrounding the former British tech pioneer Autonomy. Deloitte is accused by regulators of failing to spot a string of misleading practices at the software company before it was sold to Hewlett Packard (HP) for 7.4billion seven years ago. After the deal, HP wrote off three-quarters of Autonomys value and said executives, including former boss Mike Lynch, cooked the books to make it look more valuable than it was. Deloitte is accused by regulators of failing to spot a string of misleading practices at the software company before it was sold to Hewlett Packard (HP) seven years ago Sushovan Hussain, Autonomys former finance chief, was convicted of fraud four weeks ago in a US court. Yesterday, the UKs Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said Richard Knights and Nigel Mercer, the auditors at Deloitte who vetted the books, had not properly scrutinised its accounts. The regulator claimed Knights recklessly failed to correct a misleading statement made by Hussain to an FRC panel and had not acted objectively. Hussain, who is appealing against his conviction in the US, also faces action from the watchdog, which assisted with his prosecution. It accused him of acting dishonestly and/or recklessly when submitting Autonomys accounts, giving details of transactions with third-party sellers and making statements to the FRC. Stephen Chamberlain, Autonomys former vice-president of finance, faces similar accusations and is accused of failing to act with competence and due care, failing to provide vital information to Deloitte and failing to correct misleading statements by Hussain. Autonomy boss Mike Lynch The FRC is taking its complaints to an independent tribunal, with the hearing dates not yet confirmed. If its claims are upheld, Deloitte, Knights, Mercer, Hussain and Chamberlain could face fines of up to 10m under a new sanctions regime, although the tribunal can impose unlimited fines. Knights and Mercer could be banned from their profession. Deloitte has always maintained it knew nothing of any alleged improprieties in Autonomys accounts and a spokesman for the auditor yesterday said that it had fully co-operated with the FRC. He added: We are disappointed these complaints have been brought and we will defend ourselves against them. The spokesman said Knights no longer did statutory audit work and Mercer had retired. Spokesmen for Hussain and Chamberlain were approached for comment last night but did not respond. The FRCs allegations are yet another blow to former Autonomy boss Mike Lynch and Hussain as they prepare for a 3.7billion High Court showdown with HP Enterprises (HPE), which included Autonomy when it was split off from HP in 2015. Lynch and his former finance chief are accused of artificially inflating Autonomys value before it was sold in a deal that netted them millions of pounds. Both deny any wrongdoing and maintain they have been made scapegoats by HPE after it mismanaged the takeover of Autonomy. Lynch has insisted the firm was open and transparent with auditors and has launched a 117million counter-claim over reputational damage. But in a blow in early May, US prosecutors with assistance from UK authorities presented accounts, press releases, emails and phone calls which they claimed showed systematic fraud at Autonomy. By late 2011, they said, the British company had become an unsustainable Ponzi scheme. The High Court battle between HPE and Lynch and Hussain is expected to take place next year. Lynch is counter-suing. A spokesman for Lynch yesterday declined to comment on the FRCs complaints. Tech tycoon Mike Lynchs desperate attempts to boost sales at Autonomy took him to the heart of the Vatican, court documents reveal Tech tycoon Mike Lynchs desperate attempts to boost sales at Autonomy took him to the heart of the Vatican, court documents reveal. He took control of efforts to win a prestigious contract to digitise the Vatican Library. Lynch (pictured), his finance chief Sushovan Hussain and their wives were even given a tour of the library by prefect Monsignor Cesare Pasini on a visit to Rome for an office Christmas party in 2010. The 15th century library is one of the grandest in the world and houses more than 2m books and manuscripts. But the deal is at the centre of a High Court case brought against them by HP Enterprise (HPE), which bought Autonomy in 2011 and says executives artificially inflated its value. HPE says the Vatican project is a key example of deals that were used to fabricate or accelerate what was then held out by Autonomy to be revenue and profits. It says Autonomy booked 8.3million in revenues related to the library project in 2010. The revenue reported was from an agreement Autonomy had made with a third party reseller. It told auditors the reseller would supply software to the Vatican. Lynch took control of efforts to win a prestigious contract to digitise the Vatican Library But no final deal was ever done with the Vatican, which also said it never had dealings with the reseller. It is claimed that Lynch and Hussains objective was to ensure that the Autonomy groups financial performance appeared to be that of a rapidly growing company when in fact the group was experiencing little or no growth. Lynch and Hussain deny any wrongdoing. Authorities appealed for the public's help Thursday in finding a man suspected in the fatal shooting of a Tennessee sheriff's deputy. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation released new photographs of the man accused of killing Dickson County Sheriff's Deputy Sgt. Daniel Baker during a traffic stop. Baker's body was found Wednesday in a wooded area in Dickson County. The man they said they're looking for, Steven Wiggins, has a lengthy arrest record and was charged just the day before with hitting a woman and stealing her car. Authorities appealed for the public's help Thursday in finding a man suspected in the fatal shooting of a Tennessee sheriff's deputy The man they said they're looking for, Steven Wiggins (above), has a lengthy arrest record and was charged just the day before with hitting a woman and stealing her car Rewards totaling $46,000 have been offered for information leading to the arrest of Wiggins, 31, a white male with balding brown hair The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation released new photographs of the man accused of killing Dickson County Sheriff's Deputy Sgt. Daniel Baker during a traffic stop That woman was in the car with the suspect when he pulled the trigger and she is now jailed on a murder charge in the death of Baker, according to court documents. The deputy's body was found in his patrol car in a wooded area several miles from where he had stopped a suspicious car on Wednesday. Rewards totaling $46,000 have been offered for information leading to the arrest of Wiggins, 31, a white male with balding brown hair. Officials said they believe he is armed and dangerous. 'It's very imperative for everyone to keep their eyes, their ears open for this individual,' TBI spokeswoman Susan Niland said at a news conference Thursday. 'He could be in Dickson County. He could be in a neighboring county. But the fact is, we don't know where he is.' Erika Castro-Miles, 38, (left) was said to have participated in the altercation that led to the eventual killing of Baker as Dickson County Sheriff's office shares they are still looking for Wiggins (right) Federal, state and local authorities have joined the search. They are checking into hundreds of tips, though authorities said there have been no confirmed sightings as of Thursday evening. Wiggins was last seen wearing blue jeans and a black polo shirt, but could have changed his outfit, Niland said. Still, Dickson County Sheriff Jeff Bledsoe said he believes Wiggins might be on foot in the area. 'At this point, we're going to work with all our agencies and all of our partners, and there will be no rest until he's taken into custody,' Bledsoe said at the news conference. Baker couldn't be contacted for some time after responding to a call about a suspicious car Wednesday, Niland said. The deputy's car was tracked by GPS to a wooded area about 2 miles away, and Baker was found dead inside the vehicle. Wiggins was identified as the suspect from a video recording, and the sheriff said he is even more heartbroken over what Baker endured after watching the 'disturbing' footage. Baker was eventually found dead inside his patrol car two to three miles away from the scene. His GPS system was used to find his location after contact with Baker ceased Bledsoe declined to discuss specifics, citing the ongoing investigation. Wiggins was already wanted on charges that he assaulted the woman and stole her car when he was pulled over, according to a report from the Kingston Springs Police Department. The woman, Erika Castro-Miles, 38, was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder after investigators realized that she had participated in Baker's death, the TBI said. According to the police report, Castro-Miles said early Tuesday that Wiggins had slapped her in the face and pulled out some of her hair, then put a gun to her head and threatened to kill her if she called police. She said he then grabbed her keys and took her car without her permission. She told police then that Wiggins had been 'doing meth all night and smoking marijuana.' She told police she planned to press charges, the report said. According to local news reports, an affidavit filed in Dickson County court says Castro-Miles was sitting in the car with Wiggins when he shot and killed the deputy. The deputy's family identified him as a father and husband who served in the Marines The husband and father of one joined the department in 2008 and came from a family of officers She fled the shooting scene Wednesday and hid under a house, the affidavit says. Castro-Miles is being detained at the Dickson County Jail. It is not immediately known if she has an attorney. As for Wiggins, the sheriff said he must be held accountable, facing the maximum penalty the law will allow. The sheriff said Baker, 32, was one of the department's best, a supervisor who had worked his way up to sergeant on patrol during his 10-year stint with the office. He is survived by his wife and daughter. Bledsoe said his agency has lost a brother, and the community has lost a hero. 'Our heart's shattered with this,' he said. A kindergarten teacher has been caught on camera brutally dragging and pushing three pupils who wouldn't fall sleep in China. The young children were punished because they had failed to nap on time, according to the kindergarten in Yanji city. The teacher has been removed from her position and the kindergarten has apologised to the public after the shocking incident on Tuesday. The kindergarten teacher in China is pictured violently putting one pupil on the floor The teacher's behaviour was captured by a surveillance camera inside the Zhu Zhu Le Yuan kindergarten, whose pupils are aged between two and five. In the video clip filmed at around 2pm, the teacher is seen forcefully carrying one child out of a classroom into a lobby before putting the child on the floor next to two other pupils. She is then seen shoving the three young children and even swinging them around while pointing at the classroom from time to time. The horrifying scene was witness by another teacher, who did not intervene the brutal punishment. On its social media account, Zhu Zhu Le Yuan claims to provide '24-hour happy' education to children. The kindergarten said the management was notified of the incident at around 6pm on the day after the parents of the punished children came to the kindergarten to demand an explanation. The kindergarten said it had carried out investigation. CCTV footage shows her pushing and swinging three children in front of another teacher In a statement released on the following day, the kindergarten explained that the teacher, named Zhang Aidan, was punishing the pupils because they had not napped according to the teacher's instruction. Teacher Zhang, who was the class teacher, apologised to the parents on the night of Tuesday, the statement said. Zhu Zhu Le Yuan has apologised to the public for its teacher's behaviour. It has expressed its deep remorse for having caused psychological harm to the children and their parents. The kindergarten said it had fired teacher Zhang. It has also agreed to arrange medical examination to the three children and provide psychological therapy to all of its pupils. The kindergarten would also upgrade its live-streaming system for the parents to monitor the activities in class, said the statement. A spokesperson at the Yanji Education Bureau told BJ News that the bureau was collecting evidence and investigating the case. The spokesperson added that police had also launched an investigation. The original map of Winnie-The-Pooh's charming Hundred Acre Wood is expected to sell for up to 150,000 at auction. E.H. Shepard's original 1926 sketch - said to be 'probably the most famous map in English literature' - has remain unseen for nearly half a century. It depicts in loving detail the world of Christopher Robin and his woodland friends in the original book. The map also played a starring role in the Disney film, Winnie-The-Pooh And The Honey Tree, where it was animated as part of the movie's opening sequence. The map, which has been described as 'probably the most famous in English literature', is expected to fetch up to 150,000 when it goes to auction E.H. Shepard's original map depicts the world Christopher Robin shares with Winnie and his woodland friends It was first sold by Sotheby's in 1968, where it sold for 650, before the auction house sold it again to a private collector two years later for 1,700 As well as capturing the book's woodland world, it also features AA Milne's much-loved characters including Eeyore, Winnie-The-Pooh and Christopher Robin. Littered with misspelt locations, such as 'nice for picnicks' and '100 aker wood', the illustration is signed off with the words 'Drawn by me and Mr Shepard helpd'. It was first sold by Sotheby's in 1968, where it sold for 650, before the auction house sold it again to a private collector two years later for 1,700. It comes amid an increased interest in illustrations from collectors, particularly Shepard's work, according to Sotheby's senior specialist in printed books and manuscripts, Dr Philip Errington. In 2014 an original ink drawing portraying the characters playing poohsticks sold for 314,500 the record for any book illustration sold at auction. Dr Errington said Shepard's work was unique in that it had always been present in Pooh books. He said: 'They've never been brought out in the UK or the US with illustrations by anyone else apart from EH Shepard and that is the power, and ability of the illustrator, and why this is probably the most famous map in English literature.' The map will be sold by Sotheby's alongside four other EH Shepard works none of which have been seen for almost five decades. Sothebys technicians hold a Winnie The Pooh artwork. An additional three artworks will also be sold alongside the map. It is littered with adorable misspellings, such as 'nice for picnicks' and '100 aker wood' Other are taken from chapter six of the same book, which show Pooh, Piglet, Roo and Rabbit playing poohsticks, and Eeyore floating in the water beneath the bridge Eyeore floating underneath the bridge. Dr Errington said the increase in interest of illustrations shows the art market is becoming 'far more inclusive' One sketch from the emotional conclusion to The House At Pooh Corner features Christopher Robin and Pooh walking hand-in-hand to say their final goodbye. Two additional illustrations are taken from chapter six of the same book, which show Pooh, Piglet, Roo and Rabbit playing poohsticks, and Eeyore floating in the water beneath the bridge. The five original illustrations will be offered in Sotheby's English Literature, History, Science, Children's Books and Illustrations sale in London on July 10 with a combined estimation of 310,000-440,000. Dr Errington said the increase in interest of illustrations shows the art market is becoming 'far more inclusive'. 'We are getting a lot more interest in this material from collectors of art,' he said. 'Twenty years ago I would have said the interest in book illustration was from people who collected book illustrations but now we have interest from people who collect art and there's no reason why a book illustrator shouldn't be considered an artist.' A young Aboriginal woman spat on a police officer and assaulted a paramedic who was taking her to hospital after finding her asleep at the front of a shop. Environmentalist Leilani Opal Clarke, 19, spat on an officer and shoved a paramedic in an ambulance after screaming 'f**k you white dogs. I'm smart not dumb'. 'I got three more degrees than you'll ever have,' Clarke shouted. Scroll down for video Leilani Opal Clarke (pictured), 19, spat on a police officer and shoved a male paramedic in an ambulance 'I got three more degrees than you'll ever have,' Clarke shouted at the paramedics and police According to a statement of facts tendered to Downing Centre Local Court, police and paramedics were responding to a call about 4am on March 18 regarding a female being physically assaulted. They found Clarke on Parramatta Road at Annandale in Sydney's inner-west where she was sleeping at the front of a store, news.com.au reported. She was asked by police: 'What is the day, month, year?' Clarke replied with 'We are in the 36th month and it's Tuesday.' March 18 was a Sunday. Clarke, who was studying environmental science at Sunshine Coast University but now lives in Sydney, was informed she would be taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and was placed on a stretcher. She then swore at 30-year-old paramedic Matthew Wood. Mr Wood tried to calm Clarke down, but she shoved him in the chest, causing him to fall backwards and 'feel immediate pain in the chest.' Police entered the ambulance and were attempting to hold Clarke down to handcuff her when she spat on the ambulance floor and then spat on an officer's forearm. She was then sedated. Clarke was informed she would be taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital; she then assaulted a paramedic Clarke pleaded guilty to charges of assaulting police in the execution of their duty and common assault on Wednesday when she failed to have the matters dealt with under the Mental Health Act. Magistrate Jacqueline Milledge said she was worried about substance abuse, and assaults against paramedics were of grave concern. '[It is] a prevalent offence that paramedics are interfered with. It's very clear Ms Clarke was the one being looked at,' Ms Milledge said. Clarke is a member of the Butchulla indigenous community on Queensland's Fraser Coast and had previously aspired to organising a festival of her culture. This is the third time the environment science student has been in trouble with the law for this type of offence, Fraser Coast Chronicle reported. In the early hours of January 27, Clarke spat on security and assaulted police. She pleaded guilty in Hervey Bay Magistrates Court and was fined $1,200. Clarke will be sentenced for her latest offences on July 10. Seeking to comfort grieving families and shaken survivors, President Donald Trump spent more than an hour privately Thursday with some of those impacted by a Texas mass school shooting that killed 10 and wounded more than a dozen on May 18. The latest spasm of violence in a year marred by assaults on the nation's schools, the shooting at Santa Fe High School was the latest to test the president's role as national comforter-in-chief. Trump met with more than two dozen people affected by the shooting, and did not publicly share his message for the grieving families and local leaders during a meeting at a Coast Guard base outside Houston. Pamela Stanich - whose 17-year-old son, Jared Black, was among the eight students killed - was one of the parents who met with Trump, presenting him with a family statement and a copy of her son's eulogy. President Donald Trump spent more than an hour privately Thursday with some of those impacted by the Sante Fe mass school shooting on May 18. He was joined by Sen. Ted Cruz and Gov. Greg Abbott Rhonda Hart (right), whose 14-year-old daughter, Kimberly Vaughan (left), was killed at the school, told The Associated Press that Trump repeatedly used the word 'wacky' to describe the shooter and the trench coat he wore. She said she told Trump, 'Maybe if everyone had access to mental health care, we wouldn't be in the situation. Trump 'met with us privately and showed sincerity, compassion, and concern on making our schools safer across the nation,' she wrote in a Facebook post after the meeting. 'He spent time talking to the survivors and asking on what happened and what would have made a difference. Changes are coming for the good. Thank you Mr. Trump.' Rhonda Hart, whose 14-year-old daughter, Kimberly Vaughan, was killed at the school, told The Associated Press that Trump repeatedly used the word 'wacky' to describe the shooter and the trench coat he wore. She said she told Trump, 'Maybe if everyone had access to mental health care, we wouldn't be in the situation.' Hart, an Army veteran, said she also suggested employing veterans as sentinels in schools. She said Trump responded, 'And arm them?' She replied, 'No,' but said Trump 'kept mentioning' arming classroom teachers. 'It was like talking to a toddler,' Hart said. He did not publicly share his message for the grieving families and local leaders during a meeting at a Coast Guard base outside Houston Reporters were not permitted to witness the meeting. While the president was in Texas, Trump's school safety commission met outside Washington, part of the president's chosen solution to combat the rising tide of bloodshed after his brief flirtation with tougher gun laws after February's mass killing at a high school in Parkland, Florida went nowhere. A White House spokesman said Trump was 'moved' by the shooting at Santa Fe High School, which left eight students and two substitute teachers dead. A student faces capital murder charges in the attack. 'These events are very tragic, whenever they happen. And you know, the president wants to extend his condolences and talk about the issue of school safety,' spokesman Raj Shah told Fox News Channel. 'It was like talking to a toddler,' said Rhonda Hart, whose 14-year-old daughter, Kimberly Vaughan, was killed at the school Also Thursday, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, whom Trump put in charge of the school safety commission, announced a $1 million grant to the Santa Fe school district to help with post-shooting recovery efforts. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Sen. Ted Cruz, both Republicans, greeted Trump after Air Force One landed at a Houston military base. Abbott joined Trump for the short ride in the presidential limousine to a Coast Guard hangar where the meeting took place. Trump then headed to a fundraiser at a luxury hotel in downtown Houston, the first of his two big-dollar events in Texas on Thursday. A White House official did not immediately respond to requests for details about how much money was to be raised, and who was benefiting, from the fundraising events. After 17 teachers and students were killed during a February shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Trump said he would work to improve school safety, but has not called for new gun control legislation. He created the commission to review ways to make schools safer. Reporters were not permitted to witness the meeting Trump briefly strayed from gun-rights dogma after the Parkland shooting, but quickly backpedaled. Abbott, a Republican and a staunch gun-rights supporter, has called for schools to have more armed personnel and said they should put greater focus on spotting student mental health problems. He's proposed a few small restrictions on guns since the shooting. Investigators say student Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17, carried out the attack with a shotgun and pistol that belonged to his father. Classes at Santa Fe High School resumed Tuesday for the first time since the shooting. As the Parkland students became vocal advocates for gun control, embracing their public positions as few school survivors had before, Trump quickly became a focal point for their anger. In Trump's visit to Florida after the shooting, aides kept him clear of the school, which could have been the site of protests, and he instead met with a few victims at a local hospital and paid tribute to first responders at the nearby sheriff's office. Trump greeting Gov. Greg Abbott at the Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base There has yet to be a similar outcry for restrictions on firearms from the students and survivors in deep-red Texas. Displaying empathy does not come naturally to Trump, who has been criticized for appearing unfeeling in times of tragedy, including when he sharply criticized a mayor in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of a deadly hurricane and fought with a Gold Star military family. But Trump has at times displayed a softer side. On Wednesday, he returned a hug from an 8-year-old boy with muscular dystrophy who attended a White House event where he signed legislation to give patients the right to try experimental treatments. Before Thursday, Trump was most recently in the Lone Star State on May 4 to attend the annual National Rifle Association convention. He pledged in his address that NRA members' Second Amendment rights 'will never, ever be under siege as long as I am your president.' He also touted the administration's 'aggressive strategy on community safety' and mentioned armed guards, armed teachers, mental health and metal detectors, but did not mention assault rifles like the one used in Florida. Pope Francis has become the first Pope to publicly denounce a 'culture of abuse and cover-up' within the Catholic Church. Francis wrote a letter to Chilean followers on Thursday saying he was ashamed that victims of a pedophile priest who operated with impunity in the country for decades were ignored for so long. 'With shame I must say that we didn't know how to listen or respond in time,' he wrote before adding: 'Never again.' Pope Francis said he is ashamed that the Catholic Church helped to cover up sexual abuse by pedophile priest Fernando Karadima in Chile, vowing 'never again' Father Fernando Karadima was first accused of abusing teenage boys in Chile in 1984 and despite the claims being found credible by church officials, no action was taken against him. Instead his victims were ignored or discredited by the bishops they had relied upon to protect them. In 2010 four of the accusers went public and in February 2011 the Vatican found Karadima guilty of sexually abusing minors and psychological abuse. He was forced into retirement, banned from acting as a priest for the rest of his life, and moved away from his former parish - though he still lives in Chile. However, a statute of limitations on the crimes means he will never be criminally prosecuted. He continues to deny guilt. The case made international headlines this year after Francis accused Karadima's victims of committing slander and defended Bishop Juan Barros, who was accused of covering up for him. The Pope's letter was released on the eve of another weekend he will spend listening to Karadima's victims. The letter was issued on the same day the Vatican announced its top abuse investigators were returning to Chile on a new mission. In the eight-page letter, Francis once again thanked victims for their 'valiant perseverance' in denouncing abuse and searching for the truth 'even against all hopes or attempts to discredit them.' 'The 'never again' to the culture of abuse and the system of cover-up that allows it to perpetuate requires us to work together to generate a culture of care,' in the way we relate to one another, power and money, he said. No other pope has publicly spoken of a culture of cover-up in the church. Catholic Priest Juan Ignacio Gonzalez, spokesman for Chile's Episcopal Conference, revealed details of the Pope's letter at a press conference on Thursday Pope Benedict XVI, credited with turning the Vatican around on the abuse issue, chastised Irish bishops in 2010 for their 'often inadequate response' to abuse cases. But he never spoke of a whole system of power designed to protect molesters and shun victims. Victims and their advocates have long pointed to the hierarchy's culture of cover-up as the Vatican's main failure in dealing with the problem. Francis apparently came around to their view after meeting with Chilean victims of Karadima and reading a 2,300-page report prepared for him by Archbishop Charles Scicluna and Monsignor Jordi Bertomeu, who spent nearly two weeks in Chile interviewing victims of Karadima and others. The Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said Thursday that Scicluna and Bertomeu were returning to Chile in the coming days on a mission to the diocese of Osorno to help the church there heal from the scandal. Osorno has been badly divided ever since Francis in 2015 tapped Bishop Juan Barros to lead the diocese over the objections of some of Chile's other bishops. Barros had been a top Karadima lieutenant and had been accused by Karadima's victims of having witnessed and ignored their abuse. Barros denied the charge, but he was one of the 30-plus Chilean bishops who submitted their resignations to the pope after Francis summoned them to Rome for a dressing down and briefing on the Scicluna report. Juan Carlos Claret, a spokesman for a group of lay Catholics in Osorno, said the visit was 'the least we could hope for,' given that the pope himself was responsible for Osorno's problems. He recalled that Francis appointed Barros over the objections of Osorno faithful and some of Chile's bishops, and then kept him there despite three years of protests. 'We appreciate the gesture, but we don't know why they're coming,' Claret said. Over the past three years, Barros twice offered to resign but Francis twice refused to accept it, blaming the opposition to him on 'stupid' ''leftists' in Osorno. Francis has admitted he made 'grave errors in judgment' in the Barros case, but he blamed his missteps on a 'lack of truthful and balanced information' that reached him. He hasn't revealed who provided him with the bad information. The pope is widely expected to accept Barros' resignation the third time around, along with the other Karadima-trained bishops and an unknown number of other diocesan bishops. Presumably, after meeting with Osorno's Catholic community, Scicluna and Bertomeu will be able to report back to Francis on the pastoral needs of the diocese and the profile of a new bishop. Chicago police are searching for a man who broke into two homes in an upscale neighborhood and sexually abused two girls in their bedrooms. The man first made his way to a home on the 400 block of West Belden Avenue on the North side of the city at approximately 2am on Sunday. Police state that while there, the suspect abused a 13-year-old girl. Police are searching for a man in Chicago who they said sexual assaulted two girls, one 13 and the other 11, in Lincoln Park on Sunday morning He was then said to have gone to the 500 block of West Grant Place, where he abused an 11-year-old girl just 20 minutes after the first assault, the Chicago Tribune reports. The department issued a community alert that includes surveillance camera video showing a white man who appears to be between 20 and 30 years old walking in an alley in the area at about the time of the incidents. The man first made his way to a home on the 400 block of West Belden Avenue on the North side of the city at approximately 2am He was then said to have gone to the 500 block of West Grant Place, where he abused an 11-year-old girl just 20 minutes after the first assault He is also described as being 160lbs and around 5'6" to 5'7". The man is seen in what appears to be a grey button-down shirt, dark pants and white sneakers. He is also said to be a cigarette smoker. Police have described the man as a person of interest. The two girl's condition were not known. Facebook's annual meeting was heated on Thursday as shareholders demanded answers for the social networks handling of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Investors were upset that the now-defunct political consulting firm was able to harvest data from the friends of 270 users, compromising 87 million people's information. 'If privacy is a human right then we contend that Facebooks poor stewardship of user data is tantamount to a human rights violation,' Christine Jantz, chief investment officer at Northstar Asset Management, said during the meeting, according to Yahoo. Facebook's annual meeting was heated on Thursday as shareholders demanded answers for the social network's handling of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg pictured above on May 24 James McRitchie, another Facebook investor, said Facebook is risking becoming a 'corporate dictatorship'. 'Mr. Zuckerberg, take a page from history,' McRitchie added. 'Emulate George Washington, not Vladimir Putin.' Despite the push back, the company says that it prevailed on all its director nominees and shareholder proposals up for a vote. Christine Jantz, one Facebook shareholder, had this to say at the meeting: 'If privacy is a human right then we contend that Facebooks poor stewardship of user data is tantamount to a human rights violation' However, the company did not immediately provide final vote tallies, leaving unclear to what extent outside shareholders sided with Facebook and Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg. He and other insiders control about 60 per cent of votes at the world's largest social media network. Executives at the meeting in Menlo Park, California, which was webcast, said they would disclose full voting results in coming days. Investors questioned Zuckerberg and other company leaders on issues such whether to reform the company's voting structure, or do a better job monitoring abusive content. 'Users may leave the social media platform if they feel it lacks integrity,' said Natasha Lamb of Arjuna Capital at one point. She voiced support for a shareholder proposal calling for Facebook to issue a report reviewing risks it could face from problem content like fake news and hate speech. Zuckerberg responded by reiterating the company's previous plans such as to verify the identity of advertisers and to increase security spending. 'We're going to make sure that we take a broader view of our responsibility,' Zuckerberg said. 'At the same time we also feel a responsibility to keep building the next generation of new experiences that are going help us all connect in meaningful new ways.' Top proxy adviser Institutional Shareholder Services had recommended investors withhold support from five Facebook directors including Zuckerberg, and backed five of the six shareholder measures. Top investors including Vanguard Group Inc and Fidelity Investments declined to discuss their votes. Some, but not all funds that call themselves socially responsible, have said they are selling or rethinking their Facebook holdings. Ahead of Thursday's meeting, Facebook and the Service Employees International Union said the company had adopted the so-called Rooney Rule for future board appointments, to review a diverse slate of candidates. The family of a father-of-three who was shot and killed by cops through his garage door have been left heartbroken after a jury awarded them just four cents in damages. Gregory Hill, 30, was gunned down in his Florida home by St Lucie County Sheriff's Deputies Christopher Newman and his partner Edward Lopez while they were responding to a noise complaint. Shocking photos show the garage door ridden with bullet holes after the deadly shooting on January 14, 2014. But on Thursday a jury ruled that Hill was 99 percent responsible for his death, because he was drunk. They determined the cops were only one percent liable. As a result, Hill's relatives were awarded just $4 in damages, including $3 for the suffering of his three surviving children. The sum was then reduced to just four cents when that total was multiplied by .01 because of the one percent finding of liability on the part of the Sheriff's office by the jury. The family of Gregory Hill Jr (second from right(, 30, who was killed by a Florida sheriff's deputy in his garage in January 2014, has been awarded four cents by a federal jury, based on the jury finding Hill 99 percent to blame The result prompted outrage. 'That a black child's pain is only worth a dollar is exactly the problem with the plight of the African-American right now. This says, black lives don't matter,' John Bryant, attorney for Hill's family, told CNN. A GoFundMe campaign has been started for Hill's three children, ages 13, 10, and 7. The jury award was broken down to $1 for Hill's mother, Viola Bryant, for funeral expenses and $1 to each of Hills three children. The $1 for each of his children was intended to compensate them for 'loss of parental companionship, instruction, and guidance and [...] mental pain and suffering,' the verdict form stated. Phillips went on to call the ruling 'perplexing' given that funeral expenses alone cost the family $11,000, and wondered why the jury would award any amount at all if it were only going to award one dollar for each child's suffering. The jury found that Hilll 99 'was under the influence of alcoholic beverages to the extent that his normal faculties were impaired and that as a result of the influence of such alcoholic beverage,' he was 99 percent liable for the 'incident and his resulting injuries,' the verdict form read. Deputy Christopher Newman was found not liable, and St Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara was found negligent as named in his official capacity, but was only found to be one percent liable. Hill is seen here with his family in a photo shared to a GoFundMe page set up for his children Mascara issued a statement, published to the Sheriff's Office's Facebook page. 'We are pleased to see this difficult and tragic incident come to a conclusion,' he said, and expressed his support for Newman's actions. 'Deputy Newman was placed in a very difficult situation, and like so many fellow law enforcement officers must do every day, he made the best decision he could for the safety of his partner, himself, and the public given the circumstances he faced,' Mascara said. 'We appreciate the jurys time and understanding and wish everyone involved in this case the best as they move forward.' This image shows the home where Hill was shot to death, as it appeared in a Google Street View image from May 2011 Hill was shot through his garage door on January 14, 2014, after police responded to a noise complaint from a woman picking up her children from the school across the street St Lucie County Sheriff's Office deputies are seen here, in a file photo Hill was reportedly playing loud music that contained expletives, including the n-word, which would be heard outside of his closed garage and a woman picking up her child from the school across the street called the police. After they knocked on the garage and front doors, Hill partially opened the garage and then quickly started to close it. When the door started back down, Newman fired, killing Hill. Newman discharged his weapon a total of four times, hitting Hill three times, including once in the head, according to court and police records. Newman said he fired because he saw Hill produce a firearm. An unloaded gun was found in Hill's pocket, but Phillips argued that there was no evidence that Hill pointed the weapon at anyone, and that the Sheriffs Office used 'unreasonable, negligent and excessive' tactics. Tests showed Hill's blood-alcohol content was 0.40, five times the driving limit. The lawsuit was filed by Hills mother in 2016 on the second anniversary of Hills death. The complaint was filed against Newman and Mascara, alleging wrongful death, negligence, excessive force and violations of Hill's 14th and 15th Amendment rights. The GoFundMe campaign created for Hill's children said the following: 'This gofundme is designed to pick up where the jury left off and provide for Hill's children. All funds will be turned over to the family attorney for proper safekeeping. Gregory Hill left behind three small children, ages 13, 10 and 7.' Testimony showed Hill was playing Drake's 'All Me,' from his garage. A woman gave birth to a daughter at the only legal abortion clinic in the state of Mississippi on Wednesday. The baby was delivered by clinic physician Dr Bruce Norman at the Jackson Women's Health Organization located in Jackson. 'The whole thing happened within about a 20-30 minute span,' clinic director Shannon Brewer told DailyMail.com on Thursday. Brewer shared as much as she could about the surprising event, without revealing any personally identifying information about the mother and child, who she said are both in good health. A woman went to a consultation to see about terminating her pregnancy and ended up giving birth to a daughter at the Jackson Women's Health Organization (pictured), which is the only legal abortion clinic in the state of Mississippi on Wednesday 'Based on the appearance of the child that was delivered, it seemed as though the woman had come to full term in her pregnancy,' Brewer said. But Brewer said her team never had the chance to perform an ultrasound to determine exactly how far along the woman was into her pregnancy, because she went in to labor so quickly after arriving at the facility. The mother had known she was pregnant for at least a few days, according to Brewer's account of what the mother said at the clinic. '[The patient] said she went to a hospital a few days before [coming to our clinic] and that's when the hospital staff verified she was pregnant, but didn't do an ultrasound to determine at what stage she was in her pregnancy,' Brewer said. A volunteer (right, in the multi-colored striped shirt) who escorts patients into the Jackson Women's Health Organization, the last abortion clinic in Mississippi, approaches a car as pro-life activists (two at the left in front of red chairs) extend hands holding literature as a car arrives in Jackson, Mississippi on April 5 When asked if the mother seemed surprised or nervous about going into labor during her abortion consultation, Brewer said it was sort of the opposite. 'She was quiet and seemed a little shocked, but not very talkative about it,' she said. 'But then, it all happened so fast that there wasn't a lot of conversation going on.' After the unexpected delivery at the Jackson Women's Health Organization clinic on Wednesday, both the mother and daughter were transported to a local hospital where they were found to be in good health, according to Brewer. Even if the woman hadn't gone into labor, and hadn't been presumably so far along in her pregnancy, she still wouldn't have been able to obtain an abortion on Wednesday. In the state of Mississippi, there is a 24-hour waiting period required after an initial abortion consultation before a pregnancy can be terminated. The current internal policy at Jackson Women's Health Organization is that abortions will be performed up to 16 weeks into a pregnancy. In March, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant signed a law into effect to shorten the time period in which abortions can be performed legally, which would ban the procedure after 15 weeks. That law was almost immediately stayed from going into effect by an order from US District Judge Carlton Reeves, in response to a lawsuit filed by the Jackson Women's Health Organization. A temporary restraining order preventing the enforcement of that law is now in place through at least October 24, and as such, the clinic is currently still providing abortion services through 16 weeks. Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant (left) signed a state law into effect in March to shorten the time period in which abortions can be performed legally in the state, which would ban the procedure after 15 weeks, but the law has been stayed through at least October 24; Bryant is shown with Vice President Mike Pence (right) in Washington, DC on April 9 The clinic has also expanded its lawsuit to include a challenge against the 24-hour waiting period, among other restrictions in the state on performing abortions. In its claim, the Jackson Women's Health Organization alleges the state of Mississippi has targeted medical facilities that provide pregnancy termination services with stricter licensing requirements as well as more regulations than other medical clinics. If the new Mississippi law is allowed to go into effect, it will become the most aggressive time limit on legal abortions in the United States. Previously, Mississippi and North Carolina were both the most restrictive regarding time limits and abortions, with 20 week bans. However, those time periods began being clocked on the first day of a woman's last menstrual cycle before becoming pregnant. This means that the 20-week time periods in Mississippi and North Carolina functioned more like 18-week time periods, because all other states with 20-week bans on abortion beginning tolling that time period at conception. Ovulation, which is when conception becomes possible, typically occurs two weeks after the first day of a woman's menstrual cycle. Family of David Dungay (pictured) who died in jail after a riot with officers are demanding 'graphic' footage of death to be released The family of an Aboriginal man who died in jail after a riot with officers are demanding the 'graphic' footage of his death to be released. David Dungay died behind bars after a rampage broke out because the 26-year-old refused to stop eating biscuits. The young man, who battled with mental health issues, died at Sydney's Long Bay jail in December 2015 after authorities restrained and tranquilised him. The diabetic's family want the CCTV footage and phone footage of the allegedly violent ordeal to be released entirely despite the NSW Corrective Services Commissioner arguing parts of the video should be blurred, Sydney Morning Herald reported. The 26-year-old (pictured) died behind bars after a rampage broke out because he refused to stop eating biscuits in December 2015 at Sydney's Long Bay jail The Corrective Services claim releasing the full video would reveal internal prison policies including officer weapons, door locks and staff identities. However, Mr Dungay's family want the footage to be exposed despite Counsel assisting the Coroner, Jason Downing, claiming the video was 'quite graphic' as it showed the moments leading up to the 26-year-old's death. Mr Dungay was sentenced to nine-and-a-half years in 2009 for a series of crimes including attempted rape, assault of his girlfriend and violent robbery, 9News reported. The indigenous man, who was three weeks away from being released on parole, allegedly became aggressive towards prison officers when he was ordered to stop eating biscuits. Officers began to relocate Mr Dungay when he resisted and claimed he could not breath but a staff member told him: 'If you can talk, you can breathe', according to a report obtained by ABC News. The diabetic, who reportedly had a history of violence, was pressed faced down into a mattress and sedated by medical staff until his face went purple and stopped breathing. 'It's straight out murder. They murdered my son. They've got to be accountable for it,' Mr Dungay's mother, Leetona Dungay, told the publication. Mr Dungay's mother, Leetona Dungay (pictured), and other family want footage to be exposed despite Counsel assisting the Coroner, Jason Downing, claiming the video was 'quite graphic' The Corrective Services claim the release of the full video would reveal internal prison policies including weapons used by officers, door locks and identities of staff (Ms Dungay pictured) A coronial inquest into the 26-year-old's death will be held next month after a number of protests were held at Sydney Long Bay Prison by Ms Dungay and her family. The grieving mother previously told Australian Associated Press she feared for the wellbeing of other prisoners. 'The correctional services officers are sitting, working with other people in this jail today and I fear for their mates because one of them could die today, tomorrow or tonight at the hands of these people,' Ms Dungay said. 'They all thought that when they gave David to me in a black bag, that I wouldn't do nothing. But I did. And I ain't going to stop until I get justice.' Salacious text messages between a top cop and a fraudster real estate agent with whom he was having an affair, reveal his nickname was 'big boy'. Former Northern Territory Police commissioner John McRoberts undermined his own detectives who were investigating Latitude Travel agency owner Alexandra 'Xana' Kamitsis'. McRoberts was yesterday found guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice after a five-week trial in Darwin's Supreme Court. Salacious text messages between a top cop and a fraudster real estate agent he was having an affair with reveal his nickname was 'big boy' Kamitsis had been jailed almost two-and-a-half years earlier for dishonestly invoicing the NT government for flight discounts for pensioners and pocketing the cash. The court heard that when McRoberts was first briefed on Operation Holden he told detectives that he knew 'Xana', who was also the chairwoman of Crime Stoppers NT. He said 'if she has to be charged, she has to be charged'. But behind the scenes the two were much more than friends, and been involved in a 'close personal and sexual relationship since 2010,' according to 9 News. It appeared that the married Kamitsis was more into McRoberts than he may have realised with one message explaining her heart skipped a beat when she saw him It is understood they spent time together at hotel rooms and would swap gifts while sending each other text messages explaining how they felt about one another. 'I adored making love to you,' Kamitsis said in a text to the then-top cop in 2012. She had saved his personal phone number as 'BB', which a later message suggests may have stood for 'big boy'. It appeared that the married Kamitsis was more into McRoberts than he may have realised. Kamitsis wrote: 'You know I can't build a relationship on no communication or intimacy The whole reason I fell in love with you was because my heart skipped a beat when I saw you And I am so unhappy in the relationship I am in We could seat (sic) on the balcony and communicate for hours I adored making love to you you cannot build a relationship on a few text messages a week,' she wrote, according to the NT News. Xana Kamitsis (pictured) who was married at the time of the affair, has since been jailed Former Northern Territory police commissioner John McRoberts has been found guilty of perverting the course of justice The court heard that on April 4 2014, Kamitsis told McRoberts 'I so want to make love to you'. Six months later - a month before her arrest - she told him: 'We should have woken up together at the Hyatt, your birthday is so important to me'. In one message, McRoberts instructed Kamitsis to switch to messaging app Viber because it was not as risky to communicate. In another message, he said 'LOL I delete everything as I go.' The court heard that when McRoberts was first briefed on Operation Holden he told detectives that he knew 'Xana' (pictured) The court heard on day two of his trial how McRoberts angrily rebuked fellow senior officers after his lover was arrested and paraded before the media. The court was told the raid ultimately went ahead when McRoberts was overseas. McRoberts was unimpressed, commander James O'Brien told the court. 'Mr McRoberts seemed to be quite irritated about the way that investigation had unfolded over the week, culminating with the arrest of what McRoberts felt at the time was a humiliation of Miss Kamitsis by being photographed in handcuffs and put into the back of a police van,' he said. 'He raised his voice. He was abrupt. He didn't really say a lot other than he was quite upset with the way she had been treated. 'That's the first I've ever heard of it, a commissioner making a decision in relation to a search warrant in the cases I'm familiar with in 23 years.' Mr O'Brien was told by senior detective Lee Morgan that McRoberts had discouraged a search warrant. McRoberts is alleged to have tried to block an investigation into fraudulent real estate agents in the Territory in 2014 because he was having an affair with one of the suspects, Xana Kamitsis A group of senior police had also discussed whether McRoberts had conflict of interest in the Kamitsis investigation. McRoberts had denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty. Defence lawyer Tony Elliot tried to argue the allegations were hearsay, unproven and not first-hand. McRoberts declined to testify in his five-week trial, but his legal team told the court there was an innocent explanation for his conduct. McRoberts was simply 'doing his duty' in 'difficult circumstances'. Northern Territory Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw (left) arrives in court in Darwin in October to give evidence against his predecessor They argued that he may have been conflicted, but had no choice but to involve himself in the investigation. "What is important is what McRoberts did in relation to the search warrant, not what someone says he did,' Mr Elliot said. Prosecutor Michael McHugh SC has told the court McRoberts tried to 'frustrate and deflect' the fraud squad's investigation, pushing for civil rather than criminal action and telling senior police, bureaucrats and politicians the inquiry was not worth it. He also said McRoberts did not tell investigators he was involved sexually with Kamitsis. A number of travel agents were caught dishonestly invoicing the NT government for flight discounts for pensioners and pocketing the cash. An alleged drug kingpin has lashed out at police as he was being arrested at Sydney Airport. The 34-year-old was one of two brothers arrested as part of a police crackdown on organised crime in Sydney. Police also seized $2.75 million in cash and drugs including 1.15kg of cocaine, 1.1kg of ice, and 26 litres of GBL - also known as 'coma in a bottle - five sub-machine guns, two semi-automatic pistols, two revolvers, ammunition and a silencer. The illegal goods were found in a storage unit in Sydney's Waterloo. The men will face court on Friday following an investigation by Strike Force Raptor and the Drug and Firearms Squad. A handcuffed alleged bikie (pictured) was caught trying to escape police during a dramatic arrest at Sydney airport on Thursday In dramatic scenes, the man was seen trying to break free from officers and lash out at a camera filming him shortly after his arrest at Sydney Airport after arriving on a flight from New Zealand. He was charged with three counts of supplying prohibited drugs, possess ammunition, deal in proceeds of crime, resist arrest, participate in a criminal group, and aggravated firearms offences. Police then stopped a car in Sydney's Alexandria on Thursday afternoon and arrested the man's 32-year-old brother. The 34-year-old was one of two bikie brothers arrested following a massive seizure of $2.75 million in cash, 13 firearms and illicit drugs in Sydney. A suitcase containing the cash is pictured. Police found guns (like those pictured) including five sub-machine guns, two semi-automatic pistols, two revolvers,ammunition and a silencer The men will face court on Friday following an investigation by Strike Force Raptor and the Drug and Firearms Squad. One man arrested (pictured) was wearing a hi-vis vest Tactical Operations Unit police then stopped a car at O'Riordan St Alexandria at 3.45pm Thursday and arrested a 32-year-old man. He was charged with three counts of supply prohibited drug, deal in proceeds of crime, participate in a criminal group, and aggravated firearms offences. Two other men were arrested during the car stop but released pending further inquiries. Police also executed a search warrant at a home unit at Homebush, where they seized items relevant to the investigation. Two other men were arrested during the car stop but released pending further inquiries Police also executed a search warrant at a home unit at Homebush, where they seized items relevant to the investigation Detectives are pictured leading a man in handcuffs through the airport after he arrived from New Zealand on Thursday The man then resists the officer (pictured) and lashes out as he tried to escape at the airport Underworld figures fear an all-out bikie war is about to erupt after the Finks boss's home was targeted in a drive-by shooting while his wife and 11-day-old baby slept inside. Brent James (BJ) Reker's home in Frankston, in Melbourne's south-east, was sprayed with bullets and a car firebombed about 4.40am Thursday. At least one shooter is on the run following the suspected bikie-related attack. Finks boss BJ Reker, his wife and their 11-day-old son live in the property and were home at the time Underworld sources have now warned the shooting could provoke violent retribution from the Finks gang or associates. They revealed the Thursday morning shooting was not the first time the Finks boss was targeted in recent weeks. Reker was reportedly approached by about 20 bikies from a rival gang at the Frankston hotel in May, causing a brawl to spill out on to the street, the Herald Sun reported. Police fearing tensions were escalating then went to the hospital where Reker's son was born and took him back to the station for questioning. Police now investigating the drive-by shooting are looking at several avenues but rival bikie gang the Hells Angels are at the top of their list. At least one gunman is on the run after a Melbourne home was shot up as a one-week-old baby and three adults slept inside in a suspected bikie-related attack The terrifying drive-by shooting unfolded in Frankston in the city's south-east at on Thursday morning Reker has reportedly been behind the re-establishment of the Finks gang after it was torn apart by Victoria Police. He was brought in to re-build the club after a series of raids weakened the gang in 2015. Speaking to Daily Mail Australia this year, Reker said the gang was cleaned up and 'The Finks have returned to Victoria'. 'Bullets went through the targeted house as well as the next door neighbours house,' the witness who doesn't want to be named said Witnesses of Thursday morning's drive-by shooting in Frankston told Daily Mail Australia the house was 'shot up and firebombed'. 'Bullets went through the targeted house as well as the next door neighbour's house,' the witness who doesn't want to be named said. 'There were cars blowing up out the front as well.' The front room, where the bikie's baby sleeps, was targeted by the shooter who aimed at 'head height', according to the witnesses. They claimed the attack was 'attempted murder'. Police found a bullet hole through a window of the home, while a vehicle outside had been set on fire Police found a bullet hole through a window of the home, while a vehicle outside had been set on fire. A number of Finks bikie gang members were seen outside the property and speaking with police on Thursday morning, according to the Nine Network. Detectives also reportedly found five bullet casings near the home and a burnt out car about 4km away. Officers are investigating if the two incidents may be linked. No one inside the home was injured. At least one gunman is on the run after a Melbourne home was shot up as a one-week-old baby and three adults slept inside. Police are pictured at the scene Shots were fired at the home in Frankston in Melbourne's south-east on Thursday morning No one inside the home was injured. Police are pictured at the scene on Thursday morning Millions of patients have been unable to make a GP appointment after an online booking system crashed for almost two days. The Patient Access service is used by six million patients to book a consultation at their surgery and order repeat prescriptions. It is meant to enable patients to book appointments at their convenience rather than having to ring-up during surgery opening hours. But the system began experiencing technical difficulties on Tuesday that were not resolved until yesterday afternoon. The private firm which runs the service blamed an 'unprecedented level of demand' over the last two days. It promised patients they would be updating the system on Wednesday to make it more user friendly. But this resulted in a surge of patients logging in at once to try it out and the site was unable to cope. Patient Access service is used by six million patients to book a consultation at their surgery. But the system began experiencing difficulties on Tuesday that weren't fixed until yesterday afternoon Relax visa rules for foreign doctors say Tory MPs Immigration rules must be relaxed to address the NHS staffing shortage, Tory politicians have reportedly urged Theresa May. MP Heidi Allen wrote to the prime minister addressing the availability of foreign workers for the NHS. The letter, signed by enough Tory MPs to defeat the Government, asked for visa application rules to be relaxed, according to The Times. Mrs Allen was reported to have written: 'Without urgent intervention, we believe our NHS is heading towards a perfect storm.' A Home Office spokesman said the immigration system should ensure 'employers look first to the UK resident labour market before recruiting from overseas'. Advertisement People were told to call the NHS 111 helpline if they were seriously ill or phone their surgery directly if it was less urgent. Although the fault has since been resolved, it raises further concerns about the NHS's growing reliance on technology. In May last year, up to a third of NHS hospitals were crippled by a cyber attack believed to have been launched in North Korea. And last month Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt admitted up to 450,000 women had missed breast cancer screening checks due to a computer fault which was not rectified for nine years. Dr Amir Hannan, a GP in Denton, Manchester, said his surgery was suffering as a result of the IT crash. He wrote on Twitter yesterday afternoon: 'We currently have a mini crisis in the surgery and across the UK because Patient Access is down.' He urged patients to come into the surgery if they needed prescriptions, adding 'please do not get upset with our staff'. The Patient Access service is run by the Leeds-based firm Emis Health and was first launched in 2013. It is used by six million patients in 4,500 surgeries about half of all practices across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The system is commissioned by NHS England who pays a set fee depending on how many patients use it. Users can log in via their surgery website or the Patient Access website. A spokesman said the service had been down since Wednesday but patients who contacted the Daily Mail said they had been experiencing difficulties since Tuesday. One husband in Faversham, Kent, was forced to call his GP surgery after trying to order a repeat prescription for his wife. He said: 'My wife had run out of an essential medication. The service is used by six million patients in 4,500 surgeries about half of all practices across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The system is commissioned by NHS England who pays a set fee depending on how many patients use it 'When we went online to Patient Access, it said a new site had been launched but when we tried to use it, it just went blank and nothing happened. I called at my local GP office and the receptionist said the problem appeared to be nationwide. It must be worrying to patients who are housebound.' Dr Richard Vautrey, chairman of the British Medical Association's GP committee, said: 'The system as a whole is trying to encourage patients to use online services and there's a big push from NHS England to do that so these services need to be completely reliable and robust. The numbers of people who now have repeat prescriptions is absolutely phenomenal. There are thousands, if not millions, of people who are needing to access them on a daily basis. 'GPs are as frustrated as the patients, as we have no control over it.' A Patient Access spokesman said: 'Due to unprecedented demand following the release of a new version of Patient Access, users were unable to access the app for the evening of Wednesday May 30 and part of May 31. 'The issue has now been resolved and the service is running smoothly. We apologise to people who were affected.' Neil Bennett, from NHS Digital, which oversees NHS technology confirmed the technical issues and added: 'NHS Digital supported the supplier to investigate and resolve the issue.' Five men are on the run after stealing a large, heavy Thor-themed whisky decanter from a Melbourne bar. Images of the group have been released after they took the custom-made decanter, in the shape of Thor's mystical hammer from the popular superhero franchise, after drinking at the Melbourne East bar on Saturday night. The men, aged in their 30s, told staff 'we came back from the hammer' before disappearing, police said. The decanter weighs 8kg and is 60cm long with a leather-bound shaft and engravings on its head. Five men are on the run after stealing a large, heavy Thor-themed whisky decanter from a Melbourne bar The Hardware Lane bar hopes recover its most prized possessions safely, Yahoo7 News reported. The bar owners released a statement on their official Facebook page with pictures of the men who they want to speak to in connection with the hammer being stolen. 'Just as in INFINITY WAR I call on you the Facebook Universe to unite in our quest to have MJLNER returned to us. The men, aged in their 30s, told staff 'we came back from the hammer' before disappearing, police said 'Please share this post and if you know any of the men pictured here please reach out to them and let them know we just want our property returned to us. 'For any hero out there that aids us in the return of Mjlner a reward ye shall receive. SKAL!' Thor Odinson was entrusted with the mighty hammer, Mjolnir, forged in the heart of a dying star. Its power has no equal. It's a weapon to destroy or as a tool to build. It is a fit companion for a king. But unlike Thor's hammer, the stolen prized possession was forged by Sam Bloomfield one of weapons maker for the Lord of the Rings movies. The stolen Mjolner was commissioned by The Balvenie Whisky and doubles as a Whisky Decanter and it was one of two ever made. CCTV footage of the suspected men carrying the whisky decanter The stolen whisky decanter was forged by Lord of the Rings weapons maker Sam Bloomfield The hammer which 'emits mystical blasts of energy' is crucial to Thor's superhero powers, so police are keen to locate it,' Victoria Police said in a statement. Unfortunately Thor himself is currently in Byron Bay and unavailable to assist with tracking down the villains. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au Footage has resurfaced of the moment a tourist was repeatedly kicked and beat up by a group of women in Thailand's red-light district. The man is seen in the footage with his hands around one woman before a flurry of flying kicks from her knocks him to the ground. He then tries to fight back by smacking her in the face. Scroll down for video This Thai woman (pictured) decides to give a tourist a lesson he'll never forget The tourist is outnumbered as several of the woman's friends join the fracas (pictured) But then several of the woman's friends rush to her aid and join the fracas, as the man becomes outnumbered and is repeatedly kicked as he lies on the ground. Several men intervene and he eventually struggles to get up, screaming in pain and walks off. 'A few of those kicks that barely missed would have been life-altering,' one man recently commented on the video. Another added: 'Remember your manners or get beat!' The footage was filmed in 2016 on Pattaya's famous Walking Street, a bustling nightlife strip. Home to thousands of bars, strip clubs and massage parlours, the tourist mecca is also arguably the sex capital of the world, known for its seedy reputation and local sex industry. Several onlookers struggle to hold the feisty woman back from another crack at the tourist But things are slowly changing since Thailand's first female tourism minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul vowed to shut down Pattaya's sex industry when she announced a crackdown in 2016. 'Tourists don't come to Thailand for such a thing,' she was quoted in a recent news.com.au article. 'They come here for our beautiful culture. We want Thailand to be about quality tourism. We want the sex industry gone.' Pattaya's bustling night strip (pictured) is known for its seedy reputation and local sex industry Months of late-night police raids and mass arrests in brothels and clubs across Pattaya followed, with tourists among those caught up in the raids. Australian men were among 11 foreign tourists arrested along with 14 sex workers during a police raid at a Pattaya hotel in April. This is the heart-stopping moment a man inhales from a barbecue gas cannister before holding his mouth up to a lighter and breathing out a huge flame. Footage of the death-defying stunt was uploaded to Facebook alongside the caption 'how to become a dragon'. Social media users were quick to condemn the young man's foolish actions, with one person commenting: 'Aussies ... always one step closer to extinction.' The video starts with a young man sitting around a table, inhaling the toxic fumes whilst music blasts in the background. The man inhales for a full seven seconds before he puts the lighter up to his mouth and breathes out flames. A man can be heard saying 'he's throwing flame throwers down his mouth' before a group laugh at the risky stunt. A Sydney man has inhaled gas from a canister and breathed out flames using a lighter The human fire breathing video was uploaded to Facebook's 'Humans of Bankstown' page The video has since gone viral after reaching 10,000 views within the first eight hours of its posting. 'Dumbest thing I've seen anyone do,' one social media user commented. 'How to become a burns victim or brain dead,' another added. Inhalation of gas from a BBQ can cause carbon monoxide poisoning and cause significant damage to the lungs, according to Healthline. For more information on the inhalation of gasoline call the Poison Control Centre at 1800 222 1222. Salim Mehajer's girlfriend has revealed intimate details about her relationship with the disgraced former deputy mayor. Melissa Tysoe, 28, opened up about the couple's sex life and marriage plans, and gave new details about how they first met. The model and business graduate from the New South Wales Central Coast spoke glowingly about Mehajer, 31, and said he calls her daily from behind bars. Speaking out just days after going public with vile death threats she has received on social media, Ms Tysoe said the relationship has also had some harrowing moments. Worse than the online hate, she said Mehajer's home has been robbed twice while she was in it, and she narrowly escaped being raped by one of the intruders. Scroll down for video Salim Mehajer's girlfriend (pictured) has revealed intimate details about her relationship with the disgraced former deputy mayor Melissa Tysoe (pictured with Salim Mehajer), 28, opened up about the couple's sex life and marriage plans, and gave new details about how they first met Melissa Tysoe, left, is pictured leaving the Kyle and Jackie O studios after her Friday interview The model and business graduate (pictured) from the New South Wales Central Coast spoke glowingly about Mehajer, 31, and said he calls her daily from behind bars Her mother is worried she will be assassinated due to her links to Mehajer, fears she shares herself, she told Kyle and Jackie O on KIIS FM. Ms Tysoe said Mehajer had no idea she was giving the Friday morning radio interview, and said the frank discussion about their sex life could infuriate him. 'Oh my God he's going to kill me!' she joked, after Kyle Sandilands asked questions about the couple's sex life. 'We haven't had sex yet, we're not married,' Ms Tysoe confided, saying they would first need to be 'religiously married'. She said the pair are planning to have an Islamic marriage despite her Catholic faith, but are waiting for Mehajer's court cases to be resolved. She is prepared to wait until Mehajer is released from jail, and has stuck with him despite the trolling and the frightening experiences she has been through. Earlier this week Ms Tysoe (pictured) hit back at online trolls, who have left her vile messages saying she looks like a 'transgender man' and telling her to 'die' and 'get cancer' Speaking out just days after going public with vile death threats she has received on social media, Ms Tysoe said the relationship has also had some harrowing moments Worse than the online hate, she said Mehajer's home has been robbed twice while she was in it, and she narrowly escaped being raped by one of the intruders When asked about being present while Mehajer's home was robbed, Ms Tysoe said one of the burglars tried to rape her during one of the robberies. Shocked to wake up to see men wearing balaclavas and holding crowbars standing over her, she said she yelled at the robbers to try to get them to leave. 'One of them tried to get into bed with me ... it was awful ... I yelled out and the other one, thank God, he was a decent robber, he came in and grabbed him.' Ms Tysoe said the experience was traumatic, and the robberies - one committed in broad daylight - were reported to police but the thieves were still at large. Another difficult moment during the relationship came when she was shown the infamous video tape of Mehajer swearing at his estranged wife. Ms Tysoe's mother is worried she will be assassinated due to her links to Mehajer, fears she shares herself, she told Kyle and Jackie O 'We haven't had sex yet, we're not married,' Ms Tysoe confided, saying they would first need to be 'religiously married' Who is Salim Mehajer? Former Auburn deputy mayor Salim Mehajer has never been far from controversy 2009: Mehajer is convicted of possessing or attempting to possess a 'prescribed restricted substance' and of possessing a police uniform. The convictions are later overturned on appeal. March 2011: Mehajer unsuccessfully runs as an independent member of the Legislative Assembly for Auburn at the NSW state election. He is subsequently investigated by the Election Funding Authority of New South Wales, which did not take any action against him. January 2012: Mehajer loses control of his $300,000 Ferrari and injures a mother and daughter in Sydney's west. He is convicted of negligent driving and sentenced to 150 hours community service. The conviction is later overturned on appeal. September 2012: Mehajer is elected as an independent councillor for the City of Auburn and later elected to deputy mayor. February 2013: His construction firm SM Project Developments is forced into liquidation by the ATO over unpaid taxes. February 2014: A property owned by Mehajer in Lidcombe is damaged by a suspicious fire. June 2014: He is suspended from civic office for a month by the Division of Local Government for failing to disclose his business and property interests. The punishment is overturned in December. August 2015: The then deputy mayor of Auburn marries his partner Aysha in the so-called 'wedding of the century'. Mehajer is fined $220 by Auburn council over the closure of Frances Street, Lidcombe. A petition is launched to have him sacked over the wedding. October 2015: Several contractors launch legal action over allegedly unpaid debts, including a stonemason who installed a staircase at his Lidcombe home. The same month, he is pulled over twice in less than half-an-hour behind the wheel of an allegedly unregistered Ferrari. September 2015: Mehajer is re-elected as deputy mayor of Auburn, despite the petition demanding his sacking. October 2015: He reveals that he hopes to one day work his way to 'the top spot' in federal politics. November 2015: Mehajer announces he wants to study medicine and become a mental health specialist - as he tells fellow councillors he had stood down as director from six of his seven development companies. The same month, he is forced to defend allegations he intimidated the father of a Lindt Cafe siege survivor. December 2015: The Australian Federal Police investigate Mehajer over allegations he forged documents to rig the 2012 Auburn City Council election. January 2016: He is suspended from civic office for four months for failing to disclose his financial interest in a property. It was found he voted on changes which added $1million to its value. July 2016: Mehajer is reportedly investigated by police after he allegedly transferred $20million to Lebanon. The same month, he is told he must stay at least 50 metres away from his wife Aysha until at least 17 August after police took out an AVO on her behalf. August 2016: Mehajer refuses to reveal who videos allegedly containing threats of sexual abuse and death threats - made by him - were intended for. September 2016: He is banned from managing corporations for three years after losing an appeal against a ruling made by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. November 2016: Mehajer is publicly arrested by local police in the Spanish party island of Ibiza after an argument with a taxi driver. April 2017: Mehajer is arrested and charged after assaulting a taxi driver outside The Star casino in Sydney. Just hours later, he is charged with assault after slamming Channel Seven reporter Laura Banks' hand in a car door. June 2017: Mehajer's sister Fatima pleads guilty to 77 charges of electoral fraud relating to the 2012 Auburn City Council election. The same month, his property development companies, Sydney Project Group and SET Services, are placed in the hands of administrators. September 2017: Mehajer is accused of manipulating the courts over the approval of his plans for a western Sydney shopping mall and apartment block. October 2017: He is hit with a $1million bill after allegedly failing to pay for work on his Lidcombe 'marble palace' home. The same month, Mehajer is rushed to hospital after being involved in a car crash on his way to a court hearing over the taxi driver incident. Also in October, a phone recording is leaked in which Mehajer allegedly threatens to rape a custom car mechanic. November 2017: Police raid the Mehajer's home as part of an investigation into the alleged staging of the car crash on the way to court. Mehajer is arrested and charged with breaching an AVO preventing him from seeing his estranged wife Aysha Learmonth. February 2018: Mehajer is found guilty of assaulting female TV reporter Laura Banks with a car door outside a Sydney police station last year. He is also handed a three-year good behaviour bond and ordered to undergo anger management counselling after pleading guilty over the taxi driver assault. March 20, 2018: Mehajer is declared bankrupt by a Federal Circuit Court judge after one of his companies failed to pay a debt of over $200,000 to its creditors. May 17, 2018: Mehajer is given an 18-month good behaviour bond after pleading guilty to intimidating his estranged wife. June 22, 2018: Mehajer is ordered to serve 11 months behind bars for electoral fraud. His sister Fatima is given a two-month suspended sentence. May 17, 2019: Mehajer is charged after allegedly falsely putting speeding tickets he received in 2016 into the names of other people May 21, 2019: The property developer walks free from Cooma Prison after 11 months behind bars Advertisement Ms Tysoe was 'horrified', she said, and confronted him about the rant, which included threats to rape Aysha Learmonth's mother. Mehajer explained that he was heartbroken at the time, and Ms Tysoe said he has never been like that to her, and people have 'gotten him wrong'. 'He's so romantic, he's like a kid,' she said. The pair first met at Mehajer's mansion in the affluent Sydney suburb of Vaucluse, gave her a fake name, and said the house belonged to a man named Bob. She said he was the only gentleman there, and described everyone else at the party as 'a bit creepy and sleazy'. Another difficult moment during the relationship came when she was shown the infamous video tape of Mehajer swearing at his estranged wife (pictured is their wedding) Mehajer first made headlines for his 2015 marriage to Ms Learmonth when what was dubbed the 'wedding of the century' shut down an entire Sydney street (pictured is Mehajer's Lidcombe home where his wedding took place) Since the pair become an item Ms Tysoe has featured heavily on Mehajer's Instagram account, where he posted a selfie video of their first kiss. Earlier this week she hit back at online trolls, who have left her vile messages saying she looks like a 'transgender man' and telling her to 'die' and 'get cancer'. Since then she has received a lot of support, she said in the interview, and said many of her friends had no idea what she was going through. Mehajer first made headlines for his 2015 marriage to Ms Learmonth when what was dubbed the 'wedding of the century' shut down an entire Sydney street. That wedding broke down soon afterwards, and Mehajer has since been convicted of intimidating Ms Learmonth with abusive emails and social media messages. He is currently behind bars for allegedly staging a car crash in 2017 to avoid court, and Ms Tysoe said she is unable to visit him because she is not a family member. Prosecutors interviewed fired FBI director James Comey and are considering whether his deputy Andrew McCabe should be charged for lying to federal agents, a report suggests. Investigators from the D.C. U.S. Attorney's Office recently spoke to Comey as part of their probe into whether McCabe broke the law, The Washington Post reported. Justice Department Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz has accused McCabe of misleading investigators. He has also accused Comey of lying four times three of them under oath. Lying to investigators carries a five-year prison sentence, but McCabe has denied any wrongdoing. Prosecutors interviewed fired FBI director James Comey (left) and are considering whether his deputy Andrew McCabe (right) should be charged for lying to federal agents, a report suggests Michael R. Bromwich, McCabe's lawyer, said in a statement to the Post: 'A little more than a month ago, we confirmed that we had been advised that a criminal referral to the U.S. Attorney's Office had been made regarding Mr. McCabe. 'We said at that time that we were confident that, unless there is inappropriate pressure from high levels of the Administration, the U.S. Attorney's Office would conclude that it should decline to prosecute. Our view has not changed.' A Justice Department spokeswoman and a lawyer for Comey declined to comment for the story. McCabe was fired just two days before his planned retirement in March following a finding he leaked information to the Wall Street Journal. In April, an inspector general report also faulted McCabe for misleading investigators about his role in a 2016 news media disclosure about an investigation into the Clinton Foundation. McCabe was fired because of those findings, and the inspector general referred the matter to the U.S. Attorney's office in Washington for possible criminal prosecution. McCabe was fired just two days before his planned retirement in March following a finding he leaked information to the Wall Street Journal In his book released in April, 'A Higher Loyalty,' Comey writes that he learned in early October - probably from McCabe - that Weiner's laptop might hold a connection to the Clinton email investigation. On Wednesday it was reported that McCabe drafted a memo on circumstances leading up to Comey's firing. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press to discuss a secret document that has been turned over to special counsel Robert Mueller. His team is investigating whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia during the 2016 presidential election and whether the president sought to obstruct that inquiry through actions including the firing of Comey last May. The memo concerns a conversation that McCabe had with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein about Rosenstein's preparations for Comey's firing. Rosenstein played an important role in that episode, having authored a memo faulting Comey for his handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation that the White House held up as justification for Trump's decision to fire the FBI director. If you're booking your holiday on a shoestring, you might think you have to stay close to home. But long-haul trips to Thailand, Barbados, New York and even the Seychelles can be better value, research shows. Taking a family of four away to the Greek island of Mykonos for one week in the summer in a three-star resort costs 3,372. If however, the same family spent a week in the Seychelles it would cost 3,164 a saving of 208. Staying for seven nights in Barbados at a three-star hotel, the Halcyon Palm, comes in at a mere 2,568 804 less than Mykonos. And a week in New York at the four-star Gregory Hotel is just 2,468. But long-haul trips to Thailand (Phuket pictured), Barbados, New York and even the Seychelles can be better value than going to Mykonos or Ibiza The figures are based on research by TravelSupermarket.com, which says 'fantastic savings' are possible on holidays that involve travelling thousands of miles beyond the normal Mediterranean hot spots. Families looking for a 14-night holiday would pay from 3,432 to stay at a four-star resort in Ciutadella, on the Spanish island of Menorca, on a B&B basis after schools break up. That same family could travel to the four-star Kata Palm Resort, in Phuket, Thailand, for 3,048 saving them 384. One reason for the price discrepancies is that the British summer peak for holiday bookings coincides with a lull in the tourism industry in countries such as Thailand and Barbados, largely because the weather is so unpredictable. In Barbados, the hurricane season is from June to October, while Thailand's wet season runs from May to November. The rise of low budget airlines, such as Norwegian, offering cheap seats to the US has brought the cost of holidays there down to the likes of Spain, Italy and Greece. However, those looking to fly to the States for the very lowest prices might have to accept a stopover in Iceland with airlines such as Wow Air. Staying for seven nights in Barbados (pictured) at a three-star hotel, the Halcyon Palm, comes in at a mere 2,568 804 less than Mykonos Families are not the only ones to benefit. Travelsupermarket said substantial savings are also available for couples who, for example, swap Ibiza for Dubai. Two people going to the five-star Insotel Fenicia Prestige Suites & Spa in Santa Eulalia, Ibiza, in July would have to pay from 2,044. On the other hand, a trip to the five-star Swissotel Al Ghurair in Dubai starts at 1,146. That would save you 898, but temperatures at this time of year are well over 30C. Travel expert, Emma Coulthurst, of TravelSupermarket, said: 'If you pick well, you can experience some long-haul destinations this summer for as much as 47 per cent less than holidays much closer to home. 'The cost of living is also a lot cheaper in long-haul destinations like Thailand than it is in short-haul destinations within the eurozone. 'A three-course meal in a mid-range restaurant in Thailand will only set you back around 7-8 and a pint of local beer 1.20 to 1.60. 'An equivalent meal in Ibiza is likely to cost you around 26 each and a beer around 2 to 3.' Ruby Andersen, 75, was found dead on Wednesday in the stairwell of a power plant 11 days after she went missing from a San Francisco care facility across the street An elderly woman with dementia was found dead in the stairwell of a power plant 11 days after she went missing from a San Francisco care facility across the street. Ruby Andersen, 75, had been living at the city-run care facility associated with Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital when she checked herself out on May 19 to visit her family. Staff members at the Behavioral Health Center called police and reported Andersen missing the following day when she failed to return. San Francisco Sheriff Deputies said they looked for Andersen in the hospital, jails and the morgue on May 20 and contacted her family. Sheriff Vicki Hennessy said once they heard from relatives on May 22, the department put out a missing-person flyer for Andersen. Andersen's body was found Wednesday in a stairwell of a power plant across the street from the main hospital campus. The woman's outrage daughter, Charlene Roberts, told San Francisco news station KRON-TV on Wednesday that her mother had dementia and two hearing aids. 'It is just not right,' Roberts said. Andersen's body was found Wednesday in a stairwell of a power plant (pictured above) across the street from the main hospital campus 'I don't know how she died. Did she have a stroke or fell? I don't know what happened.' Officials said an autopsy would be conducted on Thursday but they could not discuss her health condition because of privacy laws. The 50-resident care facility serves people with mental conditions who are 60 and older and need non-medical support, including ensuring they take their medications and eat properly. San Francisco Sheriff Vicki Hennessy said deputies check every 'nook and cranny' if a hospital patient is reported missing but there is no protocol for the same situation at the Behavioral Health Center. Hennessy's agency is responsible for security at both facilities. 'We're going to be reviewing everything to see where the holes are because it looks like we need to do better,' she said. The power plant is usually locked and only accessible to maintenance workers but the buildings had recently been left open from 6am to 6pm because personnel and vendors were regularly entering. San Francisco Sheriff Vicki Hennessy said deputies check every 'nook and cranny' if a hospital patient is reported missing but there is no protocol for the same situation at the Behavioral Health Center Roland Pickens, director of the Department of Public Health's San Francisco Health Network, would not explain why the building were left open. 'As of yesterday, that security badge access requirement was reactivated,' Pickens said on Thursday. Andersen's case is similar to an incident five years ago when Lynne Spalding, a missing patient from the hospital, was found dead in a stairwell more than two weeks after she disappeared from her room. It prompted authorities to overhaul security and implement thorough searches for missing patients. The San Francisco Sheriff's Department paid the woman's family $3 million to settle a legal claim. An autopsy determined that 57-year-old Spalding had been dead for several days before her body was found in a stairwell that was supposed to be routinely checked by security. Number 10 today disowned a dramatic plan to break the Brexit deadlock by handing Northern Ireland joint EU and UK status after Theresa May's DUP backers savaged the proposal. The blueprint, which emerged as the government desperately tries to end an impasse over the Irish border, would mean the province operating under both European and British regulations. The 'special economic zone' could also see a ten mile-wide buffer zone introduced along the length of Northern Ireland's 310-mile border with the Republic. But DUP MP Sammy Wilson branded the idea 'daft' and 'nonsense' and said it had come 'out of the blue'. He is one of ten DUP MPs propping Mrs May up in Downing Street as part of a confidence and supply deal. And within hours of the DUP slamming the proposal a Downing Street spokesman slapped down the plan. Number 10 today disowned a dramatic plan to break the Brexit deadlock by handing Northern Ireland joint EU and UK status after Theresa May's (pictured) DUP backers savaged the proposal He said: 'The Prime Minister has been absolutely clear that we cannot and will not accept a customs border down the Irish sea, and that we will preserve the constitutional integrity of the UK's common market. 'Work is ongoing on customs plans that will achieve this, as well as ensuring we can strike trade deals around the world, that trade remains as frictionless as possible, and that there is no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.' David Davis (pictured) has been struggling to break the deadlock in Brexit negotiations over the Irish border Earlier Mr Wilson had torn into the proposal, telling MailOnline: 'It immediately raises all kinds of questions, first of all about the commitment not to have Northern Ireland treated differently from the rest of the UK. 'If the EU regulations were different to the UK's, which would take priority, and which courts would rule? 'There is a buffer zone, but what about movement into the buffer zone? You would need to have checks there.' He added: 'If it is kite flying then we need to cut the strings on that kite pretty quickly.' Mr Wilson said the government should 'put its foot down' and tell the EU's Michel Barnier that he must give ground on the border issue. Cabinet sources insisted the proposal - reported by The Sun - is not the brainchild of Brexit Secretary David Davis and has not been considered in detail. The suggestion would represent a major revamp of the Maximum Facilitation option, one of two alternatives under consideration for a post-Brexit customs arrangement. Mr Davis demanded a fresh strategy after he was persuaded to shelve his preferred technology-based solution to the Irish border question. Ulster police had warned him that any border infrastructure, including camera towers or swipe points, would be targeted by the IRA and breach the Good Friday peace agreement. A senior Whitehall source told The Sun: 'Max Fac doesn't look like anything it used to for Northern Ireland now, because the technology has been stripped out. 'But it doesn't matter what we call it as long as it works.' Mr Davis hopes his plan will unite Mrs May's divided Cabinet Brexit committee. But an insider said: 'Persuading the DUP and then the EU to agree to it will be a different job altogether.' The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has said that neither of the options for Northern Ireland being discussed by Mrs May's Cabinet is 'operational or acceptable'. In a private meeting with members of the European Parliament's Brexit Steering Group, Mr Barnier said: 'The British have been moving forward with several ideas. 'They have two proposals which are being debated with British ministers. Neither of those proposals are operational or acceptable to us.' The customs partnership and Max Fac proposals had previously been dismissed as unworkable in anonymous briefings by EU officials. Mr Barnier's comments, filmed in a documentary for Vice News, are the clearest public statement so far of Brussels's rejection of both schemes. Responding to the chief negotiator, Italian MEP Roberto Gualtieri said: 'Indeed, I agree with you that the two options on customs are totally unworkable.' Meghan McCain has returned home to Arizona to be with her ailing father Senator John McCain just hours after expressing outrage over an old blog post by Joy Reid depicting him as a killer. Going home to Arizona to be with my family - will be back on The View [on] Monday, Meghan McCain tweeted on Thursday. Thank you again to everyone for sending some much love and support to my father, it truly means a lot. And thank you for the compassion and understanding at this moment in time. Senator John McCain has been at home in recent weeks while undergoing treatment for an aggressive form of malignant brain cancer. Meghan McCain (right) has returned home to Arizona to be with her ailing father Senator John McCain (left) just hours after expressing outrage over an old blog post by Joy Reid depicting him as a killer. The McCains are seen above earlier this year After tweeting about her return home, Meghan McCain expressed outrage over a BuzzFeed story about MSNBC host Joy Reids blog post from over a decade ago. The post contains a doctored image showing Senator John McCains head superimposed on the body of Seung-Hui Cho, the shooter who massacred 33 people on the campus of Virginia Tech University in April 2007. Reid attached the image onto a blog post titled Baghdad John Strikes Again, which criticized McCain for claiming that he would follow Osama bin Laden to the gates of hell. McCain was at the time the Republican Partys nominee for the presidency. After tweeting about her return home, Meghan McCain expressed outrage over a BuzzFeed story about MSNBC host Joy Reids blog post from over a decade ago The post contains a doctored image showing Senator John McCains head superimposed on the body of Seung-Hui Cho, the shooter who massacred 33 people on the campus of Virginia Tech University in April 2007 The above image of the Virginia Tech shooter was the one used in the photoshopped image of McCain Meghan McCain was outraged over the blog post about her father from 2007 Reid wrote the post in response to comments McCain made at a campaign stop in a New Hampshire gun factory. McCain told workers at the factory: I will follow Osama bin Laden to the gates of hell and I will shoot him with your products. This is beyond disgusting and disgraceful, Meghan McCain tweeted in response to the BuzzFeed article. Reid has come under fire for her old blog posts that have been unearthed via internet archives. She has authored posts that were homophobic in content and for which she apologized. But newly unearthed posts from by Reid that have also been criticized as homophobic attracted more attention after the MSNBC host claimed that she didnt write them. These are some of the posts Reid claims she did not write but which were published on her blog The Reid Report. They were discovered last month by a Twitter user Other blog posts which appeared included this one which said 'most gay people cringe at the sight of two men kissing' Reid suggested that it was online hackers who manipulated the internet archive in order to make her look bad - a claim that cyber security experts say seems implausible. MSNBC has come under pressure to discipline Reid, who has been accused of not being truthful in making the hacker claim. Reids blog posts have gained renewed attention in recent days, particularly in light of ABCs decision to cancel the hit sitcom Roseanne after the shows top star, Roseanne Barr, posted racist tweets comparing former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett to an ape. Earlier this month, Kelly Sadler, a White House aide, made a joke about John McCain 'dying anyway' - sparking outrage Reporters, conservative activists, and internet researchers have been combing through the archives of her blog to find more damaging material, according to BuzzFeed. Earlier this week, it was learned that Reid promoted a widely seen online film, Loose Change, which alleges that the September 11 terrorist attacks were the result of a government-run conspiracy. Loose Change was co-produced by Alex Jones, the host of the far-right Infowars show who has promoted a number of fringe conspiracy theories, according to The Washington Post. DailyMail.com has reached out to Reid for comment. Meghan McCain was outraged earlier this month after it was learned that an aide to President Donald Trump said that the senator's opposition to Gina Haspel's nominated to head the CIA didn't matter because he's 'dying anyway.' Meghan McCain said that even though the aide in question, Kelly Sadler, promised to apologize in public, none has been forthcoming. 'I was promised an apology, Kelly Sadler, publicly to my family. I did not receive that,' McCain said during the broadcast of The View. 'This is not an administration that's capable of apologizing.' An overseas hacker triggered almost 2000 fake calls to emergency call centres causing disruption to triple zero services. An estimated 1800 calls were made to emergency call centres run by Telstra between 6-8am on Saturday morning, impacting some call response times. Although many of the 'blank' calls - which had no one on the other end - were blocked, any with the prefix of 000 made it through. An overseas hacker triggered almost 2000 fake calls to emergency call centres Filters to stop automated attempts to call international numbers failed, impacting some call response times The robo-calls were made from a customer of telecommunications company Vocus, who have confirmed a phone exchange system had been compromised. A spokesperson explained this enabled 'an external party to attempt international toll fraud'. He said the business' fraud filters meant 'algorithmically-generated attempts to call international numbers failed', however the calls which included a prefix of 000 were sent through to emergency services, The Age reported. A Telstra spokesman said the government, emergency services and the provider rallied together to resolve the issue. An estimated 1800 calls were made to emergency call centres run by Telstra 'There was some impact on call response times during these call bursts and our network otherwise operated normally,' he said. The incident will be looked into as part of the government's probe into the May 4 outage linked to a fire in regional NSW. The investigation has dismissed Telstra's claims a lightning strike caused a major disruption to services across five states earlier this month. The telecommunications giant was quick to blame a lightning strike for the outrage after a Telstra cable pit was destroyed near Orange, on New South Wales' central-west, in the early hours of May 4. Numerous phone calls to the Triple 0 emergency service line were halted in NSW, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania after the cable ignited in flames. Mark Latham is 'considering all options' after being approached to join Pauline Hanson's One Nation party. The former federal Labor leader, who is now a critic of high immigration and multiculturalism, was among a list of high-profile people the Queensland senator had approached. The 57-year-old media commentator, who grew up in working class south-west Sydney, told Sunrise the offer to join her right-wing party was 'very flattering'. Scroll down for video Mark Latham is 'considering all options' after being approached to join Pauline Hanson 's One Nation party Mr Latham, who led Labor to a landslide defeat at the 2004 election, had earlier told 9News he had 'been approached by representatives of four different parties wanting me to run in the Senate'. Appearing on Sunrise with former Victorian Liberal premier Jeff Kennett, Mr Latham, who joined the Labor Party as a teenager in Green Valley, gave little away. 'I'm not going to be talking about private conversations. I can't go into details,' he said today. 'It's a classic non-denial, denial. 'The serious point is the country is heading in the wrong direction. 'The major parties are on the nose.' Mark Latham (pictured casting his vote at the 2004 election as Labor leader) is now a critic of high immigration and multiculturalism, and was among a list of high-profile people Pauline Hanson had approached Mark Latham described the offer from Pauline Hanson (pictured) to run with One Nation as 'very flattering' One Nation is also rumoured to have approached Australian Conservatives senator Cory Bernardi and maverick north Queensland MP Bob Katter, who both last year campaigned against gay marriage. 'There's more chance of the Pope becoming a Muslim than him joining One Nation,' Bob Katter responded in relation to Mr Latham's potential recruitment. Katter's son Robbie, a member of the Queensland parliament, was also approached by the party, which is opposed to high immigration and multiculturalism. Those within Ms Hanson's One Nation party have not denied or dismissed speculations over recruitment allegations A spokesman for Senator Bernardi said 'the only party he's interested in being a member of is the one he started, the Australian Conservatives'. Talk of Mark Latham joining One Nation, to head the party's Senate ticket at the next election, gained momentum after New South Wales senator Brian Burston was accused by his own boss, Pauline Hanson, of trying to defect to the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party - an accusation he denied. Senator Burston's support for the Turnbull Government's corporate tax cuts also exposed a division within One Nation. Senator Hanson emotionally accused him of stabbing her 'in the back'. 'For him to turn around and do this to me - it's hard. But I'm going to keep going and get good people in that parliament beside me, because it means so much to me to help the people that need help,' she told Sky News host Ben Fordham. Those within One Nation have not denied or dismissed speculations over recruitment allegations. Daily Mail Australia contacted Ms Hanson and Mr Latham, who last year joined NSW senator David Leyonhjelm's Liberal Democrats. They were both members of the federal House of Representatives during the late 1990s. Samantha Bee may have apologized to Ivanka Trump after calling her a 'feckless c**t' but a number of celebrities have since come out in support of the comedian and some have even agreed with her controversial comments. Bee apologized to Ivanka and her viewers on Thursday for using the obscenity to describe the president's daughter on her TBS show Full Frontal the previous night. The comedian used the slur towards the end of a segment about President Trump's immigration policies as she urged Ivanka to speak to her father about systems that separate children from their parents. Several celebrities have come out in support of Samantha Bee even since she apologized for calling Ivanka Trump a 'feckless c**t' on her Full Frontal show on Wednesday night 'You know, Ivanka, that's a beautiful photo of you and your child, but let me just say, one mother to another, do something about your dad's immigration practices, you feckless c***,' she said after showing a photo of Ivanka and her toddler son Theodore. The incident quickly thrust Bee into the middle of the nation's political divide with the White House slamming the comments as 'vile and vicious'. But a handful of celebrities backed Bee with fellow comedian Kathy Griffin being among the first. 'Please do not be hard on @iamsambee for apologizing. While I was hoping she wouldn't, I know first hand what it's like being put through the Trump wood chipper..what she's going through right now is crazy. All for a bleeped word. Comics held to higher standards than the president,' Griffin tweeted. Actress Sally Field also weighed in and even had a go at Ivanka herself, saying: 'I like Samantha Bee a lot, but she is flat wrong to call Ivanka a c**t. C**ts are powerful, beautiful, nurturing and honest.' Comedian Billy Eichner wrote: 'Honestly I think Samantha Bee was being generous'. Meanwhile some famous faces were quick to compare the controversy to that experienced by Roseanne Barr following her racist tweet scandal that resulted in her ABC show being canceled. 'Ha! The White House today, still not denouncing Roseannes racism, tries to confuse the issue by going after Samantha Bees brilliant rant against Ivanka last night,' filmmaker Michael Moore said. High-profile attorney Lisa Bloom tweeted: 'OK, but a white woman (Roseanne) invoking slavery-era racism about a black woman is miles away from a woman using the "c" word to insult another woman. Neither comic was 'kidding,' really. Sam's point was true: Ivanka has not helped immigrant kids. Roseanne's was a flat out lie.' Bee, a former correspondent on 'The Daily Show' with Jon Stewart whose own show has been one of TBS' big successes since it started in 2016, had earlier apologized saying that her language was 'inappropriate and inexcusable'. 'I crossed a line, and I deeply regret it,' she said. Before the apology, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders called Bee's language 'vile and vicious' and said executives at TBS and corporate parent Time Warner needed to demonstrate that such explicit profanity about female members of the administration would not be condoned. TBS said Bee had taken the right step in apologizing. 'Samantha Bee has taken the right action in apologizing for the vile and inappropriate language she used about Ivanka Trump last night. Those words should not have been aired. It was our mistake too, and we regret it,' the network said in a statement. The network made no mention of any disciplinary action. Autotrader and State Farm both pulled sponsorship of Bee's late-night comedy show on Thursday following her controversial comments. The son of a millionaire property tycoon convicted for hacking his father, mother and brother to death with an axe has been injured in prison. Henri van Breda, 23, was reportedly rushed to hospital on Thursday from South Africa's Pollsmoor Prison. The former Perth schoolboy was last month found guilty of three counts of murder and is behind bars awaiting a sentencing hearing set for June 5. The son of a millionaire property tycoon convicted for hacking his parents and brother to death with an axe has been injured in prison (pictured is Henri van Breda) Henri van Breda, 23, was reportedly rushed to hospital on Thursday from South Africa's Pollsmoor Prison (Pictured are Martin Van Breda, right, wife Teresa, and eldest son Rudi, centre, and Marli, left) Marli van Breda (pictured) survived a severed jugular but was unable to testify against her brother due to memory loss His uncle Andre van Breda quashed rumours his nephew had attempted suicide, describing Thursday reports as 'total nonsense', News 24 reported. Henri was taken to the hospital wing of the prison suffering a 'small scratch', Andre van Breda said. The convicted triple murderer's attorney, Lorinda van Niekerk, said she could not confirm Henri had been taken to an external hospital. Van Breda claimed his brother Rudi, 21 and parents Martin, 54, and Teresa, 55, were killed by a masked intruder with an axe who also wounded his sister Marli, then-15. Van Breda claimed his brother Rudi, 21 and parents Martin, 54, and Teresa, 55, were killed by a masked intruder with an axe who also wounded his sister Marli, then-15 In May a judge found van Breda (pictured with girlfriend Janse van Rensburg) guilty of three counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and one count of misleading justice over the January 2015 attack In May a judge found van Breda guilty of three counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and one count of misleading justice over the January 2015 attack. Van Breda's parents and brother died of deep head and upper body axe wounds. Marli survived a severed jugular but was unable to testify against her brother due to memory loss. Judge Siraj Desai dismissed van Breda's claims that he watched helplessly from a bathroom as his family members were hacked to death. He noted van Breda's 'peculiar lack of empathy' after calling emergency services almost three hours after the attack, after calling his girlfriend and sleeping. Advertisement Kim Kardashian West has revealed details pertaining to her meeting with President Donald Trump on Wednesday at the White House. The 37-year-old reality star was accompanied by attorney, Shawn Chapman Holley, and spoke with Trump to ask for a pardon for Alice Johnson, a 63-year-old great-grandmother who is serving a life sentence for a first-time drug offense. 'I think that he really spent the time to listen to our case that we were making for Alice,' Kardashian said to Mic. 'He really understood, and I am very hopeful that this will turn out really positively.' According to Kardashian, Trump has a passion for prison reform that was sparked by son-in-law Jared Kushner. Donald Trump shared a photo with Kim Kardashian during their meeting in the Oval Office to discuss Alice Johnson's case The president said he had had a 'great meeting' with the reality star after they discussed a possible pardon for Alice Johnson 'I think that he really spent the time to listen to our case that we were making for Alice,' Kim Kardashian said 'I went in, me and Shawn, to really talk to the president about Alice Johnson and really explain to him why she would be such a good person to grant clemency to,' she said. 'The president seems to have a passion for what everything that Jared has been trying to do, and that just makes me happy that that conversation is just moving forward.' She shared that if Alice Johnson get's pardoned, she'll already have a stable life to return to. 'She has a job waiting for her,' Kardashian added. 'She has a home to go to, and she has such a great supportive family.' 'I just really strongly believe that she is someone that has completely rehabilitated herself and will continue to do so outside of prison.' Kim Kardashian tweeted her thanks to the president after they spoke at the White House And while many questioned Kardashian's visit, as she has no actual experience with prison reform work, the reality star stated that family was what motivated her to reach out. She said: 'It was just that simple connection. I don't have a personal experience with prison myself, but I believe in family, and her family was torn apart by choices that she made 21 and a half years ago.' Kim Kardashian went to see Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner at their home after her Oval Office meeting with the president. The reality star, who lobbied President Trump to pardon a first-time drug offender, was pictured last night arriving at the First Daughter's home in Washington D.C. Kardashian had spoken to Kushner at the White House earlier in the day as part of her efforts to have great-grandmother Alice Marie Johnson freed from prison. Exclusive photos taken by DailyMail.com showed Ivanka smiling with Kim and her husband before Kardashian left the Kushner home at around 8pm on Wednesday. Kardashian, who visited the couple in Kalorama Heights, is thought to have been involved in private discussions with Kushner and Ivanka Trump for several months. President Trump's daughter Ivanka says goodbye to Kim Kardashian as the reality star leaves the house in Washington Kim and her lawyer arrives at Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump's home in Washington D.C. after meeting President Trump Ivanka is spotted walking into the property in a Gucci dress after the White House sports day earlier on Wednesday Ivanka is seen smiling as she entertains Kim and guests in their home following Kim's discussions at the White House Kim heads home after 8pm following her meeting with the president's family at the Trump/Kushner house in Washington The guests are seen through the window smiling at the house in Washington after Kim's meeting with President Trump Kim asked Trump to pardon Alice Johnson, pictured, a great-grandmother, who was imprisoned for life in 1996 for drug dealing and money laundering after her 15 accomplices all testified against her and had their own charges dropped WHO IS ALICE JOHNSON AND WHY IS KIM KARDASHIAN INVOLVED? Inside time: Alice Johnson in federal prison Alice Marie Johnson, a mother-of-five, grandmother-of-six and great-grandmother of one, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being convicted of drug dealing in 1996. It was her first conviction and some of her co-conspirators testified her against in exchange for plea deals. The 63-year-old grew up in Olive Branch, Mississippi, and was married and pregnant by age 15. In 1989, she and her husband divorced. Her life started to crumble as she struggled, as a single mother, to try and be financially stable for her five children, reports Mic. However, in 1990, because of a gambling addition, she was sacked by FedEx Corporation. After filing for bankruptcy in 1991, Johnson lost her house. The next year, a scooter accident claimed the life of her youngest son, Cory. It was while she was at rock bottom that Johnson became involved in a drug syndicate that imported cocaine into Memphis, Tennessee, where she acted as a go-between and passed on messages to drug dealers, relaying coded messages like 'everything is straight' by telephone. While admitting to acting as a middle man for the drug traffickers, passing on the messages in code via telephone, Johnson claims she never directly sold drugs. She was arrested along with 15 others in 1993 on charges including conspiracy to possess cocaine, attempted possession of cocaine and money laundering. But ten of her alleged co-conspirators turned against her in exchange for reduced sentencing or dropped charges. During the trial, evidence showed an operation with Texas-based Colombian drug dealers and their Memphis connections trading tons of cocaine for millions of dollars in cash. At the time of Johnson's February 1997 sentencing the amount of drugs and money involved meant that federal laws mandated a life sentence, despite the fact Johnson was a first-time, nonviolent offender. US District Judge Julia Gibbons, who sentenced Johnson, called the then 42-year-old the 'quintessential entrepreneur' of the drug ring. Mom: Alice Johnson is now a great-grandmother as well 'And clearly the impact of 2,000 to 3,000 kilograms of cocaine in this community is very significant,' Gibbons said at the sentencing. The quantity of cocaine - up to three tons - would now be worth about $85 million. Johnson was 21 years into her life sentence at FCI Aliceville, in Aliceville, Alabama before it was commuted by President Donald Trump on May 6. Her eldest daughter Tretessa Johnson, told Mic several years ago, 'It's like a waking death; it's like the person is alive but they're not. There's never a point of closure, ever. It's heartbreaking for me.' Tretessa has organized an online petition, via change.org, calling for her to be released, explaining that her family's life 'changed forever' when she was sentenced to life in federal prison. She said her mother had explained that she became a telephone mule passing messages between her co-conspirators after losing her job at FedEx. Alice Johnson is quoted on Tretessa's petition: 'I couldn't find a job fast enough to take care of my family. I felt like a failure. 'I went to a complete panic and out of desperation I made one of the worst decisions in my life to make some quick money. I became involved in a drug conspiracy'. Tretessa said that her 'mom's desire upon release is to assist the community with the needs of ex-offenders to help reduce recidivism. 'It serves no purpose or benefit to society to have her locked up for life. Her large and loving immediate and extended family and friends would welcome her return.' During her time in prison, Johnson has displayed exemplary behavior, become an ordained minister, a published writer and a prison tutor, a biography from Can Do Clemency reports. She had gained a large following of people pushing for her to be granted clemency. Part of this push saw her story turned into a short video, which went viral on social media. Kim Kardashian saw the video and retweeted it to her millions of followers with the caption: 'This is so unfair' in October last year. Since then, she has been working to help Johnson receive clemency from Trump. The reality star had her personal lawyer begin working on Johnson's case, and has spent months in conversation with Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and adviser, on the topic. Kushner - whose father Charles is himself a federal felon - is pushing a criminal justice reform agenda. A grateful Johnson penned a moving letter to Kardashian, saying her efforts were 'literally helping to save my life'. 'I was drowning, and you have thrown me a life jacket and given me hope,' she wrote. On May 30, Kardashian went to the White House to secure Johnson's release. Johnson was released on June 6 after having her sentence commuted. Advertisement The celebrity has been urging the president to pardon Johnson, 63, who has spent more than two decades behind bars and is not eligible for parole. Kardashian tweeted: 'I would like to thank President Trump for his time this afternoon. It is our hope that the President will grant clemency to Ms. Alice Marie Johnson who is serving a life sentence for a first-time, non-violent drug offense. 'We are optimistic about Ms. Johnson's future and hopeful that she and so many like herwill get a second chance at life.' Earlier she had wished Johnson a happy birthday and said: 'Today is for you'. President Trump posted a picture of the meeting, saying: 'Great meeting with @KimKardashian today, talked about prison reform and sentencing.' A woman that appears to be Kim is seen standing alongside Jared Kushner (right) and Ivanka (center) Kim Kardashian arrives at the Trump/Kushner home in Kalorama Heights for an evening with Jared and Ivanka Kardashian arrived at the house at around 6.20pm after meeting the president in the Oval Office earlier on Wednesday The president's daughter Ivanka arrives home in Kalorama Heights where she and her husband entertained Kim Kardashian Ivanka's husband Jared, who met with Kim earlier in the day, smiles as he arrives to host the reality star at his home Kim glances at the cameras as she heads to her waiting car on her way home from the evening with Jared Kushner and Ivanka Kim was seen leaving the Kushner home just after 8pm on Wednesday. Ivanka appears to be sending her on her way behind the door Kardashian is seen leaving the Washington home at around 8pm after being entertained by Ivanka and her husband Ivanka appears to be visible just behind the door as Kim and her lawyer leave the house in Kalorama Heights on Wednesday The First Daughter, identifiable by the dress she arrived in, smiles as her guests leave the Washington home on Wednesday Footy legend Eddie McGuire has slammed unruly AFL fans after three post-match brawls in two weeks. He called out violent fans saying 'we're not going to stand for idiots getting filled up full of grog and drugs, coming to the footy and ruining the spectacle'. The latest alcohol fueled violence resulted in injuries as fans punched and kicked one another at Melbourne's Etihad Stadium. One man faces criminal charges and fans have been warned about engaging in violence in upcoming games. McGuire, The Footy Show host, said in an episode last night: 'officially on notice, everyone's sick of it. The police are going to be red hot, the AFL are going to be red hot'. 'We don't want to get to the stage where we have to put barb wire up or segregate the crowds'. 'Pull yours heads in. The cops are going to be all over you and everyone is going to throw the book at you'. The crowd then erupted into applause. Fans have been warned to expect membership and stadium lifetime bans for violent attacks The violent incidents occurred during a Collingwood Magpies victory over Western Bulldogs, leaving three injured and one bleeding on his face. There was also a spiteful brawl between Port Adelaide fans in which a man was dragged and pulled from his t-shirt. The ugliest attack occurred inside the EJ Whitten bar where ten people were involved in a brawl following a Collingwood and St Kilda match. Fans have been warned that memberships will be removed for a lifetime as well as stadium bans if individuals continue to participate in alcohol fueled violence. Sydney Swans are set to play Carlton Blues tonight at the SCG, where fans can expect a high police presence. Police are continuing to investigate the attacks and any individual with further information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Three violent attacks in the past two weeks have left many injured and one man charged Robots could soon replace teachers across schools in remote Australia because it has become too hard for academics to get to the students. Instead of standing at the front of a class room in flesh and blood, teachers are now teaching a group of children through an iPad-style robot. The technology is being used to be able to teach distant education students without a teacher having to travel to their rural location. Instead of a teacher standing at the front of a class room in flesh and blood, they are now teaching a group of children through an ipad-style robot (stock image) in remote areas Teachers will now be able to instruct children through the device - a screen attached to a pole with a set of wheels - and move about the room as if they were there in person, ABC News reported. The educators will be able to talk to students through the screen as well as see them. HOW DO THE ROBOT TEACHERS WORK? The robot device is basically a screen attached to a pole with wheels. The teacher can sit in a room hundreds of kilometres away and appear on the robot screen. The teacher can talk to, see and move about room through controlling the robot. Children are able to ask the robot teacher questions and get answers immediately. Advertisement 'Probably to start with, it will be a bit foreign to them to have this thing wandering around the classroom but it will be interesting to have the teacher that's sitting two hours away just roll in and say g'day,' Alyson Ramsay, mother of two students taking part in the trial, said. The technology is being trialed in remote north Queensland in areas like Charters Towers where some students live hundreds of kilometres away from the mainstream classroom. A student at Charters Towers School of Education said the robot could 'see if they skip a few questions' and look over their shoulders. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Charters Towers School of Education for further comment. Airfares out of Australia are predicted to increase dramatically as a result of the surging price of fuel. The rise in oil prices to $US80 a barrel has left many airline chief executives 'worried', according to an international aviation expert. He also warned the foiled terrorism plot in Sydney last year is a reminder that aviation is a 'target for terrorists'. Airfares out of Australia are predicted to increase dramatically as a result of the surging price of fuel International Air Transport Association chief executive Alexandre de Juniacat made the grim prediction during an address to the Australasian Aviation Press Club Lunch in Sydney. 'In December last year, we predicted a record industry profit of over $US38 billion for 2018,' he said. At that time we were expecting an oil price of $US60 per barrel for Brent crude. 'Now it is approaching $US80. Airlines only make on average $US8 profit per passenger and therefore there is not much room to move,' he said according to Perth Now. Mr de Juniacat, a french businessman, also spoke about airline safety, security, and the threat of terrorism. 'The apprehension of potential bombers in Sydney last year was a grim reminder that aviation remains a target for terrorists,' he said. He described security as a 'Government issue', and believed airlines should not have to pay for it. The rise in oil prices to $US 80 a barrel has left many airline chief executives 'worried', according to an international aviation expert He also warned the foiled terrorism plot in Sydney last year is a reminder that aviation is a 'target for terrorists' 'We welcome the nearly $300 million that the federal government has allocated to further improving security at Australia's airports,' he said. 'As this is rolled-out, we must carefully ensure that associated costs don't leak back to airlines,' he said. 'Security is, after all, primarily a government responsibility everywhere - public parks local neighbourhoods, train stations and airports. A Virgin Australia Group spokesperson said like all airlines, Virgin and Tiger are seeing increased fuel costs. 'Airfares are driven by a number of different factors, including demand, fuel costs, other operating costs, and airport pricing and taxes,' she said. 'Like all airlines, we are seeing increased fuel costs and whilst the Virgin Australia Group has a comprehensive hedging program in place which helps to offset this increase, we will continue to monitor the oil price closely and review our pricing structure accordingly.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted Qantas and Jetstar for comment. Matthew Martin, 18, hit 31-year-old Sherell L. Lewis Jr (pictured) on US 171 on Tuesday afternoon A driver posted a racist Snapchat post after hitting and killing a black pedestrian who was removing debris from a Louisiana highway so other motorists wouldn't crash into it. Matthew Martin, 18, hit 31-year-old Sherell L. Lewis Jr on US 171 on Tuesday afternoon, according to reports from KPLC. He then told a friend on the app that he hit and killed 'some n*****' and he 'f***ed up the chevy pretty good'. Lewis had stopped his own vehicle near Pickering around 3.15pm to remove debris when he was struck by Martin's 2003 Chevrolet pickup. The man was pronounced dead at a hospital in Alexandria and the crash is still being investigated. 'What it appears at this point is that this man was trying to do a good deed,' Sgt. James Anderson of the Louisiana State Police said. 'There was debris in the roadway and he didn't want any other motorists to strike it. So he gets out of the vehicle to remove the debris, and he is struck while this is happening.' Lewis had stopped his own vehicle near Pickering, Lousisana, around 3.15pm to remove debris when he was struck by Martin's 2003 Chevrolet pickup Martin was found to have been wearing his seat belt and a toxicology report is pending Courtesy of KALB Martin was found to have been wearing his seat belt and a toxicology report is pending. But Snapchat messages allegedly between Martin and another person show the red vehicle that he hit Lewis with with the caption: 'y'all i just hit a whole guy on the highway.' The post also included three sob emojis. In another post, Martin describes the victim as 'some n****r' before he continues focusing on the damage to the vehicle. At one point Martin actually claims to feel sorry for the family, but again, is more worried about his vehicle. 'It's horrendous,' Lake Charles NAACP President Rev. J.L. Franklin said. 'Our prayers are with the family, no doubt about that. But what is most devastating is the aftermath of that. The posts.' The Vernon Parish Sheriff's Office has received numerous calls in relation to the post, but asserted that while they were 'morally and socially unacceptable, the post did not violate criminal law.' But Snapchat messages allegedly between Martin and another person show the red vehicle that he hit Lewis with with the caption: 'y'all i just hit a whole guy on the highway.' The post also included three sob emojis In another post, Martin describes the victim as 'some n****r' before he continues focusing on the damage to the vehicle At one point Martin actually claims to feel sorry for the family, but again, is more worried about his vehicle Lewis was said to be the owner of Sonny Boyz Barber on US 171 Sheriff Sam Craft added in a statement: 'I am appalled at the content of the social media messages that were posted after the incident. 'This post is unacceptable and has no place in our society. The inflammatory words that were used were morally wrong. I have the utmost confidence in the Louisiana State Police and their ability to thoroughly investigate this incident.' Lewis' sister. Shotoya Lewis-Ayers, said that her brother's smile and positive attitude will live on in his memory. 'He would have helped anybody that needed, help no matter what. If you were feeling down, he would always make jokes, crack you up, keep you smiling,' she said. She added that her brother was the owner of Sonny Boyz Barber on US 171. Former President Bill Clinton has said he disagrees with Senator Kirsten Gillibrands view that he should have resigned because of the Monica Lewinsky affair. You have to - really ignore what the context was, Clinton told CBS Sunday Morning in an interview that will air this Sunday at 9:00am Eastern Time. But, you know, shes living in a different context. And she did it for different reasons. So, I but I just disagree with her. Clinton was asked about statements made last year by the New York Democrat who has been an outspoken voice in the MeToo movement. Former President Bill Clinton has said he disagrees with Senator Kirsten Gillibrands view that he should have resigned because of the Monica Lewinsky affair Clinton was asked about statements made last year by Gillibrand (above), the New York Democrat who has been an outspoken voice in the MeToo movement In the weeks after the Harvey Weinstein revelations led to a domino effect of powerful men being accused of sexual harassment, Gillibrand gave an interview to The New York Times. When she was asked if she thought Clinton should have stepped down after it was revealed he carried on an extramarital affair with Lewinsky, who was then a White House intern in her early twenties, the senator replied: Yes, I think that is the appropriate response. Things have changed today, Gillbrand said, and I think under those circumstances there should be a very different reaction. And I think in light of this conversation, we should have a very different conversation about President Trump, and a very different conversation about allegations against him,' she added. A spokesperson told the Times that Gillibrand was trying to underscore that Clinton's actions, had they happened in the current era, should have compelled him to resign. Gillibrand is the highest-profile elected Democratic official to say that the former president should have stepped down as a result of his affair. The House in 1999 voted to impeach Clinton of perjury and obstruction of its investigation into the affair. The Senate acquitted him. Gillibrand's remarks came to light on the day Democratic US Sen Al Franken of Minnesota apologized after a Los Angeles radio anchor accused him of forcibly kissing and groping her during a 2006 USO tour. The House in 1999 voted to impeach Clinton of perjury and obstruction of its investigation into the affair. The Senate acquitted him. Clinton and Lewinsky are seen together in a photo taken in November 1995 Franken eventually stepped down under heavy public pressure. After Gillibrand later said that Trump, too, should resign over allegations he groped women, the president attacked her on Twitter. Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office begging for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump. Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED! In response, Gillibrand accused Trump of using a sexist smear attempting to silence my voice, and I will not be silenced on this issue. Gillibrands comments about Bill Clinton angered supporters of the former president and his wife, Hillary Clinton, whose former spokesperson took aim at the senator. Senate voted to keep POTUS WJC. But not enough for you @SenGillibrand? Phillipe Reines wrote on Twitter. Over 20 yrs you took the Clintons endorsements, money, and seat. Hypocrite. Interesting strategy for 2020 primaries. Best of luck. De la: UBABANK OFNIGERIA PLC < ken555ng@yahoo.com > Catre: Trimis: Miercuri, 8 Noiembrie 2017 10:06:09 Subiect: NOTIFICATION OF IMMEDIATE DELIVERY OF YOUR INTEREST FUNDS VIA ATM PREPARED CARD OFFICE OF DR UDOKA EZEJI DIRECTOR ATM PAYMENT UNIT UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA HEAD OFFICE STALLION PLAZA 36 MARINA, P.M.B 2027 LAGOS, NIGERIA ATTN: Sir. NOTIFICATION OF IMMEDIATE DELIVERY OF YOUR INTEREST FUNDS VIA ATM PREPARED CARD Today , we hereby arranged for your approved inheritance interest payment of US$18.182.Million Dollars only via ATM CARD directed to us by the Federal Government of Nigeria Authorities . Now, you are among the seven (7) beneficiaries who will receive his/her approved payment via (ATM CARD), for the immediate withdrawal of your funds. On contrary, arrangement will be made with Courier Services accredited to this bank to book for delivery of your (ATM CARD), which will be delivered to your office address. Note that this payment instrument (ATM CARD) on a reason cannot be delivered to P.O Box for your information. In furtherance to the above mentioned, you are hereby advice to furnish us with the bellow listed information to enable us carry the payment procedures. In which upon the receipt of (ATM CARD), you will insert it with your bank instrument and make withdrawal of your funds as programmed. Finally your advice to furnish us with the following information bellow: (1) YOUR CONTACT ADDRESS (2) YOUR DIRECT TELEPHONE NUMBER (3) YOUR INTERNATIONAL PASSPORT COPY Urgent response to this mail will enable us dispatch your ATM Payment prepared Card for onward claim. Accept our congratulation in advance Yours faithfully. Mr. Udoka Ezeij. De la: Senator Udoka Ezeij < senator.udokaezeij0@hotmail.com > Catre: Trimis: Joi, 9 Noiembrie 2017 12:34:47 Subiect: Meanwhile, contact the Diplomatic Courier Services OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER TO THE PRESIDENT FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA GET BACK TO ME AT YOUR EARLIEST CONVINIENCE Attention: I am Senator Udoka Ezeij, National Security Adviser to the President Muhammadu Buhari Federal Republic of Nigeria. I decided to contact you because of the prevailing security report reaching my office and the intense nature of policy in Nigeria. This is to inform you about our plan to send your fund to you via cash delivery. This system will be easier for you and for us. We are going to send your contract part payment of US10.1 Million to you via diplomatic courier service. Note: The money is coming on two security proof boxes. The boxes are sealed with synthetic nylon seal and padded with machine. This fund was brought to us from America; it was meant for our Local AFEM market. But since the money was not used, I will use my position as the National Security Adviser to the President to send this fund to you. The boxes are coming with a Diplomatic agent who will accompany the boxes to your house address. All you need to do now is to send to me 1. Full Name: . . . . . 2. Telephone Numbers: . . . . . . 3. Your Age: . . . . 4. Your Sex: . . . . . . 5. Your Occupation: . . . . . . 6. Your Country: . . . . . . 7. City: . . . . . . 8. Your Home Address: 9. Marital Status: . . . . . . . . 10.Your identity such as, international passport or driver license. . . . . . . . . . . . . The Diplomatic attached will travel with it. He will call you immediately he arrives your airport. I hope you understand me. I will let you know by the special grace of God when the boxes are airlifted. Note: The diplomatic does not know the original contents of the boxes. What l declared to them as the contents is Sensitive Photographic Film Material. I did not declare money to them please. If they call you and ask you the contents please tell them the same thing Ok, I will let you know how far I have gone with the arrangement. I will secure the Diplomatic immunity clearance certificate that will be tagged on the boxes to make it stand as a diplomatic consignment. This clearance will make it pass every custom checkpoint all over the world without hitch. Confirm the receipt of this message and send the requirements to me immediately you receive this message. If you need more information about this, I will give you the details how to contact the diplomat for more information on how to carry out the plan. Meanwhile, contact the Diplomatic Courier Services Mr. James Jackson there direct email address: diplomaticcourdeliveycompany@rediffmail.com Telephone London number +447937454437 today to know the actual situation with the consignment because she will arriving Colombia today and also give them your address where the consignment will be Delivered and then get back to me as soon as possible So that I can give you the shipment document. I need you response because the boxes are schedule to leave as soon as we hear from you. Reply me immediately you receive this message Call me on my direct PH/FAX: (+234-08107489406) Best Regards, Senator Udoka Ezeij I await your response. Thank you and God Bless ! De la: Senator Udoka Ezeij < senator.udokaezeij0@hotmail.com > Catre: Trimis: Joi, 8 Februarie 2018 8:54:15 Subiect: PLEASE CONTACT COURIER FOR YOUR CONSIGNMENT DELIVERING PLEASE CONTACT COURIER FOR YOUR CONSIGNMENT DELIVERING I have registered your two consignment box to osoba courier services company. All the necessary arrangement of delivering your $10,100.000.00 USD In cash was made with Osoba Courier Delivery Company. Contact James Jackson Director of osoba courier services company. EMAIL: ( diplomaticcourdeliveingcompay0@gmail.com) Send them your contacts information to enable them locate you immediately they arrived in your country with your consignment box. *1.YOUR FULL NAME- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - *2.YOUR HOME ADDRESS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - *3 YOUR CURRENT HOME TELEPHONE NUMBER- - - - - - *4.YOUR CURRENT OFFICE TELEPHONE- - - - - - - - *5.A COPY OF YOUR PICTURE- - - - - - - - - - - - Note.THE OSOBA COURIER COMPANY: Don't know the contents of the Box.They don't know that the box contains money, I register it as a Box of PRECIOUS VALUABLE tag no:0059126. So don't reveal to them what was in the box or they will delay the box from getting to you. GOD BLESS YOU, SENATOR UDOKA EZEIJ PLEASE REPLY ME TO THIS EMAIL FOR MORE INFORMATION:sendaviedmark09999@rediffmail.com +2348107489406 To: Undisclosed-recipients:; Subject: PLEASE CONTACT COURIER FOR YOUR CONSIGNMENT DELIVERING Date: Sat, 24 Mar 2018 16:27:30 +0000 (UTC) PLEASE CONTACT COURIER FOR YOUR CONSIGNMENT DELIVERING Attn: I have registered your two consignment box to osoba courier services company. All the necessary arrangement of delivering your $10,100.000.00 USD In cash was made with Osoba Courier Delivery Company. Contact James Jackson Director of osoba courier services company. EMAIL: (Mr.JamesJackson010@hotmail.com) Send them your contacts information to enable them locate you immediately they arrived in your country with your consignment box. 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GOD BLESS YOU, SENATOR UDOKA EZEIJ PLEASE REPLY ME TO THIS EMAIL FOR MORE INFORMATION:sendaviedmark09999@rediffmail.com +2348107489406 From: Tom Trevor < tomtrevor001@yahoo.com >To: Undisclosed-recipients:;Subject: PLEASE CONTACT COURIER FOR YOUR CONSIGNMENT DELIVERINGDate: Sat, 24 Mar 2018 16:27:30 +0000 (UTC) From: UBABANK OFNIGERIA PLC < ken555ng@yahoo.com > To: Undisclosed-recipients:; Subject: NOTIFICATION OF IMMEDIATE DELIVERY OF YOUR INTEREST FUNDS VIA ATM PREPARED CARD Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2018 12:12:29 +0000 (UTC) OFFICE OF DR UDOKA EZEJI DIRECTOR ATM PAYMENT UNIT UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA HEAD OFFICE STALLION PLAZA 36 MARINA, P.M.B 2027 LAGOS, NIGERIA ATTN: Sir. NOTIFICATION OF IMMEDIATE DELIVERY OF YOUR INTEREST FUNDS VIA ATM PREPARED CARD Today , we hereby arranged for your approved inheritance interest payment of US$18.182.Million Dollars only via ATM CARD directed to us by the Federal Government of Nigeria Authorities . 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(5) Present Country . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (6) Nearest Airport. . . . . . . . . . . (1) YOUR CONTACT ADDRESS (2) YOUR DIRECT TELEPHONE NUMBER (3) YOUR INTERNATIONAL PASSPORT COPY Urgent response to this mail will enable us dispatch your ATM Payment prepared Card for onward claim. Accept our congratulation in advance Yours faithfully. Mr. Udoka Ezeij To: Date: Monday, 23 April 2018, 01:18AM -0700 Subject: NOTIFICATION OF IMMEDIATE DELIVERY OF YOUR INTEREST FUNDS VIA ATM PREPARED CARD - - OFFICE OF DR UDOKA EZEJI DIRECTOR ATM PAYMENT UNIT UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA HEAD OFFICE STALLION PLAZA 36 MARINA, P.M.B 2027 LAGOS, NIGERIA ATTN: Sir. NOTIFICATION OF IMMEDIATE DELIVERY OF YOUR INTEREST FUNDS VIA ATM PREPARED CARD Today , we hereby arranged for your approved inheritance interest payment of US$18.182.Million Dollars only via ATM CARD directed to us by the Federal Government of Nigeria Authorities . Now, you are among the seven (7) beneficiaries who will receive his/her approved payment via (ATM CARD), for the immediate withdrawal of your funds. On contrary, arrangement will be made with Courier Services accredited to this bank to book for delivery of your (ATM CARD), which will be delivered to your office address. Note that this payment instrument (ATM CARD) on a reason cannot be delivered to P.O Box for your information. In furtherance to the above mentioned, you are hereby advice to furnish us with the bellow listed information to enable us carry the payment procedures. In which upon the receipt of (ATM CARD), you will insert it with your bank instrument and make withdrawal of your funds as programmed. Finally your advice to furnish us with the following information bellow: (1) Your Full Name. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2) Full Residential Address. . . . . . . . . . . . . (3) Direct and Current Phone . . . . . . . . . . (4) Nationality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (5) Present Country . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (6) Nearest Airport. . . . . . . . . . . . (1) YOUR CONTACT ADDRESS (2) YOUR DIRECT TELEPHONE NUMBER (3) YOUR INTERNATIONAL PASSPORT COPY Urgent response to this mail will enable us dispatch your ATM Payment prepared Card for onward claim. Accept our congratulation in advance Yours faithfully. Mr. Udoka Ezeij +2348052759885 From: Mr. Udoka Ezeij senatordavidmark49@gmail.com To: undisclosed-recipients:; Date: Monday, 23 April 2018, 01:18AM -0700Subject: NOTIFICATION OF IMMEDIATE DELIVERY OF YOUR INTEREST FUNDS VIA ATM PREPARED CARD 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.... A woman was raced to hospital with serious head and arm injuries after leaping from the top floor of a blazing building to escape an inferno swallowing her studio. Emergency services were called to an old factory in St Kilda, Melbourne, following reports of a building fire just after 7.30am on Friday. Paramedics took the woman, in her 20s, to the Alfred Hospital in a stable condition with injuries to her arms, legs and head, according to Ambulance Victoria. Scroll down for video A woman is being treated to serious injuries after she leapt from an out-of-control blazing building Melbourne's emergency services were called to a disused factory in St Kilda following reports of a building fire on Friday just after 7.30am The woman was forced to jump from a window on the first floor of her rental studio space, located at the back of the two-floor meatworks building. As a precaution, nearby residents were evacuated by the Metropolitan Fire Brigade . According to The Age, it's understood the woman was given permission to live in the building without fire alarms by the owner of the factory. 'It will depend on whether the council has granted approval. But the end result was a person was hurt in the place so we will need to look at that carefully,' Commander Brett Croucher, told 3AW radio. It took the firefighters over an hour to bring the blaze under control, and the MFB had also issued smoke warnings to those living nearby. The woman was forced to jump from a window on the first floor of her rental studio space that is located at the back of the meat-works building It took the firefighters over an hour to bring the blaze under control, and the Metropolitan Fire Brigade had also issued smoke warnings to those living nearby. 'There is currently no threat to the community, but you should continue to stay informed and monitor conditions,' the warning said. The cause of the fire is still yet unknown, Victorian Police said. Police said that they have also contacted the factory owners. Media were banned from attending a Television Academy event where Samantha Bee was being honored just hours after she apologized to Ivanka Trump for calling her a 'feckless c**t'. Bee's show Full Frontal was being recognized in Los Angeles on Thursday night by the Television Academy as one of the most 'meaningful and relevant' on the air. But members of the press were told late in the afternoon that there had been a change of plans and they were no longer allowed access to the reception room. A Television Academy representative confirmed that the decision was a result of todays events involving Samantha Bee', according to the Hollywood Reporter. Bee's controversial comments about Ivanka had resulted in "the need to limit access to tonights activities', the rep added. Comedian Samantha Bee used the slur to describe Ivanka Trump on her TBS show Full Frontal on Wednesday night Six other shows related to social change were also honored at the event, including 13 Reasons Why, One Day at a Time, Andi Mack and LA 92. The academy had earlier said that the controversy over Bee's language would not affect the comedian's accolade. It said its event is 'non-political' and that Bee's recognition was for 'her engagement in 2017 on the subject of sexual harassment and the #MeToo movement.' Bee had apologized to Ivanka and viewers on Thursday for using the obscenity to describe the president's daughter on her TBS show Full Frontal the previous night. She used the slur towards the end of a segment about President Trump's immigration policies as she urged Ivanka to speak to her father about systems that separate children from their parents. 'You know, Ivanka, that's a beautiful photo of you and your child, but let me just say, one mother to another, do something about your dad's immigration practices, you feckless c***,' she said after showing a photo of Ivanka and her toddler son Theodore. Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer led calls for Bee's show to be axed after the comedian apologized to Ivanka Trump Ivanka Trump shared a photo with her son Theodore on Instagram Sunday, which showed the mother affectionately holding her youngest child (above) The incident quickly thrust Bee into the middle of the nation's political divide with the White House slamming the comments as 'vile and vicious'. Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer also led calls for Bee's show to be axed. Spicer told TMZ that there was double standards given Roseanne's show was axed after her racist tweets but Bee had yet to face disciplinary action. Autotrader and State Farm both pulled sponsorship of Bee's late-night comedy show on Thursday. 'Thank you to those who reached out regarding our sponsorship of Full Frontal. The comments expressed by Samantha Bee were offensive and unacceptable and do not reflect the views of our company. As a result, we have suspended our sponsorship of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee,' Autotrader's statement read. State Farm also asked TBS to halt its advertising on the show. 'We have asked TBS to suspend our advertising in the program and are reviewing any future placements. We constantly review programs to ensure alignment to our programming guidelines and brand values,' the company said. Bee, a former correspondent on 'The Daily Show' with Jon Stewart whose own show has been one of TBS' big successes since it started in 2016, said that her language was 'inappropriate and inexcusable'. 'I crossed a line, and I deeply regret it,' she said. Bee used the slur towards the end of a segment about President Trump 's immigration policies Before the apology, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders called Bee's language 'vile and vicious' and said executives at TBS and corporate parent Time Warner needed to demonstrate that such explicit profanity about female members of the administration would not be condoned. TBS said Bee had taken the right step in apologizing. 'Samantha Bee has taken the right action in apologizing for the vile and inappropriate language she used about Ivanka Trump last night. Those words should not have been aired. It was our mistake too, and we regret it,' the network said in a statement. The network made no mention of any disciplinary action. Coming two days after ABC canceled 'Roseanne' following a racist tweet about former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, Bee's remark was immediately seized upon by culture warriors. Some conservatives upset about the 'Roseanne' cancellation suggested Bee should meet the same fate, while liberals wondered whether Bee's words were any worse than some used by President Trump, notably in the 'Access Hollywood' tape. Megyn Kelly was among those to hit out at Bee as she dragged Roseanne Barr into the debate. 'This is disgusting. How is this acceptable? And how are we expected to take any of these publications seriously if they gleefully repost something like this at the same time they (rightfully) condemn @therealroseanne?' wrote Kelly. 'You know the saying Love is Love? Well Hate is Hate.' A Maryland millionaire was indicted on charges of second degree depraved heart murder and involuntary manslaughter on Thursday after a young man died while digging tunnels under his home for protection from nuclear war. Daniel Beckwitt, 27, hired 21-year-old Askia Khafra to dig an elaborate system beneath his house over fears of a nuclear attack from North Korea, officials said. Khafra died on September 10 from smoke inhalation and heat injuries he sustained when a fire broke out in Beckwitt's home while Khafra was in the basement, which is where the tunnels and bunkers were located. Beckwitt was released on a $100,000 bond on Thursday, after his representation argued that Khafra's death was an accident that did not result from any intention or ill will on the part of Beckwitt, Fox 5 News reported. Maryland millionaire Daniel Beckwitt (left), 27, was indicted on charges of second degree depraved heart murder and involuntary manslaughter on Thursday after Askia Khafra (right), 21, died on September 10 while digging tunnels under his home to protect against nuclear war Beckwitt's financial worth is believed to be at least $3.7 million, which is what led to his becoming acquainted with Khafra. Beckwitt invested in a tech startup that Khafra was trying to get off the ground. Khafra eventually then came to work for Beckwitt to execute his tunnels and bunkers project. Beckwitt and Khafra became acquainted when the Beckwitt invested in a tech startup that Khafra was trying to get off the ground, and then Khafra eventually came to work for Beckwitt to execute his tunnels and bunkers project Khafra was unable to make it out alive after a fire ignited in the home because he had been kept in the dark about the actual design of the home he was working beneath The young man was blindfolded each day as he was led to the tunnels to continue his work Khafra was unable to make it out alive after a fire ignited in the home because he had been kept in the dark about the actual design of the home he was working beneath. The young man was blindfolded each day as he was led to the tunnels to continue his work, detectives said. This was because Beckwitt wanted to ensure the location of the tunnels remained a secret, even to the man who he had hired to create them. Khafra is believed to have slept, eaten, and relieved himself in the tunnels. Khafra is believed to have slept, eaten, and relieved himself in the tunnels Beckwitt hired Khafra to dig an elaborate tunnels and bunkers system beneath his house over fears of a nuclear attack from North Korea, officials said Beckwitt's home was characterized as existing in extreme-hoarded conditions, officials said The rest of Beckwitt's home was characterized as existing in extreme-hoarded conditions, according to officials. In Maryland, there are two types of second degree murder. One of those crimes involves the specific intent to commit a murder, and the other occurs when a murderer acts 'with a wanton disregard for human life,' prosecutor John McCarthy explained. The second type of second degree murder is what Beckwitt has been charged with. 'I'm not trying to characterize the conduct of the defendant. I'm just saying that the judge would instruct the jury that they would have to find that the conduct reflected a wanton disregard for human life.' Beckwitt's home where Khafra died is located on Danbury Road in Rockville, near Bethesda. A Qantas plane has made an emergency landing in Sydney after suffering mechanical issues. The QF23 was travelling to Bangkok but due to a technical fault just moments after take-off, was forced to return. The plane circled around Western Sydney for about 40 minutes before landing back at Sydney airport. A Qantas plane has made an emergency landing in Sydney after suffering mechanical issues Emergency vehicles were on standby at the airport as it landed on the runway. A passenger on the plane posted on social media she was informed 20 minutes into the flight that the 'right engine' was failing. 'I'm freaking out big time, she said. 'The plane stinks of fuel. Sydney to Bangkok, now Sydney to Sydney...safe landing at least.' The woman told Daily Mail Australia the experience was 'very very scary'. An image of the flight path of the plane showed the aircraft circling around Sydney suburbs Fairfield, Castlereagh and Baulkham Hills She said Qantas provided her with a $30 gift voucher while they wait for the next flight. 'It's been been a long day, I am OK but for people with kids or travelling interstate, it's not fair.' Passenger Daniel Racek, travelling to Thailand with his wife, said there was a 'smell of gas' when they were first seated on the plane. After the plane took off, they heard a 'vibration' and shaking on the plane. 'There was a smell of gas when we first got seated and boarded,' he said. 'There was definitely a scent in the air, and then there was a vibration that everyone noticed.' Passenger Daniel Racek, travelling to Thailand with his wife, said there was a 'smell of gas' when they were first seated on the plane (pictured). A Qantas spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia QF23 from Sydney to Bangkok returned to Sydney about one hour after taking off due to an engine issue. He said engineers are now inspecting the aircraft and passengers will depart on another plane today. 'The aircraft landed safely and without incident. Our engineers are inspecting the aircraft,' he said in a statement. 'Emergency service vehicles were on standby as is normal procedure. 'Passengers will be re-accommodated on another aircraft departing for Bangkok later this afternoon. 'We thank our customers for their patience and understanding.' Mr Racek while tired after waiting at the airport for 10 hours and receiving what he described as $1.80 in compensation from the airline per hour, said the airline did a good job. Five ineligible federal MPs claimed almost $1 million in expenses from taxpayers in just six months despite being under a citizenship cloud with their ties to Britain. Labor backbenchers Susan Lamb, Justine Keay, Josh Wilson and Katy Gallagher, and Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie, continued to claim travel allowance and office costs despite the High Court last year disqualifying other MPs in similar circumstances to them. Between October 2017 and March 2018, they collectively claimed $958,715 from taxpayers, a Daily Mail Australia analysis of Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority data found. Five ineligible federal MPs (Labor's Susan Lamb pictured) claimed almost $1 million in expenses from taxpayers in just six months despite being under a citizenship cloud with their ties to Britain Between October 2017 and March 2018, they (Labor's Justine Keay pictured) collectively claimed $958,715 from taxpayers, a Daily Mail Australia analysis of Independent Parliamentary Expenses data found This was on top of their base $203,000 salaries. The expenses were incurred before they all resigned on May 9, hours after the High Court in Canberra ruled former senator Katy Gallagher was a dual British citizen and therefore constitutionally unable to remain in parliament. The High Court in October found former Nationals deputy leader Fiona Nash was also a dual British citizen by descent. But rather than resign eight months ago, the five federal MPs continued to sit illegitimately in federal parliament. The Labor member for Fremantle Josh Wilson was the biggest drain on the public purse, costing taxpayers $244,588. The Labor member for Fremantle Josh Wilson was the biggest drain on the public purse, costing taxpayers $244,588 Rebekha Sharkie, who in 2016 won the traditionally safe Liberal seat of Mayo, in the Adelaide Hills, for the Nick Xenophon Team cost $195,083 His Labor colleague Justine Keay, who held the marginal north-west Tasmanian seat of Braddon, cost Australians $240,872 over the same period. Fellow Labor backbencher Susan Lamb, from the marginal outer-northern Brisbane electorate of Longman, claimed $208,680 from the public while former Australian Capital Territory senator Katy Gallagher cost $69,492. Rebekha Sharkie, who in 2016 won the traditionally safe Liberal seat of Mayo, in the Adelaide Hills, for the Nick Xenophon Team cost $195,083. While Katy Gallagher will be replaced in the Senate by the next Labor candidate on the ticket, the four other MPs from the House of Representatives will try to regain their old jobs at by-elections on July 28. Taxpayers will be footing an $8 million for those contests in Tasmania, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia, less than a year before the Australian people are set to face another general election. This little echidna found himself in a prickle while taking a swim this week. Three tourists who hired a boat while visiting Bribie Island off the southeast Queensland coastline couldn't believe their luck when they came across the creature while fishing on Wednesday. More than 200 metres from shore, and looking very lost, the echidna hitched a boat ride back to the island, much to the surprise of the Bribie Island Boat Charters operators. Scroll down for video The echidna found himself halfway between Bribie Island and the mainland this week 'It was most definitely an unusual discovery,' operator Robyn Tomkins told Daily Mail Australia. 'What we think has happened is that the echidna was taking a swim to get rid of a tick he had when a strong tide flushed him out halfway between here and the mainland.' Worn out from his big adventure, the echidna was very grateful to see his rescuers. The echidna was taken to Australia Zoo to have a tick removed and has since returned to Bribie Island The Bribie Island visitors who hired the boat and found him in the middle of the sea placed the echidna (pictured) in a bin and took him back to shore 'He was trying to climb onto the boat, so it wanted to stop swimming,' Mrs Tomkins told Daily Mail Australia. 'Our customers popped him in a bin on the boat and brought him back. Two of them were visiting from New Zealand, so it was very exciting for them. The echidna was quite healthy, apart from the tick.' Marlyn Rasmussen was out fishing with her husband, aunt and uncle they came across the prickly swimmer. 'We saw something, didn't realise what it was until she came closer and she literally swam straight to the back of the boat as if to say 'help me,' Ms Rasmussen told the ABC. The echidna (pictured) was very grateful to see his rescuers and tried to climb onto the boat 'She went into defensive mode, curled up into a ball. There was a big black rubbish bin on the boat so we put him in there to keep him safe till we got back.' The echidna was taken to Australian Zoo to have the tick removed and has since been given a clean bill of health and returned to Bribie Island National Park. It's not the first unusual discovery for charter boat hirers at Bribie Island. 'They come across possums from time to time,' Mrs Tompkins told Daily Mail Australia. 'One came across a goanna that climbed onto the boat, which was frightening for all those involved.' An Australian grandmother will be given just 24-hours notice before she is hanged for smuggling drugs into Malaysia, the country's self-described 'number one' executioner has revealed. A former prison official who presided over 130 hangings across five Malaysian jails has given Daily Mail Australia an extraordinary insight into the final hours of a death row inmate. In an exclusive interview in Kuala Lumpur, the retired former chief hangman, 61, said the executions always begin at dawn, just after the morning prayers. Scroll down for video The man who was once Malaysia's 'number one executioner' (pictured) has explained how an Australian grandmother convicted of drug trafficking will die Australian woman Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto (centre) has been given the death sentence after being convicted of drug trafficking charges in Malaysia. She was first arrested in early 2015 'That is the best time,' said the officer, who asked his name not to be published for safety reasons. 'People wake up, their mind is always at peace. 'It's very quiet, the whole prison is very quiet, especially the Muslims, they pray. 'People in the death knell are praying for the (inmate about to be hanged), the Christians, the people in the other blocks are praying for them too - they know that.' The ex-hangman opened up about the country's secretive execution process after a Malaysian court sentenced Sydney woman Maria Exposto, 54, to death. Like many before her, in 2014, Ms Exposto was caught at Kuala Lumpur international airport carrying a bag laced with drugs - more than a kilogram of crystal methamphetamine. She claimed she was 'duped' into carrying the substance by an online romance scammer. Drug smuggling carries a mandatory death penalty in Malaysia. Activists have long criticised the hardline policy as 'barbaric, cruel and inhumane', but it has broad public support. This week, the former prison chief outlined a grim future for Ms Exposto if a final appeal against her death sentence fails. The officer, who asked for his name not to be published for safety reasons, sat down with Daily Mail Australia to explain how Exposto will only be told she will die 24 hours before the hanging Over his career the executioner directly hanged 70 people, and supervised about 60 more Exposto was sentenced to death on May 24, more than three years after she was first arrested The former executioner explains to journalist Daniel Piotrowski what the final moments of Exposto's life will be like inside the Malaysian prison THE FINAL DAYS The estimated 1346 Malaysian prisoners currently on death row face a long wait, the executioner said. It can take up to 11 years behind bars for inmates to step into the gallows. The prison starts preparing for the hanging one month before. The chief executioner chooses an appropriate date and time and selects a support team to prepare the chamber, place the noose around the inmate's neck and pull the trapdoor lever. 'We inform the family one week earlier, for preparation by the family (with) what they want to do with the body,' the hangman said. 'We inform the family the execution will be carried out, in this prison, between this time, at this date. '(We say), please be there one day before this.' But the inmate does not learn they will be put to death until 24 hours before they are hanged. That morning, the prisoner is summoned to a meeting with the prison director and told it is their last full day on Earth. The jail has received a death penalty warrant, the director tells them, and 'yes, your family knows already'. 'Immediately after seeing the director, they (are) taken out to a room, then the family comes in,' the official said. 'Anyone from the family can come, no problem That part is always very emotional.' Exposto is currently being held inside the notorious Kajang prison (pictured) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's capital A prisoner speaks at a table as dozens of other inmates sit in large holding cages behind him A group of prisoners who are on death row at Kajang Prison gather together to pray Exposto was caught with 1.5 kilograms of crystal meth in her bag at Kuala Lumpur international airport. She has been held at Kajang prison (pictured) since her arrest in April 2015 Malaysia has a mandatory death sentence for anyone found guilty of carrying more than 50 grams of a prohibited drug (A guard stands outside Kajang prison) The prisoners say their final goodbyes. They can ask for a last meal, although they are by no means guaranteed to get what they asked for, the hangman said. 'Some people ask, is there any chance to drink, smoke?' the executioner laughed. 'There's no such thing as 'one for the road! Let's have a drink before we go!' The next day the prisoner wakes and is led into the gallows. The jail is, usually, quiet and still. Sometimes, the executioner said, it's all over 'ten seconds' after the prisoner steps into the chamber. LIFE AS AN EXECUTIONER The executioner who spoke to Daily Mail Australia killed his first inmate - a drug-smuggling Thai actor - when he was 26-years-old. Over his career, he directly hanged 70 people, and supervised about 60 more. Sometimes, the hangman executed multiple people at once. There were six people all together on one occasion, three on another. 'Ninety per cent' of prisoners were peaceful in their final moments, he claimed. The rest were distressed. One notorious mass-murderer even spat in the hangman's face as the cover was placed over his head. 'He killed women, he killed children,' the executioner said. 'I had no regret, I had totally no regret. I can still make his face, he's looking at me, spitting in my face'. Another prisoner affected the hangman in a different way. The final days: The executioner chooses a date and time and selects a support team to prepare the chamber, place the noose around the inmate's neck and pull the trapdoor lever The executioner killed his first inmate, a drug-smuggling Thai actor, when he was 26-years-old Exposto (centre) was initially acquitted after a judge found she was scammed by her online boyfriend, by an appeals court overturned the verdict The inmate left a heartbreaking letter to his son saying 'please do not do the same thing I did selling drugs, doing this, it's not going to get you anywhere. I made this mistake, I'm very sorry son.' The doomed prisoner asked the hangman to give it to his boy. 'I shook hands with (the son) and said: "I'm very sorry",' he recalled. Most of the damned were men. A 6 ft 5 Nigerian man cried for his entire final day after being told he would die, the hangman recalled. 'Woman (sic), I think, are tougher than men,' the executioner said. About six women were hanged under his watch and, 'women are always (more) well prepared than men, I noticed that.' Hangmen are handpicked from existing jail staff by a selection panel. 'You must have a very good record, physically you must be fit, mentally you must be strong,' he said. 'You have to be very, very strong. It's not easy to become an executioner. You must be able to control your emotions.' One Nigerian man cried for his entire final day after being told he would die, the hangman recalled The hangmen said his decision to follow a career as an executioner came out of a sense of duty to his nation 'Women are always (more) well prepared (for death) than men, I noticed that,' the executioner said Executions do not happen every day, or even every month. In 2016, Malaysia put nine people to death, while its courts handed down more than 36 death sentences, according to Amnesty International statistics. But why do people follow such a career in the first place? The hangmen said he did his work out of a sense of duty to the nation. 'Of course there is emotion there,' he said. 'I only (see it) as part of my work. 'I feel like this is my work, to serve the country, and nothing more than that. 'I do not hold any grudges. I do not hold any ill feelings towards the opposite, even if it is a murderer, even if they are drug (smugglers) because I know the process of law has been done, has been carried out.' The hangman said he has 'no regrets'. Pauline Hanson has fired New South Wales senator Brian Burston from her One Nation party a day after tearfully accusing him of stabbing her in the back. The Queensland senator sent him a letter declaring she no longer had confidence in the man who joined One Nation when it first formed during the late 1990s. 'I no longer have confidence in you as an officer of Pauline Hanson's One Nation,' she said in the correspondence given today to Sydney radio 2GB presenter Ben Fordham. Scroll down for video Pauline Hanson has fired New South Wales senator Brian Burston from her One Nation party a day after tearfully accusing him of stabbing her in the back The Queensland senator sent him a letter declaring she no longer had confidence in the man who joined One Nation when it first formed during the late 1990s 'Please considering resigning from the Senate seat and handing it back to the party. 'You describe yourself as loyal to me and I now ask that you demonstrate that loyalty by giving up your seat in the Senate to enable the party to appoint a replacement NSW senator.' Senator Burston, who hails from the NSW Hunter Valley, declared he would not be resigning from federal parliament nor the party. 'I will not be vacating my Senate position in the House and I shall not be resigning from One Nation,' he told 2GB upon learning he had been fired from the party. Senator Burston, who hails from the NSW Hunter Valley, declared he would not be resigning from federal parliament nor the party Tensions between the pair escalated after Senator Burston publicly contradicted his boss and supported the Turnbull Government's proposed corporate tax cuts. Senator Hanson yesterday tearfully accused her Senate colleague of stabbing her 'in the back' and accused him of trying to defect to the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party - an accusation he denied. The leader of the right-wing minor party has also reportedly approached former federal Labor leader Mark Latham to run as the lead Senate candidate for the party in NSW at the next federal election. However the 57-year-old media commentator declined to go into detail, except to say four political parties had approached him to run. 'It's a classic non-denial, denial,' Mr Latham told the Seven Network's Sunrise program today. 'The serious point is the country is heading in the wrong direction. 'The major parties are on the nose.' One Nation has also reportedly approached former federal Labor leader Mark Latham to run as the lead Senate candidate for the party in NSW at the next federal election Brian Burston is the fourth senator Pauline Hanson has lost since 2016, when her party won four Senate seats at that year's double-dissolution election Brian Burston is the fourth senator Pauline Hanson has lost since 2016, when her party won four Senate seats at that year's double-dissolution election. Former West Australian senator Rod Culleton was disqualified from parliament in January 2017 after being declared a bankrupt, which made him constitutionally ineligible to remain a federal lawmaker. In October 2017, Malcolm Roberts was disqualified as a Queensland senator after the High Court found he was a dual British citizen. His casual replacement in the Senate Fraser Anning quit One Nation on the same day he was sworn into parliament in January 2018. That makes Pauline Hanson the only One Nation senator elected in July 2016 to still be a One Nation senator. Advertisement Britain has enjoyed its sunniest and warmest May since records began in 1929, provisional figures show, despite the week of torrential rain, thunderstorms and flash flooding that has brought travel chaos to Britain. And things could be about to change this weekend at the start of meteorological summer, with more settled and sunny weather expected for much of England as temperatures soar as high as 77F (25C) in the South on Sunday. Fresher air will arrive with a cold front to signal an end to the humidity and muggy nights that have blighted the country in recent days, while temperatures should get up to a minimum of around 70F (21C) for the next week. But the risk of thunderstorms and torrential rain will remain for Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of eastern England for the next few days with the Met Office having imposed warnings for these areas today and tomorrow. A total of 245.3 hours of sunshine were measured across the country last month, according to the Met Office, making it the sunniest while it has also been the warmest May since records began in 1910. The average daytime maximum temperature was 62.6F (17.0C), just beating the previous all-time high of 62.4F (16.9C) set in May 1992. Despite thunderstorms bringing showers and flash floods to parts of the country at the end of the month, rainfall across the UK in May was less than two-thirds (64 per cent) of the level expected. Rainfall in England was 72 per cent of the long-term average for the month, while in Wales it was 62 per cent and in Scotland just 55 per cent. Northern Irelands rainfall was 80 per cent of the average. Tim Legg, of the Met Office National Climate Information Centre, said: Increased sunshine during the month has helped to keep daytime temperatures high, leading to it provisionally being the warmest May since records began in 1910. It is also likely to be the sunniest May since 1929 too. Huge queues form at lunch time for a promotional free ice cream from a van by The Studios at Media City in Salford today A group of young people take a selfie with an ice cream next to a van in the sunshine at Media City in Salford today People make the most of a humid and misty June 1 at Christchurch Quay in Dorset today People walk along Christchurch Quay in Dorset today as parts of southern England experience further humid weather Met Office forecaster Nicky Maxey told MailOnline: 'The risk of thunderstorms and torrential rain eases as we go through the weekend. There's some fresher air coming in with a cold front to the South of England. 'Things start to improve from the South with some sunshine. We lose those muggy nights and humidity. But there is still the risk of torrential rain and thunderstorms tomorrow for Northern Ireland, Scotland and the east coast. 'Then on Sunday we've still got the potential for some of those thundery showers for Scotland Northern Ireland, and later on there's a risk for South Wales, but outside of those areas we've got a lot of sunshine.' It comes after commuters across Britain endured travel chaos today and hundreds of families were left stranded as Ryanair cancelled flights in and out of London Stansted Airport following further severe weather. Great Western Railway trains were running more slowly than usual after Network Rail imposed blanket speed restrictions on the line, with Didcot Parkway station in Oxfordshire under more than a foot of floodwater. Passengers at the station were left to wade through the deep waters or be helped by firefighters, with travellers reporting raw sewage flowing from drains and one commuter saying she had been given a piggy back. Some 100 people were evacuated from the Old Fire Station arts centre in Oxford after water began coming through the roof, while homes were flooded in Herefordshire and lightning started a house fire in Colwall. Air passengers were stuck in Berlin and Budapest while others at Stansted faced huge queues last night, with frustrated travellers demanding to know why Ryanair was the only firm cancelling flights due to 'adverse weather'. Hundreds of people were pictured queuing for information at Stansted, while others stranded abroad claiming they were stuck with no hotel to stay in but the airline insisted all affected passengers were re-accommodated. Sheryl Hickey tweeted a picture of huge queues at Stansted's check-in desks, saying: 'Beware of flying with Ryanair! Flight cancelled, no announcement, no staff anywhere. Appalling customer service. 'Three hours in queue. No Ryanair staff throughout Stansted. Hundreds of people queueing. Easy for saving fuel when seats are empty. Now getting alternative flight and six-hour bus journey. Happy holidays.' Nicky Peters added: 'My two daughters aged 19 and 15 are currently sitting in a plane in Budapest. They have been on the plane three hours and have been told they will not take off for over another hour. 'The cabin crew won't give them food or drink. This is disgusting and I can't contact anyone to get info.' In addition, Twitter user 'Katerina' said: 'My family just got stranded at Stansted Airport. One brother autistic the other on wheelchair. They need accommodation. They need help. So far no one is helping.' The Environment Agency has issued 59 flood alerts for southern England and the West Midlands - along with one more serious warning for the River Lambourn in Berkshire, warning local residents to take 'immediate action' Ryanair said it had to cancel flights in and out of Stansted because of the weather, and apologised for the inconvenience caused insisting that it had contacted all affected customers to advise them of their options. A spokesman told MailOnline: 'All affected customers were contacted by SMS text message and email and advised of their options of a full refund, free transfer onto the next available flight or a free transfer on to an alternative route, and were also provided with refreshment vouchers.' Earlier, the airline had said: 'We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this weather disruption, which is entirely beyond our control, and we are working hard to minimise the disruption to our operations.' The Met Office has a weather warning in place for rain across western England, Northern Ireland and most of Scotland and Wales today, alerting the public to up to 2.4in (60mm) of rain in just three hours. Forecasters have warned of scattered heavy showers and thunderstorms developing over the area today, with torrential rain, lightning and large hail also possible between 9am and 10pm today. A further warning for tomorrow in Scotland and Northern Ireland between 11am and 9pm tells of further heavy showers and thunderstorms, with up to 2.8in (70mm) of rain in three hours, frequent lightning and large hail. The warnings for today and tomorrow add: 'Fast flowing or deep floodwater is possible, causing a danger to life.' Sheryl Hickey tweeted a picture today of huge queues at London Stansted Airport, saying: 'Beware of flying with Ryanair!' Chris Corlett tweeted around midnight that he faced a 'six-hour queue' at the customer service desk at Stansted to get a hotel Ryanair passengers took to social media to tell of their displeasure at the flight disruption at London Stansted and elsewhere The Environment Agency has issued 59 flood alerts for southern England and the West Midlands - along with one more serious warning for the River Lambourn in Berkshire, warning local residents to take 'immediate action'. Met Office meteorologist John West told how a 'lively' day was in store today, despite a bright start for some. He said: 'It will be a warm and humid day, with some decent spells of sunshine. 'But with the temperatures rising and an awful lot of moisture in the air, we'll see more heavy showers and thunderstorms returning by early afternoon. 'This will affect Northern Ireland, Scotland and western parts of England and Wales. With some torrential downpours, it is likely that we will see some localised flooding.' It comes after storms and heavy downpours caused problems in some parts of Britain yesterday afternoon and overnight. Train passengers in the Midlands could find their journeys affected after lightning strikes damaged equipment between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton. Network Rail said disruption was expected until about 9am. South-west parts of England were worst-affected overnight, with Gloucestershire County Council reporting multiple calls to the fire service over flash flooding. Flights were also cancelled due to the severe weather conditions, with 48 easyJet services affected at Gatwick Airport. Ryanair cancelled a 'small number' of flights, while others were delayed. Didcot Parkway train station in Oxfordshire is flooded, leaving passengers to wade through water or be helped by firefighters Travellers at Didcot reported raw sewage flowing from drains, while one commuter said she had been given a piggy back Horses are exercised in misty conditions this morning before ladies day of the Investec Derby Festival at Epsom in Surrey The Environment Agency has urged people to check their flood risk and warned people not to drive through flood water. Kate Marks, Environment Agency flood duty manager, said teams would work '24/7' to operate flood defences, clear blockages in rivers and streams and support partners at any incidents of surface water flooding. 'With heavy rain forecast during rush hour, drivers should stay up to date with the latest weather forecast and travel information before making their journey,' she said. 'We remind people not to drive through flood water as just 30cm (1ft) can move your car.' Bookmakers have cut the odds on the UK seeing the hottest June day since records began from 10-1 to 4-1. The current record is 96F (35.6C) recorded in 1976. Coral are offering odds of 2-1 that next month goes on to be the hottest June on record. A spokesman said: 'Last June we reached well over 30 degrees during a spell of thunderstorms and all the signs are now that we could be set for another wet and wild heatwave this June. 'The records for both the hottest month and the hottest day are both well within the realms of possibility and we've cut our odds accordingly.' Father, 51, describes how terrifying lightning strike threw him across his bedroom, burnt down his house and left him temporarily unable to see or hear A father has described the moment a bolt of lightning struck his house in the middle of the night, setting it on fire and destroying all his possessions. Paul Robinson, 51, was renting two rooms at a property in Romford, Essex. One of the rooms he occupied was the attic room, which he shared with his wife Anna, 32, while his two-year-old daughter Jasmine's room was on the first floor. At around 1am on Sunday morning, a bolt of lightning struck the window of the attic bedroom. Some 35 firefighters rushed to the home and reported the entire second floor loft room and half the first floor of the property were damaged. The lightning struck the window in the attic of the Robinsons' home in Romford, Essex, causing a large electrical fire Mr and Mrs Robinson and Jasmine, along with their landlord called Dave, had already fled the house. Describing the moment the lightning struck the window in his bedroom, Mr Robinson explained how the 'loudest noise that he'd ever heard' was enough to make him temporarily lose the ability to both see and hear. He said: 'I was sitting at my desk and I just heard the loudest sound that I'd ever heard in my life. I didn't know what had happened, but I did realise that I was no longer sitting at my desk and was now over near the doorway to the landing. 'I don't remember if I was blown across or stumbled across but I just don't remember getting there. I do remember thinking that I couldn't see and that I couldn't hear either.' Miraculously, neither Mr Robinson nor his wife were in their bed, which is immediately adjacent to the window that was struck. Mr Robinson was at his desk and Mrs Robinson was downstairs with their daughter. Mr Robinson continued: 'I then realised that I hadn't lost all my senses because I could smell and the first thing I could smell was burning. I didn't know where it was coming from because I couldn't see anything. 35 firefighters rushed to the home and reported the entire second floor loft room and half the first floor of the property were damaged 'I staggered around the room wondering what I was going to do, which was when my sight started slowly coming back to me and I noticed a fire at the end of my bed. My first thought was to go downstairs and check out my daughter's room. 'I went to go and put the light on and the light switch had been blown off the wall and it was just hanging by the wiring. I told my wife to grab the baby and get out the house. Mr Robinson explained how the 'loudest noise that he'd ever heard' was enough to make him temporarily lose the ability to both see and hear 'I didn't leave straight away as I wanted to make sure they got out first and then Dave started coming up the stairs as he must have heard me calling for water, but I told him not to bother and to just get out the house.' Mr Robinson said that he then started to feel lightheaded because the house filled up with smoke. He added: 'This is when I knew it was time to get myself out quickly. 'There was quite a crowd gathered outside, as everyone had been woken by our neighbour's houses shaking and car alarms were going off. I also had a collection of snakes that we were trying to breed rarer colour forms. 'We were then going to sell them as a business to create the deposit for our own home. They all died in the fire but I wasn't really thinking of them as if I had, I probably wouldn't have had time to get out myself. 'It is good that your emotions kick in during times like that and you realise what actually means a lot to you because we couldn't save everything and I'm glad we didn't.' It is not the only time Mr and Mrs Robinson have been caught up in a disaster zone. He said: 'Five years ago when I got married, we were in the Philippines when they had the worst typhoon in recorded history and we survived that. 'In England, you live in homes built of bricks that are meant to survive any weather, but you then find that you are wrong.' The only things that Mr Robinson and his family now own is his car and some clothes and cuddly toys donated to him by members of his local church and friends. 'I don't know what our options are now because we don't have the money to go out and pay a market rent,' he said. 'The council will not home us because my wife is not a UK national having only been here for four years and needing to have been here for six, so it limits our options. 'Our friends were going on holiday the day after the fire and had been let down by a house sitter, so luckily we were able to stay there. They are back on Monday though so I don't know what we'll do from there. 'We knew that our room was 100 per cent fire damaged, but we held on to the hopes that some our stuff in the room below may have been salvageable but when we went back to the house, everything was 100 per cent water damaged. 'We've had some help that doesn't show on the fundraising page. The bishop put aside some money for us to go out and replace some clothes that we'd lost and they had passed round a calendar to mark down days to provide meals, but where we are staying in Southend at the moment, we don't expect people to travel to us to provide meals. Paul Robinson, 51, is pictured with his wife Anna, 32, and two-year-old daughter Jasmine. They are now temporarily living in Southend 'It is strange how a disaster brings the best out of people. Like in journalism and when I was in the police force, you often see the absolute worst in some people that are out there, so it is nice to see the other side of human nature. 'We have nice neighbours and friends within our church community that have really helped to restore our faith in humanity.' A GoFundMe page has been set up by a friend of the Robinson family at their nearby Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Mr Robinson says his daughter is still unaware of the situation that the family is in. He continued: 'It is very touching that people have responded the way they have. My wife has found this all stressful, but my daughter is blissfully unaware of what has happened because she has so many new soft toys. 'I keep saying to people that we do not have anywhere to put things and the fundraiser is more important to us than giving us things, as we can't rebuild our lives if we don't have anywhere to put things. 'If people would like to help, we'd appreciate money being put into the fundraiser so we know where we are and we can have somewhere to put things.' Mr Robinson admitted that, because he cannot work through health problems and that he fails to qualify for necessary benefits to keep his life on track, he may take the decision to leave the country and move to the Philippines permanently. 'We have been considering retiring to the Philippines because we have been finding it tough in this country for a long time,' he said. 'I do feel quite strongly about the situation we are in and I think we live in a time where it is tough for everyone I don't know many people who have it easy. 'My police pension stops me qualifying for benefits in this country and it will go a lot further over there. Perhaps we will go sooner rather than later now because we now have nothing left to keep us here. 'The sad thing is that because I got these injuries through serving for the police force and put all my tax into the system, I feel a bit bitter that we now cannot afford to stay in this country and that our best option is to leave.' A GoFundMe page has been set up by a friend of the Robinson family at their nearby Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Romford to help the family with vital needs to get them a place to live. It has already raised more than 1,000. Advertisement John Bercow is facing more pressure over bullying allegations today after the Commons blocked the disclosure of details of pay-offs for staff in his office. The House authorities refused to release any information about 'exit payments' for up to four individuals who have left their posts since 2009. They insisted suppressing the material, requested by MailOnline under FOI rules, was necessary for data protection reasons. But MPs warned against any attempts to 'protect' Mr Bercow from the disclosure of potentially damaging details. The Speaker's Office provides support to John Bercow (pictured) in his role at parliament, with around a dozen staff and running costs of nearly 600,000 a year The Speaker's Office provides support to Mr Bercow in his role at parliament, with around a dozen staff and running costs of nearly 600,000 a year. But Mr Bercow has been facing a series of allegations about bullying behaviour towards colleagues - all of which he has denied. Angus Sinclair, who left his post as Speaker's Secretary in 2010, has claimed he was the victim of angry outbursts, foul- mouthed tirades and mimicry. He said was 'gagged' and stopped from speaking out about his experiences as part of an 86,000 early retirement payoff. What are the claims of bullying and bad behaviour made against John Bercow? John Bercow has been hit by a number of bullying claims, all of which he denies. Here are the allegations: Andrew Sinclair, the former Speaker's Secretary: Said he left his post in 2010 after he was subjected to angry outbursts, foul- mouthed tirades and mimicry by John Bercow. He said was 'gagged' and stopped from speaking out about his time in the role as part of an 86,000 early retirement payoff. David Leakey, former Black Rod: Mr Leakey, who retired last year, said staff were terrified of the Speaker. Kate Emms, John Bercow's former private secretary: She took a job as Mr Bercow's private secretary in May 2010 but left her role less than a year later in February 2011 amid claims she was bullied by the Speaker. Her colleagues alleged that this was because of the behaviour of Mr Bercow after she told staff that she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Colleagues told Newsnight that she was undermined by Mr Bercow in a range of ways and he seemed to shout at her a lot. Advertisement Kate Emms became Mr Bercow's private secretary in May 2010 but left her role less than a year later in February 2011. Her colleagues have alleged that this was because of the behaviour of Mr Bercow after she told staff that she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. She later took another post at parliament. Former Black Rod David Leakey, who retired last year, has said staff were 'terrified' of the Speaker. MPs on the standards committee have refused a request from parliament's commissioner Kathryn Stone to investigate them. An inquiry by a judge into wider concerns about a bullying culture at Westminster will also not consider the specific accusations against the Speaker. However, MailOnline revealed last week that Scotland Yard is assessing an allegation that Mr Bercow might have committed misconduct in public office. The latest FOI request asked for details of severance, exit and compensation payments to staff in the Speaker's Office since 2009 - when Mr Bercow took the chair. But the Commons responded with a blanket refusal on the grounds of the 'low numbers of staff involved (fewer than five) which means that disclosing this data might make it possible for individuals to be identified'. 'The information requested relates to any payments made to individuals in circumstances in which they may legitimately expect that it would not be shared with others,' the House authorities said. 'We consider that unauthorised disclosure of this information could amount to an actionable breach of confidence, therefore this information is withheld.' It is not known why any of the payments were made, or whether they were linked to any allegations involving Mr Bercow. Tory MP James Duddridge said a blanket refusal to disclose details about pay-offs was not acceptable. 'That power is there to protect parliament and Parliamentarians in the House,' he said. 'It is not there to protect him from his own alleged bad behaviour.' Tory MP James Duddridge (pictured) said a blanket refusal to disclose details about pay-offs was not acceptable Last month it emerged that the Commons has signed more than 50 non-disclosure agreements with employees over the last five years. Some 53 deals, including those formerly known as compromise agreements, were struck with employees between 2013 and 2017 with confidentiality clauses included in 'all or almost all' of them. The data showed there were eight agreements in 2017, 15 in 2016, five in 2015, 14 in 2014 and 11 in 2013. MPs described the findings as 'disturbing' and questioned the need for 'gagging' deals in Parliament. Special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into suspected Russian interference in the 2016 US election has spent nearly $17 million, new figures show. According to the Department of Justice, the special counsel has racked up nearly $10 million in expenditures from October to March, the latest six-month accounting period. That is on top of the $6.7 million spent on the probe the previous four months. Robert Mueller is looking at possible Russian interference in the US election of 2016 Mueller's team spent $4,506,624 in directly plus $5,467,000 in support of the investigation during the latest six month period a combined total of $9,982,624. The total combined price tag for the Mueller investigation from May 17, 2017 through March 31, 2018 is $16,742,319. Among the expenses are $886,000 spent on rent, communications and utilities and $264,000 on 'contractual services,' most of which involved information technology, according to the report. The report doesn't list out Mueller's personal salary, but Peter Carr, spokesman for the special counsel's office, said he is paid the same as any U.S. attorney As of 2018, U.S. attorney salaries were capped at a little over $164,000, according to the department's pay scale. So far, Mueller has issued eight indictments covering 19 individuals and three businesses, secured five guilty pleas, has two criminal cases headed to trial, and one individual already serving a prison sentence. In a Twitter post earlier this month, Trump called the Mueller investigation a '$20,000,000 Witch Hunt'. Five days earlier, he estimated the cost of the probe at $10 million. On Wednesday night, Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani said on Fox News' 'Hannity' that the investigation 'never should have taken place in the first place' and claimed there were ethical issues within the Justice Department. Earlier this year Donald Trump condemned the probe as a '$20,000,000 Witch Hunt' 'So, you got a group there, a lynching mob, so let them do their job and, boy, we're ready to knock the heck out of you with our report, which will be authoritative,' Giuliani said. 'It will be backed up. It will be backed up with law and facts. And we'll let the American people decide this.' It was not immediately clear what report Giuliani was referring to. Giuliani's 'lynching mob' comment drew criticism from Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah. 'That's pretty strong language. Based on what I know now, those are not words that I would use to describe this. This is an investigation,' he told CNN. The Justice Department says a large portion of the costs - about $9 million - would have been spent regardless of the special counsel's appointment because they relate to support staff and other costs the department would have already incurred. The last time a special counsel was investigating a White House occupant, President Bill Clinton between August 1994 and February 1999, then counsel Kenneth Starr's office spent $52 million in four and a half years. Theresa May (pictured going to church in Maidenhead on Sunday) urged the US President to exempt America's 'close allies' Britain and the EU from the 25 per cent levies Theresa May today tore into Donald Trump's 'unjustified' decision to slap hefty tariffs on steel amid fears the move will spark a global trade war. The PM urged the US President to exempt America's 'close allies' Britain and the EU from the 25 per cent levies. And she vowed to work with other EU countries to 'protect and safeguard our workers and industries' threatened by the policy. Mrs May finally broke her silence over 24 hours after the White House announced it was reviving plans to slap punishing tariffs on steel. Brussels has threatened to hit back by imposing a wave of tariffs on US goods including motorbikes, jeans and orange juice within weeks - fuelling fears the world is set to lurch into a trade war which will push up prices. Mrs May said: 'I am deeply disappointed at the unjustified decision by the US to apply tariffs to EU steel and aluminium imports. 'The US, EU and UK are close allies and have always promoted values of open and fair trade across the world. 'Our steel and aluminium industries are hugely important to the UK, but they also contribute to US industry including in defence projects which bolster US national security. 'The EU and UK should be permanently exempted from tariffs and we will continue to work together to protect and safeguard our workers and industries.' Could trade war with the US damage the UK's car industry? There are fears that an escalation in the trade spat with the US over steel and aluminium tariffs could cause serious damage to other parts of the UK economy. The EU has threatened to target goods such as bourbon, blue jeans and Harley Davidson motorbikes if Donald Trump does not back down. But in March, the US president said Brussels increasing its 'already massive' duties would trigger another round of tit for tat. He said he would 'apply a tax to their cars which freely pour into the US'. 'They make it impossible for our cars (and more) to sell there. Big trade imbalance!' Mr Trump tweeted. The US is the largest export market for EU cars - making up a quarter of the total value of around 170billion a year. Germany is responsible for just over half of the bloc's car exports. But nearly 15 per cent of the 90,000 cars exported from the UK each year go to US markets. Hundreds of thousands of jobs in Britain rely on the car industry, with companies such as Nissan and Honda operating major plants. Advertisement The US president's duties on imports - primarily aimed at China but also hitting allies like the EU and Canada - have come into force despite a wave of protests. Brussels stoked the transatlantic tensions today, with Jean-Claude Juncker putting on a show of affection with the Chinese foreign minister. In contrast, Britain had bee n taking a far softer tone on the prospect of a trade war - urging caution. International Trade Secretary Liam Fox has refused to rule out joining retaliation, but emphasised the importance of efforts to avert one. Ministers are scrambling to find ways to protect the UK steel industry - which employs more than 30,000 people - and there are also fears that the dispute could spread to hit car exports and derail hopes of a post-Brexit deal with the US. In March Mr Trump warned the EU against hitting back by increasing its 'already massive' tariffs, saying he would 'apply a tax to their cars which freely pour into the US'. Tory former Cabinet minister Lord Maude warned today against engaging in 'tit for tat' with America. 'I think the proper reaction is first of all to say this is stupid, it's counterproductive, that any government that embarks on a protectionist path inflicts the most damage on itself,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. 'The inevitable result of putting these tariffs on imports will be to increase prices on consumer goods for its own citizens.' He added: 'You can't have this thing that we see them doing something that's stupid and unreasonable and therefore we do something stupid and unreasonable ourselves.' Theresa May had led calls for Mr Trump to exclude the bloc from any measures in order to protect the resurgent British steel industry. But while French President Emmanuel Macron phoned Mr Trump to voice his displeasure, Downing Street merely voiced 'disappointment' after the levies were confirmed last night and urged the US to think again. International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said the UK would not rule out counter-measures over the 'patently absurd' tariffs Dr Fox last night refused to rule out joining retaliation, but emphasised efforts to avert a full-blown trade war. 'In the case of the United Kingdom, where we send steel to the United States that is vital for their businesses and their defence industry, it is patently absurd,' Dr Fox said. 'We absolutely do not rule out counter-measures. And we do not rule out taking a dispute to the World Trade Organisation at Geneva. Obviously, we still hope the United States will think again about this. But it would be a great pity if we ended up in a tit-for-tat trade dispute with our closest allies.' The President's decision to press ahead with his 'America First' programme has fuelled fears about deteriorating transatlantic relations. Under the measures, Chinese, British and EU companies will be levied with duties of 25 per cent on steel imports to the US from today, as well as 10 per cent on aluminium. The White House has insisted the measures are justified on national security grounds to protect America's domestic steel industry. The US concerns are directed at China, which has been accused of dumping cheap and low-quality steel on international markets. President Donald Trump's decision to hit the European Union with tariffs on steel and aluminium sparked fury as Brussels warned it would not back down under 'threat' from Trump EU commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker (left) embraced China's foreign minister Wang Yi as they held talks in Brussels today EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, right, also met her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Brussels this morning Tory former Cabinet minister Lord Maude warned against engaging in 'tit for tat' with America The tariffs were initially announced earlier this year but Brussels, which currently negotiates trade matters on the UK's behalf, secured temporary exemptions that expired today. Mr Juncker ramped up tensions today by effusively embracing China's foreign minister Wang Yi during a photocall in Brussels. He has insisted the bloc will impose its own levies on the US, claiming: 'What they can do, we are able to do exactly the same.' What American goods could be hit by EU tariffs in a tit for tat trade war? The EU has threatened to hit back at Donald Trump's steel tariffs by slapping American goods with its own levies. The Brussels bloc has warned it may retaliate by picking US products which are highly symbolic. Here are some of the American goods which could be ht by tariffs: Harley-Davidson motorcycles Levis jeans Cranberries Bourbon whiskey Peanut butter George Foreman grills Advertisement EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said the EU will be seeking to implement a number of retaliatory tariffs on American products by June 20. She accused Mr Trump of 'playing a dangerous game' as she confirmed the EU would be taking 'proportionate and measured' action against the US. She said: 'This is further weakening the transatlantic relations and it also increases the risk of severe turbulences in the markets globally.' Ms Malmstrom said a final decision on what products would be hit with tariffs had not yet been made, but added that they would be from an already published list which includes the likes of Levi's jeans, bourbon whiskey, cranberries and peanut butter. She said: 'We are not seeking to escalate any situation but we need to respond and we'll do so in a measured manner, but not responding would be the same as accepting these tariffs which we consider are illegal.' The commissioner refused to say Mr Trump had started a trade war, but said he had created a 'very worrying situation'. She said: 'It could escalate and also the economic recovery that we have seen lately, notably in the European Union but globally, risks to be diminished by this.' Downing Street, which wants a comprehensive trade deal with the US after Brexit, expressed frustration at the American decision. A spokesman said: 'We are deeply disappointed that the US has decided to apply tariffs to steel and aluminium imports from the EU on national security grounds. 'The UK and other European Union countries are close allies of the US and should be permanently and fully exempted from the American measures on steel and aluminium.' Theresa May (pictured last week) had led calls for Mr Trump to exclude the bloc from any measures in order to protect the resurgent British steel industry The European Commission plans to target US products such as Jack Daniel's whiskey, Levi's jeans and Harley-Davidson motorbikes. The imports, worth 2.5billion a year, will be hit by levies of up to 25 per cent from June 20. The US shrugged off the implications for its economy, despite Mexico promising similar measures. The decision to hit the EU, Canada and Mexico with tariffs caused tremors across financial markets and led to warnings from the steel industry. Gareth Stace, of manufacturer UK Steel, said: 'President Trump had already loaded the gun and we now know that the US has unfortunately fired it, potentially starting a damaging trade war. 'Unfortunately our pessimism was justified and we will now see damage not only to the UK steel sector, but also the US economy.' About 350,000 tons of steel worth approximately 360million was exported from the UK to the US last year, making up 7 per cent of the UK's output. Shadow trade secretary Barry Gardiner increased the pressure on the UK government to respond today. 'We believe in a rules-based system, a multilateral system, President Trump doesn't and we must understand that. He wants to break up that system,' he said. 'We have to respond strongly to it and make it clear to him that we're not susceptible to the intimidation and the threats and the bullying that he's putting in place.' Earlier this year Mr Trump made clear he was ready to target car imports from the EU if the situation escalated. The US is the largest export market for EU cars - making up a quarter of the total value of around 170billion a year. Germany is responsible for just over half of the bloc's car exports. But nearly 15 per cent of the 90,000 cars exported from the UK each year go to US markets. Hundreds of thousands of jobs in Britain rely on the car industry, with companies such as Nissan and Honda operating major plants. Trade expert Sam Lowe from the Centre for European Reform told The Times the UK is playing two games with the EU. He says the government doesn't want to appear too critical of Trump in light of Brexit but the UK is still hiding behind the bloc in the hope of curbing the measures. Ben Digby, from the CBI, said: 'There are no winners in a trade war, which will damage prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic. 'These tariffs could lead to a protectionist domino effect, damaging firms, employees and consumers in the US, UK and many other trading partners.' The British Chambers of Commerce said UK firms would become 'collateral damage' and a trade war would cause devastation in communities that rely on the steel industry. The White House insisted the measures were needed to stop China, which is also subject to the tariffs, flooding its markets with cheap products. US commerce secretary Wilbur Ross, who will speak to Dr Fox again on Monday, said there was still room for compromise with the EU. But he added: 'Unfortunately it is not a situation that lends itself to a silver bullet of simply imposing tariffs or quotas on China itself.' The US has used the threat of tariffs to try to win concessions from the EU, pushing for a quota on steel and aluminium imports and lower duties on US cars. French president Emmanuel Macron likening the threats to having a 'gun pointed at our head'. MEP Manfred Weber, an ally of Angel Merkel, last night promised a firm reaction from the EU. There was also opposition in the US from Mr Trump's own party. Republican politician Kevin Brady said: 'These tariffs are hitting the wrong target.' Trump's tariffs explained: What are they, how has the world reacted and what are the implications for Britain and global trade? Donald Trump's administration last night imposed new trade tariffs on steel and aluminium imports into the US on the EU, Canada and Mexico. Here we explain all the key issues and the implications at stake. New tariffs: Donald Trump's government has imposed new trade tariffs on steel and aluminium imports into the US from the EU, Canada and Mexico What has Donald Trump's government done? The US government has announced it will begin imposing steel and aluminium tariffs on US allies Canada, Mexico and the European Union. Canada, Mexico and the EU together exported around 17billion worth of steel and aluminium to the US in 2017, equating to nearly half of the total steel and aluminium imports. What does 'imposing a trade tariff' really mean? That any steel and aluminium imports from the EU, Canada and Mexico to the US will be slapped with a 25 per cent and 10 per cent tax respectively. The tariffs will hit a wide range of products, including plated steel, slabs, coil and rolls of aluminium, all of which are used extensively within the US manufacturing, oil and construction sectors. Big business: Canada, Mexico and the EU together exported around 17billion worth of steel and aluminium to the US in 2017 When do the new tariffs take effect? The new tariffs imposed on Canada, Mexico and the EU took effect at midnight on Thursday 31 May. Why has Trump done this? Trade played a major role in Trump's presidential campaign back in 2016. During that campaign, he blamed unfair global trade deals on job losses within the US. Since 2000, 50,000 jobs have been lost in the steel industry and 40,000 in the aluminium factories. Speaking at a metals recycling facility in Monessen, Pennsylvania, in June 2016, Trump said: 'We tax and regulate and restrict our companies to death and then we allow foreign countries that cheat to export their goods to us tax-free. How stupid is this? How could it happen? How stupid is this?'. He added: 'We are going to put American steel and aluminium back into the backbone of our country.' During the speech, Trump warned he would impose taxes and tariffs on foreign countries importing their products into the US. Before this week, what tariffs had Trump already introduced? On 1 March, Trump announced he was introducing a 25 per cent charge on steel imports and a 10 per cent charge on aluminium imports. In total, the tariffs would have an impact on around $48billion worth of trade. Trump was primarily taking aim at China, which had been dubbed by the president as the 'bad guy' of global trade. The tariffs were supposed to come into force the following week. After a backlash, Trump then initially suspended the tariffs for Argentina, Australia, Brazil, South Korea, Canada, Mexico and the EU from the tariffs, pending further negotiations. If those negotiations did not make sufficient progress in Trump's eyes, then the tariffs would be imposed at a later date. This is what has ended up happening. US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has said talks with the EU, Canada and Mexico had not made enough progress to warrant a further reprieve, meaning the geographical reach of the tariffs has been extended. Also in March, Trump scheduled $50bn worth of tariffs on hundreds of Chinese industrial goods to come into force in June - but talks are ongoing in Beijing to avert a possible trade war (see below). Airing his views: Trade played a major role in Trump's presidential campaign back in 2016 What are the implications for Britain? Around 7 per cent of the UK's steel output, 350,000 tonnes, was exported to the US last year. For this reason, the industry fears the tariffs could cause serious damage. The UK's steel sector remains a major employer, despite having shrunk significantly in recent decades. The director of trade body UK Steel, Gareth Stace, said he was 'very, very worried' about the potential impact of a 'double whammy' on British producers from the Trump administration's decision. UK steel producers could be shut out of an American market where they sold around 350million of exports last year, while also facing increased competition from a 'tsunami' of cheap steel diverted away from the US, he said. Mr Stace told BBC Radio 4's World at One it was too early to speculate on the likely impact on jobs, but said: 'At worst, we could fall straight back into the crisis we suffered in 2015/16, which was the worst steel crisis in a generation. 'We are heading for a trade war, which is going to be all losers - there will be no winners. The US economy will suffer as much as any other economy.' Mr Stace said the EU should activate 'safeguard measures' to prevent European markets being disrupted by a surge of as much as 25million tonnes of steel diverted from the US. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy was kicked out of office today in a no-confidence vote, paving the way for Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez to take power. Photogenic Sanchez, 46, is known as 'Mr Handsome' in Spain and is a close ally of British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. The vote was called after a corruption scandal rocked Spain when Rajoy's centre-right party was exposed for taking bribes in exchange for lucrative public contracts. Photogenic Sanchez (left), 46, is known as 'Mr Handsome' in Spain, looks like Antonio Banderas (right) and is a close ally of British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn Twenty-nine officials have already been jailed for taking bribes from businessman Francisco Correa - with one of the party's former treasurers jailed for 33 years over the affair, known as the Gurtel case. Rajoy, said it had been 'an honour' to serve the country in a speech to Parliament on Friday morning, moments before the vote of no-confidence was passed. He told MPs on Friday: 'It has been a honor to leave Spain better than I found it. Thank you to all Spaniards and good luck.' The landmark vote makes Rajoy the first Spanish premier to lose a no-confidence vote since the country transitioned to democracy after the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975. Scroll down for video Spain's new Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (left) shaking hands with the former premier Mariano Rajoy on Friday New Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez pictured with current Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (right) Pedro Sanchez poses for a phalanx of photographers in the Lower House of the Spanish parliament Rajoy embraces a fellow conservative politician after the result of the vote which ousted him from power Sanchez, a 46-year-old former economics professor, will now immediately become Prime Minister in his place under a Spanish law that prevents a power vacuum. He has pledged to call fresh elections within months. With news of the vote, Spain looks set to become the second southern European nation to fall victim to a political crisis amid Italy's repeated failures to form a government. Sanchez, leader of the Socialist opposition, called the vote after Rajoy's conservative party was caught taking kickbacks in return for awarding public contracts. A court said it had uncovered a vast system of bribes given to former PP officials in exchange for lucrative public contracts between 1999 and 2005. The National Court, which deals with major criminal cases, sentenced 29 people with links to the PP, including a former treasurer, to jail. It also ordered the party to pay back 245,000 (215,000) received from the scheme to help finance election campaigns. Outgoing Prime Minister Rajoy waves to assembled crowds as he leaves parliament for the last time as top dog Mariano Rajoy (left) shakes hands with the leader of Spanish Workers' Socialist Party (PSOE) Pedro Sanchez Rajoy addresses MPs in a speech to Parliament on Friday in which he declared he had lost the vote Sanchez shakes hands with Prime Minister Rajoy after the vote and applauds towards clapping MPs Pedro Sanchez walks through the chamber crowded by international media after the announcement of the result Rajoy became Spain's first sitting prime minister to give evidence in a trial when he was called as a witness last year. In its ruling, the court said the credibility of Mr Rajoy's testimony 'should be questioned'. Sanchez demanded Rajoy step down last week, arguing he had lost credibility after the court case. 'Resign, Mr Rajoy, your time is up,' Sanchez said during the debate in parliament. 'Staying on as prime minister is harmful and is a burden not only for Spain but also for your party.' The Socialists hold 84 out of 350 seats in parliament and were able to win the vote with the backing of anti-establishment party Podemos, which had 67 seats. They also managed to garner support from several small regional parties, including Catalonia's separatists and Basques, securing a total of 180 votes. A group of Socialist MPs applaud Sanchez after the announcement of the results on Friday Iglesias' party had backed Sanchez with the vote of no-confidence and the pair embraced after the announcement Mariano Rajoy waves goodbye to his fellow party members after delivering his historic speech A throng of MPs gave Rajoy a standing ovation before his emotive speech within Spanish Parliament Rajoy had earlier tried to head off the rebellion against his party, admitting that there had been corrupt people in his party but arguing that the party itself is not corrupt. He also painted Sanchez as an opportunist trying to game his way into power. 'Everybody knows that Pedro Sanchez is never going to win the elections and this is the reason for his motion, his urgency,' Rajoy said, reminding lawmakers that the Socialists have lost two elections under Sanchez. He also played on fears that a Socialist government would bad for the economy, telling Sanchez: 'Every time you open your mouth, the risk premium goes up.' Rajoy has been in power since December 2011 and has steered Spain out of its worst economic crisis in decades. But his opponents complained that the recovery has come at the expense of austerity measures, high unemployment and rising inequality. The Lower House of Spanish Parliament was completely packed out on Friday morning as Rajoy arrived to deliver his address Mr Sanchez arriving at Spanish parliament ahead of the debates surrounding the controversial vote on Friday Spanish Socialist Party leader Pedro Sanchez called the vote amid a corruption scandal engulfing Rajoy's party, and reportedly secured enough votes to win on Thursday With most Spanish parties and Sanchez himself being pro-European, investors however see less broader political risk there than in Italy. Anti-establishment parties in Rome revived coalition plans on Thursday, ending three months of turmoil by announcing a government that promises to increase spending, challenge European Union fiscal rules and crack down on immigration. 'We've had a rude awakening of European political risks this week... but the situation in Spain is very different from Italy,' said Michael Metcalfe, head of global macro strategy, State Street Global Markets. 'The parties leading in the polls in Spain are centrists so we're not getting the proposals for fiscal extremes as we have in Italy.' Many observers said Sanchez was in any case unlikely to call any vote until after European, local and regional elections take place in May next year. He has already committed to respecting a budget passed by Rajoy, and the fragmented parliament means Sanchez will find it hard to row back on structural reforms passed by his predecessor, including new labour laws and cuts in healthcare and education. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy arrives for a debate on a no-confidence motion at the Lower House of the Spanish Parliament on Friday Mariano Rajoy shakes hands with a police officer outside Spanish Parliament on Friday morning Mariano Rajoy told Parliament on Friday that it had been an 'honour' to serve Spain as well as wishing the country 'good luck' Spain finds its comeback kid in new leader Pedro Sanchez Less than two years ago, the man who will become Spain's new prime minister was staring at the premature end of an unremarkable political career. The heavyweights of Spain's Socialists had forced Pedro Sanchez' removal as their leader. Back-to-back losses by the party in general elections had left Sanchez without credit and he was ostracized after a rebellion from within his own ranks. Fast forward to Friday: Sanchez is set to become the leader of the eurozone's fourth leading economy after completing an audacious bid to oust conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy from power in a no-confidence vote. Sanchez completed his spectacular turnaround after seizing the opportunity provided by last week's court verdict in a massive corruption case involving Rajoy's conservative Popular Party. His appeal for a government clean of scandal, coupled with a promise to hold new elections soon, brought him just enough votes in parliament to end Rajoy's six and a half years in charge. In October 2016, Sanchez looked finished. He had lost a bid to form a government and been cast out by the party's regional chiefs. Sanchez then gave up his seat in parliament when the Socialists' caretaker leadership opted to allow Rajoy to stay in power, avoiding new elections they feared would result in even bigger losses. Sanchez earned a victory in the Socialist Party leadership election back in May 2017 Sanchez, however, refused to go quietly. Even so, his vow to 'get in my car and visit every corner of Spain to win back' the party sounded quixotic given his scarce support among its higher echelons. But Sanchez embraced the role of underdog and tapped into the anger of rank-and-file members who felt that he had been unfairly dumped by the party elite. He earned a stunning victory to return as leader in May 2017 when he won an internal party election against Susana Diaz, the candidate anointed by the party's powerbrokers, including former prime ministers Felipe Gonzalez and Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. Still, the 46-year-old Sanchez, a basketball player in his youth, had never shown the political savvy to challenge Rajoy. A political survivor and adroit parliamentarian, Rajoy had apparently cleared the biggest hurdle facing his minority government when he passed a national budget recently and said he was confident he would to see out the remaining two years of his term. That was until last week's ruling by the National Court that delivered hefty prison sentences to 29 business people and ex-members of Rajoy's Popular Party, including some elected officials, for fraud, money laundering and tax evasion, among other crimes. Sanchez, often criticized as lacking a feel for the moment, pounced and left lawmakers with the choice of keeping a party thoroughly tarnished by corruption in charge or making a fresh start. In parliament on Thursday, Sanchez presented his case that Rajoy must go because Spain 'is sick and tired of serial corruption.' 'Today I have returned to this chamber for three reasons, to act in accordance with my beliefs, out of a sense of responsibility and for the sake of our democracy,' Sanchez told lawmakers. Sanchez will now take charge of a minority government with the backing of several other smaller political parties The move to topple Rajoy comes with Sanchez's Socialists trailing both the Popular Party and the upstart center-right Ciudadanos (Citizens) in polls. By moving into La Moncloa palace, the seat of government in Madrid, Sanchez will recover the spotlight that he had been sorely missing since leaving parliament. He can try to leverage his position to recharge the Socialists' support, which has been eroded by the rise of both Ciudadanos and the far-left Podemos (We Can), while he picks the most opportune moment to carry through on his pledge to call new elections. In the meantime, he will face the pitfalls of being in charge of a minority government that will have a very tough time getting anything done. Rajoy has already warned of the 'political instability' a Sanchez-led government would suffer. Sanchez may also pay a heavy price for taking down Rajoy. In order to secure votes against Rajoy from Catalonia's separatists, Sanchez had to promise to open talks with the secessionists about the future of the northeastern region. Sanchez had been Rajoy's most loyal backer in his takeover of Catalonia's regional government following its failed secession attempt last year. Now, he runs the risk that both the Popular Party and Ciudadanos will label him a traitor. An economist by education, Sanchez was chief of cabinet to the U.N. envoy to Bosnia, Carlos Westendorp, in the late 1990s. In 2003 he took a position as a city council member in Madrid and then climbed up the Socialist party ladder, first becoming a lawmaker and then party leader in 2014. Advertisement Rajoy sits with Deputy Premier Soraya Saenz de Santamaria during the Parliament session Pedro Sanchez, addresses Members of Parliament on the second day of the no-confidence motion debate on Friday Mr & Mrs Handsome: Pedro Sanchez and his wife Begona Gomez wave during a meeting in Madrid, Spain, June 21, 2015 Sanchez and his wife Maria Begona Gomez pose on the red carpet at the 32nd Goya awards ceremony in Madrid on February 3 this year The letter, organised by South Cambridgeshire MP Heidi Allen, warns the NHS could be facing a 'perfect storm' Theresa May is facing the threat of a backbench revolt over immigration restriction for NHS workers. A group of Tory backbenchers have written to the PM demanding that visa rules be relaxed in order to tackle staffing shortages. The letter, organised by South Cambridgeshire MP Heidi Allen and said to have been signed by dozens of Conservatives, warns that the health service could be facing a 'perfect storm'. For a British employer to hire a skilled worker from outsider the EU on a tier two visa, they have to explain why the position could not be filled by a British citizen. According to the Times, the letter said: Our current tier-two policy is forcing the country to make a binary choice between professionals needed to grow the economy and professionals needed to staff our health system. Without urgent intervention, we believe our NHS is heading towards a perfect storm. The names of the other signatories have not been released as the letter was intended to be private. However, it is understood to have been copied to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Home Secretary Sajid Javid. Ms Allen proposes that NHS professionals should be exempt from the tier-two process in order to address the problem According to the letter, 1,518 doctors between December 2017 and March 2018 were denied the certificate of sponsorship that is needed for a tier-two visa. Ms Allen proposes that NHS professionals should be exempt from the tier-two process in order to address the problem. It reads: We are confident this would enjoy full public support. It comes after the British Medical Journal (BMJ)launched its Scrap the Cap campaign. It calls for a review of immigration policies so that doctors from overseas who have been offered jobs in the NHS can take up their posts. The petition reads: We call for the removal of visa restrictions preventing international doctors from working in the UK. The Tory backbenchers urged Theresa May (pictured last week) to relaxed visa rules in order to tackle staffing shortages Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt (left) and Home Secretary Sajid Javid (right) were copied into the letter, said to have been signed by dozens of Tory MPs Since Dec 2017 over 1500 visa applications from doctors who have secured NHS jobs have been re-fused. Meanwhile 100s of posts are vacant, waiting times are rising and patient safety is under threat. The BMJ editor-in-chief Fiona Godlee, commented: Theres a sort of madness in the current restrictions. The UK has always relied on and welcomed doctors from overseas. Now, just when we most need them, we are putting roadblocks in their way. A Home Office spokesman said: The government fully recognises the contribution that international professionals make to the UK and to our health service. However, it is important that our immigration system works in the national interest, ensuring that employers look first to the UK resident labour market before recruiting from overseas. We estimate that around a third of all tier-two places go to the NHS. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has warned Saudi Arabia's reformist Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over his 'sinful projects', in a bulletin released Friday. Prince Mohammed has spearheaded a string of policy changes in ultraconservative Saudi Arabia, including reinstating cinemas and allowing women to drive. 'The new era of Bin Salman replaced mosques with movie theatres,' the Yemen-based jihadist group said in its Madad news bulletin, picked up by the SITE Intelligence Group. Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has introduced a sweeping programme of cultural changes He 'substituted books that belonged to the imams... with absurdities of the atheists and secularists from the east and the west and opened the door wide for corruption and moral degradation,' it said. The Sunni jihadist group AQAP has flourished amid a complex war in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia heads a military alliance battling Shiite Huthi rebels. In its statement, AQAP slammed April's WWE Royal Rumble event in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah, near the Islam's most holy sites in Mecca. '(Foreign) disbelieving wrestlers exposed their privates and on most of them was the sign of the cross, in front of a mixed gathering of young Muslim men and women,' it said. 'The corruptors did not stop at that, for every night musical concerts are being announced, as well as movies and circus shows,' SITE quoted it as saying. AQAP in southern Yemen is the target of a long-running drone campaign by the United States, which regards it as the most dangerous branch of the extremist group. Among the events hosted by the Saudi Prince was a WWE showcase held in the coastal city of Jeddah earlier this year The terrorist group AQAP, a subsidiary of Al Qaeda, accused the Prince of subverting Muslim morality with the changes Yemen's conflict has left nearly 10,000 people dead, tens of thousands wounded, and millions on the brink of famine. The United Nations has called Yemen world's worst humanitarian crisis. Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in the war between Yemen's Huthi rebels and the government of now-exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in 2015. They have landed on a United Nations blacklist over the killing and maiming of children. The Huthi rebels, linked to Iran, have also come under fire for neglecting to protect civilians and targeting the press and minorities. The rebels have controlled the capital Sanaa since 2014. Muhammad Gamoota, 24, of Westminster, allegedly claimed he lived at Grenfell Tower A business management student who pretended to be a Grenfell Tower victim's son to get 5,000 and free hotel stays was jailed for 18 months today. Mohammad Gamoota, 31, claimed he was living with his father on the 24th floor when the fire ripped through the building and he only escaped because he was praying at his local mosque. The court heard a booking was made for Gamoota at a Holiday Inn where he racked up a 374 room service bill. He was also put up at a second hotel and the total fraud amounted to 6,784, Isleworth Crown Court heard. Gamoota has become the fifth convicted Grenfell fraudster, following Joyce Msokeri, 47, Anh Nhu Nguyen, 53, Elaine Douglas, 51, and Tommy Brooks, 52. Judge Robin Johnson told him: 'You claimed your father Abel Salem had died in the fire. That was a name that had been reported in the press. The fraudster claimed he was living with his father on the 24th floor when the fire ripped through the building The Grenfell Tower fire took place on June 14 last year in North Kensington, West London 'You had no connection with this family. A cash payment was made for 500 and a further payment was made for 5,000. 'Due to a technical hitch you were only able to obtain 500 of that payment. You were not deterred and continued to call your social worker in pursuance of this claim. 'This was not a moment of madness. You spent days in accommodation that was set aside for those who were grief stricken, homeless and no doubt in a state of shock. 'That did not stop you tapping into the funds that had been rightly made available for those people.' Gamoota first approached staff at the Westway Centre two days after the devastating fire in North Kensington, West London, on June 16. He was assigned a social worker by Harrow Council, who was tasked with taking care of Gamoota while he was given hotel accommodation. The social worker spoke with him on June 22 and met with him in the lobby of the Holiday Inn where he told her he lived at flat 219 on the 24th floor. Grenfell Tower smoulders after the devastating blaze ripped through the tower block last June The court heard that he claimed to have been a resident there for seven years and at the time of the blaze he was at midnight prayers. Gamoota was given 500 and told he would receive a total of 5,000. But due to issues with his bank account, he only ever received 500. Gamoota approached the social worker again to say that the payment of 5,000 had not materialised. The other four Grenfell Tower fraudsters The latest fraud conviction comes two days after two illegal immigrants who lied about living in Grenfell to claim more than 120,000 in handouts pleaded guilty to fraud on Wednesday. Elaine Douglas Jamaican nationals Elaine Douglas, 51, and Tommy Brooks, 52, spent eight months living in a four-star hotel at the taxpayers' expense at a cost of 400-a-night. Tommy Brooks They also spent more than 20,000 on meals and clothing on pre-paid credit cards which were given to them by the local council. They are yet to be sentenced. Joyce Msokeri In April, Joyce Msokeri, 47, was jailed for four-and-a-half years at the Old Bailey for fraud after posing as a Grenfell survivor in a 19,000 scam. She claimed around 19,000 in cash donations, electronics, handbags, dresses and hotel costs - and filled a room at Hilton hotel with donations from charities. Two months prior, in February, serial conman Anh Nhu Nguyen, 53, was jailed for 21 months after pretending his family died in the Grenfell fire. He claimed his wife and son were killed in the atrocity to obtain about 12,500 from funds intended for victims - and even met Prince Charles as he posed as a survivor. Anh Nhu Nguyen meets Prince Charles Advertisement Prosecutor Benjamin Holt said the fraud was planned as he got his story from a national newspaper. He said: 'On June 15 an article appeared in a national newspaper and named an Abdel Salam. It mentioned the fact that he had two sons who had gone to the mosque on the night of the fire.' Claire McGrath, defending, told the court Gamoota's partner was having a baby and he desperately needed the cash. McGrath said: 'The baby was due in July 2017 and did not have any money. When the tragedy occurred he saw a way of perhaps obtaining some money in order to provide those to his partner. 'He knows it was a foolish and reprehensible thing to do. Looking back now he is extremely ashamed of his actions.' Gamoota was originally arrested at his home in Croydon, South London, at 7.30am but was released. He was rearrested after an identity parade and further investigations on April 17. Officers seized his telephone upon his arrest where it transpired he had screenshots of the 'electoral roll of people who lived at Grenfell Tower'. Mr Holt read out a statement from Corrine Jones, a Grenfell resident, who described the fraud as 'disgusting and distasteful.' Another resident, Manuel Alves, said: 'Words cannot express how disgusted I am that the fraudsters have had the audacity to pull such a stunt. 'They have violated the real victims and survivors by abusing the system put in place to help us. 'The actions of these fraudsters have totally ripped the heart and faith out of the Grenfell Tower community. Seven members of Gamoota's family sat in the public gallery throughout today's sentencing. The inferno claimed 71 lives and injured 70 when the blaze took hold of the block. Gamoota, from Westminster, admitted two counts of fraud by abuse of position. Jailing him, Judge Johnson said: 'Looking at your case I am satisfied that any right-minded person would look with utter revulsion. In the wake of a national disaster you decided to enrich yourself while you masqueraded as a true victim.' After the case, Kate Mulholland, of the London Crown Prosecution Service complex casework unit, said: 'This was a premeditated fraud in which Mohammad Gamoota pretended he had lived in the Grenfell Tower fire, when he really lived with his mother in Croydon. 'He searched online news articles to discover the name of an elderly man who died in the fire and claimed to be his son. When suspicions were aroused, Gamoota disappeared but the prosecution was able to link him back to the fraud. 'Evidence including CCTV showing Gamoota collecting money from the post office, along with messages and searches on his phone, enabled the CPS to build a strong case and Gamoota pleaded guilty.' Paul Cook (pictured) was granted bail on Friday with strict conditions imposed One of the seven people from a Blue Mountains circus school accused of depraved acts on children as young as three has been granted bail. Former police officer Paul Cook, 52, was granted bail in Penrith District Court on Friday by Magistrate Roger Clisdell on the conditions that he not be alone with any child under 16 years of age, he report to police daily and he surrenders his passport. Mr Cook, his sister Therese Ann Cook, 58, and her daughters Yyani Cook-Williams, 29, and Clarissa Meredith, 23, are four of seven people accused of 127 charges which include the alleged rape of young boys. Other charges faced by the family include kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault, of a child and producing child abuse material. It's alleged the family filmed the rapes at their Blue Mountains circus school with the charges relating to the alleged abuse of three boys between 2014 and 2016. One of the most heinous allegations is against burlesque dancer Yyani-Rose Cook-Williams, 29 (pictured) Court documents have also revealed allegations of 'blood rituals' having been performed on some of the victims. All four accused have pleaded not guilty to all charges, the three other co-accused have not been named as they were under 18 at the time of the alleged offences. Defence lawyer Bryan Wrench said the outcome of the case will be shown to be either the 'worst case' of child abuse in the state's history or 'one of the greatest miscarriages of justice'. It's alleged the family filmed the rapes at their Blue Mountains circus school with the charges relating to the alleged abuse of three boys between 2014 and 2016 Magistrate Clisdell said he understood apprehension around granting bail. 'Anyone facing a potential life imprisonment is always going to be a flight risk,' he said. He also said he 'couldn't be satisfied there's an unacceptable risk he'll commit further offences'. Mr Cook was the only accused to apply for bail today. One mother said she had a bad 'gut feeling' about Therese Cook - but another parent believed 'there were no red flags' Detectives allege that his sister, Therese Ann Cook, (pictured) was the ringleader or not only participated in but organised the 'systemic rape and detention of the boys' which included getting her daughters to participate in the alleged rapes In the past he had boasted of helping 'at risk' and 'vulnerable' children as a youth worker for Caretakers College and the Ted Noffs Foundation in the 1990s. His LinkedIn profile also said he was a nurse at the Sydney Children's Hospital in the 1980s. Detectives allege that his sister, Therese Ann Cook, was the ringleader or not only participated in but organised the 'systemic rape and detention of the boys' which included getting her daughters to participate in the alleged rapes. Clarissa Meredith, 23, is another of the seven co-accused in the alleged case of child abuse She faces 43 charges herself, including sexual intercourse without consent of a person under ten years old, aggravated sexual assault in company and choke a person with intent to committing sexual assault indecent assault, deprive liberty. Police allege a trio of little boys as young as three were repeatedly raped, assaulted and detained as part of the abuse. The four accused have entered not guilty pleas to all charges. But the sheer depravity of the allegations has floored parents whose kids attended the college. One mother said she had a bad 'gut feeling' about Therese Cook - but another parent believed 'there were no red flags'. A shocked parent said she had only ever thought Mrs Cook was a professional A shocked parent said she had only ever thought Mrs Cook was a professional. 'My daughter joined the circus classes last year and we attended weekly for a few terms,' she said. 'She loved it, loved Therese and we had absolutely no inkling of anything sinister. None whatsoever.' The four named co-accused will next appear in court on June 1. A law student allegedly raped a younger female student in his university dorm room after she fell asleep during an early-morning study session. The 19-year-old alleged victim had eaten dinner with the 27-year-old in his room at a Brisbane university before they went out drinking for about four and a half hours Wednesday night. Police allege they returned to his room early Thursday morning where the pair worked on their university assignments and after a while, the teenager fell asleep, Daily Telegraph reported. A law student allegedly raped a younger female student in his university dorm room at a Brisbane campus after she fell asleep during an early-morning study session (stock photo) The 27-year-old appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court Friday charged with rape, attempted rape and indecent assault. The man allegedly climbed beside the woman and began touching her, before removing her clothing and proceeding to biting and kissing her on the breast. He then allegedly attempted to penetrate her, during which the teen woke up but pretended to be asleep because she was scared. The man allegedly knew they were just friends, that the woman had a boyfriend and she wanted to save her virginity until after she got married. She moved away from the male student, police allege, but he continued biting and kissing her and then digitally penetrated her. The 27-year-old appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court pictured) Friday charged with rape, attempted rape and indecent assault The teenager pretended to be asleep throughout the ordeal, with the man allegedly putting her clothes back on and driving her home later that day. She went to a medical centre and a hospital the same day, before reporting the alleged incident to police, who were present as she made a phone call to the man. Police will allege the male student told the woman they didn't have sex, but he had removed her shirt amid them having a little bit of 'romance'. He allegedly apologised, and said he told his friend she had too much to drink and that she had been asleep. The man was released on bail under several conditions, including an order to have no contact with his alleged victim. The case is set to return to court on July 2. Prostitutes blamed for robbing and pickpocketing British tourists in Magaluf have been chased off the streets by angry vigilante protesters. Spanish taxi drivers led a late-night show of strength against the women by recording them with their mobile phones and chanting: 'No prostitutes on the streets.' It is claimed that the women have come to Spain via organised crime in Nigeria, and they are blamed by local businesses for a drop in tourist trade. The most recent figures for Mallorca as a whole showed a year-on-year fall of almost six per cent in the number of visitors to the island. Some British expats and holidaymakers, who were filmed in another protest a few days ago, joined the new drive to rid Magaluf of the women. One of the women picked up a block of wood as she was pursued by a large group of men yelling: 'Get out, get out.' The demonstrators also shouted at the women: 'The tourists are not coming because of you'. They said: 'What happens if you go back to your own countries and rob people. They slit your throats, right?'. A man who picked the prostitutes up in a car was also confronted. There were reports of pushing and shoving and some minor assaults, but no-one was seriously injured. The new protest came after Alfonso Rodriguez Badal, the mayor of Calvia which includes Magaluf, urged the Spanish government to help the party resort tackle the problems posed by African street prostitutes in a letter made public on Wednesday. He called for an urgent meeting with a central government spokesman for the Balearic Islands as he insisted more Civil Guards were needed to combat the criminal gangs controlling the women. Angry vigilantes took to the streets of Magaluf in an attempt to drive out prostitutes who taxi drivers say have been frightening away British tourists Last week British holidaymakers and expat businessmen were among those filmed leading a night-time protest against the prostitutes, yelling 'Go home' and 'You're not welcome here' as they filmed them in an effort to shame them into leaving. British workers in the resort have vowed to hold public demonstrations every night over the summer to 'prevent the women from making a living preying on the people of Magaluf,' insisting: 'If the police will not do anything about it then we will.' Figures showed there were 1.6million foreign visitors to Mallorca in April this year, according to an authority covering the Balearic Islands, a drop of more than seven per cent compared to April 2017. The women, Nigerians working for mafia organisations who help them reach Europe, have been blamed for targeting drunk Brits and stealing their valuables. Yesterday police revealed 12 people had been arrested on suspicion of bringing Nigerian women to Spain to work as prostitutes after they were subjected to voodoo rituals to make sure they obeyed. Officers from Spain's National Police said the operation came as four women were about to be flown from the east coast city of Valencia to Majorca and Ibiza to coincide with the start of the start of the holiday season. Some of the women targeted by locals in Magaluf have reacted by reporting them for hate crimes and claimed they have been gassed with pepper spray. Civil Guard officers have been asked to investigate the women's complaints. One British-led protest organisation, which has set up a Facebook group to coordinate actions against the prostitutes, says on its social media literature: 'Enough is enough. Spanish taxi drivers joined a late-night show of strength against the women by recording them with their mobile phones and chanting: 'No prostitutes on the streets' 'We've made this group to make a stand against the 'prostitutes' who have robbed, stabbed, bullied and attacked not only holidaymakers but the residents and seasonal workers of Magaluf. 'It's about time we all unite to show them that this is our home, this is our street and we will not take this any more. 'No longer will we fear walking home alone, no longer will we have to see them preying on the weak, drunk and helpless. 'We will hold public demonstrations every night and prevent them from making a living preying on the people of Magaluf and together we will take back our streets, and make them understand that they are no longer welcome here and they are not wanted! The women, Nigerians working for mafia organisations who help them reach Europe, have been blamed for targeting drunk Brits and stealing their valuables 'If the police will not do anything about it then we will! There are less than 100 of them but we can number in the thousands! We will put an end to this together.' The group, which has insisted on the need for peaceful protest, has added: 'This is not about sex, race or violence, this is about public awareness and safety in the place we live and work. 'We do not condone racist or offensive comments or actions, violent or abusive behaviour or any form of criminal activity.' Members of the group are expected to react to the African women's police complaint by lodging a counter-complaint with proof of their criminal actions. One said: 'If I went on a holiday I would like to enjoy myself not sit in my hotel and worry who is going to attack me.' Donald Trump's administration last night imposed new trade tariffs on steel and aluminium imports into the US on the EU, Canada and Mexico. Here we explain all the key issues and the implications at stake. What has Donald Trump's government done? The US government has announced it will begin imposing steel and aluminium tariffs on US allies Canada, Mexico and the European Union. Canada, Mexico and the EU together exported around 17billion worth of steel and aluminium to the US in 2017, equating to nearly half of the total steel and aluminium imports last year. New tariffs: Donald Trump's government has imposed new trade tariffs on steel and aluminium imports into the US from the EU, Canada and Mexico What does 'imposing a trade tariff' really mean? That any steel and aluminium imports from the EU, Canada and Mexico to the US will be slapped with a 25 per cent and 10 per cent tax respectively. The tariffs will hit a wide range of products, including plated steel, slabs, coil and rolls of aluminium, all of which are used extensively within the US manufacturing, oil and construction sectors. When do the new tariffs take effect? The new tariffs imposed on Canada, Mexico and the EU took effect at midnight on Thursday 31 May. Why has Trump done this? Trade played a major role in Trump's presidential campaign back in 2016. During that campaign, Trump blamed unfair global trade deals on job losses within the US. Big business: Canada, Mexico and the EU together exported around 17billion worth of steel and aluminium to the US in 2017 Since 2000, 50,000 jobs have been lost in the steel industry and 40,000 in the aluminium factories. Speaking at a metals recycling facility in Monessen, Pennsylvania, in June 2016, Trump said: 'We tax and regulate and restrict our companies to death and then we allow foreign countries that cheat to export their goods to us tax-free. How stupid is this? How could it happen? How stupid is this?'. He added: 'We are going to put American steel and aluminium back into the backbone of our country.' During the speech, Trump warned he would impose taxes and tariffs on foreign countries importing their products into the US. Before this week, what tariffs had Trump already introduced? On 1 March, Trump announced he was introducing a 25 per cent charge on steel imports and a 10 per cent charge on aluminium imports. In total, the tariffs would have an impact on around $48billion worth of trade. By imposing the tariffs, Trump was primarily taking aim at China, which had been dubbed by the president as the 'bad guy' of global trade. The tariffs were supposed to come into force the following week. After a backlash, Trump then initially suspended the tariffs for Argentina, Australia, Brazil, South Korea, Canada, Mexico and the EU from the tariffs, pending further negotiations. If those negotiations did not make sufficient progress in Trump's eyes, then the tariffs would be imposed at a later date. This is exactly what ended up happening. Airing his views: Trade played a major role in Trump's presidential campaign back in 2016 US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has said talks with the EU, Canada and Mexico had not made enough progress to warrant a further reprieve, meaning the geographical reach of the tariffs has been extended. What are the implications for Britain? Around 7 per cent of the UK's steel output, 350,000 tonnes, was exported to the US last year. For this reason, the industry fears the tariffs could cause serious damage. The UK's steel sector remains a major employer, despite having shrunk significantly in recent decades. Around 4,000 people are employed at Tata's giant Port Talbot steelworks in south Wales. British Steel, which in its current form was founded in 2016 from assets acquired from Tata by Greybull Capita and has production sites in Scunthorpe, Skinningrove and Teesside. Industry: Around 7 per cent of the UK's steel output, 350,000 tonnes, was exported to the US last year While accounting for less than 1 per cent of economic output, the steel sector is still regarded as strategically important for both manufacturing and defence. Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: 'It is hugely disappointing that the US government has chosen to push ahead with these tariffs, which will hurt companies and communities in many areas of the UK, as well as their customers in the US. 'The UK government must reach out to and support the many supply chain businesses that face becoming the "collateral damage" of the Trump administrations protectionist push. British ministers must also work hand in hand with the EU to avoid any further escalation, and to find a long-term solution. As the UK leaves the EU, the American governments decision to impose punitive tariffs is a helpful reminder that self-interest looms large in trade negotiations. Ministers should reflect on this carefully before they pursue any future trade deal between the UK and the USA.' How has Britain's government reacted to the announcement so far? A government spokesman said they were 'deeply disappointed' and that the UK and other EU countries, being close allies of the US, had not been 'permanently and fully exempted' from the tariffs. UK reaction: A government spokesman said they were 'deeply disappointed' by the tariffs He added: 'We will continue to work closely with the EU and US administration to achieve a permanent exemption, and to ensure that UK workers are protected and safeguarded.' UK International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said the levy on steel was 'patently absurd'. He added: 'It would be a great pity if we ended up in a tit-for-tat trade dispute with our closest allies.' Barry Gardiner, of the Labour party, said the measures were 'based on a lie', adding the UK should not be 'bullied by the president... we believe in a rules-based system and Trump doesn't.' It remains unclear whether the tariffs will have any implications for a future trade deal with the US after Brexit. How has the EU reacted so far? European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said he plans to take the US to the World Trade Organization over the American tariffs. Fierce reaction: Juncker branded the tariffs 'totally unacceptable' Juncker branded the tariffs 'totally unacceptable.'. The EU has also issued a 10-page list of tariffs on US goods ranging from Harley-Davidson motorcycles to food goods. What is the reaction from Canada and Mexico? Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said the US's move was 'totally unacceptable' and rejected the claim that his country posed a national security threat to America. In response, Canada plans to impose tariffs of up to 25 per cent on roughly $13billion worth of US exports from 1 July. Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said his country was planning new duties for imports of steel, pork, apples, grapes, blueberries and cheese from the US. How have the markets reacted? With fears over a potential trade war looming large, in the immediate aftermath of the announcement, the Dow Jones dipped by around 1 per cent, Frances CAC lost half a per cent and Germanys DAX fell by 1.4 per cent. In the UK, the FTSE 100 is currently up 0.66 per cent to 7,728.81. Will the tariffs end up being a success for the US? Reaction on exactly how the tariffs will end up affecting the US in the long-run is mixed. Professor Inderjeet Parmar, of the University of London, said: 'The impact of tariffs on steel and aluminium on US jobs is minimal as it will increase prices for other goods that use those metals like cars etc. and prices will go up in the US.' He added: 'The US will want to open up UK financial and health services to US firms and prices once EU regulations on price and safety are gone. But the EU will not want those regulations to be abolished by the UK and will expect any deal with the UK to retain health and other standards in return for a deal with the EU. 'Generally, this is a big headache but not a war; it will place May in a tough position as the US is so close of an ally. Professor David Collins, Professor of International Economic Law at City, of the University of London, said: 'It is very difficult to speculate how President Trump thinks, and his tweets are not necessarily a good indication, but presumably he expects that in the longer term the steel and aluminium tariffs will benefit the US economy, even if in the short term there are problems in terms of higher costs to consumers and manufacturers. 'I suspect that he envisions the tariffs as a tactical manoeuvre to gain concessions from Canada and Mexico in NAFTA negotiations and possibly to secure the EUs support for blocking Chinas role in the over-supply of steel on global markets.' What is China's role in all this? China's position in the world of global trade plays a major role in the US government's latest tariff introductions. In his presidential campaign, Trump outlined his plans for a crackdown on China, accusing the country of flooding the global market with cheap metals. On a historical level, it is China, as well as Russia, that have been the US's main 'enemies'. By imposing the tariffs on the EU, Canada and Mexico, the president has, for the time being, taken the focus and heat away from China. Last year, Trump instructed the US Trade Representative to investigate Chinese violations of intellectual property rights, invoking Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. On 22 March, the USTR concluded that China had implemented unreasonable policies and unfair practices to acquire foreign technologies. Trump has since announced measures to penalise China and hit its global trade operations. But for the moment, Trump has imposed more trade tariffs on his supposed allies than China. The US has said it plans to impose 25 per cent tariffs on $50billion worth of Chinese imports 'shortly' after mid-June. China has retaliated to Trump's stance by implementing retaliatory tariffs of up to 25 per cent on $3billion worth of food imports from the US, raising uncertainty over the possibility of a trade war between the two countries. Roseanne Barr said she is 'ashamed' about the impact her racist tweet about Valerie Jarrett had on co-star Jayden Rey. The creator and star of Roseanne, 65, revealed this on Twitter Thursday night, just hours after she was spotted for the first time since the scandal which led to ABC cancelling her show and other networks pulling it from syndication. 'I think I'll b better tomorrow. The saddest part of all is 4 Jayden Rey on the show whom I grew2 love so much & am so ashamed of myself that she would ever think I do not love her bc she is African American. It's the most gawd awful painful thing. I can't let myself cave in tho,' wrote Barr. That tweet was later deleted from her timeline. Jayden, who just turned 9, appeared on the reboot in the role of Mary Conner, who is the daughter of Roseanne's son DJ and his wife Deena. New tweets: Roseanne Barr, 65, tweeted about the impact her racist remarks about Valerie Jarrett had on 9-year-old co-star Jayden Rey (Barr and Jayden in a scene from Roseanne) Family: 'The saddest part of all is 4 Jayden Rey whom I grew2 love so much & am so ashamed that she would ever think I do not love her bc she is African American' (l to r: Sarah Chalke, Lacey Goranson, Jayden, Barr, Ames McNamara, Michael Fishman and Emma Kenney) Difficult time: 'It's the most gawd awful painful thing. I can't let myself cave in tho,' added Barr Smoke break: Barr was spotted out in her native Utah on Thursday in photos obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com Roseanne was Jayden's first big role, having previously appeared in just a single episode of the CBS drama Unforgettable. Prior to that Jayden, modeled for a number of junior fashion lines. She had been all set to appear in the second season of Roseanne prior to the show's cancellation, and shared numerous photos from season one on her Instagram. This included a picture of the first table read, with Jayden writing: '@roseanneonabc is coming back!!! I AM SO GRATEFUL AND HUMBLED TO FINALLY ANNOUNCE THAT I AM A PART OF THIS AMAZING CAST!!! Here is a behind the scenes photo of our first table read. It is an honor to work with such a talented cast. You are in for a treat in 2018!' Barr also revealed that she begged Disney-ABC Television Group President Ben Sherwood to keep her show on the air after getting word that the network was pulling the plug on the program, which just finished the season as the most watched comedy on television. In another Twitter rant that has also been since-deleted, Barr said she told network executives that she wanted to 'make amends' after the fallout from her tweet, in which she compared Jarrett to a character from Planet of the Apes. 'I begged Ben Sherwood at ABC 2 let me apologize & make amends. I begged them not to cancel the show. I told them I was willing to do anything & asked 4 help in making things right. I'd worked doing publicity 4 them 4 free for weeks, traveling, thru bronchitis. I begged 4 ppls jobs,' said Barr. 'He said: what were you thinking when you did this? I said: I thought she was white, she looks like my family! He scoffed & said: 'what u have done is egregious, and unforgivable.' I begged 4 my crews jobs. Will I ever recover from this pain? omg.' 'I also told Ben Sherman that I would go in hospital to check my meds, bc the stress had made them less effective. I begged like 40 motherf-----s. Done now,' Barr added in the since-deleted tweets. Minutes later, she tweeted: 'Get this! they pulled all my reruns and replaced me with COSBY! it's kinda hilariously gross'. Reading time: Jayden played Roseanne's granddaughter Mary Conner on the show (Jayden with the cast and crew for the first reading of the reboot in October) Best of friends: Jayden had previously appeared in just one episode of the CBS drama Unforgettable prior to booking Roseanne and was set to appear on season two (Jayden and Emma Kenney on set) Giving her blessing: Shortly after Barr was spotted she took to Twitter and said that she had forgiven her former castmates Sara Gilbert and Michael Fishman (Barr above on Thursday) Just hours after her first sighting, Barr was back on Twitter saying she had begged Ben Sherwood, the president of the Disney-ABC Television Group, to not cancel her show and let her 'make amends' Shortly after Barr was spotted on Thursday in Utah, she took to Twitter and said that she had forgiven her former castmates Sara Gilbert and Michael Fishman. 'To michael fishman and sara gilbert: I forgive u both, love u both, just wish u could have called me personally 2 talk rather than do it in a public arena. I understand, tho. It's ok,' wrote Barr. The actors, who play two of Barr's children on the show, denounced the show's creator on social media in the wake of her remarks on Tuesday. 'Roseanne's recent comments about Valerie Jarrett, and so much more, are abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show. I am disappointed in her actions to say the least,' wrote Gilbert. Rosie the riveter: Barr is seen having a heated talk on Thursday 'This is incredibly sad and difficult for all of us, as we've created a show that we believe in, are proud of, and that audiences love one that is separate and apart from the opinions and words of one cast member.' 'Wow! unreal,' wrote Barr, who had confessed in earlier interviews to the difficult job Gilbert had of trying to rein in her impulse to tweet offensive comments. However, she later followed up, tweeting: 'No, I understand her position and why she said what she said. i forgive her. It just shocked me a bit, but I indeed f***ed up.' She reiterated this soon after when a follower criticized Gilbert, saying: 'She's distancing herself from me and my tweet-she has to.' Michael Fishman, who played D.J. Conner on the show and started working with Barr when he was just six, was the first to feel the wrath of the show's creator after he released a statement criticizing her racist tweet saying Jarrett looks like the lovechild of the 'Muslim Brotherhood and Planet of the Apes'. 'I condemn these statements vehemently,' wrote Fishman, who is the father of a black daughter in the reboot. 'They are reprehensible and intolerable, contradicting my beliefs and outlook on life and society. I have always lived and taught my children to be inclusive. I believe our show strived to embrace different backgrounds and opinions, through open dialogue.' Barr was none too happy with that statement and fired back on Twitter: 'I created the platform for that inclusivity and you know it. ME. You throw me under the bus. nice!' she wrote. Fishman responded, stating: 'You fought, built, and designed Roseanne for inclusiveness. That is why yesterday was so out of character with the last 30 years. It was in your hands from the beginning to the end. No one can deny that.' Barr fired back: 'Please leave me alone, thanks.' An illegal immigrant chef will spend at least 17 years in jail after he fatally stabbed a drunken customer up to 17 times at his restaurant after he asked for spicy food. Pakistan-born Abdullah Siddiqi was killed by Nepalese chef Hari Dhakal, 50, on October 25, 2016 at Ballarat Curry House, Victoria. Appearing in the Victorian Supreme Court on Thursday, the court heard Mr Siddiqi, 38, was the only customer and had a bottle of Jim Beam to drink with his food. After finishing his meal he approached the waitress asking for more 'spicy food'. Scroll down for video Hari Dhakal (pictured) confessed to the killing of a drunk customer at Ballarat Curry House Pakistan-born Abdullah Siddiqi (pictured) was stabbed 17 times by chef Hari Dhakal on October 25, 2016 Dhakal told Mr Siddiqi he was too intoxicated which led to him becoming abusive and swearing at him in his language calling him a 'f**cking motherf**cker.' 'You're a sister f**ker, you are a chef, you're nothing, you're cooking here, do you know who I am?' The 50-year-old chef then went back into the kitchen and grabbed a knife and stabbed Mr Siddiqi 17 times in the head, neck and arms. Dhakal wrapped the knife in a cloth and walked to the police station where he confessed to killing Mr Siddiqi. In the recorded confession, Dhakal's hands were covered to preserve the evidence and he said he wanted to kill Mr Siddiqi. 'I just killed him. I did want to kill him, I did it,' he told officers. 'I saw in the movie like that, hitting, and I just hit it like that I just killed him.' Dhakal wrapped the knife in a cloth (pictured) and walked to the police station where he confessed to killing Mr Siddiqi Ballarat Curry House (pictured left and right) where Dhakal stabbed Mr Siddiqi 17 times Dhakal also alleged that Mr Siddiqi had threatened to kill him. He was charged but pleaded not guilty on the grounds of self-defence but the jury convicted Dhakal to 23 years' jail. He will serve a mininum of 17 years. Justice Lex Lasry told Dhakal: 'You were sober and he was intoxicated... you should have realised... that the threat from him was totally out of proportion.' 'You were entitled to be offended by what he said and you were entitled to resist his somewhat clumsy pushing. However, your actions in stabbing him to death went far beyond anything that had been done to you.' Justice Lasry accepted Dhakal's remorse and that he suffered anxiety because, being Brahmin (the highest Hindu caste), his actions would not be condoned. 'This is one of those rare cases where despite your plea of not guilty ... I accept you are remorseful,' he said. 'It occurred spontaneously and in response to significant provocation from the deceased.' Having already served 584 days in custody, Dhakal could be released in a little more than 15 years. Dhakal, arrived in Australia on a business visa in 2000 and applied for asylum in 2003, which failed. He was in Australia illegally for 13 years before the killing and could be deported after his release. A former Labour councillor who worked as the head of history at an Oxfordshire secondary school has been banned for life, after he was caught uploading photos of pupils onto a Russian website used by paedophiles. Steven Birkett, 43, admitted to sharing pictures of students in their uniform on the website without permission of the school or parents. Birkett, worked at Chenderit School, Middleton Cheyney, in Oxfordshire as the head of history when he uploaded the images online between 2007 and 2017. Steven Birkett, 43, admitted to sharing pictures of students in their uniform on the website without permission of the school or parents. Birkett, worked at Chenderit School (pictured), Middleton Cheyney, in Oxfordshire when he uploaded the images between 2007 and 2017 He was a Labour councillor for the New Bilton ward from 2012 until his resignation in 2017, where he said in a statement he had returned to Lancashire to be with family. Birkett admitted to posting photographs of at least two pupils - which he had taken from Facebook without their knowledge - for at least ten days, having set up an account using an email address containing the name of another pupil. A Teacher Disciplinary Panel heard none of the pictures were sexual or indecent but that Birkett would have been aware the site was used by paedophiles. The report suggested that some of the pages on folders on the site were labelled 'cute', '3/4 yo', 'Little Cuties' and Cute 8yo' seemingly in reference to young girls based on their age. A TRA panel recommended a ban, after finding his actions 'may bring the profession into disrepute', despite the fact that police were unable to press charges as no criminal laws had been broken. The said he had not provided 'adequate explanation for his behaviour' or acknowledged its possible effect on the children. On November 2, 2016, the head teacher at Chenderit School was contacted by Northamtonshire Police in relation to Birkett's activities online. Birkett, worked at Chenderit School, Middleton Cheyney, in Oxfordshire as the head of history when he uploaded the images online between 2007 and 2017. He was a Labour councillor for the New Bilton ward from 2012 until his resignation in 2017, where he said in a statement he had returned to Lancashire to be with family Birkett was suspended pending the conclusion of the investigation but chose to resign following the investigation where he accepted all allegations as true. He will not be able to apply for the ban to be lifted in future, the TRA said. In February 2017, Birkett resigned as councillor with immediate effect, with a statement explaining he had returned to Lanacashire to be with his family. Following the outcome of Birkett's hearing, the Labour Party released a statement condemning his actions. Rugby Labour CLP Chair Alan Webb said: 'We are shocked and appalled to hear this news. It is deeply worrying that behaviour like this is often hidden from even peoples closest friends. 'It is quite incomprehensible why anyone would want to behave like this. 'Whilst our immediate feelings are of revulsion, we also trust the judgement of the police authority who we assume are in possession of all the facts. 'Meanwhile, our thoughts are with the children and families affected, both within our communities and beyond. A Vietnamese boy is critically ill in hospital after being found crammed in a suitcase in a new people-smuggling horror. The child, who is thought to be 16, was found after UK Border Force officials opened the piece of luggage in Devon on Wednesday. The incident highlights the risks desperate refugees are willing to take to start a new life in Britain as the migrant crisis continues to engulf Europe. A Romanian man has been arrested after 16-year-old Vietnamese boy was found inside a suitcase at the Port of Dover The boy is understood to have been conscious when he was rescued from the boot of a car following a 90-minute ferry crossing from Calais. Romanian Andrei Iancu, 20, appeared in court yesterday charged with people trafficking. The suitcase was in the boot of a silver Skoda Octavia which was stopped at the busy port in a search area for vehicles arriving in the UK from France. Paramedics were called and the teenager was taken to hospital in a potentially life-threatening condition, said Kent Police. He has since improved and officers are waiting to speak to him. Bearded Iancu appeared before Medway Magistrates Court in Chatham, Kent, via a video link from Folkestone police station. Wearing a grey tracksuit, he spoke through an interpreter, giving no indication of a plea and speaking only to confirm his name, date of birth and nationality during the short hearing. Prosecutor Debbie Jones told the court that when the boy was found, he began fitting. The suitcase was in the boot of a silver Skoda Octavia which was stopped at the busy port in a search area for vehicles arriving in the UK from France Iancu was remanded in custody until June 29 when he will appear at Canterbury Crown Court. Europol, the EUs law enforcement agency, has warned that migrant smuggling was now a major business for criminals across Europe. It said traffickers were charging asylum seekers 6,200 each to be crammed into the space between a vehicles engine and bonnet in the hope of evading border guards. Other dangerous methods include packing migrants into overcrowded lorries and vans with insufficient air or concealing them in airtight containers. Earlier this week, police warned that organised crime gangs were operating a network of Vietnamese nail salons covering the whole of the UK. They use the shops to launder money from cannabis farms and prostitution, and are moving child slaves between branches to avoid detection. In 2017, a total of 5,145 people were recorded in the National Referral Mechanism as potential victims of slavery 739 were Vietnamese, the third highest group after Albanian and British. Vietnamese nationals made up the highest number of victims of labour exploitation and 362 Vietnamese children were referred, up from 277 in 2016. Last year it was revealed record numbers of fines had been issued to lorry drivers for carrying illegal immigrants into Britain. Drivers of heavy goods vehicles the overwhelming majority going through Calais were hit with 3,552 penalty notices in 2016-17, equivalent to one every two hours. It was a 12 per cent increase on the 3,151 fines imposed the year before and up more than five-fold on 2011-12, when just 648 were issued. Overall, hauliers had to pay 7.8 million in fines in the last financial year. Two police officers in serious condition in hospital after being allegedly stabbed have been named. Police Scotland said Pc Laura Sayer, 39, and Pc Kenny MacKenzie, 43, were injured at a house in Gateside Gardens, Greenock, Inverclyde, on Friday morning. A 43-year-old man had been arrested following the incident and is also being treated in hospital. Pc Laura Sayer, 39, and Pc Kenny MacKenzie, 43, were injured at a house in Gateside Gardens, Greenock, Inverclyde, on Friday morning Forensic officers at the scene in Greenock today after the two police officers were injured Police at the scene of an incident in Gateside Gardens, Greenock, where two police officers were injured Colleagues praised the 'incredible bravery' of the two injured officers who were initially taken to Royal Inverclyde Hospital. Pc Sayer has six months' service with Police Scotland and Pc MacKenzie has been with the force for nine years. Police said the incident was not terror-related and there is no risk to the wider public. Assistant Chief Constable Bernard Higgins has visited both officers, expressed Police Scotland's gratitude and support, and said he was 'proud to speak to them'. One police officer was stabbed in the neck in the incident at about 10am this morning At a press conference in Greenock, he said: 'Both remain in a serious condition. Our thoughts are with our injured colleagues and of course their families at this time. 'I'd like to take this opportunity to publicly praise the incredible bravery shown by these two officers during the extremely difficult and challenging situation they faced.' The female officer is a probationer with the force and the man is an experienced officer, Mr Higgins said. One of the officers has been transferred to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow for further treatment. Asked about the nature of the injuries, Mr Higgins said: 'It's not been classified as life-threatening at this moment but it is significant and it is serious. 'I went to the hospital and I spoke to both officers. They were in remarkable good spirits. I'm blown away by the courage of them. I was actually very moved and proud to speak with them.' A large section of Gateside Gardens has been cordoned off and several police vehicles remain in the area. A team of forensic officers could be seen examining a section of Grieve Road where a shoe and an item of clothing lay in the street. Mr Higgins said the arrested man was being treated for 'very minor bruising and cuts and grazes'. He said the 43-year-old's mental well-being was being assessed but stressed this was standard procedure for everyone who is arrested. Assistant Chief Constable Bernard Higgins said today that the officers are both in 'good spirits' Police Scotland is to significantly increase the number of officers armed with tasers from this month. Mr Higgins said: 'Potentially a taser could have made a difference, but again that's a bit speculative. Greenock is going to be one of the areas where during our roll-out period there will be specially-trained officers deployed.' Andrea MacDonald, chair of the Scottish Police Federation, said: 'Our thoughts are with the injured officers and their families. Once again we see how difficult and dangerous a job it is. A police van is blocking off the scene in Greenock, which is about 25 miles west of Glasgow Two police officers were injured during the incident this morning in Greenock, Inverclyde 'Police officers put themselves between other professionals and the public and dangerous individuals, sometimes with life-changing consequences for themselves and their families. We wish our colleagues a speedy and full recovery.' First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: 'My thoughts and best wishes for a full recovery are with the two police officers injured on duty in Greenock today. 'This is a reminder of the vital but often dangerous job our police men and women do, and what a huge debt of gratitude we owe to them.' Police Scotland has referred the incident to the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner. A young woman who shot her abusive boyfriend in the head as he lay in bed and dumped his body in the bathtub has been jailed for 12 years. Yann Bachelot, 35, was found wrapped in a shower curtain with a plastic bag over his head in the fashionable French town of Vannes in Brittany. His mummified body lay in the sealed-off bathroom for three years until the landlord finally tried to repossess the flat in an upmarket area of the port city. Mr Bachelot was shot after he imposed a reign of terror on his 27-year-old girlfriend Emilie Tobie, repeatedly beating and forcing himself on her. Yann Bachelot, 35, was found wrapped in a shower curtain with a plastic bag over his head in the fashionable French town of Vannes (pictured) in Brittany On one occasion the child nurse was locked up for eight days and told she was going to be shot her and her body dumped, the court heard at her trial. Another time the former navy seaman, who quit after two years because he 'couldn't handle discipline', held a .22 rifle to her head and threatened to pull the trigger. Tobie finally snapped after a violent row in October 2012 when she said she wanted to accompany her cousin to choose her wedding gown. Fearing for her life she grabbed a shotgun and shot Mr Bachelot in the head while he was lying on their bed. She then dragged his body into the bathroom, wrapped it in a shower curtain with a black plastic bag over his head and left the body in the bath. Tobie sealed off the bathroom door with tape, moved out of the flat, and told her friends her boyfriend had gone to live in Spain. She moved into a new flat with a new boyfriend at the nearby tourist resort of Arradon on the picturesque Gulf of the Morbihan. In September 2015, the owner of the Rue Saint-Gildas flat sent a bailiff and a locksmith to the to repossess the premises due to non payment of rent. The locksmith opeed the flat door and the two men began to inspect the interior. At first they were puzzled because the doorway to the bathroom appeared to have been carefully concealed. In September 2015, the owner of the Rue Saint-Gildas (pictured) flat sent a bailiff and a locksmith to the to repossess the premises due to non payment of rent, finding the body They had to rip off the tape aroud the and on opening it were immediately assailed by the odour of decaying flesh. In the bath lay the body of a man with a gaping wound to the head still wrapped in the plastic shower curtain. They called Gendarmes who in turn summoned forensic detectives who quickly realised they were looking at the mummified remains of a murder victim. Gendarmes traced Tobie to Arradon and after eight hours she admitted killing her boyfriend because he had been violent and threatening. In court during a four day hearing her lawyer pleaded for a light sentence on the grounds of legitimate defence. But on Thursday the jury found Tobie, now 30, guilty and jailed her for 12 years - more than the 10 years prosecutors asked for. A judge has launched into a tirade over young party drug users abusing their 'social privilege' and making terrible decisions to use potentially dangerous substances at festivals. Magistrate Robyn Denes unleashed in Sydney's Burwood court this week, frustrated at the stream of young people busted buying and selling drugs at the A State Of Trance music festival. A nurse, recruiter and bank loans provider were among those allegedly caught with small quantities of drugs at the event held at Sydney Olympic Park in April, news.com.au reported. Many of the 65 people arrested, out of 12,700 attendees, fronted court before Ms Denes this week. A judge has launched into a tirade over young party drug users abusing their 'social privilege' and making terrible decisions to use potentially dangerous substances at festivals (A State Of Trance crowd pictured) 'One thing that strikes me about this particular dance festival is there are lots of young people who have every advantage education, solid family and jobs that others don't have,' the magistrate said. 'You can't hide behind your social fortune for too long. I accept there is something particularly unique at these sorts of festivals. I think the drug dealers are all having a bit of a laugh at you with all their wallets full.' She issued a warning to those selling drugs who had not yet been caught, 'The authorities are onto this. They're all over it. Don't think you won't get caught,' she said. Ms Denes also blasted young drug users who often were putting substances they knew nothing about into their body. In one case, the judge scorned a 26-year-old woman who admitted to having two MDMA capsules hidden internally inside a condom after being arrested with the aid of a sniffer dog. Ms Denes also blasted young drug users who often were putting substances they knew nothing about into their body (A State Of Trance crowd pictured) Ms Denes was unimpressed the woman had hidden behind her 'social fortune' and placed on a two-year good behaviour bond. Another 26-year-old, a bank loans officer, was caught with a pill hidden inside a lipstick container and another inside a balloon in her mouth. 'I don't really know what's inside it. I'm assuming it's, like, drugs,' she told a police officer. Ms Denes (pictured) launched into a tirade over young partygoers abusing their 'social privilege' and taking drugs When questioned about the pill inside the balloon, the woman said, 'I haven't looked at it. I don't know what's inside it. I am assuming it's the same s**t. I guess I just wanted to try it. I'm an idiot.' Ms Denes told the woman, 'You are another one. You live at home in a safe environment.' 'You come from a very strict family and it has been a mortifying experience. Hopefully this will scare you straight.' The second woman avoided having a conviction recorded and was placed on an 18 month good behaviour bond. A 20-year-old man at the festival was allegedly found with 150 caps of MDMA, 26 ecstasy tablets and eight grams of cocaine; a 19-year-old had 120 MDMA caps; and a 23-year-old was found with 47 caps. The volume of drug-related arrests at ASOT was described as 'alarming' by South West Metropolitan Region Enforcement Squad commander Detective Inspector Gus Viera. 'It never ceases to amaze me how many people ignore all the warnings not only health warnings but the awareness that there will be a high-visibility police operation then choose to carry illegal drugs into the venue,' he said. 'We have police at all entry points checking for illicit substances, we have drug detection dogs conducting sweeps of the area, yet people still think they can bring drugs into these functions without being stopped.' Five dangerous predators, including two lions, two tigers and a jaguar have escaped from a zoo in western Germany. The break-out has sparked a massive hunt, a spokesman for local authorities revealed today. A bear, which also broke out of the Eifel Zoo in Luenebach, has been shot. Residents in the area have been advised to stay indoors while a hunt for the big cats is underway. Owned by the Wallpott family, the zoo located close to the border with Luxembourg is home to around 400 animals, including a Siberian tiger and lions. The escape comes two years after another similar case in eastern Germany, when two lions broke out of their cages at the Leipzig zoo. One of the lions was shot dead while the other was eventually brought back into captivity. MailOnline brings you the latest updates, here: If you are reading this on the app, please tap here. Far-right Austrian MP Gottfried Waldhausl claims immigrant dogs are stealing the places of native dogs at animal shelters A far-right politician has been widely ridiculed for warning crowds that immigrant dogs are stealing the places of native dogs at animal shelters. The bizarre statement was made by state MP Gottfried Waldhausl, who sits in the State Assembly of Lower Austria for the far-right Austrian Freedom Party (FPO). The subject was broached during a campaign event in the northeastern city of Melk, where Waldhausl was discussing security policies with his colleague Peter Huber. Waldhausl claimed the FPO took animal welfare very seriously and their party's security and immigration policies were not just to protect the country from human immigrants, but also animals. 'Dogs with a migration background often take the places of our animals in our town's shelters,' he said. The MP was widely ridiculed on social media for his comments after the bizarre rant left the crowd bewildered. 'I am happy that the FPO has finally founds its core competence: The closing of the dangerous dog migration route,' one viewer wrote online. Another user wrote: 'Do we now need asylum centres for dogs?' Waldhausl claimed his party took animal welfare very seriously and their party's security and immigration policies were not just to protect the country from human immigrants, but also animals The far-right FPO has campaigned in recent years on restricting immigration and the closing of migration routes into Europe. On a national level, the FPO is the junior partner in the governing coalition of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz of the conservative Austrian People's Party (OVP). Since officially assuming office on December 18, 2017, Kurz and his OVP-FPO coalition have introduced strict anti-immigration measures and slashed benefits for new arrivals into the country. Austria, which is due to take up the EU presidency in the second half of 2018, is also pushing for the EU to overhaul migration policies. The right-wing coalition wants the EU to seal off its external borders and force migrants to file for asylum in Africa or the Middle East. It is also vehemently opposed to any plan which would see migrants being redistributed across membership countries. Pedro Sanchez has been confirmed as Spains next Prime Minister after Mariano Rajoy lost a vote of no-confidence amid his partys involvement in corruption which saw the Peoples Party being caught taking bribes for public contracts. This makes Mariano Rajoy the first to lose the non-confidence vote since the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975 and after the country transitioned to democracy. Pedro Sanchez will immediately move into his new role under the law that prevents a power vacuum. The PSOE leader has also pledged to call new elections within months as the country looks set to become the second European nation to fall victim to a political crisis, after Italys struggles to form a government have become clear. But who is Pedro Sanchez? Sanchez confirmed as Spains next Prime Minister after Rajoy lost a no-confidence vote Who is Pedro Sanchez? Born Pedro Sanchez Perez-Castejon on February 29, 1972, this Spanish politician has made history by becoming the first to unseat a Prime Minister with a no-confidence vote in modern times and his long-running feud with Mariano Rajoy has now come to an end. Back in 2016, Sanchez himself was ousted from the Socialist Party after a vote that was triggered by a party revolt during a time in which he refused to help Rajoy return to office following two general elections, that were considered inconclusive. Sanchez gave up his seat after the PSOE, the Spanish Socialist Workers Party, launched a coup because of his hardline attitude towards the corruption scandal and announced that he would go on a road trip. I wont go against my party or against my electoral promises. On Monday Ill get in my car and travel all round Spain to listen to those who havent been listened to, to the grassroots members and left-wing voters, he announced. Leader of PSOE Pedro Sanchez attends the meeting of the party's executive committee This trip has seemed to pay off, in the long run and after travelling from motorway cafe to cafe, Sanchez stood for re-election and was the leader of the PSOE yet again, beating the president of Andalucia, Susana Diaz. Pedro Sanchez studied economic and business sciences at Madrids Complutense university before picking up one of three Masters degrees at the Free University of Brussels and then went on to work in the European Parliament. Sanchez has also served as chief of staff to the UN high representative to Bosnia during the Kosovo conflict and later, worked as a self-employed consultant, an economic adviser to the PSOEs federal executive committee and had a stint for five years as a Madrid city councillor. Between 2009 and 2011, he returned to academia and then politics in 2013, where he was elected the leader of the Socialist Party a year later. Mariano Rajoy corruption Spanish leader Mariano Rajoy has been forced out of office after the parliament following a no-confidence vote after his party, the Peoples Party, was implicated in a corruption scandal. Mariano Rajoy votes 'No' during the no-confidence motion vote at the Lower House in Madrid The vote was called by Sanchez after a court revealed that it had uncovered a system of bribes that were given to former Peoples Party officials in exchange for lucrative public contracts between 1999 and 2005. The case also resulted in 29 people with links to the party being jailed. The court ordered the party to pay back 245,000 (215,000) received from the scheme to help finance election campaigns. Last week, Sanchez demanded that Rajoy step down because the former Prime Minister had lost credibility. 'Resign, Mr Rajoy, your time is up. Staying on as prime minister is harmful and is a burden not only for Spain but also for your party, he said. The Socialists hold 84 out of 350 seats in parliament and were able to win the vote with the backing of anti-establishment party Podemos, which had 67 seats. Pedro Sanchez gives a speech during a debate on a no-confidence motion at the Lower House They also managed to garner support from several small regional parties, including Catalonia's separatists and Basques, securing a total of 180 votes. Rajoy, however, stated that while there were corrupt people in the party, the party as a whole was not corrupt. Everybody knows that Pedro Sanchez is never going to win the elections and this is the reason for his motion, his urgency, Rajoy said and also said that a Socialist government would be bad for the economy - the former Prime Minister having steered Spain out of its worst economic crisis in decades. Why was the no-confidence vote called? According to Sanchez, Rajoy failed to take responsibility for the Peoples Partys corruption in his 11 years as Spains Prime Minister. Ahead of the vote, Sanchez said: We're going to sign a new page in the history of democracy in our country. The High Court in Madrid convicted Luis Barcenas of receiving bribes, money laundering and tax crimes and the case centred on a secret campaign fund the PP ran from 1999 until 2005. After feeling exasperated by the corruption scandal, many voters have abandoned new parties such as left-wing Podemos (We Can) and centrist Ciudadanos (Citizens). On the second day of the debate, Rajoy announced that it had been an honour to leave a better Spain than I found. Mariano Rajoy talks with Pedro Sanchez during their meeting on the '1-O Referendum' in 2017 What will Pedro Sanchez have to do as Spains next Prime Minister? Pedro Sanchez has become Spains next Prime Minister during a turbulent time for the country. Despite being the frontrunner in replacing Mariano Rajoy, the demands of the very different parties will be hard to accommodate in the run up to the next elections. He will also have to deal with the ongoing issue of Catalan independence which has been dubbed the worst political crisis to hit Spain, since the transition into democracy after the death of Francisco Franco in the 1970s. It's the city where locals talk of their excitement for a night on the town by saying they are 'mad fer it'. And a study has now revealed that Manchester really is Britain's party capital with revellers splashing out nearly 6,000 a year on socialising. Mancunians hit the town twice a week and spend an average of 57 every time they go out amounting to 114 a week or 5,935 a year, the research found. Revellers out on Peter Street in Manchester, which has been billed Britain's party capital The study found that Manchester just pipped London (112 a week) to the post, followed by Oxford (110) and Sheffield (107). Completing the top ten are Liverpool (107), then Glasgow (104), Cambridge (102), Brighton (98), Edinburgh (95) and Cardiff (93). But the research for sellmymobile.com also revealed at the other end of the scale how people in Bristol spend the least on nights out - just 37 a week on average. One in 20 Manchester residents say they always end up getting more cash out of the ATM on nights out or using their credit card because they get carried away. Also, in an average year, party-loving Britons lend 145 a year to friends which they will never get back, and 88 on paying for friends to get into clubs. They also spend 170 treating their social circle to meals because they were feeling flush. People in London (Soho is pictured) spend an average of 111.64 a week on going out But 77 per cent say they wake up with a feeling of dread about how much money they have spent - and 49 per cent regularly lie to their partner over the amount. Britain's biggest spenders on nights out Manchester 114.14 per week - (5,935 a year) London 111.64 (5,805 a year) Oxford 109.74 (5,706 a year) Sheffield 107.44 (5,586 a year) Liverpool 107.02 (5,565 a year) Glasgow 103.94 (5,404 a year) Cambridge 102.26 (5,317 a year) Brighton 98.26 (5,109 a year) Edinburgh 94.86 (4,932 a year) Cardiff 93.06 (4,839 a year) Birmingham 91.22 (4,743 a year) Norwich 86.88 (4,517 a year) Newcastle 86.24 (4,484 a year) Leeds 84.90 (4,414 a year) Plymouth 83.62 (4,348 a year) Nottingham 83.06 (4,319 a year) Leicester 78.90 (4,102 a year) Bristol 77.48 (4,028 a year) Advertisement Cardiff residents were most likely to be in debt due to their partying ways, with nearly a third of the city's adults in the red after splashing the cash on nights out. Meanwhile nine in 10 Cardiff residents said their money would be far better spent than on going out. One in five of all British adults confessed to being left hard-up in the past due to their party-hard lifestyle. But 18 per cent of them have admitted to losing their purse or wallet on a night out, and 22 per cent have woken up having lost their phone too. Spilling drinks on expensive clothes, losing watches and jewellery and even mislaying shoes were other calamities Britons experience on nights out. Vix Leyton from sellmymobile.com said 'It's great to see Mancunians living up to their 'mad fer it' reputation but those impulse rounds of shots and tipsy generosity can cause problems with your bank balance. 'Setting a budget and sticking to it can be tough, particularly in the face of temptation, but when you see how much Brits are wasting and how many wake up scared to look at their statement, it's definitely worth trying.' A man is so fed up with potholes in his town he has drawn something rude on them to get the attention of the local council. Geoff Upson, from Auckland, has been contacting road authorities about the safety of Kahikatea Flat Road, near Waitoki for 18 months, but nothing had been done. Taking the matter into his own hands, Mr Upson spray painted penises over the holes in the road to get the council to take notice. Scroll down for video Geoff Upson, from Auckland, has been contacting road authorities about the safety of Kahikatea Flat Rd, near Waitoki for 18 months, but nothing has been done This week he uploaded a video to Facebook explaining what he had done and why. The bright green penises are about 1.2 metres in width and surround numerous potholes along the road. 'I've seen it overseas, someone has done the same thing. They drew penises around the potholes and the council was forced to fix the potholes because people started complaining about the penises,' he says in the video. Speaking to the New Zealand Herald Mr Upson explained: 'I decided to do this as I have been driving over this stretch of road for 18 months and this is usually repaired using a temporary patch, and I estimate this temporary repair is carried out 35-45 times per year.' Auckland Transport told the publication it is assessing the situation. 'A permanent fix will be done on this section of the road to ensure this problem stops happening,' a media adviser for said. 'We understand this has been frustrating for drivers, and they can rest assured this will be fixed.' President Donald Trump zeroed in on the cost of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election election as another reason to call the probe that is looking into his campaign's alleged wrongdoing quits. Trump said hopped on a report that put the tab for the investigation that he called the 'Russian hoax' at $17 million. He said the costs were 'going up fast' as he again asserted there was 'no collusion, except by Democrats.' According to the Department of Justice, the special counsel investigation racked up nearly $10 million in expenditures from October to March, the latest six-month accounting period. That's on top of the $6.7 million spent on the probe the previous four months. President Donald Trump zeroed in on the cost of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election election as another reason to call the probe that is looking into his campaign's alleged wrongdoing quits Trump said hopped on a report that put the tab for the investigation led by Robert Mueller that he called the 'Russian hoax' at $17 million. Mueller's team spent $4,506,624 in direct costs plus $5,467,000 in support of the investigation during the latest six month period a combined total of $9,982,624. The total combined price tag for the Mueller investigation from May 17, 2017 through March 31, 2018 was $16,742,319. Among the expenses are $886,000 spent on rent, communications and utilities and $264,000 on 'contractual services,' most of which involved information technology, according to the report. The report doesn't list out Mueller's personal salary, but Peter Carr, spokesman for the special counsel's office, said he is paid the same as any U.S. attorney As of 2018, U.S. attorney salaries were capped at a little over $164,000, according to the department's pay scale. So far, Mueller has issued eight indictments covering 19 individuals and three businesses, secured five guilty pleas, has two criminal cases headed to trial, and one individual already serving a prison sentence. In a Twitter post earlier this month, Trump called the Mueller investigation a '$20,000,000 Witch Hunt'. Five days earlier, he estimated the cost of the probe at $10 million. On Wednesday night, Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani said on Fox News' 'Hannity' that the investigation 'never should have taken place in the first place' and claimed there were ethical issues within the Justice Department. Earlier this year Donald Trump condemned the probe as a '$20,000,000 Witch Hunt' 'So, you got a group there, a lynching mob, so let them do their job and, boy, we're ready to knock the heck out of you with our report, which will be authoritative,' Giuliani said. 'It will be backed up. It will be backed up with law and facts. And we'll let the American people decide this.' Giuliani's 'lynching mob' comment drew criticism from Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah. 'That's pretty strong language. Based on what I know now, those are not words that I would use to describe this. This is an investigation,' he told CNN. The Justice Department says a large portion of the costs - about $9 million - would have been spent regardless of the special counsel's appointment because they relate to support staff and other costs the department would have already incurred. The last time a special counsel was investigating a White House occupant, President Bill Clinton between August 1994 and February 1999, then counsel Kenneth Starr's office spent $52 million in four and a half years. Police detained two suspected gunmen outside Stan Lee's home after reports an armed man was making threats towards the Marvel creator, DailyMail.com can reveal. Several police units and a police helicopter rushed to Lee's $5 million Hollywood Hills, California, property after a 911 call was made at 7.30pm on Thursday night. It's understood officers arrived minutes later, guns drawn, before detaining two men. Lee, 95, was at home at the time and DailyMail.com understands one of the men had confronted the star demanding money. Several police units and a police helicopter rushed to Stan Lee's $5 million Hollywood Hills, California, property after a 911 call was made at 7.30pm on Thursday night It's understood officers arrived minutes later, guns drawn, before detaining two suspected gunmen. Pictured above, police congregate behind a squad car outside Lee's home DailyMail.com has learned that the men claimed Lee owed them money and arrived at the property to demand he pay them back. Pictured above, an unidentified man - not one of the suspects - speaks with police outside Lee's home An LAPD spokesperson said: 'Officers were called to a property on the 9100 block of Oriole Way at 7.30pm after reports of an assault. It was claimed that a suspect had a gun and was threatening. 'Officers detained two individuals that matched the description and an investigation is ongoing. Three units are still on scene including officers and detectives.' According to police one or both of the men had been at the property the previous day, on Wednesday. DailyMail.com has learned that the men claimed Lee owed them money and arrived at the property to demand he pay them back. A source who witnessed the incident said things went bad following an angry confrontation between Lee and one of the men. 'There was two guys standing outside demanding money, they were shouting,' the source said. 'There was a confrontation with Stan in front of his house, but Stan doesn't know either of them. One guy was saying "I want my money". 'But when everyone realized the men had guns everyone retreated inside. Stan's lawyer, business partner and a nurse were with him at the house. According to police one or both of the men had been at the Hollywood Hills property (pictured above) the previous day, on Wednesday Earlier this week, Lee shared a photo on Twitter with John Travolta and his business partner Keya Morgan 'At some point the men took out their guns and were pointing them around so the police were called.' The source, who asked not to be named, said up to 20 cops arrived and police helicopters whirred above. 'It was crazy, the cops had their guns drawn and there were spotlights from two police helicopters, it was very scary and pretty intense,' the source said. 'The cops said, "Put your hands up", so the guys got on their knees and on the floor, they were handcuffed and they were put in the car.' The witness claimed that the men, one white, one black, had tossed their guns before the police arrived, but it's claimed the officers later retrieved the weapons. It's not clear whether any arrests have been made following the incident and its cause is still being investigated. The drama is the latest to involve Lee following a string of incidents and claims this year. In April police rushed to the star's house after an intruder jumped over a fence and was trying to force his way inside. In February, police were called to the home to investigate a claim of elder abuse. The allegation is believed to have involved Stan's long-time road manager and bodyguard Max Anderson (left with Lee), a convicted felon The Marvel creator's security guard drew his gun as a man banged on a 'heavy' side door, kicked it and tried to wrench it open. In February, police were called to the home to investigate a claim of elder abuse. The allegation is believed to have involved Stan's long-time road manager and bodyguard Max Anderson, a convicted felon. Anderson, whose real name is Mac Anderson, has a reputation for violence and intimidating behavior. He has a 2002 felony conviction for beating up and injuring his wife, for which he was jailed for a year and given 36 months probation. According to 2010 court records, he was also found guilty of attacking his son with a belt, putting him in a choke hold and slamming him onto the floor. Teachers called police after the boy went to his school with his arm in a sling. Anderson was later sentenced to 36 months probation and fined. He was also made to attend anger management and parenting classes. In January Lee was hit by several claims of sexual assault and harassment against some of the nurses who cared for him round the clock. Lee is pictured above with two nurses in Los Angeles And in January, Lee was hit by several claims of sexual assault and harassment against some of the nurses who cared for him round the clock. DailyMail.com told how Lee is alleged to have repeatedly groped and harassed a string of young female nurses. He was also alleged to have masturbated in front of a female masseuse at a Chicago hotel after groping a woman and demanding sex. It was claimed he carried out the sex assault after booking massage therapy in his hotel suite in April of last year. A lawyer acting for Lee has denied all the allegations and said they are an attempt to extort money from him in a 'shakedown'. In January, it also emerged that someone stole $300,000 from him using a forged check. Lee, who still makes a cameo appearance in all the Marvel superhero films, was president and chairman of Marvel and the creator of several of the world's most iconic superheroes such as Spider-Man, Iron Man, the X-Men and The Avengers. He is believed to have made a $50million fortune from his creations which have now become the highest-grossing movie franchise in history. A Chicago White Sox relief pitcher who suffered a brain hemorrhage caused by a ruptured aneurysm in the dugout in April has opened up about his terrifying collapse. Danny Farquhar had just finished pitching at Chicago's Guaranteed Rate Field against the Houston Astros on April 21 when he told the trainer he was suffering from head pains. Moments later he collapsed and and 'immediately started vomiting,' ABC News reports. He had to be rushed to hospital where he underwent multiple surgeries. Incredibly, the 31-year old beat the odds and is already out of hospital, walking and talking and even throwing, albeit underhanded. Danny Farquhar, the Chicago White Sox relief pitcher who suffered a brain aneurysm in the dugout in April has opened up about his terrifying collapse He told GMA he still wonders what would have happened if the aneurysm hadn't ruptured while he was surrounded by his trainers and medical professionals on the pitch But he still wonders what would have happened if the aneurysm hadn't ruptured while he was surrounded by his trainers and medical professionals on the pitch. 'I was just thinking, man, if this would have happened when I'm in a hotel room by myself' that he would become 'part of the 40 per cent (who died from aneurysms),' he said during an appearance on GMA. He believes that he was chosen by God to survive the medical emergency. 'Obviously, all the prayers that everybody had for me, you know, had some sort of effect,' he said. 'And God has a plan for me, I just don't know what it is yet.' Farquhar had just finished pitching at Chicago's Guaranteed Rate Field against the Houston Astros on April 21 when he told the trainer he was suffering from head pains Moments later he collapsed and had to be rushed to hospital where he underwent multiple surgeries Incredibly, the 31-year-old beat the odds and is already out of hospital, walking and talking and throwing the odd - underhanded - pitch His wife and partner of 15 years, Lexie, added that she was 'so thankful' he was at the stadium when it happened. 'Because anywhere else, and I don't think it would have been as good as an outcome,' she said. Lexie, 30, a mother-of-three, said she had been in the suite with other team's wives when she got the call to say her husband had collapsed. Despite the life-threatening diagnosis, Lexie said she always knew her husband would pull through. 'But, I did know that it was gonna be unlike anything we've ever experienced before,' she said. 'That it was gonna be something that was gonna take everything we had emotionally and physically, but that he was gonna be OK.' Danny Farquar, who cannot remember the incident, has mostly recovered his long term memory although says it's still spotty. After 17 days in the ICU, following multiple surgeries to relieve pressure on his brain and 28 stitches in his head, he was released. His wife and partner of 15 years, Lexie, (pictured with him and their three kids) added that she was 'so thankful' he was at the stadium when it happened Farquhar, pictured in hospital with her husband, is speaking out about the dugout collapse on GMA Farquhar says he's been 'completely cleared to do anything' he wants by doctors, but still remains on the 60-day disabled list by the White Sox. He is now working on carefully building up his workouts, without putting too much stress on his body or increasing his blood pressure. And he says that the health scare has inspired him to do even more, ''cause you just never know what could happen.' 'The positives are just the outlook on my life and children - you know, how lucky I am to be here,' he said. He is due back on pitch today - although only for the ceremonial pitch at the White Sox's game against the Milwaukee Brewers. But Farquhar is hoping to be back for real on the opening day in 2019 - even if his wife wasn't too keen on the idea. Danny Farquhar #43 of the Chicago White Sox pitches in the seventh inning against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on April 16, 2018 in Oakland, California The uniform of critically-injured Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Danny Farquhar hangs in the bullpen during the third inning against the Houston Astros on April 22 after his collapse Lexie concedes her husband is an 'outside dog' but that even he has had to accept he needs to recover properly at home - or risk even further injury. Farquhar signed with the White Sox on July 24, 2017 'He's been true to himself and how his body feels,' she said. 'He understands that a setback in this will mean a lot more. You can't just push through the pain.' Farquhar will throw out the first pitch before tonight's game against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers, the team announced Thursday. He'll be joined by Lexie and children Madison, Landon and Liam when he returns to Guaranteed Rate Field. The White Sox will engage in fundraising efforts at the ballpark tonight with proceeds going to the Joe Niekro Foundation, an entity that supports families dealing with brain aneurysms. The organization is named after former big leaguer Joe Niekro, who died in 2006 of a brain aneurysm. Farquhar, 1-1 in eight appearances this season, faced four batters and threw 15 pitches to get the final two outs in the top of the sixth before he passed out after the inning on April 21. He signed with the White Sox on July 24, 2017. Previously Farquhar played for three other teams over seven big league seasons, posting a 10-15 record to go with a 3.93 earned-run average in 253 regular-season games. Farquhar was selected by Toronto in the 10th round of the 2008 draft and made his major league debut with the Blue Jays in 2011. Donald Trump cuts an erratic figure, but he has his own remorseless logic. In the form of a looming trade war the world is witnessing his refusal to be budged on core beliefs of his 'America First' doctrine. Forget the Twitter spats and feuds: the President's move to slap punitive tariffs on steel and aluminium imports to the US (10% on aluminium, a mighty 25% on steel) - is intended to showcase Trump-ism in action. His supporters see it as making good on his promise to focus on American interests - and it fulfils his campaign-trail promise to deal with resentments that American workers have been short-changed by free trade. In particular, he is targeting heavily-subsidised Chinese imports, which he says have destroyed American jobs in the industrial heartlands. In starting a trade war, the world is witnessing his refusal to be budged on core beliefs of his 'America First' doctrine, says Anne McElvoy, Senior Editor at The Economist Trump does has a point about the growing impact of China on the US economy - and that of the rest of the world too. China now poses as a champion of free trade, while routinely flouting many of the rules and operating a protectionism of its own. It imposes tariffs of around 10 per cent on foreign goods - far more than America or Europe. They operate sanctions, like the denial of oil sales to North Korea. President Xi embraces globalisation in speeches - but both formal and informal restrictions make it hard for western companies to thrive in the Chinese economy. As China grows more mighty and its economy (particularly in technology) gets more sophisticated, competition with the US and indeed the rest of the world, is becoming more intense in sensitive areas. This is particularly true in the collection of personal data to enhance Artificial Intelligence (AI) and military-industrial technology. The President is not alone in worriying about Chinese robotics and AI companies using access to American firms and university research to steal intellectual property in the innovation race. If Russia now occupies the role of disruptive irritant, with crude attempts to sway election races and a cat's paw approach to testing the West's security mettle in Ukraine, Crimea and by support for anti-democratic forces in eastern Europe, it has receded as an economic and commercial threat. The stark reason is that the Chinese have advanced far faster in technology in recent years - and that Beijing is keen to weaponise these advances in an intense race with the West for prosperity and economic power. So the latest set-to on tariffs is part of a much wider potential conflict, which could involve the whole world. Merely hitting back by imposing American duties will not solve the problem. Trade between the US and China needs to come into better balance. But that will be a hard accommodation to reach, as both sides dig in on their national interest in a trade war that is about more than just steel and peanut butter. Meanwhile Trump's neighbour Canada and the EU are the territories which export the most steel to the US so the impact is already felt far beyond the US-China stand off. The move has even united fractious Europeans in condemnation. Emmanuel Macron, the EU leader who recently conducted a one-man charm offensive on a visit to Washington, has just called the President to denounce the move as 'illegal'. That will not worry Trump much: he is not a fan of the World Trade Organisation, the global rule-setting body. The greater risk, both to the US and other countries, including the UK, which are caught up in a tit-for-tat trade saga, is that blunt weapon of imposing or increasing duties on goods escalating into damaging global trade war. The more such barriers go up, the greater the likely impact on economies. It is like throwing sand in the wheels of the machinery of global trade. Mr Trump, on the other hand, hopes to stop Chinese steel reaching the US market via third-party countries. The defence of his decision (aside from the odd claim that it is based on National Security), is that the gains of liberal world trade are very far from being felt by workers in rust-belt parts of America whose jobs have been whittled away by technology or competition. And Trump opponents often glide over the fact that Democrat administrations have launched trade battles when it suited them. In the 1990s under Bill Clinton, the long-running 'banana wars' with the EU arose from protecting the interests of US multinationals in fruit production in the Caribbean. Yet the scale and impact of steel and aluminium trade wars are much greater and the gains look elusive. Mr Trump says he expects investment and new jobs to follow and many Americans believe him. In the short term, he may be able to incentivise local production and jobs, though hardly on the scale of the losses he seeks to redress. The history of governments trying to protect jobs in the steel industry is not convincing though. It most often ends up as a costly exercise in subsidy, or a postponement of job losses, rather than a lasting solution. Like industrial processes that once required intensive manpower, steel production is less labour intensive than it was. Pushing back against trade tariffs however, is difficult without unleashing a further cycle of damage. That puts big trade powers like Canada and the EU in an unenviable position can they both defend free trade as a principle and join in a tit-for-tat tussle over tariffs? Anne McElvoy warns that trade wars like the one started by Donald Trump are often complicated and the consumer almost always bears the brunt of them with price rises China now poses as a champion of free trade, but McElvoy says President Xi Jinping (pictured) makes it tough for western companies to thrive in his country's economy Trump's trade war has been criticised by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (left) and French President Emmanuel Macron (right) The instant response from EU officials has been to talk big and act small. The EU has announced plans to impose its own tariffs on motorcycles imports and is dangling the prospect of more, on orange juice, whisky, peanut butter and Levi's jeans, among other popular consumer goods. That would hit American exporters and is also intended to increase pressure on the President among pro-business Republicans. And European shoppers will be disgruntled to find the row leads to higher till prices too. So far, the EU response is modest, because the aim is to present a united front with Mexico and Canada. Ultimately though, the tariff deadlock could extend from steel (which does not much affect the EU in volume of exports), to cars. This is a particular problem for Germany, but also in other EU countries with automobile and associated industries. If the detail is complicated, the principle if simple. Trade wars, once started, are devilishly hard to stop. And whatever the intentions, the consumer always bears the brunt of the backlash. A man has been arrested after a woman died, a man was stabbed, and another man was assaulted with a hammer in a shocking daylight attack. The culprit allegedly attacked the man and woman at their property near Bega on the New South Wales south coast at about 3.30pm on Friday. Police alleged he then carjacked a vehicle on Sapphire Coast Drive to get away, seriously assaulting the male driver with a hammer in the process. A man has been arrested after a woman died, a man was stabbed, and another man was assaulted with a hammer in a shocking daylight attack. Police are pictured at the scene on Friday evening A 20-year-old man was arrested by specialist police near Sapphire Coast Drive, Bournda Residents on that road between the suburbs of Bournda and Kalaru were urged to remain inside their homes. He was taken to a Sydney hospital and remains in a critical condition. About 8.20pm, a 20-year-old man was arrested by specialist police near Sapphire Coast Drive, Bournda. He was taken to Bega Police Station and inquiries are continuing. National Gun Violence Awareness Day 2018 is now underway in the United States. The day, held annually to raise awareness of gun violence in the country, comes just weeks after shocking tragedies at schools in Parkland, Florida and Santa Fe, Texas. Heres all you need to know about National Gun Violence Awareness Day. National Gun Violence Awareness Day was started back in 2015 by Everytown for Gun Safety What is National Gun Violence Awareness Day? National Gun Violence Awareness Day is an event held annually in the United States to raise awareness of gun violence and its impact on communities as well as remember victims and survivors of gun violence. Activists often use the day to push for stricter gun control laws in the United States. The event was started by Everytown for Gun Safety and was first held in 2015. Activists mark the day by wearing orange, signing petitions to push for stricter gun control laws, demonstrating against gun violence, attending meetups, promoting their cause on social media and engaging in workshops and teach-ins about gun violence. When is National Gun Violence Awareness Day 2018? National Gun Violence Awareness Day 2018 is held on Friday, June 1. In prior years, it was also held on June 2. Today is National Gun Violence Awareness Day. #WearOrange to give a voice to those who have died due to gun violence. pic.twitter.com/xa6WOyXaxv BET (@BET) June 1, 2018 Why is National Gun Violence Awareness Day held June 1 or 2? June 2 marks the birthday of Hadiya Pendleton, a teenager from Chicago who was tragically murdered at age 15 on January 29, 2013 just days after performing at the second inauguration of Barack Obama. National Gun Violence Awareness Day 2018 is being pitched as Wear Orange Weekend starting on Friday, June 1 as a way to promote gun violence awareness in the United States throughout the entire weekend. Why do people wear orange on National Gun Violence Awareness Day? The trend of wearing orange on the day was started by Pendletons friends to remember her and to push for an end to gun violence in the U.S.. Orange is symbolic in that it represents the color that hunters wear to protect themselves while hunting in woodlands. On this National Gun Violence Awareness Day, let your voice be heard and show your commitment to reducing gun violence. pic.twitter.com/eXkV4WmkqA Barack Obama (@BarackObama) June 2, 2017 In recent years, the color has been adopted by activists for National Gun Violence Awareness Day. In 2016 alone, notable celebrities like Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Kim Kardashian, Stephen Curry and many others wore orange for the event. World-famous landmarks like the Empire State Building in New York City were also lit up in orange in recognition of the day. A 10-year-old boy has been permanently expelled after bringing bang snap noisemakers to his Georgia elementary school. The boy's mother, Noelle, of McDonough, Georgia, told WSB-TV that the school expelled her son because the local school district classifies the noisemakers as an explosive compound. Bang snaps, also known as 'poppers,' are typically made with a tiny amount of silver fulminate, a highly explosive substance, which produces the 'bang' noise that can be heard when the poppers are stepped on, thrown or otherwise set off. A 10-year-old boy was permanently expelled from his elementary school after bringing three 'popper' noisemakers to school with him (stock image) Georgia's Henry County School System states in its handbook that students bringing explosive compounds to school are to be punished with permanent expulsion. The 10-year-old boy, a fourth grader who has not been named, was said to have been expelled from Flippen Elementary after he popped the bang snaps while waiting for the bus in his neighborhood. A fellow student apparently reported the boy's use of bang snaps to the school's principal, who then searched the boy's backpack and found three unused bang snaps inside. Noelle told the news station that her son hadn't realized that the poppers were still in his bag and that he thought he'd used them up before going to school. The fourth grader was expelled from Georgia's Flippen Elementary school after the principal searched his bag and found the poppers inside. His mother said he thought he'd use them all Poppers are typically made with a small amount of silver fulminate, an explosive substance, which produces the 'bang' sound heard when they are thrown or stepped on (stock image) A hearing officer determined that the 10-year-old would be permanently expelled from the school, a punishment which Noelle believes is too harsh. 'He's 10,' Noelle told WSB-TV. 'He had no idea he was doing something wrong.' She also noted that she can pop the bang snaps 'in my hand' and that she doesn't believe that they are dangerous. 'It doesn't harm you, it doesnt hurt you. It makes a noise,' she said, adding that, 'They don't even make a spark. They just make a noise. They're just a noise.' Noelle said that she has other children attending school in the same district and that having to find another school for her son will cause her great problems. Being permanently expelled is also having an impact on her son. 'Mama, what are we going to do next? Are we going to have to move?' Noelle said her 10-year-old asks her. 'Like, how am I going to go to school?' The school has said that she can appeal the decision. Noelle intends to ask for leniency on behalf of her child. The school said that it could not discuss this specific case, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Catalonia's government will be restored as early as Saturday - bringing to an end a seven-month hiatus imposed by Madrid. The Catalan government said members of new regional president Quim Torra's administration will be sworn in on Saturday. Spanish Parliament took control of governing the embattled region after a bid by separatists to secede from the rest of the country in October. But Saturday's swearing in will mark the end of special controls from Madrid that were imposed on the north-eastern region following last year's controversial declaration of independence. Scroll down for video Newly elected and former Catalan Prime Minister Qim Torra (left) and Carles Puigdemont hold a press conference in Berlin on May 15 - Puigdemont caused the government shutdown after declaring independence from Spain in October Newly elected Catalan Prime Minister Qim Torra will assume control of the newly sworn in Catalan government on Saturday Mr Torra, a fervent separatist, also announced that his government had sued Mariano Rajoy - who has been ousted as prime minister - and his deputy, Soraya Saenz de Santamaria, for abuse of power over their blocking of an earlier Cabinet proposal. Meanwhile, German prosecutors have formally applied to a higher regional court for the extradition of former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont on charges linked to his role in the campaign for the Catalonia region's independence, they said on Friday. It is now up to the higher regional court in Schleswig-Holstein to decide on the extradition, although it is unclear when any ruling will come. Puigdemont was arrested in March on a Spanish-issued arrest warrant as he entered Germany, after first leaving Spain for Belgium. Spain sacked the Catalan regional government led by Puigdemont after a declaration of independence that followed a banned secession referendum on October 1. It has blocked any attempts at independence in the courts, citing the constitution which says Spain is indivisible. German prosecutors formally applied for the extradition of former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont on Friday Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez took over as Spain's Prime Minister on Friday from Mariano Rajoy Earlier on Friday, Socialist Pedro Sanchez took over as Spain's prime minister, succeeding Mariano Rajoy who lost a vote of confidence in parliament. The new government may seek dialogue but is unlikely to reverse Madrid's stance toward Puigdemont, whose situation depends on courts rather than politicians. The German court has released Puigdemont on bail and last month it rejected a further application from prosecutors to put him in custody. Prosecutors made that request alongside a decision to challenge an earlier ruling rejecting extradition on the charge of rebellion after receiving new information from Spanish authorities including videos showing violence against police. However, the court has said extradition might be possible on the lesser charge of misuse of public funds. The harrowing tales of black slaves who were whipped and branded in 18th century Britain have been unveiled for the first time - from newspaper adverts. They are revealed in a new digital database of runaways that escaped from cruel merchants who grew rich on their forced labour. Scientists have uncovered more than 800 advertisements placed by masters and owners in English and Scottish newspapers between 1700 and 1780. The adverts offering money for the return of the runaway slave give an insight into those enslaved people who lived and died in the UK hundreds of years ago. The British empire was a focal point in the slave trade and as the industry grew, the numbers of enslaved people arriving in Britain surged, with some taking the chance to escape. Those who fled their owners often went to the East End of London, living in squalid conditions in the districts of Mile End and Stepney, as well as Paddington in the north west of the capital. The adverts were uncovered and compiled into a database by a research effort led by the University of Glasgow and the Leverhulme Trust to tell the stories of the 'heroic individuals, untamed by the haughty tyrants who attempted to bend them down.' The harrowing tales of slaves who were whipped and branded in 18th century Britain have been unveiled for the first time - from newspaper ads. This owner offered a reward of five guineas for the return of a 25-year-old man who was 'bred a cook' A Scottish slave owner published an ad seeking for a 18-year-old girl who escaped. She was described as having an engraved collar around her neck with the words 'his Negro' on it The injuries mentioned in the brief ads above make clear how often slaves - which included men, women and children - were beaten in captivity The adverts lift the lid on this relatively unknown details of British history, as they offered rewards to anyone who captured and returned the fugitives - often identified by scars from their thrashings. They were brought into the country by government officials or military commaders returning to home. When they arrived in Britain they were sold at auctions, with some going to work at butlers for wealthy families. The injuries mentioned in the brief ads make clear how often slaves - which included men, women and children - were beaten in captivity. They were also forced to wear metal collars and had their faces branded. Research assistant Nelson Mundell, of the University of Glasgow, said: 'This project shows it wasn't an unusual thing to have slaves walking around the streets of villages, towns and cities the length and breadth of Britain. 'The adverts make for sobering reading as they describe scars and markings from whips or brands. 'It also shows on occasion slaves wore collars or other manacles, sometimes with the owner's name engraved on them, as was the case with an 18 year old fugitive called Ann who escaped from a house in Glasgow.' Captives being brought on board a slave ship on the West Coast of Africa (Slave Coast), c1880 Most fled to the East End of London, living in squalid conditions in the districts of Mile End and Stepney, as well as Paddington in the north west of the capital. This advert calls for the return of a man with 'very large lips' who is believed to have fled to London Runaway slaves inadvertently generated records of themselves in the ads. Otherwise they are all but completely absent from historical records The detailed descriptions are enough to open the window on their dreadful suffering with information on mannerisms, clothes, hairstyles, skin markings, teeth and skills The database is a result of the university's Runaway Slaves in Britain project. It involved combing through tens of thousands of pages of newspapers to locate ads Runaway slaves inadvertently generated records of themselves in the ads. Otherwise they are all but completely absent from historical records. The detailed descriptions are enough to open the window on their dreadful suffering with information on mannerisms, clothes, hairstyles, skin markings, teeth and skills. Some were employed as sailors and dock workers as well as craftsmen, labourers and washerwomen. One of the ads, from the Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette dated 16 March 1769, offered 'Twenty Guineas Reward' for his return or 'Five Guineas for such Intelligence' leading to his recapture. Described as a 'young negro' called Jeremiah or Jerry, it said he had a 'large scar' on one of his wrists. He was wearing a light-coloured 'Great Coat, dirty Leather Breeches, and White Stockings, and wore a Curl behind, that match'd the other Part of his own woolly Hair; he reads and writes badly, plays pretty well on the Violin, and can shave and dress a Wig.' Some lucky few escaped poverty and a life of servitude in Britain to become successful businessmen and scholars, like Ignatius Sancho (left) and Olaudah Equiano (right) The ad continues: 'As the said Negro knows his Master's Affection for him, if he will immediately return, he will be forgiven; if Freedom be what he wishes for, he shall have it, with reasonable Wages; if he neglects this present forgiving Disposition in his Master, he may be assured that more effectual Measures will be taken. He has been pretty much at Bath, and the Hot-Wells, Bristol, with his Master.' The database is a result of the university's Runaway Slaves in Britain project. It involved combing through tens of thousands of pages of newspapers to locate ads. Only those on the run for at least a week would have led to publication. They represent a far larger number as many masters did not place ads. The population of the black community in the UK surged in the 18th century, as the British empire expanded. African and Afro-Carribean slaves were shipped across the world to work on plantations owned by the British. But others were ferried into the UK, arriving in huge numbers in the main ports at the time, London, Liverpool and Bristol. Estimates at the time suggested in London alone, there were about 10,000 living in the capital, which was around one per cent of the capital's population. However, some lucky few escaped poverty, and a life of servitude to become successful businessmen. The Port of Liverpool, England. This is a scan of an original engraving from 'The Modern Universal British Traveller' published by J Cooke in 1779. At this time ships out of Liverpool dominated the transatlantic slave trade Bare-knuckle boxer Bill Richmond Bill Richmond made his career as a boxer, and he became known as 'The Black Terror' Bill Richmond was an American bare-knuckle boxer, who was born a slave in New York in 1763. But he spent most of his life in the UK. He was a servant of Lord Percy, the Duke of Northumberland, who took him to England in 1777. He went to school in Yorkshire, and was an apprentice for a cebiet maker in York. In the early 1970s, he married a local white English woman. He had several children, records show. By 1795 he and his family moved to London, where he became an employee of Thomas Pitt, a British peer and naval officer. But he made his career as a boxer, and he became known as 'The Black Terror.' When he retired he bought the Horse and Dolphin pub in Leicester Square and set up a boxing academy. He died at his home in London, England in 1829. Lord Percy, the Duke of Northumberland, who took Mr Richmond to England in 1777 Advertisement Ignatius Sancho, who was born on a slave ship, became famous literary celebrity in London. And former servant Cesar Picton became a coal merchant in Kingston-upon-Thames, and was wealthy enough when he died to leave behind two acres of land, a house, and shops. One of the most famous was Olaudah Equiano, who went on to become a radical reformer and best-selling author. In 1773 he became the first black person to explore the Arctic, and in 1786 Equiano became the first black person ever to be employed by the British government. He was made 'Commissary of Provisions and Stores' for 350 black people who had decided to take up the government's offer of safe passage to Sierra Leone. Simon Newman, professor of History at the university's College of Arts, said: 'We do not have the words or sometimes even the names of bound or enslaved people who were brought to 18th century Britain. 'In many cases all that remains are the short newspaper advertisements written by masters who were eager to reclaim their valuable human property. 'These advertisements are important because they remind us that slavery was routine and unremarkable in Britain during the first three-quarters of the 18th century. 'This is made very clear by the placement of these newspaper notices offering enslaved people for sale or seeking the recapture and return of enslaved runaways. 'These advertisements appeared next to the mundane and every day news items and announcements that filled the pages of the burgeoning newspaper press. 'Slavery was not an institution restricted to the Caribbean, America or South Asia, and these short newspaper notices bring to life the enslaved individuals who lived, worked, and who attempted to escape into British society. 'This is an important resource for the understanding of slavery and telling the stories of the enslaved and slavery in Britain.' The ads paint a fascinating picture of those who ran away in an attempt to be free of servitude. They cover all regions of England and mainland Scotland - providing a rich source of information about the slave trade in 18th century Britain. The ads include information about the work of the enslaved and the lives, businesses and homes of their masters and mistresses. An ad in the Bath Chronicle from February 5 1763 placed by 'John Stone Esq of Chipenaam' tells of a 21 year old runaway slave called Gloucester. It reads: 'Slender grown, marked with a long scar down the middle of his forehead and speaks English tolerably well.' An advert from the Edinburgh Evening Courant dated 13 February 1727, from The Mitchell Library, Glasgow, offered a two Guineas Reward for the return of a teenage girl. It stated: '... a Negro Woman, named Ann, being about 18 Years of Age, with a green Gown and a Brass Collar about her Neck, on which are engraved these words ['Gustavus Brown in Dalkieth his Negro, 1726.' Another ad was headed A BLACK SLAVE run away. Offering a five guinea reward, it stated: 'ON the 11th current there run away from the house of Col. Munro of Novar, in Rossshire, A BLACK SLAVE, a native of the East Indies, called CAESAR. He is about 25 or 26 years of age, about five feet four or five inches high, has long black hair, and was bred a cook.' Research from the project has already helped inspire a graphic novel entitled Freedom Bound and due to be published later this year and the award-winning short film '1745'. The British were the first to abandon the slave trade. They did this in 1807 when there were still huge profits to be made, and they did it for mainly moral reasons. A seven-year-old boy sustained horrific burns to his face and head when he was scalded by boiling water. Owen Atkin was left in agony and screamed 'please don't let me die' after being rushed to hospital following the incident on Saturday night in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. Doctors fear the poor youngster, who was in somebody else's care when he was scalded, could be scarred for life. Owen is recovering at Sheffield Children's Hospital and a fundraising appeal has been launched to help him and his family. Owen's father Paul Atkin, said his son had been 'astoundingly brave' adding: 'I rushed to hospital when I heard what had happened, and I found Owen in absolutely excruciating pain. 'His eyes were closed and he was shouting 'please don't let me die'. Owen, pictured before and after suffering his injuries, was in somebody else's care when he was scalded in Sheffield, South Yorkshire The 36-year-old Sheffield parks maintenance worker said police and social services are investigating the circumstances of the incident. Mr Atkinson, who lives in Barnsley, South Yorkshire with Owen, his elder brother Lewis, aged 10, and their stepmother Kirsty Vasey, added: 'It's the worst possible feeling as a father to be sat there helpless, knowing there's nothing you can do to take away the pain. 'He's normally fun, spirited and full of beans, but this has left him so upset and shocked, and in such great distress.' Mr Atkin went on to say, Owen, who is a Sheffield Wednesday fan, had been 'up and down' during his time in hospital, where he is expected to remain untill next week. The poor youngster is recovering at the burns unit at Sheffield Children's Hospital Happier times: Owen eats an ice-cream on a trip to the seaside before suffering the injury Police and social services are investigating how Owen suffered his injuries 'One minute he'll be walking around and dancing and the next the pain will really hit him and he'll be throwing up,' he said. Plane-mad Owen, has received special messages to cheer him up from the Belgian Air Force F-16 solo display pilot Stephan 'Vador' Darte and the RAF Typhoon Display Team. Sarah Roper has launched a fundraising appeal online with a 500 target. The cash is set to cover the family's costs and pay for a holiday to reward Owen for his bravery and help him recover. Mr Atkin said it would 'mean the world' to Owen if he and the family could get away for a few days to help them relax and come to terms with what happened. 'Owen's been astoundingly brave. I don't think I would be coping so well if it was me. He deserves a treat after everything he's been through,' he said. 'Just one night away at the seaside would mean the world to us.' A South Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said: 'An investigation is currently ongoing into reports a seven-year-old boy had suffered serious burns following an incident at a property on Southey Green Road, Sheffield, on Sunday, May 27.' You can donate at www.gofundme.com/support-for-hospital-costs. Officials in Tennessee shared new details on the capture of a man suspected in the fatal shooting of a sheriff's deputy, revealing how a trooper took him into custody after discovering him walking along the treeline on a rural road. The TBI tweeted photos this morning showing a handcuffed Steven Joshua Wiggins, 31, grimacing as he was placed into the back seat of a law enforcement vehicle. His clothes were muddy and his jeans were ripped open. His face was also covered in dirt and debris. Scroll down for video Steven Wiggins, a suspect in a Tennessee deputy's killing, is pictured being placed into the back seat of a patrol vehicle following his capture The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced Wiggins' capture in a tweet on Friday, two days after he allegedly killed Sgt. Daniel Baker Wiggins' clothes were muddy and his jeans were ripped open at the time of his arrest. He is accused of shooting Sgt Baker (right) on Wednesday Tennessee Highway Patrol Colonel Dereck Stewart updates reporters on Wiggins' arrest during a press conference on Friday morning Wiggins was found by Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Kevin Burch on Stinson Road in Bon Aqua, not far from where he allegedly killed 32-year-old Sgt Daniel Baker. Tennessee Highway Patrol Colonel Dereck Stewart said during a Friday morning press conference that Burch trained his weapon on the suspect and ordered him to lie on the ground, at which point Wiggins surrendered without showing any resistance. 'He was totally obedient to the trooper's orders,' Smith said. A visibly emotional Dickson County Sheriff Jeff Bledsoe vowed to be there every step away until his deputy's loved ones get closure, even if it could take years for the criminal case against Wiggins to make its way through the legal system. 'If they have to wheel me into the courthouse, I'll be there,' he promised. Dickson County Sheriff Jeff Bledsoe (left and right) choked back tears as he read a letter from Sgt Baker's widow, Lisa Sgt Baker leaves behind his wife, Lisa, and their young daughter, Meredith (pictured) Struggling to keep his composure, and at times choking back tears, the sheriff went on to read a statement from Baker's widow. There are no words to describe the level of devastation that myself and family are dealing with, Lisa Baker wrote. We the family of my husband and best friend Sgt Daniel Baker would like to convey our gratitude for the endless efforts of the law enforcement officers, EMS, fire and rescue, and volunteers in the apprehension of the two suspects that have forever changed our lives. Our deepest thank you. The family and I would like to thank our amazing local community for the outpouring of love and support being shown during this most difficult and trying time. Lastly, I would like to ask our family, friends and community to help our daughter, Meredith, to always know how wonderful and amazing her father is. His service and dedication to his country and community will always be remembered. The TBI said a video recording allowed them to identify Wiggins as the suspect. Federal, state and local authorities searched for Wiggins over two days, following up on hundreds of tips. Rewards totaling $46,000 had been offered for information leading to Wiggins' capture. Wiggins had been already wanted on charges that he assaulted a woman and stole her car when he was pulled over Wednesday, according to a report from the Kingston Springs Police Department. A surveillance camera had caught a glimpse of Wiggins prior to his arrest (pictured) Erika Castro-Miles, 38, (left) was said to have participated in the altercation that led to the eventual killing of 32-year-old Sgt. Daniel Baker. Wiggins is pictured in an old mugshot (right) That woman, 38-year-old Erika Castro-Miles, was in the car with Wiggins when he pulled the trigger and she is now jailed on a murder charge in Baker's death, according to court documents. Officers on Wednesday received a call about a 'suspicious vehicle' on a local road and Baker responded, TBI spokeswoman Susan Niland explained to WATE. Baker was eventually found dead inside his patrol car two to three miles away from the scene. His GPS system was used to find his location after contact with Baker ceased. The deputy's family identified him as a father and husband who served in the US Marines. Baker was eventually found dead inside his patrol car two to three miles away from the scene. His GPS system was used to find his location after contact with Baker ceased He joined the department in 2008 and came from a family of officers - both his father and stepbrother worked for the Spring Hill Police Department. 'There's not much I can say today but our hearts are shattered,' Sheriff Jeff Bledsoe said. 'We just ask for your help.' He added that Baker was 'one of the best.' 'This is one of our best deputies. He's a supervisor. He's worked his way up to sergeant on patrol, and he's one of the ones why put it all on the line every day to keep our community safe. He was doing that again today with a call about a suspicious vehicle,' Bledsoe added. The deputy's family identified him as a father and husband who served in the Marines The husband and father of one joined the department in 2008 and came from a family of officers The procession for Sgt. Baker that escorted his body to the Medical Examiner's office in Nashville 'This is one of our best deputies. He's a supervisor. He's worked his way up to sergeant on patrol, and he's one of the ones why put it all on the line every day to keep our community safe. He was doing that again today with a call about a suspicious vehicle,' said Sheriff Jeff Bledsoe Wiggins was wanted for aggravated assault and theft. The charges stem from Erika Castro-Miles' Tuesday domestic call police responded to in Kingston Springs. Wiggins was wanted in connection to a domestic abuse dispute on Tuesday in Kingston Springs The woman claimed that Wiggins slapped her face and pulled her hair. She also said that he had a gun to her head and said that he was 'going to kill her if she called the police.' Wiggins was said to have taken Castro-Miles' car without her permission. He had 'been doing meth all night and smoking marijuana,' according to Castro-Miles. She said he then grabbed her keys and took her car without her permission. According to local news reports, an affidavit filed in Dickson County court says Castro-Miles was sitting in the car with Wiggins when he shot and killed the deputy. She fled the shooting scene Wednesday and hid under a house, the affidavit says. Castro-Miles is currently being detained at the Dickson County Jail. Undated pictures show Wiggins has what appears to be Nazi tattoos. He has been arrested for domestic abuse or assault at least eight times in the last 12 years. A GoFundMe campaign has been launched seeking donations to help Sgt Baker's widow and young daughter. As of Friday afternoon, more than $31,000 has been raised. A Blue Alert was issued for the man described as being 6'1' and approximately 220lbs An American citizen filed a lawsuit against U.S. Customs and Border Protection this week claiming his life savings of more than $58,000 were seized by agents without reason seven months ago and have yet to be returned to him. Rustem Kazazi, 64, was flying back to his home country of Albania in October when he was stopped going through security at the airport in Cleveland, he told the Washington Post in a report published Thursday. Kazazi - who moved to the U.S. on a lottery visa in 2005 and became acitizen five years later - says he was carrying $58,100 on him because he was considering buying a summer home back in Albania. He says taking large sums of cash to Albania is common for expats, since wiring money is not as safe and contractors prefer being paid in U.S. dollars to the local currency. After finding the money, Kazazi says he was led into a room where he was 'strip searched' but agents found no drugs, contraband or evidence of illegal activity. Nonetheless, they seized the money Kazazi was traveling with. Perhaps most concerning to Kazazi was the fact that they gave him a receipt that didn't even have the total money that they took from him. Rustem Kazazi, 64 (left), says his life savings of more than $58,000 was seized by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents in October without reason. Now he, his wife (center) and son (right) are fighting to get it back Kazazi called his wife after the agents took the money, and she told him not to worry about it, that it was probably some sort of misunderstanding. She urged him to continue on with his trip to Albania and said that she and their college-aged son would take care of things back at home. But seven months later, the family still doesn't have their money back. It wasn't until more than a month later that they even got a letter in the mail, confirming that the sum had been seized. 'This is to notify you that Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) seized the property described below at Cleveland, OH on October 24, 2017: $57,330 in U.S. Currency,' the notice stated. 'Enforcement activity indicates that the currency was involved in a smuggling/drug trafficking/money laundering operation.' Kazazi was flabergasted because the sum that the agency listed was $770 less than what he took with him at the time. He says the cash was all in $100 bills so it couldn't have added up to $57,330 anyway. 'I began to worry that they were trying to steal the money for themselves,' he said in a court declaration. His attorney, Wesley Hottot, says this happens in a lot of seizure cases. Victims will get notices from the government saying that a smaller sum was taken from them, and the fear is that agents are pocketing the difference. What makes this even worse is that it's especially complicated to get the money back. Kazazi's son Erals holds up a notice from CBP about the seizure. He says his father was carrying the large sum back to Albania to potentially buy a summer home for the family Hottot says that victims have to prove that they are not criminals in order to get their money returned to them, which goes against the 'innocent until proven guilty' principle in other areas of the law. 'You have to affirmatively show you're not a criminal to get your own money back,' Hottot said. 'You have to effectively prove a negative.' In a statement, the CBP said that Kazazi 'artfully concealed' the sum, which was suspicious since he had 'no verifiable source of income'. His lawyer disputes this, saying Kazazi sent the money through the scanner at the airport, in bags that were clearly labeled. CBP also says that he failed to declare the cash, as travelers are required to do. But Kazazi said he planned to do that on his four-hour layover in Newark, since the document says it must be filed as you leave the country. 'If he's going to follow the law on this he's going to have to do it in Newark on the way out of the country,' Hottot said. Eventually, Kazazi was given a few options about how to proceed with the case. He could abandon the cash completely or strike a compromise whereby CBP keeps a certain percentage of the cash. The other options were to challenge the seizure internally with CBP or take the case to court. Kazazi decided to take the case to court because he no longer trusts CBP. 'They were the ones that seized our money,' his son said. 'We wanted another party like the attorney's office to deal with this case. Based on my father's experience it didn't seem like CBP really wanted to help us out.' After the Kazazis filed their intent, CBP was given a deadline of 90 days to respond to the seizure notice or else return the funds in full. They missed that deadline over a month ago, but still the family has not gotten their money back. Kazazi says he has called CBP several times but they tell him the case is now with the U.S. Attorney's Office and that they can no longer comment on the case. So this week, the family filed a lawsuit against CBP, demanding their money be returned to them immediately. Kazazi's son says that the conflict has caused his father's health to deteriorate. Despite this, they harbor no ill will towards their adoptive country. 'He's not going to let the actions of some employees that made a mistake in their duties change his opinion of the country,' his son said. Fen Chen, 32, was caught paying an astonishing 2.8million into high street banks for the organised criminal gang A money launderer who deposited millions into high street banks has become the latest to be ordered to repay her ill-gotten gains. Fen Chen, her friend Ying Lin, 27, and two associates took bundles of bank notes into dozens of London banks, amounting to 2.8million between 30 July and 15 August 2016. The 32-year-old was jailed for six years and three months in November last year. NCA officers arrested her shortly after she accepted a bag containing more than 300,000 from Albanian Fation Koka, 30, in the car park of an Asda supermarket in Park Royal, north west London, in August 2016. Koka was jailed for 21 months and will be deported upon completion of his sentence. Lin was deported after serving a 14-month sentence. Chen, of Park Royal, agreed to hand over 317,487 at Southwark Crown Court yesterday. NCA financial investigations manager Mark Bannon said: 'Fen Chen was a prolific money launderer and criminals like her are at the centre of serious and organised crime because they enable other high end criminals to clean their money. Officers from the National Crime Agency arrested her shortly after she accepted a bag containing more than 300,000 from Albanian Fation Koka, 30, in the car park of an Asda supermarket in Park Royal, north west London, in August 2016 'Money laundering is a priority threat for the NCA. 'Pursuing confiscation orders on top of criminal convictions is a weapon we can use to hit offenders in the pocket. 'We will keep hunting for any more assets Chen has.' Cops also found 180,000 cash was discovered in bags and hiding places at Fen's flat, and a cash counting machine. Text messages were also found on phones which showed another cash handover took place in the same car park on July 31, 2016. Another 180,000 cash was discovered in bags and hiding places at Fen's flat along with bank slips detailing hundreds of deposits totalling 1.8 million. Pictured right: Fation Koka Chen was convicted of four counts of money laundering at Kingston Crown Court and in November was jailed for a total six years and three months. At the time, NCA operations manager Kevin Gee said: 'Fen Chen was a prolific money launderer, able to process millions of pounds in cash in a very short period of time. 'Chen was caught red handed in possession of around 300,000 belonging to an Albanian drugs gang. 'Organised crime groups rely on money launderers like Chen, who play an integral part in allowing them to benefit from and re-invest their criminal profits. 'Taking money launderers out of the chain, as we have done here, makes life far more difficult and more risky for crooks trying to clean their dirty cash.' It comes after three drugs traffickers who were jailed for 83 years over a plot to bring 500 kilos of heroin to the UK were last July told to hand over almost 1.4 million. Mohammed Farooq, 51, Homayon Mehrpoor, 61, and Ahmad Shah, 44, were part of a conspiracy to smuggle heroin concealed in vegetables and bed linen with a street value of 306m into the UK. Mohammed Farooq, 51, left, along with two associates, was part of a conspiracy to smuggle heroin into the UK concealed in vegetables and bed linen. Farooq's wife Catherine Farooq, right, was jailed for nine months for money laundering Canadian national Mehrpoor, left, and Shah, right, from Pakistan, were earlier told to repay 346,519 and 389,018 respectively In 2013 they were given respective prison sentences of 29 years, 25 years and 29 years and Farooqs wife Catherine Farooq, 55, was jailed for nine months for money laundering. Farooq was ordered to repay 642,981 at Birmingham Crown Court, after Canadian national Mehrpoor and Shah, from Pakistan, were earlier told to repay 346,519 and 389,018 respectively. Raj Parmar, senior financial officer at the NCAs Economic Crime Command, said: These confiscations show that it doesnt matter how long it takes, law enforcement will work to trace criminals assets and take them. Retaining their illegal profits is very often the only source of comfort crooks have. The orders are substantial and continue to hurt Farooq, Mehrpoor and Shah after already receiving large jail terms.' The 4million a year drugs trade and why the gangs deposit their huge hauls in cash The NCA has the monumental task on its hands of bringing down the estimated 5,800 organised crime groups. Pictured: Stacks of cash recovered from one Albanian gang's drug supply business Drug gangs generally prefer to use cash to deposit vast sums of money, because it is 'relatively untraceable, readily exchangeable and anonymous', says the NCA. The social and economic costs of serious organised crime, including drug supply and money laundering, are estimated to be 24 billion a year, while the UK drugs market is worth around 4 billion a year. The NCA has the monumental task on its hands of bringing down the estimated 5,800 organised crime groups - comprised of around 40,600 individuals - who were operating in the UK as of December 2014 An influx of Albanian drugs gang members who have flocked to Britain have seen them take control of much of the UK cocaine supply. Ministry of Justice figures in March revealed there were 726 offenders from the Balkan state behind bars last year up from 267 in 2013. Major players include Khalad Uddin, 35, who was jailed for 16 years last June Albanians now make up the third largest foreign group jailed in England and Wales, behind Irish and Polish criminals at a cost of around 53million to the taxpayer. Some 321 inmates are there for drug offences, far outweighing the next highest foreign group, Jamaicans (122) and Poles (85). They were jailed for crimes ranging from murder, drug dealing, sex offences, money laundering, people smuggling and death threats The gangs' ruthlessness has the NCA to warn they pose 'a serious threat'. Major players include Khalad Uddin, 35, who was jailed for 16 years last June. He was described as the 'kingpin' in an elaborate drug dealing network that spread from his homeland to the Midlands, Bristol and London. Before he was snared by the police, Uddin lived in a plush apartment in Oxford and had a fleet of seven cars including a Range Rover and a BMW 7 Series. His extravagant lifestyle led police officers to raid his home where they found about 460,000 in cash bundles, 70 pairs of designer jeans valued at up to 700 each and expensive jewellery. Lulezim Zefi (left), 36, was the gang's leader, which also included four mules who were arrested after a raid by National Crime Agency officers on April 27 at a Brentwood retail park. Right: Admir Simeqi, 41, who was observed delivering 3kg of cocaine to other men In December, members of an Albanian drug smuggling gang who stashed vast quantities of cocaine inside car dashboards were jailed for a combined total of 43 years. They hid the drugs in compartments that could only be accessed by pressing a combination of buttons on the dash and a USB cable, Kingston Crown Court heard. Lulezim Zefi, 36, was the leader of the gang, which also included four mules who were arrested after a raid by National Crime Agency officers on April 27 at a Brentwood retail park. In December, members of an Albanian drug smuggling gang who stashed vast quantities of cocaine inside car dashboards were jailed for a combined total of 43 years Admir Simeqi, 41, was observed delivering 3kg to Gergi Marku, 25, before dropping another 2kg to Marku and Admir Bici, both 26. A further 4kg haul was later found stashed inside a hydraulic concealment in the boot of Simeqi's car. In total, the drugs seized had a potential street value of at 720,000. Zefi met with his lieutenants Valon Bajgora, 34, and Valentin Malocaj, 36, at a restaurant in West Hampstead, northwest London, where all three men were arrested. The group had been under surveillance for weeks prior to their arrests and were seen to meet frequently at cafes, restaurants and their home addresses. Searches of premises linked to the gang found a further 110,000 in cash as well as sets of weighing scales and equipment found to contain traces of cocaine and cutting agents. Pictured: Cash taken during the arrest Advertisement 'Britain in fast becoming the biggest consumer of cocaine in Europe' Britain is becoming Europe's number one cocaine marketplace, according to security minister Ben Wallace. This has contributed to an upsurge in violence which has seen 67 people, most of them youngsters, killed in the capital alone in 2018. The problem has also spread from urban areas to the suburbs and even rural districts. Mr Wallace added: Young people have the ability to order drugs, and gangs have the ability to have delivered to their door large packets of drugs from Albanian or Serbian drug gangs. Security minister Ben Wallace said Britain is becoming Europe's number one cocaine marketplace Last month, David Lammy MP also cited the Albanian connection. His intervention followed the drugs-related drive-by gun murder of 17-year-old Tanesha Melbourne. Buying drugs is now as easy as ordering pizza, the MP said. I think the police and our country have lost control of that drugs market, Mr Lammy claimed. You have children as young as 12, 13 being recruited into gangs to run drugs across county lines. Its like [the food delivery service] Deliveroo. You can get them on Snapchat, Whats App. That, in the end, is driving the turf war and its driving the culture of violence. Mr Lammy's comments in April came nine months after Albanian drug lord Klodjan Copja was jailed for 17 years. It is estimated that he and his ultra-violent gang of fellow Albanians from Elbasan had imported as much as 150million of cocaine into the UK. Drug lord Klodjan Copja was jailed for 17 years and it is estimated his ultra-violent gang of fellow Albanians imported as much as 150million of cocaine into the UK During the court case, it emerged that one of his couriers was watched by police as he made weekly trips to a lay-by in Maidstone, Kent, where he would meet a lorry carrying imported cocaine from the continent. The courier would then supply the drug to organised crime groups in London, Birmingham, Leicester and Nottingham. Until he was caught using a fake passport on the Greek-Albanian border and extradited to Britain, Copja was a master of evasion. The Albanian gangs have worked hand-in-hand with drug cartels in Colombia, where the coca leaf is grown. The consignments arrive in south-eastern Europe and are then moved on to the UK or elsewhere (Antwerp is the Albanian mafia-controlled port in the north, I was told). Much of the cocaine is turned into crack cocaine, which is even more potent. The profit margins are far bigger, which is why Copjas is not the only UK-linked drugs gang from his home town of 140,000 people. Official statistics support the contention that Albanian nationals have achieved a significant position in the UKs underworld. They are now the third largest foreign national group in our jails, after the Irish and Poles, both of whom have freedom of access to Britain thanks to historic ties or EU membership. A National Crime Agency league table of more than 4,000 UK criminal gangs also showed that Albanians had overtaken Romanians to rise to third place in the league, behind only Britons and Pakistanis. Jeremy Corbyn is facing fresh pressure over Brexit as his left-wing backers are poised to launch a major campaign to convince him to try to keep the UK in the EU. Trade union leaders are joining forces with Labour MPs and members of the campaign group Momentum to launch a nationwide speaking tour this summer. The Left Against Brexit tour wants to pile pressure on the Labour leader to radically change his policy and sign up to overturn Brexit. But the campaign is likely to expose deep divisions within Labour, which is torn between its Brexit-backing heartland voters and Remain-backing southern activists. Jeremy Corbyn is facing fresh pressure over Brexit as his left-wing backers are poised to launch a major campaign to convince him to try to keep the UK in the EU (file pic) Mr Corbyn is a long-time eurosceptic who has promised to respect the outcome of the referendum and back Brexit. 'Loony left' council leader 'Red' Ted Knight returns to elected politics after 30 years 'Red' Ted Knight (pictured on the right in 1981 with ken Livingstone) was unanimously voted in as trade union representative to Lambeth's Labour committee A 'loony left' council boss from the 1980s has been elected to a senior position in a local Labour party 30 years after he was thrown out of public office. 'Red' Ted Knight, 84, was unanimously voted in as trade union representative to Lambeth's Labour committee, which presides over the selection of candidates. His elevation is likely to provoke anger among Labour moderates as he was one of the clutch of far-left council leaders blamed for exiling the party from No10 for a generation. Mr Knight became an icon of the far-left when he set an illegal budget in protest at Margaret Thatcher's attempts to curb local government spending. The council lost money in lost interest and Mr Knight was banned from holding office for five years and slammed by Labour leader Neil Kinnock for bringing the party into disrepute. His return to political office after nearly 35 years in the political wilderness shows how the far-left have regained their hold over labour under Jeremy Corbyn. A source at Lambeth Labour told The Times: 'Ted Knight is a relic from a very unpleasant era. 'He was primarily responsible for the self-indulgent ratecapping rebellion which left residents paying off debts from his illegal budgets for decades. 'The fact that he now has a seat on the committee sends a terrible message our voters.' Advertisement Yet the vast majority of his MPs desperately want Britain to stay in the bloc and have been piling pressure on him to shift his policy. The group's website warns: 'Time is running out. Theresa Mays Brexit deal will go to the vote in parliament in autumn. 'The closer we get, the clearer it becomes that Tory Brexit is an attempt to deregulate our economy, sign our future over to dodgy trade deals and allow bosses to cash in. 'It is all-out attack on the rights, freedoms and prosperity of working class people and the communities that the left is supposed to represent.' It adds: 'This summer, join us for a nationwide tour with inspiring speakers, and an in depth discussion about how we can stop Brexit.' Speakers who will hit the road for the tour include Manuel Cortes, the general secretary of the transport union TSSA. Michael Chessum, who was on Momentum's first steering committee, the Labour MEP Julie Ward and Labour MP Catherine West, are all set to speak. The speakers will not call for a direct rerun of the Brexit referendum. Instead they want Mr Corbyn to formally reject leaving the EU and make the case that a vote for Labour would be a vote to remain in the Brussels bloc. Mr Cortes told The Guardian: 'There is nothing about Brexit that will make life better for the working class. 'It was a rightwing brainchild won and only narrowly on a deceitful programme of dog-whistle racism and the big lie that the NHS would get 350m a week. 'The left should unite now and come together to stop this Tory act of war against our class. 'Our job is always to defend our people against the boss class. Supporting Tory/Ukip Brexit is unacceptable class collaboration. Full stop.' He added: 'The Corbyn promise of new economic settlement at home is now our priority. Frankly, there is no one better placed than Jeremy to call for peace and reconciliation with Europe. 'Pulling out of Brexit, not Europe, is now the bold offer we need to make if we are to win an election and begin to properly rebuild prosperity at home.' Ms Ward, the Labour MEP for north-west England, compared the fight to stay in the EU with the fight against Fascism. Speakers who will hit the road for the tour include Manuel Cortes, the general secretary of the transport union TSSA. He branded the Brexit campaign 'deceitful' and warned working class people will bear the brunt of the fallout of Brexit (file pic) She said it will 'embody the spirit of previous generations who stood shoulder to shoulder against the fascists in Germany, France, Spain and elsewhere'. She added: 'A Corbyn-led Labour government could lead the charge to reform the EU from within, giving hope to millions of young people across Europe. 'This Left Against Brexit tour opens the way for the majority view in the Labour party to shift the party back to where it belongs at the heart of the EU, arguing for a more fair and just world for the many.' Green MP Caroline Lucas is also joining the left-wing speakers tour. RAF Odiham in Hampshire has three Chinook Squadrons where the choppers are maintained before and after military excursions. The helicopter flew over dozens of London landmarks including Tower Bridge, Big Ben, London Bridge and the Houses of Parliament The death of Edinburgh-based academic Fergus McInnes, 51, has been confirmed four years after he vanished in Switzerland The remains of a British academic who went missing in Switzerland almost four years ago have been found, it was revealed today. Fergus McInnes, 51, travelled to Switzerland from Edinburgh in September 2014 but went missing shortly after arriving in the country. The University of Edinburgh researcher was due to attend a computer science conference in Martigny but never turned up. Today it was revealed that his remains were found in some Alpine woodland outside Martigny, a town close to the French border. His death was confirmed by his family on a website set up to aid the search for him and his death is not believed to be suspicious. The post read: 'It's with great sadness that we, Fergus's family, are able to confirm his death in Switzerland. 'Remains were recently found on a wooded hillside outside Martigny, by someone out walking in the area. 'We're grateful to the police and related authorities, both here and in Switzerland, for their assistance and support.' Mr McInnes' family said it is thought he died on September 9 2014, the day he went missing. There are no suspicious circumstances. Inspector Graeme Nisbet of Police Scotland said: 'Specially trained officers are providing support to Mr McInnes' family following this sad news. 'We are continuing to liaise with Swiss police to ensure that any further updates are passed to his loved ones and they have any assistance they require at this difficult time.' It took eight years, four letters from his parents, and a court order but 'failure to launch millennial' Michael Rotondo has finally moved out of his parent's home. The 30-year-old gained international notoriety when his parents went to court last week to get him evicted from their four-bedroom home in Camillus, New York - a small commuter town just west of Syracuse. Now, as of 9.30am - two and a half hours short of the court stipulated noon deadline - they have their home to themselves once more. Speaking to DailyMail.com Rotondo said that he felt 'great' and that his parents had 'more or less' said goodbye but maintained that he will have no relationship with them as of this day. His parents, Mark and Christina, did not emerge from the home to wave him off and when asked if he had given them back their keys he said, 'I kind of tossed them.' Pictures taken by DailyMail.com yesterday showed Rotondo's father carrying a bag full of new locks and doorknobs. Eviction Day: Michael Rotondo packed up and move out of his parents' home in Camillus, New York about two hours short of the court stipulated noon deadline on Friday Bye bye: The 30-year-old was seen with his cousin Anthony Mastropool (left) loading his belongings from the garage Packing up: When asked if he had given them back their keys Rotondo said, 'I kind of tossed them.' And while Rotondo seemed in an affable enough mood this morning, Syracuse.com reported that last night he called the cops on his father for not letting him into the basement to look for missing Legos. 'This isn't a game show,' he said of his decision to call the cops. 'I don't have to guess what's behind Door No. 1.' Yesterday Rotondo told DailyMail.com that it was their failure to support his bid for custody of his eight-year-old son, whom he last saw on September 26 that had brought the family to this moment. He said, 'It wasn't so much a catalyst as an axe falling between us.' Rotondo moved the bulk of his belongings out yesterday. He threw the meager remainder of his belongings into the back of his distant cousin Anthony Mastropool's truck when he arrived around 9.15. As Rotondo put a suit carrier garbage bags and a couple of duffel bags into the flatbed truck, Mastropool tried to jump-start Rotondo's Volkswagen which, he said, hasn't been driven for several months. The engine whinnied and wheezed for a good 15 minutes before firing up with a bronchial splutter and clouds of heavy exhaust fumes. He threw the meager remainder of his belongings into the back of his distant cousin Anthony Mastropool's truck when he arrived around 9.15am As Rotondo packed things into the flatbed truck, Mastropool tried to jump-start Rotondo's Volkswagen (pictured) which, he said, hasn't been driven for several months Before getting in, Rotondo admitted he didn't expect the car to last beyond getting him to the Airbnb which he will call home for the next week. Then, with two toots of his horn, he was off. But it seems unlikely this will truly be the last his parents see or hear of him. He is now claiming that they have possession of an etching of his worth several thousand dollars and plans to file a lawsuit against them for its return. On Thursday, Rotondo's father Mark moved between the house and his own car which he had driven onto the lawn to allow Mastropool access to the garage, but the men neither looked at each other nor exchanged words. Rotondo and Mastropool trudged silently between garage and truck. They heaved bags of clothes, speakers, a lacrosse stick, pictures, books, a pair of loose boots, a shoe rack, work tools and, suprisingly, a sewing machine into the truck's flatbed. Most notable though were all the toys - boxes loaded high, brimmed with toy trucks, LEGOs and puzzles. These all belonged to his eight-year-old son, Rotondo explained. Earlier in the day Rotondo spoke exclusively with DailyMail.com and blamed his parents' 'refusal' to support his bid for custody of his eight-year-old son for the downward spiral in their relationship that ended with the court order for his eviction. He said, 'This all started when I had to fight for visitation of my son. 'I needed help and instead they started making demands. It wasn't so much a catalyst as an axe falling between us.' Michael Rotondo, 30, was spotted packing boxes at his parents' home in Camillus, New York on Thursday after a judge ordered him to move out by Friday Rotondo's cousin Anthony Mastropool pulled up in his grey Ram truck on Thursday evening to help the 30-year-old cart off his belongings On the eve of his court ordered departure Michael said he had bagged up most of the belongings he has accumulated over his eight-year, rent-free, tenure in his parents' home Rotondo's father Mark was also spotted moving between the house and his own car (above), but the men neither looked at each other nor exchanged words Rotondo's mother, Christina, was also spotted at the home while her son was packing up his belongings He went onto say that he and his parents are no longer speaking despite living under the same roof until the final moment of his eviction and described the atmosphere in the build up to his departure as 'intense' and 'difficult.' A day earlier he had claimed to Syracuse.com that his parents were 'harassing' him with small talk. Now according to Rotondo he wants no further contact or relationship with his parents once he quits the family home. He said, 'That's it. That's the end of my relationship with them other than court proceedings. There's nothing more to say.' With less than 24 hours to go Rotondo admitted to being anxious at how much packing he had left to do by mid-afternoon Thursday. He said, 'I thought I would have packed up everything by now but it's daunting, it's difficult. I have more than I thought. 'My son's toys all need to be boxed up. There's more of them that's accumulated than I thought.' Among the items he packed were boxes loaded high with toy trucks, LEGOs and puzzles. These all belonged to his eight-year-old son, Rotondo explained They heaved bags of clothes, speakers, a lacrosse stick, pictures, books, a pair of loose boots, a shoe rack, work tools and, suprisingly, a sewing machine into the truck's flatbed Rotondo claims that he lost custody rights to his son back in September and the last time he saw the child was September 26. He maintains that his efforts to file an appeal as a 'poor person' in a bid to waive legal fees moving forward were derailed by his parents' insistence that he get a job and health insurance if he was to continue living with them. When they offered to pay for his health insurance he said that compromised his 'poor person' filing. After that, he says they stopped providing food for him, cut off his cell phone and said that he couldn't use the laundry machines in the house. Moments later, after Rotondo left 'to run some errands,' his father, Mark, emerged from the clapboard house to unload some things from his car. He appeared weary as he rebuffed requests for any comment. Rotondo's mother Christina also declined to comment. It was Mark and Christina's decision to take their 30-year-old son to court and have him evicted after nearly a decade of living under their roof that saw the family propelled into the public spotlight. Rotondo and Mastropool trudged silently between garage and truck as they packed up his belongings Rotondo said he and his parents are no longer speaking despite living under the same roof until the final moment of his eviction Rotondo claims that he lost custody rights to his son back in September and the last time he saw the child was September 26 In the immediate aftermath of the court's decision last week Rotondo claimed to be too poor to afford boxes in a futile last ditch bid to push back the court appointed eviction deadline of June 1 at noon. But on Wednesday evening, after a trip to Lowe's to buy $30 worth of boxes, he loaded his first batch of belongings into Mastropool's truck. He says that he will keep the bulk of his possessions in a storage facility and that he has booked an Airbnb for one week as a stepping-stone to a more permanent home. Speaking to Syracuse.com he said that after that point, 'There's no more urgency. Everything else is just finding a long-term place.' He said he was looking for 'someplace inexpensive, with internet.' It is unclear what Rotondo plans to do for income. He said he wanted to 'offload' his Volkswagen car that currently sits, defunct, in his parents' driveway but he is unsure what it is worth. Evicted millennial, Michael Rotondo, 30, of New York, who was evicted from his parents' home has finally started to move out. Rotondo spent the weekend packing his belongings in boxes Rotondo was ordered to move out of his parents' home on Friday. Rotondo says he spent the weekend getting ready to move by going to Lowe's to buy boxes for packing He referred vaguely to a business he is establishing but has also claimed that his 'full time job at the moment' is getting his son back. But the child's mother has disputed Rotondo's assertion that he was barred from seeing his son. She spoke exclusively to DailyMail.com earlier this week on condition of anonymity. The woman who works in the beauty business claimed that Rotondo had been granted visitation provided it was supervised by a medical professional but that he never exercised that right. In a revelation that put cast a troubling light on the extraordinarily public family spat, the mother of his son said that she had discovered her ex had a history of mental problems during the protracted custody battle. Rotondo admitted to DailyMail.com that he had struggled with mental health issues in the past. He was diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenic - a diagnosis he rejects and insists has been brought up purely to victimize him as he fights for his son. Rotondo says he'll move everything into a self-storage unit, and then look for a place Rotondo's case has gained worldwide attention after his parents Mark and Christina Rotondo (sitting together) took him to court last week to have him evicted from their four-bedroom house in Camillus, New York, a quiet commuter town just west of Syracuse In a previous interview with DailyMail.com on the driveway of the family home, Rotondo said his problems with his parents really began when he lost contact with his son (pictured) Rotondo also tried to dismiss an arrest in 2009 when he was charged with stalking and menacing a woman in New Hartford, New York. He ended up pleading guilty to lesser charges of trespass and harassment and was fined a total of $1,375. At the time he gave an address in Syracuse. He called the charges, 'trumped upfrom a small town court', adding that text messages from the woman would 'shed some light on the situation'. But the mother of Rotondo's son said that she's 'scared' of him living on his own. She said, 'He's not going to be able to live by himself. His parents are throwing him out there basically saying they don't care if he is a danger to himself.' Rotondo has admitted to Syracuse.com that he has a lever action 30.30 rifle that he says he keeps for protection and a compound bow for hunting. He said, 'Any responsible American should own a firearm.' The mother of his child said that she had pleaded with police to take the rifle from him, but they have told her there is no cause. Rotondo said he intends to spend Thursday night under his parents' roof and that he will not be moving out for good until the strike of noon. A trade pact between the United States and its neighbors was on the verge of imploding on Friday as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rejected the terms for an accord set forth by the Trump administration. Trudeau said he could not accept a five-year sunset clause that Vice President Mike Pence demanded in a phone call to keep the North American Free Trade Agreement alive. The Canadian leader says he called off a trip to the U.S. for talks as a result. President Trump in a tweet this morning fired back and said that claims that the U.S. has a 'high surplus on trade' with Canada are misleading and the ally is treating American farmers 'very poorly.' 'Canada has treated our Agricultural business and Farmers very poorly for a very long period of time. Highly restrictive on Trade! They must open their markets and take down their trade barriers!' he said. 'They report a really high surplus on trade with us. Do Timber & Lumber in U.S.?' A trade agreement between the United States and its neighbors was on the verge of imploding on Friday as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rejected the terms for an accord set forth by the Trump administration President Trump in a tweet this morning fired back and said that claims that the U.S. has a 'high surplus on trade' with Canada are misleading and the ally is treating American farmers 'very poorly' At the White House, the president's chief economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, called the dispute a 'family quarrel' that would ultimately be resolved. 'If you keep the lines of communication open, which everybody wants, this thing can work out,' he told DailyMail.com during a question and answer session. Kudlow affirmed that President Trump would attend the G7 next week in Canada. He said that Trump would meet with Trudeau and other heads of government to discuss tariffs. 'I'm sure there's gonna be a lot of discussions with all the leaders about these very points,' he said of the broadside on trade that the president levied on Thursday when he allowed steel and aluminum tariffs to go into effect on Canada, Mexico and the European Union. Trudeau yesterday said that talks with the U.S. collapsed after a call with Pence in which the VP drew a red line under a five-year sunset for whatever deal is negotiated. 'I had to highlight that there was no possibility of any Canadian prime minister signing a NAFTA deal that included a five-year sunset clause, and obviously the visit didnt happen,' Trudeau said of his planned trip to Washington. Trump fired back in a statement that said Trudeau could take his offer or leave it, as far as the U.S. is concerned. 'The United States has been taken advantage of for many decades on trade. Those days are over. Earlier today, this message was conveyed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada: The United State[s] will agree to a fair deal, or there will be no deal at all,' Trump said in a statement distribute to press. Trudeau said Thursday that prior to the phone call with Pence, 'I thought we were quite close to reaching an agreement.' As such, he offered to come to Washington to finalize a deal with Trump. 'We already had the bones of a very good agreement for all parties, and I thought it might be opportune for all of us to sit down for a few hours and discuss it.' TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT: Trump said in a statement yesterday, 'The United State[s] will agree to a fair deal, or there will be no deal at all' A White House official told DailyMail.com on Friday that Trudeaus 'framing of how close we were to a deal just simply isnt accurate' and that 'major issues remained, the sunset clause only being one of them.' The outstanding issues involved agriculture, intellectual property and what the official described as dispute settlement mechanisms. Trudeau's blast at Pence put the VP in the hot seat after North Korea also named-checked the second-in-command, who often plays the role of enforcer, as having a role in reigniting hostility between Washington and Pyongyang. The White House said that Pence and the president, as well U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, were all in agreement on NAFTA and the sunset clause that came up on the Tuesday call with Trudeau. Canada submitted its latest proposal for a NAFTA rework on May 25. President Trump and Prime Minister Trudeau spoke the same day. Trudeau then called Pence to discuss the bid on Monday, May 28, a federal holiday in the United States. The VP returned the call on Tuesday, the person said, and raised the issue of the sunset clause. Pence said the administration wanted clarity on it prior to a meeting with the president. President Trump on Thursday decided to rip the lid off tariffs he'd been postponing while the U.S. and Mexico negotiated with Canada on a rewrite of NAFTA. Canada said in response that it would put penalties on $12.8 billion worth of U.S. products that included steel but also everyday products like yogurt and toilet paper. 'We have to believe that at some point their common sense will prevail. But we see no sign of that in this action today by the U.S. administration,' Trudeau said of the slap-back. A high school teacher accused of having sex with a suicidal teen wants their text messages kept out of court. Jill Lamontagne, 29, a former health teacher at Kennebunk High School in Maine, is accused of having a relationship with a 17-year-old student. The teen was later hospitalized following a suicide attempt, allegedly triggered by their reported affair. Lamontagne has denied the allegations, dismissing them as nothing more than high school rumor resulting from 'the fantasies of a 17-year-old student.' Jill Lamontagne, 29, a former health teacher at Kennebunk High School in Maine, is accused of having a relationship with a 17-year-old student She is urging the judge to keep photos of text messages out of court because of the 'ease at which the identity of a text message sender can be manipulated; and the simplicity of deleting portions of a text message,' the Bangor Daily News reports. Her attorney, Scott Gardner, claims the photos of the messages aren't the 'original writings,' and he also highlighted that the photos weren't turned in by the teen's mother until weeks later. Lamontagne, who is married, is accused of having sex with the student on multiple occasions, including on school grounds in the classroom, as well as in he house and car. Lamontagne has denied the allegations, dismissing them as nothing more than high school rumor resulting from 'the fantasies of a 17-year-old student' at Kennebunk High School She 'categorically' denies the charges and pleaded not guilty to 14 charges in December, including six counts of gross sexual assault. She could face up to five years if found guilty. The teen, who was admitted to Maine Medical Center in Portland last June after taking a combination of medications in a suicide attempt, told his mother and a nurse that he loved Lamontagne, court documents show. Lamontagne was placed on administrative leave in June and resigned in December. The former teacher said she has been traumatized by the claims and hoped to clear her name. His trial is due to start next month. Young Australians are shunning jobs which require getting up early for work, forcing some employers to look overseas to find staff. Whether it's a butcher, pastry cook, chef or horse trainer, many pre-dawn jobs are being shunned by young adults and are being snapped up by overseas workers. Occupations named in the national skills shortage list were butchers, bakers and pastry cooks, chefs and small goods makers, among 60 other trades. Scroll down for video Young Australians are choosing to sleep in instead of getting up early for work (stock image) Whether it's a butcher, pastry cook or horse trainers, many pre-dawn jobs are being shunned by young adults and are being snapped up by overseas workers (stock image) TAFE NSW managing director Jon Black said trade shortages were expected to increase to more than 100,000 across the country within three years, The Saturday Telegraph reported. Mr Black predicted job shortages would include 50,000 skilled construction roles and 80,000 nurses throughout Australia. Instead of mucking out stables at 3am for some cash, champion race horse trainer Gai Waterhouse said Australians relied on 'the dole' because it was the easy option. 'Nobody in Australia could run their stables if it wasn't for the overseas backpackers or students on special visas,' Ms Waterhouse told the publication. The Melbourne Cup winning trainer thought perhaps young Aussies were spoiled in their lifestyles and simply were not ready to put in any real hard work. 'Life's just a bit too good in Australia. They're not cut out for it. They're not ready to do the hard work, they're not ready to do the hard yards,' she said. Occupations listed in the national skills shortage list were butchers, bakers (stock image) and pastry cooks, chefs and small goods makers, which were among 60 other trades TAFE NSW managing director Jon Black predicted job shortages would include 50,000 skilled construction roles and 80,000 nurses throughout Australia (stock image) 'They haven't been trained to do it and they've got the dole. They've got the comfort zone.' Poll Do you think young Australians are too lazy? Yes No I don't know Do you think young Australians are too lazy? Yes 250 votes No 120 votes I don't know 23 votes Now share your opinion Spokeswoman Susan Newman-Mills said it was the same issue across the board and all trainers were 'in the same boat'. Early starts in the baking industry was also putting young Australians off according to Sydney chef Joe Silva, who had to travel overseas to hire a pastry chef for his Petersham cake shop. 'It's very hard to find young people to work in the bakery. It's been really hard to find one (a pastry chef) I think it's the hours and they like their social life,' he said. NSW Business Chamber chief executive Stephen Cartwright speculated the shock of coming out of the 'cloistered environment' of school and into the workforce was to blame. Mr Cartwright said the onus was on education and training systems to adequately prepare young people for work. Instead of mucking out stables at 3am for some cash, champion race horse trainer Gai Waterhouse (pictured) said Australians relied on 'the dole' because it was the easy option A popular YouTube star has caused a stir within the gay community after saying that 'gays are an abomination' in a vile rant to his 700,000 followers. West Australian Nick Bertke, 29, also known as DJ Pogo on YouTube, posted the video to his channel and it has been viewed 250,000 times. Under anti-vilification laws Mr Bertke would be prosecuted for hate speech however those laws do not exist in Western Australia. Scroll down for video Nick Bertke, 29, a popular YouTube star, has caused a stir within the gay community after saying that 'gays are an abomination on his YouTube channel broadcast to 700,000 followers In the video Mr Bertke said he has a dislike for homosexuals. 'I've always had a very thorough dislike of homosexuals,' he said in the clip, broadcast by 9 News. 'Gays are just an abomination.' He also joked about tolerance for Muslims which he said is a culture that 'wants gays dead'. However after the video went viral Mr Bertke was quick to try and back track on his comments via an official statement. However after the video went viral Mr Bertke was quick to try and back track on his comments via an official statement 'The video was a satirical piece made in very bad taste,' the statement read. 'I have Asperger's and Bipolar disorder so my sense of humour and empathy for people is often very muddled.' He finished off by saying he was 'very sorry' to anyone he may have defended, despite his apology the video still had not been taken down at the time. Gay rights activist Graeme Watson told 9 News it was disgusting to see and hear. Mr Bertke will not be charged for his hateful rant because of the lack of anti-vilification laws in WA, which exist in Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT and Tasmania 'There's no way you can brush this off as a joke, if you say those words and they come out of your mouth that's just unforgivable,' he said. Mr Bertke went so far as to praise the actions of the Orlando night club shooter who killed 49 people. Mr Bertke will not be charged for his hateful rant because of the lack of anti-vilification laws in WA, which exist in Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT and Tasmania. Mr Banat survived for two years longer than doctors expected and died Friday He gave away his fortune to on receiving the devastating prognosis in 2015 Young Australian millionaire, Ali Banat, has passed away from cancer aged 32 Young Australian millionaire, Ali Banat, has passed away aged 32 - three years after being diagnosed with stage four cancer. The businessman, from Greenacre in Sydney's south-west, gave away his fortune to charity on receiving the devastating prognosis in 2015. Mr Banat survived for two years longer than doctors expected, but succumbed to the disease on Friday. Young Australian millionaire, Ali Banat (pictured), has passed away aged 32 three years after being diagnosed with stage four cancer The businessman, from Greenacre in Sydney's south-west, gave away his fortune to charity on receiving the devastating prognosis in 2015 Mr Banat's Muslims Around the World charity was registered January 7, 2016 Mr Banat's Muslims Around the World charity was registered January 7, 2016. The organisation's work was said to have helped 'less fortunate Muslim brothers and sisters' in a number of countries including Togo, Ghana and Burkina Faso. The charity was set up by Mr Banat after he was diagnosed with stage four cancer and given seven months to live. He estimated it had raised $2.1 million. Mr Banat made his fortune with his security and electrical company, often flaunting features of his lavish lifestyle on the internet. The organisation's work was said to have helped 'less fortunate Muslim brothers and sisters' in a number of countries including Togo, Ghana and Burkina Faso Mr Banat made his fortune with his security and electrical company, often flaunting features of his lavish lifestyle on the internet He appealed on social medai for aid in getting people to take notice of the situation He created a Gifted With Cancer video, where he described his diagnosis as a 'gift' because it allowed him the 'chance to change'. In the now viral video, he showed off expensive Louis Vuitton shoes and a Ferrari Spider car worth $600,000. Mr Banat wanted all the proceeds of his charity to go towards building a village to house more than 200 widows, a school for 600 orphans and a mini hospital. Followers raised $1.3million in the wake of his death and donations has continued to add to the total. In a video shortly before his death, he ask for his work to be continued after his passing. Mr Banat created a Gifted With Cancer video, where he described his diagnosis as a 'gift' because it allowed him the 'chance to change'. In the now viral video, he showed off expensive Louis Vuitton shoes and a Ferrari Spider car worth $600,000 Eighty high school sophomores from Georgia had their final exam scores thrown out after it was revealed that they had cheated. Gwinnett County Schools officials have confirmed that someone had shared on social media answers to final exams in 10th-grade language arts, world history and chemistry. It is believed that eighty students at Dacula High School - none of them graduating seniors - copied the answers and used them during the tests. School scandal: Eighty 10th-graders at Dacula High School in Georgia have been caught cheating on their final exams All the students involved in the incident were given scores of zero and must now retake the finals, reported WSB-TV. School administrators said 'a preponderance of evidence' helped them identify the cheaters. They suspect that the person who had shared the answers to the countywide exams online is not a student at Daclua. Dacula senior Jedidiah Adetoye, who was not implicated in the scandal, said other students passed around a scrap of paper, presumably bearing answers to the test questions, and took photos of it, then wrote the correct responses on their hands. A spokesperson for Gwinnett County Public School Disitrct said the cheaters have been disciplined, but would not get into details. A teenager allegedly strangled his ex-girlfriend and her best friend then staged the scene to look like they both committed suicide. Sharnelle Hough, 17, was found hanging from a rope tied to a guardrail on the stairs of her room in Stella High School in northwest South Africa on Saturday. Her friend and roommate Marna Engelbrecht, 16, was found on the bathroom floor with the strap of a backpack tied tightly around her neck. Sharnelle Hough, 17, (left) and her roommate Marna Engelbrecht, 16, (right) were murdered in their high school dorm in northwest South Africa Sharnelle's ex-boyfriend Xander Bylsma, 19, (pictured together) allegedly strangled them with his bare hands then staged the scene to look like they both committed suicide Sharnelle's ex-boyfriend Xander Bylsma, 19, was charged with their murders, but still allowed to attend their memorial service on Friday. The building's matron found the grade 11 girls' bodies and the teenager was arrested after forensics determined they were murdered. Bylsma, who recently broke up with Sharnelle, confessed to police he strangled them with his bare hands then staged the scene, according to News24. Further details of his statement would not be released until he faced court on August 6, police Captain Charlize van der Linden said. The couple dated since March last year and posted numerous loved-up snaps on their social media profiles. The schoolgirls who 'did everything together' also featured prominently on each others' Instagram and Facebook accounts. Sharnelle was found hanging from a rope tied to a guardrail on the stairs and Marna on the bathroom floor with the strap of a backpack tied tightly around her neck The couple, who broke up recently, dated since at least April last year and posted numerous loved-up snaps on their social media profiles Xander is a keen hunter, posing with high-powered rifles and deer and other game he shot in the rural area's nearby game reserves. His mother Mercia tearfully insisted her only child was 'not a demon', but instead was a 'sensitive' boy with a 'kind heart' who came from a 'loving Christian home where he is everybodys hero', she told Netwerk24. She said he was well-mannered and treated everyone with respect, adding that he 'also had feelings' and was very 'emotional'. Sharnelle and Marna's deaths sent a shockwave through Stella High School, with dozens of staff and students paying tribute online. 'We never thought for a moment that they would be taken away from us in such an unnecessary way,' staff wrote in Facebook post. 'Our whole community is poorer and darker without your beautiful smiles.' Xander is a keen hunter, posing with high-powered rifles and deer and other game he shot in the rural area's nearby game reserves Sharnelle and Marna's deaths sent a shockwave through Stella High School, with dozens of staff and students paying tribute online The bubbly, smiling teens were mourned at a memorial service on Friday at Dutch Reformed Church in Vryburg. Friends and loved ones wrote letters to the girls that were published in the order of service, beside a collage of photos of the pair in happier times. 'My heart is broken. My child, you had the most beautiful laughter, the most beautiful eyes and you were a beautiful person in and out,' Sharnelle's mother Sonja wrote. 'My love, you will never be alone [with Marna] there with you. You will always be happy and safe.' A classmate wrote: 'When we looked at you, we saw the epitome of perfection. All you gave were smiles and kindness.' A felon who champions pedophilia and regards Adolf Hitler as a white supremacist hero is running as an independent candidate for Virginias 10th Congressional District. In a disturbing interview, Nathan Larson, 37, told HuffPost that he created websites now defunct for pedophiles and violence-minded misogynists like himself. When asked whether hes a pedophile or writes about pedophilia, he confirmed: Its a mix of both. Nathan Larson regards Adolf Hitler as a white supremacist hero and has written a disturbing manifesto where he supports legalizing early marriage and having the Violence Against Woman Act repealed Furthermore, when asked whether there was a grain of truth in an essay he wrote about father-daughter incest, and another about raping his late ex-wife repeatedly, he said yes. His former wife got a restraining order against him in 2015, before killing herself. Larsons three-year-old daughter lives with relatives, as he gave up his parental rights during a custody battle. In his bizarre, lengthy manifesto, talking about freedom from age restrictions, he says he supports legalizing early marriage. A woman who marries the man to whom she gives her virginity is more likely to have a successful marriage than a woman who has had other sexual relationships prior to marriage. Since young women begin to enter their years of peak beauty and fertility before age 18, it is unreasonable and unrealistic to expect that they wait till that age before having sex and children. Larson, who had a brief stint as a software engineer, was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison, and three years of supervised release in 2009 after pleading guilty for threatening to kill the US president. He sent a letter to the Secret Service in 2008 warning of his imminent plans to assassinate either President George W. Bush or President Barack Obama. In his campaign manifesto, under the topic of benevolent white supremacy, he says: Like every other human being, I am indeed racist, but I did not specifically threaten Obama. I dont even consider Barack Obama the first black President. Larson also labels Adolf Hitler as a white supremacist hero. HuffPost says that his website also pulled down featured posts titled A man should be allowed to choke his wife to death as punishment for cutting her hair short without permission, or other acts of gross insubordination, and Advantages of father-daughter incest, which Larson confirmed he wrote as well as other disturbing entries. Howls of outrage have greeted the article, with one person tweeting: What a disgusting person. And it makes a strong case for why [Terry] McAuliffe should not have signed law allowing this felon to run for office. Writer and comedian Akilah Hughes tweeted: Why is Nathan Larson not trending/rotting in a jail cell? Im so disgusted. One person tweeted back to her: I just read the article and Im about to throw up. Another slammed his candidacy a sick joke. Because of his criminal record, Larson was originally not able to run for office, until former Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe restored voting and other civil rights to thousands of convicted felons across the state. In his manifesto, Larson wants the minimum working age of 14 to be done away with since boys reach sexual maturity in their early teens, the goal should be to prepare them for early marriage by them experience in the work world, so they can support a young wife. Nathan Larson, who is running as an independent candidate for Virginias 10th Congressional District, has made people want to 'throw up' after reading his manifesto Any system that makes children useful to society, whether through child labor, early marriage or by other means, will tend to help address modernitys fertility problem by creating incentives to have more children. Congress should, he continues, repeal the Violence Against Woman Act and all other legislation that interferes with patriarchal rule in the family. We need to switch to a system that classifies woman as property, initially of their fathers and later of their husbands. The misogynist adds that it is pointless trying to get more women into science, technology, engineering and mathematics, as we are not doing girls any favors by telling them they can be as competent at these fields as any man. When they are not able to achieve as much as their male peers, they will feel like losers. His offensive rant continues under the topic of legal immigrants, where he says: We should repeal all equal housing and equal employment opportunity, and other civil rights legislation that prohibits discrimination by private property owners. Apart from calling for legalizing incestuous marriage, he is also keen to legalize child pornography possession and distribution which he labels as an art form. In 2017, he secured less than two per cent of the vote in Virginias House of Delegates District 31. One of the oldest men ever to be convicted of rape in Britain has been jailed for 14 years today and condemned to die in prison. Enoch Winchurch, 92, was today convicted of raping two underage girls over 40 years ago. Winchurch raped his victims when they were between the ages of seven and 14, attacking one in her bed. The judge at Bradford Crown Court told him he had 'robbed them of their childhoods'. After denying the charges throughout, he shouted from the dock 'Stop lying...You ****** well have...You know you did,' as he was put behind bars. Enoch Winchurch, 92, was today convicted of raping two underage girls over 40 years ago at Bradford Crown Court. File image used The jury found Winchurch, who struggles to walk and is in poor health, guilty of one charge of rape, one of attempted rape, six of indecent assault and one of indecency with a child. Because of his denial, both women, now in their 40s, were forced to give evidence. Barrister Giles Bridge, for Winchurch, conceded that his client's previous good character and age carried little weight in such cases. He said the defendant's health problems would mean any prison sentence would be particularly difficult for him. Jailing Winchurch, from Halifax, West Yorks., Recorder Anthony Hawks said: 'You continue to deny the offences. 'You forced those two women, in highly distressing circumstances, to relive their experiences in a public court. 'Your behaviour has had a devastating effect on the lives of those two women. 'I have read victim personal statements which they have made in this case but I've also had the opportunity to see both of them in the witness box. 'You robbed those women of their childhood, but in a way it goes further than that because your behaviour, to satisfy your own perverted desires, robbed those two women of a normal happy life. 'That is the pernicious nature of abusing a child.' The judge at Bradford Crown Court (pictured) told him he had 'robbed them of their childhoods' In their victim statements both women described how they still suffered from flashbacks and said they could not forgive Winchuch for what he had done to them. PC Mark Nicholson, of Halifax CID, leading the investigation, said: 'We welcome the lengthy prison sentence which has been handed down to Winchurch today for the abhorrent crimes he committed decades ago. 'He is a predatory and depraved individual and I would like to praise the victims for their bravery and courage in coming forward and I hope that his conviction and sentencing helps to bring them some closure to them so they can move forward with their lives. 'Anyone who has been the victim of sexual abuse should feel confident in coming forward to the police. 'We have specialist teams of officers who will take your seriously, deal with you sensitively and do everything within our power to bring those responsible to justice.' A Sydney man has denied killing 12-year-old girl Quanne Diec almost two decades after she went missing on her way to school. Vinzent Tarantino pleaded not guilty to murdering the girl on July 27, 1998, when he appeared via video link in the NSW Supreme Court on Friday. The 50-year-old also denied enticing her away and detaining her for ransom with intent to cause injury after he allegedly abducted Quanne a few hundred metres from her Granville home. Tarantino's trial, which is expected to run for three to four months, is due to begin in June next year. President Trump announced the start of 'African-American Music Appreciation Month' on Friday. In a White House statement, the president praised the 'ingenuity of talented African American artists' whose work 'laid the foundation for so many recognizable and cherished genres of music, including rock and roll, rhythm and blues, jazz, hip hop and rap'. 'African-American music has played a significant role in shaping the American dream and instilling a sense of pride in being an American. President Trump announced the start of 'African-American Music Appreciation Month' on Friday. He's pictured above with rapper Kanye West, right, after he won the election Above, Trump's full statement announcing the beginning of the month-long celebration 'The talent and creativity of pioneers like Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, Etta James, Whitney Houston, and many others have indelibly enriched our culture and our lives,' the statement continues. Trump went on to say that African-American music 'brings together people of all backgrounds'. 'Our Nation is indebted to all the African-American artists whose music fills our airways and our homes, lifts our spirits, and compels us to think, dance, and sing. Trump asked public officials and educators to 'raise awareness and appreciation of African-American music'. Pictured left: Whitney Houston. Pictured right: Duke Ellington 'These musicians and their legacies ignite our imaginations and prove to us that the sky is the limit,' he said. He then called upon 'public officials, educators, and all the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate activities and programs that raise awareness and appreciation of African-American music'. African-American Music Appreciation Month is a tradition that dates back to President Jimmy Carter's administration. Under President Obama, the name was changed from Black Music Appreciation Month to African-American Music Appreciation Month. Trump's colorful message to mark the celebration comes just weeks after he thanked Kanye West for his support on Twitter. West had tweeted that 'the mob' could not stop him from having an appreciation for Trump. After showing their mutual love for each other, a Reuters poll showed that Trump's support among black men doubled from 11 per cent to 22 per cent. And just this week, West's wife Kim Kardashian West visited the Oval Office to speak to the president about prison reform. Kanye dropped his new album at midnight on June 1 and held a listening party in Wyoming. It marks his comeback after he cancelled his Saint Pablo tour dates in 2016 and was hospitalized for mental health issues. A top lawyer has been caught red handed in this shocking CCTV footage pulling over by the side of the road and callously dumping his dead family pet in the gutter and driving off. The unnamed high flier has been slammed on social media after stopping his flashy Mercedes and furtively looking all about before he carries out the disgraceful act. He then leans into the boot and picks up the loyal hound and drops it on the tarmac like a bag of rubbish before jumping back in his luxury car and driving off. The outraged Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) launched an investigation after being handed the footage of the disgraceful scene in Johannesburg, South Africa. After tracing the driver through his number plate they were equally shocked to find the alleged culprit was a top lawyer for a prestigious company. They discovered that the pet Labrador was called Mbali and had been adopted by the family 13 years ago when it was a puppy. The man adopted the dog from the same SPCA branch who is now threatening to prosecute him. TimesLive reported the man had admitted to his bosses that he had dumped the body of the family pet in the road and he agreed to meet with the SPCA. The Sandton branch of the SPCA is considering pressing criminal charges for the illegal dumping of a dead animal under the terms of the by-laws of the City of Johannesburg. A top lawyer was been caught red handed in this shocking CCTV footage pulling over by the side of the road and callously dumping the pet in the gutter and driving off in South Africa The lawyer met with the SPCA when he returned from a funeral in the Northern Cape and blamed his actions on the distress of the loss of a family member and the death of the dog. An SPCA spokesman said they were stunned by the behaviour of a leading member of the legal fraternity and for his attitude towards the beloved family pet and said they may prosecute. Jaco Pieterse of the SPCA said: 'The lack of respect for an animal - even one who had died - and the lack of respect for legislation by someone who should be upholding the law leaves us speechless.' The law firm for whom their Head of Litigation is employed has since distanced itself from the incident. A spokesman said: 'We discussed the matter with the individual concerned and have satisfied ourselves that this is a personal matter that does not involve the company but him and the SPCA.' The lawyer met with the SPCA when he returned from a funeral in the Northern Cape and blamed his actions on the distress at the loss of a family member and the death of the dog They discovered that the pet Labrador was called Mbali and had been adopted by the family from the same SPCA branch who are threatening to prosecute him 13 years ago when a puppy Mr Pieterse added: 'It was heartless. The cause of death of the dog is unknown and the carcass will be sent for a post-mortem. We requested an urgent meeting with the alleged perpetrator.' It is understood that the lawyer has expressed his 'extreme regret and distress for my unacceptable conduct' and has offered to do community service for the SPCA to 'promote the values they uphold'. An outraged woman said on the SPCA homepage: 'Wearing a nice suit and driving a Mercedes Benz does not give you humanity sir and nor does it give you decency or morality, Be ashamed.' A Royal Navy air defence destroyer has been scrambled to shadow a Russian military ship travelling through the English Channel. Portsmouth-based HMS Diamond and a Wildcat helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton were dispatched last night to follow the Russian underwater reconnaissance ship Yantar after it approached the UK coast. The giant vessels were pictured side by side in the Channel today as the Navy ship guided the Russian vessel northwards. A Navy spokesman said: 'HMS Diamond met up with Yantar and will continue to monitor the vessel's movements and activities as it continues north.' Royal Navy ship HMS Diamond (right) is pictured shadowing a Russian ship as it passes through the English Channel today after being deployed from Portsmouth last night The Russian Yantar ship is pictured making its way down the English Channel on Friday The Type 45 destroyer, based in Portsmouth, Hampshire, took over the monitoring of the boat from a French naval ship, which had been tasked to follow it through the Bay of Biscay. The 354ft long (108 metre), 5,736 tonne Yantar is officially an oceanographic research vessel, but is understood to be bursting with surveillance equipment. It carries two unmanned submersible vehicles, which can descend to the sea bed and send back images as well as collecting items from the bottom of the ocean. HMS Diamond met the Russian boat, with a Wildcat helicopter, near RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset, after departing Portsmouth in thick fog. It escorted the Russian vessel through the Channel and will continue to guide it north, ensuring it leaves UK waters. Navy spokesman said HMS Diamond (pictured) is 'protecting the UK' after taking over from a French navy ship Commander Ben Keith, commanding officer of the Type 45 destroyer, said: 'HMS Diamond is proud to be doing her part to protect the UK area of interest by monitoring the Russian vessel Yantar on her transit. 'This is routine business for the Royal Navy and my ship's company are well trained and ready at short notice to deploy for such tasking.' The Navy spokesman added: 'HMS Diamond left Portsmouth in thick fog on Wednesday evening in readiness to meet the Russian vessel, taking over from a French navy ship which had monitored her progress through the Bay of Biscay.' He said the Russian vessel is a specialist reconnaissance ship which carries two unmanned submersible vehicles, which can descend to the sea bed and send back images as well as collecting items from the bottom of the ocean. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson added: 'We will not hesitate in defending our waters or tolerate any form of aggression. 'Britain will never be intimidated when it comes to protecting our country, our people, and our national interests.' A Georgia minister, his wife and their son, who all allegedly attacked police officers during a scuffle over a runaway girl, now face multiple charges including assault. Wilmer Cruz, his wife Cristina and their teenage son, Wilmer Cruz Jr., were charged with 12 counts of aggravated assault and other charges on Thursday, according to WSB-TV. The charges stem from an incident which occurred on March 24, when officers were called to Inglesia Cristina Evangelica Church, in Lilburn, Georgia, regarding a missing girl. Wilmer Cruz Sr. and his wife, Cristina, (seen in April) face assault charges after a March incident in which they allegedly attacked police officers outside the church were Wilmer Sr. is a minister Wilmer Cruz Jr. (in April) also faces assault charged for allegedly attacking police officers during the skirmish, which was over a runaway girl who was hiding at the church and was supposedly pregnant with Wilmer Jr.'s child The teenage girl, 16, had apparently been impregnated by Wilmer Jr., 17, and was hiding out with the family at the church. When officers arrived at the church, they ended up in an all-out brawl with Wilmer Sr., 38, Cristina and Wilmer Jr., which was caught on police body camera and witness cellphones, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported. Sgt. Ryan Long said the confrontation turned violent when Wilmer Sr. and his son pushed him against a glass door. Sgt. Ryan Long (in April) said that the Cruz family assaulted him while he was responding to the call about the missing teenage girl 'I was slammed against the glass door, hitting my head up against the glass and Mr. Cruz was choking me to the point I couldn't breathe,' Long said in April during a preliminary hearing. In the video, Long can be seem holding a taser to Wilmer Sr.'s back, before appearing to have the stun gun yanked from his hand by Cristina, who then threateningly pointed the taser at Long, before he arrested her. It's at that point Wilmer Sr. and Wilmer Jr. can be seen attacking Long, pinning him up against a glass door and hitting and kicking him. Another of Wilmer Sr.'s sons, who has not been identified, can also be seen in the footage taking an officer's radio. Long said he believes the family fought back because they thought 'officers were not allowed to fight back against them.' He also testified that family members threatened to kill his mother. The fight erupted after the missing girl, who has since been returned to her mother, was found with the family. Sgt. Long (pictured) said that Cristina (in headscarf) yanked a stun gun out of his hands and pointed it at him before he was able to arrest her Sgt. Long said that Wilmer Sr. (in grey) and Wilmer Jr. pushed him against a glass door Wilmer Sr. (left) and Wilmer Jr. are still in custody. Cristina Cruz is out on bond While the bulk of the charges had been levied against Wilmer Sr., prosecutors have now charged Wilmer Jr. with six counts, including one charge of allegedly taking an officers radio and stopping him from calling for backup. Aggravated assault on a peace officer charges were filed against Cristina and Wilmer Jr. on Thursday as well. Wilmer Sr. and Wilmer Jr. are said to be still in jail, but Cristina is out on bond. A week prior to the March 24 incident, Ana Cardenas Robles, the mother of the 16-year-old runaway, filed an order against Cristina, alleging the woman stalked her and threatened her with deportation. Robles said that Cristina refused to allow her to have any contact with her own pregnant teenage daughter. The Cruz family's attorney contested that claim in court in April, saying Robles congratulated her daughter and Wilmer Jr. for the pregnancy. The attorney also claims Robles allowed her daughter to stay with their family. All three Cruz family members face charges of obstruction and interference with custody in addition to the new assault charges. Advertisement Hundreds of demonstrators have assembled to protest Tommy Robinson's arrest in a bid to secure the former English Defence League leader's release from jail. Around 500 protesters chanted 'let Tommy out' at police officers outside Leeds Crown Court on Friday. The march saw Robinson's supporters brand police officers a 'disgrace', as chants of 'you ought to be ashamed of yourselves' broke out. The event was organised by the group Proud British, which claims on Facebook that its purpose is to 'voice freedom of speech' and 'stop the strain on the NHS, schools and our public services'. Hundreds of Tommy Robinson's supporters have gathered outside Leeds Crown Court to protest the former EDL leader's jail sentence last week Protesters branded officers policing the event a 'disgrace', as chants of 'you ought to be ashamed of yourselves' as they waves the Union Jack and St Georges Flag Hundreds of protesters are being watched by police as they protest outside Leeds Crown Court, where former EDL leader Tommy Robinson was jailed for contempt Officers mounted on horseback supervised chanting protesters as they marched through the streets of Leeds to demonstrates against Robinson's sentence Around 400 of Robinson's elite fans ascended upon Leeds Crown Court after right-wing activists in America rushed to his support after restrictions ordered by a judge initially prevented his court case and jail term being reported 'Free speech is dead: 'A host of conspiracy theories in the US then began claiming that he was imprisoned as part of a plot to silence the right' The court heard how Robinson had filmed himself and people involved in the case, in footage that was watched around 250,000 times within hours of being posted Robinson, who was listed by his real name Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon on court documents, was sentenced to 13 months in jail on the same day as his arrest Demonstrators shouted: 'Oh Tommy Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy Robinson' and 'Free Tommy Now' down the street. Many fans were brandishing '#FreeTommy' placards - with one which read 'Free the truth teller. Free Tommy' Judge: If the jurors saw Robinson's video I would be asked to discharge them The judge who jailed Tommy Robinson told him his Facebook Live could have collapsed a six-week trial if the jurors saw it. Mr Justice Marson QC said that Robinson had failed in his 'responsibility to exercise freedom of speech within the law'. Within five hours of his arrest Robinson was jailed for 13 months after pleading guilty to contempt in relation to an ongoing trial. He also admitted breaching the terms of a suspended sentence he was handed in Canterbury last May for a similar offence. Mr Justice Marson QC said: 'No one could possibly conclude that it would be anything other than highly prejudicial to the defendants in the trial. I respect everyone's right to free speech. That's one of the most important rights that we have. 'With those rights come responsibilities. The responsibility to exercise that freedom of speech within the law. I am not sure you appreciate the potential consequence of what you have done. 'If the jurors in my present trial get to know of this video I will no doubt be faced with an application to discharge the jury. If I have to do that it will mean a re-trial, costing hundreds and hundreds and thousands of pounds.' Advertisement The protest came a week after the right-wing activist's arrest for using social media to broadcast details of a trial which is subject to blanket reporting restrictions. Robinson, 35, was jailed for 13 months last Friday for contempt of court after broadcasting on Facebook Live outside Leeds Crown Court putting the major trial at risk of collapse. The court heard how Robinson had filmed himself and people involved in the case, in footage that was watched around 250,000 times within hours of being posted. Robinson, who was listed by his real name Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon on court documents, was sentenced to 13 months in jail on the same day as his arrest. He was given 10 months in jail for contempt of court, and an additional three months for beaching a previous suspended sentence. Right-wing activists in America have rushed to support Robinson, after restrictions ordered by a judge initially prevented his court case and jail term being reported. A host of conspiracy theories in the US then began claiming that he was imprisoned as part of a plot to silence the right. Judge Geoffrey Marson QC told Robinson at the time: 'Everyone understands the right to freedom of speech but there are responsibilities and obligations.' A reporting restriction had initially prevented the media from reporting his conviction, but this was lifted at the same court on Tuesday. The Judge said on Friday: 'If the jurors in my present trial get to know of this video I will no doubt be faced with an application to discharge the jury. 'If I have to do that it will mean a re-trial, costing hundreds and hundreds and thousands of pounds.' The judge added: 'This contempt hearing is not about free speech. This is not about the freedom of the press. 'This is not about legitimate journalism, this is not about political correctness, this is not about whether one political viewpoint is right or another. It is about justice and it is about ensuring that a trial can be carried out justly and fairly. 'It is about ensuring that a jury are not in any way inhibited from carrying out their important function.' A reporting restriction had initially prevented the media from reporting Robinson's conviction, but this was lifted at the same court on Tuesday Protesters pictures chatting with police officers as they stand guard outside Leeds Crown Court today where demonstrators are voicing their anger at Robinson's sentence Around 400 of his elite fans ascended upon Leeds Crown Court, West Yorks., to support the caged far-right activist. But police had already closed off the road One man, dressed as the grim reaper, brandished a placard emblazoned with 'FREE SPEECH IS DEAD' outside Leeds Crown Court today Protesters also called on members of the press to publish details of the case that Robinson, of Bedfordshire, had been filming, in line with 'the principle of open justice' One sign read 'Stand with Tommy, free Tommy now,' whilst another branded the police, government and justice system as 'corrupt' A man and woman with posters that read 'STAND WITH TOMMY - FREE TOMMY NOW'. Robinson was jailed for contempt of court after risking the collapse of a trial A man with #FREE TOMMY written onto a piece of paper outside Leeds Crown Court today where demonstrators are protesting the right-wing activist's sentence Tommy Robinson was held by police and taken up to a courtroom where he pleaded guilty to contempt of court. He also pleaded guilty to breaching a suspended sentence from a previous court case Judge Geoffrey Marson QC blasted Robinson for his 'highly prejudicial actions'. Referring to separate court proceedings that Robinson was in danger of derailing Judge Marson QC said: 'No one could possibly conclude that it would be anything other than highly prejudicial to the defendants in the trial The Judge said on Friday: 'If the jurors in my present trial get to know of this video I will no doubt be faced with an application to discharge the jury. 'If I have to do that it will mean a re-trial, costing hundreds and hundreds and thousands of pounds During Friday's demonstration, hoards of people were seen waving flags bearing the St George's Cross and handmade placards voicing support for Robinson. One read 'Stand with Tommy, free Tommy now,' whilst another branded the police, government and justice system as 'corrupt'. Protesters also called on members of the press to publish details of the case that Robinson, of Bedfordshire, had been filming, in line with 'the principle of open justice'. As the Trump administration wages a battle against MS-13 gang members who the president refers to as 'animals,' another language debate wages on: What to call the estimated 11 million immigrants who are in the country illegally? 'Illegal immigrant' is the preferred language of the anti-immigration right, while 'undocumented' is the nomenclature used by the pro-immigrant left. 'There are rhetorical tricks that the left and the right use,' said Wendy Feliz, communications director for the pro-immigration American Immigration Council in Washington D.C. 'They're used strategically by both sides to engage a specific response.' Ultimately, Americans are overwhelmingly more likely to use the term 'illegal' rather than 'undocumented' when seeking information about immigration, according to Google trends data. Key historic dates in U.S. immigration law 1882 - The first significant law restricting immigration into the U.S. was The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which banned entry to people from that country. 1917 - The Asiatic Barred Zone Act further restricted immigration from all of Asia, as well as entry to any prostitutes, polygamists, anarchists and people with contagious diseases. 1924 - The 1924 Immigration Act established caps on how many people could enter the U.S. based on country of origin, giving significant preference to people from northern and western Europe. 1965 - The Hart-Celler Immigration Act was passed, ordering that the U.S. cannot issue more than 7 percent of the total allowable visas to one nation which predominately had an effect on Mexican and Latin American immigration. Source: History.com Advertisement A state-by-state breakout of Google searches shows that the term 'illegal immigrants' was used significantly more often than the alternative over the past 12 months. The phrase dominated Google results in every single state. 'Undocumented immigrants' accounted for none of the searches in a handful of states, including Montana, Vermont, Alaska, Wyoming, West Virginia, North Dakota and South Dakota. While 'illegal immigrants' was more common, 'undocumented' was gaining ground in some states, accounting for 26 percent of related searches in New York, 25 percent in New Mexico and 24 percent in Illinois. Both terms are fraught with political meaning, and people both sides of the aisle have strong opinions about which one is more neutral. Anti-immigration activists argue that undocumented is inaccurate and undermines the legitimate criminality inherent to the actions by a large group of people. 'The word "undocumented" was invented precisely for the purpose of making illegal immigrants look less illegal,' said Mark Krikorian, executive director of Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington D.C.-based anti-immigration think tank. 'It's a propaganda term,' he continued. '"Unauthorized immigrant" is a whole lot more honest.' At the other end of the spectrum, pro-immigration advocates argue that using the word 'illegal' to describe a class of people is a way to diminish and oppress them. It 'was developed by conservative political interests in ways that were purportedly unbiased, but in fact are quite politically motivated,' said Jonathan Rosa, a linguistic anthropologist at Stanford University. 'We could also say that the category of "undocumented" is politically motivated - it certainly is in terms of flagging a specific kind of progressive stance ... that illegality can stigmatize one's entire person.' Many cite a 2005 memo by Republican consultant Frank Luntz that called on the party to use the term 'illegal immigrant' publicly because it tied the people to the idea of criminality precisely what pro-immigration advocates would like to avoid. Anti-immigration activists (left) protest outside of the U.S. Border Patrol Murrieta Station in California in July 2014 . And pro-immigration protesters march (right) during a rally in Los Angeles in May 2007. The term 'illegal immigrant' has evolved to be considered offensive by noncitizens living in the country illegally, while 'undocumented immigrant' is more in favor 'Language is important in any public policy debate because it can dehumanize people,' Feliz said. 'When you talk about the concept of illegality, it really activates a non-sympathetic feeling because no one likes someone who doesn't follow the rules.' Google also provides a state-by-state breakdown of how interested people are in a specific search term at any given point in time. The company calculates this on a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 being the location where a search term is most popular when compared with all other searches in that area. A value of 50 indicates a location where the term is half as popular as the most popular search. A zero indicates there wasn't enough data for a given term. Using that scale, 'illegal immigrant' was most popular in Wyoming, with a score of 96, while 'undocumented immigrant' was most popular in New York, with a score of 78. Google data also provides a chart illustrating how the popularity of both terms has fluctuated over the past 12 months. The Silicon Valley start-ups that began as a flash of an idea inside the minds of Mark Zuckerberg and Larry Page and Sergey Brin have grown into something none of the men could have ever imagined. Facebook has a market cap of just under $560 billion and Google parent company Alphabet is at $772 billion. The Federal Trade Commission revealed it was investigating data collected by Google on its Android operating system back in May, and in a 60 Minutes interview soon after, antitrust lawyer Gary Reback said that Google does not have a monopoly but multiple monopolies. 'Of course Google's a monopoly. In fact they're a monopoly in several markets. They're a monopoly in search. They're a monopoly in search advertising,' said Reback. He later noted: 'Google is the gatekeeper for - for the World Wide Web, for the internet as we know it. It is every bit as important today as petroleum was when John D. Rockefeller was monopolizing that.' Scroll down for video Social monopoly: There are growing calls for the Federal Trade Commission to start looking into the acquisitions of leading tech companies like Google and Amazon (Mark Zuckerberg in Paris last month above) Googlers: The Federal Trade Commission revealed it was investigating data collected by Google on its Android operating system back in May (Sergrey Brin and Larry Page in 2007) Of the many astonishing facts and figures revealed by the CBS news magazine was that 90 per cent of all searches in 2017 were through Google. 'They have this phrase they use, "competition is just a click away." They have no competition. Bing, their competition, has 2 per cent of the market. They have 90 per cent,' said Jonathan Taplin, a digital media expert and director emeritus of the Annenberg Innovation Lab at the University of Southern California. And Yelp founder Jeremy Stoppelman spoke from his own experience when he revealed that Google is able to bury the competition in search, pushing them to the third and fourth pages. He said that he would never be able to start a company like Yelp today, which is why in 2011 he asked for an investigation into Google. He was not alone either, with Microsoft, Amazon, eBay, Expedia, and Yahoo all joining the cause. That investigation led to nothing, but Margrethe Vestager, who is the competition commissioner for the European Union, has made it clear that Google better change its ways overseas by fining the company $2.7 billion for trying to squash out its competition. Microsoft was an interesting addition to that lineup, as it has been two decades since the Federal Trade Commission filed one its most famous antitrust cases against Bill Gates' company. Microsoft was ultimately split into two companies in 2000 and fined after a judge sided with the federal government, which brought charges against Microsoft over its monopoly on the sale of web browsers and operating systems on Intel-based personal computers. Since that time there have been few other companies brought up on these charges, with the most recent one of note being Qualcomm. In 2017, the the world's biggest producer of mobile chips was accused of using their monopoly to force Apple into an exclusive partnership, a move that landed them in court. That case is still ongoing. Be Bezos: The Week reported in July 2017 that Amazon had online sales six times higher than those of 'Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Nordstrom, Home Depot, Macy's, Kohl's, and Costco' combined in 2016 Cook the books: Apple meanwhile has the highest market cap of the group at $931 billion, and the highest in the world (Tim Cook above in March) Facebook could be a target now too, and Vestager has gone after them as well with a $122 million fine for a merger violation. Apple meanwhile got a $15 billion bill after Vestager ordered Ireland to collect on taxes owed by the company. Over in Europe, talks are heating in regards to how to break up Facebook, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, with many politicians feeling that the company has become too powerful. Then there is Amazon, with its $800 billion marketcap. President Trump has attacked Jeff Bezos and his company more than any other since taking office, and yet it continues to grow and has now made its founder the richest man in the world. Of the four companies it has experienced the most rapid growth in the past few years, and shows no signs of slowing down. Many felt that the purchase of Whole Foods by Bezos was questionable because of the power the company already yielded over the marketplace. The Week reported in July 2017 that Amazon had online sales six times higher than those of 'Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Nordstrom, Home Depot, Macy's, Kohl's, and Costco' combined in 2016. And in 2017 it accounted for 44 per cent of e-commerce sales in the US and 4 per cent of all retail sales. Apple meanwhile has the highest market cap of the group at $931 billion, and the highest in the world. Zuckerberg is one of the few to directly address claims of a monopoly, having been asked by Senator Lindsay Graham back in April will testifying on Capitol Hill. 'You dont think you have a monopoly?' said Senator Graham. 'It certainly doesnt feel like that to me,' replied Zuckerberg. Deborah Newmark's voice cracked as she read aloud a surprise love letter her husband of 36 years left to her after his death last month at age 91. Her husband, Dr Gerald 'Jerry' Newmark, was a white Army veteran who fought for Civil Rights and joined Dr Martin Luther King Jr's Selma march 53 years ago. He wrote to her: 'My beautiful darling wonderful special wife a gift that came to me, I know not why but at a time that I certainly needed one. You are not only my wife, but also my daughter, mother, student, teacher, worker, boss, and partner. How could one person be so many things who knows? And together we live on. Obviously I will miss you. Please enjoy yourself for both of us. I will be watching.' Deborah, who received the note one day after he passed away peacefully in his sleep last month in their Tarzana, California home, told DailyMail.com that she was shocked to get his final love letter from his assistant. Army veteran Dr. Gerald Newmark (pictured with his wife Deborah in January) joined Dr Martin Luther King Jr to participate in the final historic march from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery. He passed away peacefully last month at age 91. His wife told DailyMail.com that he left behind one last sweet love letter He wrote to her: 'My beautiful darling wonderful special wife a gift that came to me, I know not why but at a time that I certainly needed one.' They are pictured together above at a casino Pictured above is the full love letter that Newmark wrote for his wife which was given to her after he passed away last month I just think, like, what a guy to write this, she said while tearing up. Its like knowing that when I do have a good time, its for the both of us. It was a beautiful impactful letter that he left to give me permission to keep going on and living life. It was really great and Ive been sharing it with so many different people in our lives. In a March interview commemorating the 53rd anniversary of the Selma marches, Newmark told DailyMail.com about his experience going against his familys wishes to join the historic fight for equal rights. He said that he was inspired to join marchers after watching on television the violence unleashed on hundreds of protesters during what was later called Bloody Sunday in Alabama. I knew this was going to be an important event. Things in the United States were getting worse and I wanted to be at the march, Newmark said. Deborah told DailyMail.com that she was so shocked to receive the love letter he wrote. She said: 'It was a beautiful impactful letter that he left to give me permission to keep going on and living life. It was really great and Ive been sharing it with so many different people in our lives. In a March interview commemorating the 53rd anniversary of the Selma marches, Newmark told DailyMail.com about his experience going against his familys wishes to join the historic fight for equal rights. He is pictured with his mother Esther Newmark in his Army uniform He said that he was inspired to join marchers after watching on television the violence unleashed on hundreds of protesters during what was later called Bloody Sunday in Alabama. Pictured above is a group of marchers, including Congressman John Lewis, being beaten by Alabama State Troopers on March 7, 1965 He was proud to say that he stood on the right side of history when he joined thousands for the marches that eventually helped to pass the Voting Rights Act - which is considered to be one of the most important achievements of the Civil Rights movement. It made me feel I was doing something important. It inspired me to continue to work hard for Civil Rights,' he said. 'The march led me to so many other things when I came home. Newmark was born in the Bronx, New York on November 19, 1926. He attended Indiana University where he earned his both his bachelor's and master's degrees in foreign languages. He continued his education to earn his PhD in Education from the University of Southern California. Newmark told DailyMail.com: I knew this was going to be an important event. Things in the United States were getting worse and I wanted to be at the march. He was proud to say that he stood on the right side of history when he joined thousands for the marches that eventually helped to pass the Voting Rights Act - which is considered to be one of the most important achievements of the Civil Rights movement Newmark served in the Army and was a veteran of World War II. After leaving the Army, he received support from the G.I. Bill of Rights and a prestigious Fulbright Fellowship where he continued his studies in France. Years later, he received a Presidential Citation from President Richard Nixon for his tireless work in education. He is pictured above in his Army uniform He served in the Army and was a veteran of World War II and after leaving the service, he received support from the G.I. Bill of Rights and a prestigious Fulbright Fellowship where he continued his studies in France. Newmark also received a Presidential Citation from President Richard Nixon for his tireless work in education. Plus, he was awarded a seven-year Ford Foundation grant to continue his educational research and is the author behind a handful of books. But one of the most critical aspects of Newmarks life was his passion for civil rights and youth affairs. Newmark and his wife co-founded The Childrens Project non-profit organization to help assist parents, teachers and childcare providers in creating emotionally healthy environments for children. Newmark and his wife co-founded The Childrens Project non-profit organization to help assist parents, teachers and childcare providers in creating emotionally healthy environments for children. Deborah plans to host a celebration of life ceremony for her husband sometime in July He was committed to improving inter-personal relationships using the five critical emotional needs: to feel respected, important, accepted, included, and secure. One of his many goals was to call the worlds attention to the dangers of neglecting childrens emotional health in homes and schools. He is survived by his wife, Deborah, and son, David Newmark. In lieu of flowers, his family is asking for donations to be sent to The Childrens Project - www.emotionallyhealthychildren.org. A celebration of life ceremony will be held for Newmark in July. Vermont has found the perfect way to attract new residents: offer to pay them $10,000 to move to the Green Mountain State. But there are several catches you must work remotely, and the money can only be used on certain expenses, including relocation costs, computer equipment and software, internet access and co-working memberships, reports CNN Money. Plus, funds will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, as there are annual limits to the grants. Government officials hope that Vermonts high quality of life will draw out-of-state workers to relocate to the area Just $125,000 has been allocated for 2019, with the cap increasing to $250,000 in 2020, before dropping back to $125,000 in 2021. State officials hope that Vermonts high quality of life will attract out-of-state workers to swap their office for a Vermont co-working space or home office, reports Burlington Free Press. The move is one of a range of measures being introduced to help bolster the local economy. And since Governor Phil Scott signed the new law on Wednesday, interested workers have already been in contact with Vermonts Agency of Commerce and Community Development. We think Vermont is well positioned to capitalize on the increase in the availability of remote work, said Michael Schirling, the agencys secretary. Edward Gabbai, 30, pictured, was today jailed for 20 years after he was convicted of raping a 23-year-old Swedish student he met on a Tinder date A self-styled 'Christian Grey poseur' who raped two young women to satisfy his desire for rough, submissive sex, was jailed for 20 years today. Cambridge graduate Edward Gabbai, 30, who enjoyed dominant role-playing sex like the 'Fifty Shades of Grey' title character was described as a 'sexual adventurer' who averaged three new women a week. The entrepreneurial founder of The World Boutique Hotel Awards was convicted of raping a Swedish Tinder date and a drunken woman, 23, he picked-up late one night. The Swedish woman had consented to adopting the submissive role in their relationship and admits she also enjoyed rough sex until Gabbai took things too far one night and had unprotected intercourse. The drunken stranger was taken back to an address he was house-sitting and also subjected to rough non-consensual sex, the lengthy Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court trial heard. Gabbai, from Borehamwood, who has a PhD in microbiology and nanoscience, was cleared of raping a 17 year-old escort, plus two further rapes of the drunken young woman. He received seven years for raping the Tinder date, plus thirteen years for raping the drunken woman to run consecutively and must sign the sex offenders register. Today his lawyer Sarah Forshaw QC told the court: 'If he saw himself as a young sexual adventurer with several sexual partners, a poseur of the Christian Grey variety, his downfall couldn't have been starker. 'His thirst for sexual adventure with multiple women, thrill-seeking, is more in common with someone in their late-teens or early twenties. Gabbai, pictured, was cleared of raping a 17-year-old escort and two rapes of a drunk woman 'The convictions mean the loss of a once promising career, and a relationship. He faces financial and reputational ruin and he faces disgrace.' Gabbai was seen by a psycho-sexual psychiatrist at HMP Wandsworth for four hours, who concluded: 'He was very motivated to have casual sexual relationships.' Judge Timothy Lamb QC told Gabbai: 'The psychological effect on each complainant is, in my view, 'severe' Prosecutor Mr. Simon Russell Flint QC told the jury the drunken woman had never met Gabbai before and ended up in his cab during a drunken night out in Angel, Islington. The jury were played mobile phone footage police seized from the defendant of her on her on her knees in the bathroom of Gabbai's Battersea house sit in the midst of the rape. The court heard Gabbai asked his Swedish victim to tell him she was only aged 12 'It shows a naked girl on her knees, she appears to be distressed and has been assaulted. You can hear the defendant say: "Tell me you will do anything I want," and see him slap her violently. 'The footage shows him telling her to put her arms behind her back and bottom in the air. 'She can be heard saying: "Please don't, ouch, please don't, ouch." 'This being rough and violent in the course of sexual activity, we say, is a common and repeating theme,' said Mr. Russell Flint. 'Edward Gabbai likes to dominate sexually and inflict hurt and violence on those who he engages in sexual activity.' The Swedish woman did initially consent to sex with Gabbai until she was raped in the bedroom of a Stoke Newington address, the jury were told. 'He picked her up and put her on all fours and started giving her orders as what to do. He pinned down her legs, pushed her down and started to become very aggressive. 'He started strangling so hard she could not breathe, bit her neck and ear so it left a visible mark, turned her head so he could slap her face and pulled her hair. 'He said: "That's my favourite bit." She was screaming out and he continued to have sex with her. 'Facial injuries were caused by the defendant beating her up, quite frankly.' She reported Gabbai to the police after becoming embarrassed about her parents seeing her in such a state and having to cancel her passport picture appointment at the Swedish Embassy. 'He said she liked rough sex. He said he hit her about twelve times, but at no time did she tell him to stop.' The second complainant had been drinking in Angel and agreed to get in Gabbai's shared Uber cab at 3.30am because she had no phone power to call her own. However, once in the address she court heard Gabbai told her in the hallway: 'You have got to let me do whatever I want to you.' She felt vulnerable and intimidated by the 'very angry' Gabbai, the court heard. 'He pushed her onto the bed and slapped her on both cheeks very hard. 'She started crying immediately and he called her lots of names, like slut,' explained Mr. Russell Flint. 'He pushed down on her neck, she couldn't breathe, was gasping for breath and she really thought he was going to suffocate her. 'She says she was hysterical, crying and unable to speak and was told: "If you cry out or try to go away I'll make it worse for you." 'She slapped her face, her bottom, her legs.' Gabbai raped, said the prosecutor, while instructing her to say she was only twelve years-old and announcing: 'You're a little twelve year-old girl.' Later Gabbai unlocked the front door and took her phone number before she left and the young woman reported him to the police. When examined she had thirty separate areas of injury. Stewart Weldon (pictured) was arrested Sunday after a car chase that ended when he crashed into a police cruiser and wrestled with officers A child has been rescued from a grisly Massachusetts 'house of horrors' where three bodies has been discovered. Police found the child during a search of Stewart Weldon's Springfield home after the 40-year-old was arrested Sunday for kidnapping following a high speed police chase. Three dead bodies were also discovered in and around the home. The child was taken into emergency state custody, the Department of Children and Families told MassLive. The agency refused to release the age or name of the child, or how they were connected to Weldon. They would not say whether they had ever received reports about the child or residents of the property in the past. But sources say Weldon had two children with the alleged kidnapping victim, and they all lived together at his home. 'The Department of Children and Families took emergency custody of a child in the home and is investigating in collaboration with law enforcement,' said Andrea Grossman an agency spokesperson. However, neighbors say that Weldon had lived at the house with a young woman and a teenager. They would often overhear loud, angry rows coming from the home, the Boston Globe reports. Neighbor, Stefan Davis, a high school teacher, told the newspaper that the young woman 'didn't look much older than my students.' He added that he'd never heard the woman speak but would see her scurrying from the car to the house. Cops are continuing to search the home for other potential victims. Weldon is being held on kidnapping, sexual assault and other charges including resisting arrest; driving with a revoked license; and failing to stop for police, records show. He has not yet been charged in connection with the bodies found at his home. Massachusetts State Police investigate the home of Stewart Weldon's Springfield home after the 40-year-old was arrested Sunday for kidnapping following a high speed police chase A child has been taken into emergency state custody after police searched the home Three dead bodies were also discovered in and around the home Weldon has a long history of violent crimes stretching back more than a decade. In September 2006, he was jailed in Maywood County for a year for attempted theft and burglary. He was out of jail for just over a month before he was jailed again in October for a burglary and probation violation in 2008. He had a few more run ins with the police over the years and was recently arrested again on October 14, 2017, near Forest Park in Springfield, Massachusetts. Police had stopped him for reckless driving but the police report reveals he was also arrested for assault with a dangerous weapon, resisting arrest and assault and battery of a police officer during the violent confrontation. On Sunday, cops stopped Weldon and rescued a woman in his car. She had severe injuries and told police she's been kidnapped and abused by Weldon for a month. 'I never thought I would get away', she told officers, according to a police report. 'Thank you for saving my life.' The woman told cops he held her captive for a month, sexually assaulted her and beat her with a hammer and other objects, police said. Two bodies were found 'in and around' the Springfield, Massachusetts, home after police responded to the house on Wednesday night, Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said. Three dead bodies have been found at his home in Springfield, Massachusetts. Weldon has been charged with kidnapping, sexually assaulting and torturing a woman, a prosecutor said on Thursday Courtesy of WWLP Late Thursday, Gulluni confirmed a third body had been found on the property, MassLive.com reported. Bodies were found in the garage and basement. At a press conference Gulluni was asked if they were dealing with a serial killer. 'Right now we are focusing on the piece-by-piece investigation, and it's early Much work is to be done,' he said. Weldon, who was arrested Sunday after a car chase that ended when he crashed into a police cruiser and wrestled with officers, is believed to live at the address. Gulluni said that it was a 'dangerous pursuit'. 'He put forward a very violent struggle before his arrest,' he said. Police had tried to stop his car when they noticed a broken tail-light but he sped off. Weldon, who's 40 years old, pleaded not guilty to a variety of charges on Tuesday and was held on $1million bail When they finally caught up with him they found the woman in the vehicle. A police report said she was 'extremely distraught ... and crying uncontrollably'. She was taken to a hospital and police said her injuries were 'grotesque and violent', including a possible fractured jaw, stab wounds to her abdomen, marks from being hit with a blunt object and a leg infection. She was still in the hospital on Thursday, Gulluni said. Weldon, who is 40 years old, pleaded not guilty to a variety of charges on Tuesday and was held on $1million bail. His bail in several unrelated cases was revoked. Weldon had not been charged in connection with the discovery of the bodies. Gulluni did not disclose the names, ages or genders of the bodies. Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni, left, briefing the media on Thursday at the home in Springfield where three bodies were found Property records show that the home is listed under Weldon's mother's name and the DA implied other people were also living in the residence but did not give further details. Police visited Weldon's home Wednesday evening after his mother called to report a foul odor at the address. A police report shows that Weldon was born in Jamaica, Queens, New York. The public defender who represented Weldon at his arraignment did not immediately return a message seeking comment on Thursday. A police department spokesman said there was no threat to the public. Weldon is due back in court for a pretrial hearing on June 29. An Ohio man nicknamed the 'good-looking devil' has been sentenced to death for strangling two women in 2016. Shawn Grate, 41, was found guilty last month of the two murders and the kidnapping and sexual assault of another woman at a home south west of Cleveland in 2016. An Ashland County judge accepted the jury's recommendation Friday that Grate should get the death penalty. The judge announced that his execution will take place on September 13, 2018 - the two year anniversary of when Grate was arrested. Shawn Grate, 41, was sentenced to death Friday (above) for two murders and the kidnapping and sexual assault of a woman in Ohio in 2016 The bodies of Grate's two slain victims were only discovered when a third woman called police from a bedroom in the home in September 2016 saying she had been kidnapped, tied to a bed and raped for several days. Elizabeth Griffith, 29, and Stacey Stanley, 43, were identified as his victims and both had been strangled to death. Police said they found trash and dirty clothes inside the home and some had been piled up as high as the ceiling. The smell of decay led officers to an upstairs bedroom sealed with duct tape. They found the body of one woman underneath of pile of clothes. The second woman's decomposing body was found in the basement. Police arrested Grate at the scene and photos show him being marched out of the home shirtless and in handcuffs. He pleaded guilty last month to 15 charges including rape and abuse of a corpse. Grate has also been linked to the deaths of three other women in nearby neighborhoods but has not been charged in those killings. Stacey Stanley, 43, (left) and Elizabeth Griffith, 29, (right) were found strangled to death and dumped under piles of clothing in the Ohio home in 2016 The bodies were found dumped under piles of clothes in what was thought to be a vacant home in Ashland, Ohio. The home is pictured above Grate was found guilty in May (above) and it took jurors just three hours to reach a verdict He told police and television reporters soon after his arrest that he had killed a number of other women. Grate is still being investigated in the deaths of an unidentified woman killed around 2005, Rebekah Leicy who was killed in 2015 and the 2016 death of Candice Cunningham. He has been described by those who know him as a charmer with a dark side and police say he mostly targeted women who were vulnerable to drug use or had slipped through social cracks. His own mother, Theresa McFarland, told DailyMail.com previously that he had been estranged from their family for several years but had no doubt that he was guilty. 'Yes he's good looking but the Devil's good looking too. He ain't no red horns and all that stuff,' she said. 'You find out he's charming and of course that charm can charm the pants off anybody, not to be nasty, but you just know how it works.' She admitted that Grate had always been 'headstrong' and had a need for control. 'You couldn't live with him. You try to help him and the next thing he's running your life. He's not working and you think, 'Why don't you want to go to work? You've got to go to work to make a living. That's our society,' she said. Grate, who has two children from past relationships, had served about four years in prison for burglary after finishing high school. He has also faced charges for domestic violence, aggravated menacing and failing to pay child support. After his marriage fell apart in 2012 and his ex-wife took out a restraining order against him, Grate moved around from place to place - sometimes living with women he had met or squatting in abandoned homes. Gangland widow Roberta Williams has a week to come up with a reason why the ATO shouldn't take her $1 million house and sell it to pay tax debts. The tax office is owed $740,000 by her late father-in-law George Williams, which it has tried to recover for more than a decade. The former wife of notorious 'Underbelly' gangster Carl Williams is desperately seeking to appeal a judgement ordering the Melbourne house to be sold off. Gangland widow Roberta Williams has a week to come up with a reason why the ATO shouldn't take her $1 million house and sell it to pay tax debts She represented herself in the Victorian Supreme Court on Friday begging for more time to plead her case and got the hearing adjourned for a week. Justice Joanne Cameron said she must find an error in the previous judgement to get an appeal, and urged her to get a lawyer and seek mediation. 'Parties are encouraged, in the meantime, to reach some sort of mediated response. There is time for that to be done,' she said, according to the Herald Sun. George left the three-bedroom, two-bathroom house on Primrose Street in Essendon to his granddaughter Dhakota in his will after his death in 2016. Roberta is the widow of notorious 'Underbelly' gangster Carl Williams, who was beaten to death in prison in 201o Roberta (left) was given a week to find grounds for appeal against a judgement ordering the house to be sold to pay $740,000 the tax office is owed by her late father-in-law George (right) The house was last sold for $170,000 in 2000 and is now worth up to $1 million. It was rented out for $500 a week in 2011 but property records stop there. Ms Williams has lived in the house with her new partner and two of her children, Dhakota and Giuseppe, for most of the past decade. She argued at a previous hearing in March the Victoria Police did a deal in 2009 with her late husband to clear George's debts. 'On March 17, 2009, [Inspector Peter] Wilkins called [the ATO] and advised that Deputy Commissioner Simon] Overland had OK'd the payment of George Williams' tax debt,' the judgement then read. Police agree to pay the ATO and cut Carl's jail sentence for four murders by 10 years, in exchange for information about the deaths of Terry and Christine Hodson. George left the three-bedroom, two-bathroom house on Primrose Street in Essendon to his granddaughter Dhakota (right) and Roberta (left) is fighting to keep it for her However, the police later backed out of the deal and Carl was beaten to death with part of a prison gym exercise bike in April 2010. 'I've got the documents. They reneged just before Carl was murdered. They got their money back,' Ms Williams said in court at a previous hearing. 'It's appalling. Carl lost his life and for what?' Victoria Police already paid $8,000 for Dhakota in another deal with Commissioner Overland, which may have led to his murder. A 20-year-old has died of her injuries after a BMW ploughed into crowds of people in Manchester last night. Police said the blue BMW 330D M Sport Auto Estate hit a crowd of people sending victims 'flying everywhere' at 9.49pm in an area of Trafford Park, Manchester, known as 'The Magic Roundabout'. Five other people were taken to hospital, four of which were seriously hurt, after the incident unfolded on Thursday evening. A 26-year-old man was this afternoon arrested on suspicion of causing injury and dangerous driving. A 21-year-old man remains in custody after he was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and failing to stop after a collision last night. Emergency services raced to the scene in Trafford Park, Manchester last night after five people were seriously injured when a BMW ploughed into them. One woman has now died Officers from Greater Manchester Police and a force helicopter were at the scene. A 21-year-old man has been arrested and remains in police custody This is the scene in Trafford Park this morning. Late last night a car ploughed into a crowd of people on Europa Way, in Manchester, leaving several seriously injured Police officers and a recovery vehicle were pictured at the scene of the crash this morning Parts of Trafford Park, a huge industrial estate with stretches of long straight roads and roundabouts, much of it deserted at night, has become known locally as a place used as a race track for car enthusiasts, at times attracting dozens of spectators. Ryan Currie, 23, of Didsbury, said he saw three people and a dog get 'launched into the air'. He said: 'The car then drove through them and carried on without stopping. 'At this point I heard the dog yelping and running round, loads of people ran over to attend to the injured. 'A huge crowd gathered round, ringing ambulances and police.' Four ambulances and a hazardous area response team were scrambled to the scene, along with three senior clinicians. There is no evidence to suggest the incident is terrorism-related at this stage, according to officers. Greater Manchester Police's Chief Superintendent Wayne Millar appealed for information today and said around 60 vehicles were at the car meet at the time. He added: 'First and foremost our thoughts are with the victims and families at this very difficult time. 'On arrival of emergency services, they were faced with a horrific scene and such was the number of casualties it was declared a major incident. 'We've been working very closely with Trafford Council to deal with this, since February 2017 there's been a Public Space Protection Order in force for that area and during that time we've made a number of arrests, seized a number of vehicles, we've engaged with those that are participating in these car meets. 'We've also sent a number of warning letters and also reported a number of people for several offences.' His colleague Jo Rogerson added: 'We now have a man in custody and we will be questioning him under caution as part of our investigation. 'This is an extremely serious incident that we are dealing with and I cannot stress the importance of people contacting us if they know something. 'Any information, no matter how insignificant people think it may be, could be the piece that we need so please, call us.' A North West Ambulance Service spokesman said last night: 'We were called at 9.49pm to reports of a collision between a car and pedestrians. 'We currently have five patients, all in a serious condition. 'We have four ambulances, an advanced paramedic, a senior clinician and three hazardous area response teams (HART) at the scene.' Officers are trying to determine how exactly five people were seriously injured in the crash A number of forensic tents were erected inside the area which was cordoned off until this morning. A second of the M60 motorway has been closed off by North West Traffic Police for what is being described as a 'police incident'. One bystander told the Manchester Evening News yesterday evening: 'It happened at about 9.50pm, give or take a couple of minutes. A car hit five or six people. 'People were flung everywhere. I saw a man in a bush afterwards and a lady with head injuries.' Several roads were closed in the area as police continue their investigation The five people injured are said to be in a serious condition following the crash President Donald Trump said Friday after receiving a delegation of North Korean officials that he would attend a June 12 summit that he hopes will result in a nuclear non-proliferation accord with the hermit nation. The officials came to Washington, after spending several days in New York, to hand-deliver a letter from Kim Jong-un to the U.S. president as the two sides worked to come to an agreement on the broad strokes of the deal they intend to hammer out next week, and possibly after that, during formal talks. 'This was a letter presentation that ended up being a two-hour conversation,' Trump told reporters on the South Lawn following the Oval Office meeting with North Korea's Kim Yong Chol, Kim Jong-un's second in command. Trump said that the meeting stretched out, 'Because we found the whole subject matter very interesting. And because I really think they want to do something.' 'This is a very good meeting. This was a meeting where a letter was given to me by Kim Jong-un. And that letter was a very nice letter. Oh, would you like to see what was in that letter! Would you like it? How much? How much? How much?' he said, pretending to be an auctioneer taking bids from reporters. Scroll down for videos Trump accepts the personal letter written by Kim Jong-un from envoy Kim Yong Chol. Trump used both hands to take the letter, as is the polite tradition in Korean culture Trump and Kim Yong Chol pose in the Oval Office after Trump accepted the letter. Trump told reporters afterwards that it was a 'nice letter' but then said he hadn't yet read it Trump meets with Kim Yong Chol (far right) and Kim Ju Sung, (second from right) an interpreter with North Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after the letter ceremony on Friday The Oval Office confab with Kim Yong Chol stretched out 'Because we found the whole subject matter very interesting. And because I really think they want to do something' Several minutes later he seemed to reverse himself, claiming that he had not opened the envelope. 'No I didn't. I haven't seen the letter yet. I purposely didn't open the letter. I haven't opened it,' he told a journalist. 'I said, "Would you want me to open it?" He said, "You can read it later,"' said Trump, apparently referring to the North Korean envoy. 'I may be in for a big surprise, folks! So long, everybody,' he said, retreating back to his office. After a week of uncertainty over the June 12 summit, the afternoon's events locked in Trump and Kim Jong-un for a historic meeting next week in Asia. 'We'll be in Singapore. It will be a beginning,' Trump said. 'I don't say, and I never said it happens in one meeting. You're talking about years of hostility, years of problems, years of really hatred between so many different nations,' he asserted. 'But I think you're going to have a very positive result in the end.' North Korean envoy Kim Yong Chol talks with U.S. President Donald Trump as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo looks on after a meeting at the White House Trump said Friday after receiving the delegation of North Korean officials that he would move forward with a June 12 nuclear summit in Singapore COME BACK NOW REAL SOON: President Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo say goodbye to Kim and other North Koran officials We'll be in Singapore. It will be a beginning,' President Trump told reporters on the South Lawn after the foreign officials' departure A week ago, Trump called off the summit in a terse letter to Kim after the dictator's regime assaulted the vice president and attempted to dramatically shift the terms of a pact with the U.S. Trump today said that both he and his counterparts are 'over that, totally over that, and now we're going to deal.' 'We're meeting with the chairman on June 12. And I think it's probably going to be a very successful, ultimately a successful process. We'll see,' the U.S. president added. Former North Korean spy chief Kim Yong Chol led the North Korean delegation that met in the Oval Office with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Trump this afternoon. The officials arrived via a back entrance and were ushered through the building by White House Chief of Staff John Kelly through the president's private living quarters. They spent just over an hour at the White House before the president personally escorted Kim and his associates to their vehicles, pausing several times as he did for photo ops, before delivering an update to the press. Former North Korean spy chief Kim Yong Chol led the North Korean delegation that met in the Oval Office with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Trump this afternoon They spent just over an hour meeting at the White House before the president personally escorted Chol and his associates to their vehicles and paused for a photo op before speaking to press The warm display indicated that Trump planned to resume talks with Kim on June 12 in Singapore The warm display indicated that Trump planned to resume talks with Kim Jong-un after abruptly halting them last week. Moments after their departure he said the face-to-face would happen as planned. 'You people are going to have to travel, because you'll be in Singapore June 12,' he told assembled press. Trump said the initial face-to-face would be more of 'a get-to-know-you kind of a situation' for he and Kim, who met on two prior occasions in Pyongyang with Pompeo. 'And I think we would be making a big mistake if we didn't have it,' he said. The U.S. has stipulated that any deal with North Korea has to have a baseline of complete and verifiable denuclearization. 'I think they want to do that. I know they want to do that. They want other things along the line,' Trump on Friday said. Kim is seen approaching the Oval Office on Friday alongside White House Chief of Staff John Kelly The North Korean delegation arrived at the White House via a back entrance Kim is seen entering the building through the president's private living quarters behind Kelly Trump said Thursday that he was 'hopeful' that the summit would happen as scheduled as he spoke to reporters gathered on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews ahead of a day of fundraising in Texas. The president revealed that the North Korean delegation would 'probably' be coming to Washington on Friday to hand-deliver a letter from the North Korean dictator. He claimed then that he didn't know what was in the letter but believes 'it'll be very positive' and said 'I look forward to seeing what's in the letter.' He also said that he'd 'like to see a total denuclearization in as quick a period of time as is practicable.' 'You're talking about machinery, you're talking about things that can't necessarily happen immediately but they can happen in as rapid a fashion as they can happen. That's what I want to happen,' he said. He commented that just one sit-down with the communist country may not be enough to ensure it doesn't pose a nuclear threat, lowering expectations for what might come out of the summit. 'I want it to be meaningful. It doesn't mean it gets all done at one meeting. Maybe a second and third and maybe we'll have none,' he said. 'It's in good hands. That I can tell you.' Trump tweeted that his administration is having good meetings with representatives of North Korea on Thursday The president is expected to meet June 12 with dictator Kim Jong-un in Singapore, and he said Thursday that the summit will 'hopefully' happen as scheduled The two leaders are expected to sit down to negotiate the terms of North Korea's withdrawal from an effort to build a nuclear weapon that could reach the United States. Pompeo had a working dinner on Wednesday in New York City with top North Korean aide Kim Yong Chol. The pair dined on 'steak, corn, and cheese,' according to the secretary of state. The meeting took place as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Pyongyang for talks with his North Korean counterpart Ri Yong-ho. Kim Yong Chol is the most senior North Korean official to visit the United States since 2000, when Vice Marshal Jo Myong Rok traveled to Washington to meet with then-President Bill Clinton in the Oval Office. He is conducting one of three sets of parallel talks in the U.S. aimed at salvaging the nuclear summit. U.S. officials also met with their counterparts this week in demiliterized zone between North and South Korea and in Singapore. North and South Korea on Friday resumed senior-level peace talks Seoul sees as an important step in building trust with Pyongyang amid the U.S.-led diplomatic push to persuade the North to give up its nuclear weapons Inter-Korea dialogue have increased since President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met on April 27 Head of the North Korean delegation Ri Son-Gwon (C) is pictured arriving at the DMZ for the meeting with South Korea on Friday June 1 marks the beginning of Pride Month and it will be celebrated this year as far down as Antarctica, when a group of LGBT researchers will hold the continent's first ever Pride event. Down in Antarctica, at the McMurdo Station, American researchers are hosting their own Pride event. Ten members of the LGBT community posed together for a picture, wrapped up warm and holding iconic the rainbow flag. However, the twist is that the group took the Pride picture back in April because in June the continent will be plunged into near-total darkness. Its important to celebrate pride in the extreme places and the mundane, Evan Townsend, one of the events organisers on McMurdo Station, told Earther. LGBT researchers at Antarctica's McMurdo Station posed for a photo before Pride Month 2018 Every person who celebrates is another example of who queer people are and what we can do. Its a chance to remind the world, and ourselves, that our potential is limitless and is in no way inhibited by our sexuality or gender identity. Townsend added that the mundane nature of the continent is not a deterrent, but an opportunity: Theres enormous potential for us to shape the perception of the continent with something as simple as a pride event. Antarctica is already known as a place of discovery and exploration. We hope it will become known for inclusivity as well. June is wintertime in Antarctica meaning that the McMurdo Station is populated by as few as 133 people rather than the 900 who work there during the summer months. And WHO gets the prize for the first LGBT-friendly continent? That's right: Antarctica!! #pengiunswin pic.twitter.com/dXPPqa6zW8 Planting Peace (@Planting_Peace) March 25, 2016 However, according to McMurdo researchers, Pride goes strong all year-round. We dont have to just go to the gay resorts, Mark Vogler, who works as a janitor at McMurdo, told Earther. THROWBACK. We won't stop until all sexual & gender minorities experience full, fundamental rights around the world. pic.twitter.com/CLLzDFpDet Planting Peace (@Planting_Peace) July 13, 2016 We can be open and out anywhere, and if that means being in minus 50-degree weather, Im not the only gay there. Its nice to have a place you can truly be yourself, talk about your boyfriend, girlfriendor husband and wifewith peers. This isnt the first time that Antarctica was home to an LGBT event. Back in 2016, Aaron Jackson, President and founder of Planting Peace went to the continent with the rainbow flag, declaring it the worlds first LGBT friendly continent. See here for Pride Month 2018 events happening in the US. Prosecutors say Indea Ford, 34, was due to go on trial at Isleworth Crown Court on September 10 A British woman who moved to Alaska with her children after marrying an American is in custody awaiting trial after being accused of child abduction and extradited back to the UK. Prosecutors say Indea Ford, 34, was due to go on trial at Isleworth Crown Court on September 10. A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman said Ford had pleaded not guilty. Detail of the case emerged earlier this month after Ford and the children's father became involved in family court litigation. A judge analysed the latest stage of the dispute at a public hearing in the Family Division of the High Court and published a ruling. Mr Justice Holman said Ford and the children's father had separated several years ago. She had subsequently moved to Sitka, Alaska, with her children, after marrying an American. The children's father had taken family court action in a bid get youngsters back to Britain. Police had also become involved. Mr Justice Holman said, in his ruling, that Ford had been extradited in April and then remanded in custody by magistrates pending trial. He said the children were living in Alaska with their stepfather. Judge Gleason indicated, in a published ruling, that Ford had lived in the London area before moving to Sitka, Alaska (pictured) Ford had taken legal action in the United States in a bid to block extradition. But in February Judge Sharon Gleason ruled against her following a court hearing in Anchorage, Alaska. Judge Gleason indicated, in a published ruling, that Ford had lived in the London area before moving to Sitka. Chirag Patel of McMillan Williams Solicitors Limited said: A case of this kind is incredibly unusual on the basis that it involves various aspects of the law, including the incoming extradition to the UK, criminal allegations and the family law element, all of which appear to be inherently interlinked.' This is the amazing moment a patient plays a guitar while having brain surgery in India. Musician Taskin Ibna Ali, 31, played a tune mid-operation so the surgeon could monitor if mobility had been restored in his patient's fingers. The unorthodox techniques were used at Bhagawan Mahaveer Jain Hospital in Bangalore earlier this month. Mr Ali, a Dhaka-based computer engineer and musician, had sought treatment for a neurological disorder 'guitarist dystonia' that crippled the fingers on his left hand. A year ago he started experiencing discomfort in his left middle finger while playing the guitar. The symptom progressively worsened, affecting other fingers of his left hand as well. His ability to play the guitar fell by nearly 80 per cent, and his career came to a halt. Musician Taskin Ibna Ali, 31, played a guitar while having brain surgery to check if he had mobility in his fingers Neurologist Dr Sanjiv CC used the unorthodox methods at Bhagawan Mahaveer Jain Hospital in Bangalore, India Neurologist Dr Sanjiv CC said: 'The guitarist dystonia is an uncommon disorder and affects around one per cent of the musicians. It is very difficult to treat and surgery is one of the best options.' Mr Ali's symptoms were very severe as the disorder had affected all five fingers of his left hand. But fortunately the surgery was a success and the Dhaka man got back full use of four fingers and partial use of his third finger immediately during surgery. Mr Ali, a Dhaka-based computer engineer and musician, had sought treatment for a neurological disorder 'guitarist dystonia' that had left his fingers on the left hand crippled On the operation table he also typed on his mobile to show that he was able to use his hand again On the operation table he also typed on his mobile to show that he was able to use his hand again. The post-operative neuro rehabilitation restored full mobility in the third finger as well. He's now hoping to reforging his career in music. Lenin Moreno, the president of Ecuador, has confirmed Julian Assange can stay in the countrys London embassy as long as he follows certain conditions. Assanges asylum status will not be under threat as long as he does not talk about or interfere in politics. If Assange fails to follow these rules and insists on voicing his political opinions on Twitter, then Mr Moreno said his government would take a decision, Deutsche Welle reported. Lenin Moreno, the president of Ecuador (right), has confirmed Julian Assange (left) can stay in the countrys London embassy as long as he follows certain conditions Lets not forget the conditions of his asylum prevent him from speaking about politics or intervening in the politics of other countries. Thats why we cut his communication, the president added. The WikiLeaks founder has remained in the countrys London embassy for almost six years with his communication system being suspended by Ecuador in March. Mr Morenos interview comes amid reports that the country had bankrolled a multimillion-dollar spy operation to protect Assange. His activities, moods, interactions with embassy staff, his legal team and other visitors were monitored by security personnel and recorded in minute detail. For more than five years the country is said to have reportedly spent at least $5m (3.7m) on protecting Assange but earlier this month, Mr Moreno withdrew additional security from the Ecuadorian embassy. The operation to protect Assange previously had the approval of the then Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa and the then foreign minister Ricardo Patino. But the Ecuadorian government have now decided that the London site 'will maintain normal security similar to that of other Ecuadorian embassies' going forwards. In January Mr Moreno described Assange as an 'inherited problem' and 'more than a nuisance'. In January Mr Moreno described Assange as an 'inherited problem' and 'more than a nuisance' The 46-year-old took refuge in the small diplomatic headquarters in 2012 to avoid sexual abuse charges in Sweden, which he has always denied. Prosecutors have since abandoned their investigation, but British authorities are still seeking his arrest for breaching bail conditions. Mr Moreno has repeatedly hinted that he wants to remove Assange from the countrys embassy but said that he had left all decisions related to the Australian with his foreign minister, Maria Fernanda Espinosa, reported the Guardian. I told the foreign minister she should, with complete freedom, choose how to solve the problem. And she chose that system. It wasnt the most suitable, but I respected it, he said. Roseanne Barr was scheduled to appear on comedian Joe Rogan's podcast today, but the host said on social media the embattled sitcom star is 'not doing well' and will not be joining him in conversation. ABC pulled the plug on Season 2 of Barr's popular Roseanne reboot on Tuesday after the controversial actress sent out a tweet comparing former President Barack Obama's African-American adviser Valerie Jarrett to an ape. After issuing several apologies on Twitter and blaming her comment on the insomnia drug Ambien, Barr said would be appearing on Rogan's podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience. Scroll down for video 'Radio silent': Comedian Joe Rogan told his followers on Twitter on Friday that Roseanne Barr will not be making an appearance on his show First glimpse: Barr, 65, was seen for the first time since the cancellation of her ABC sitcom on Thursday in her native Utah Shortly before 1pm Eastern Time on Friday, Rogan, 50, posted a message on his Twitter page saying that Barr's appearance has been scrapped. 'The Roseanne podcast is not happening today. She's not doing well and doesn't want to travel, and she's gone radio silent on me, so I'm just going to step away,' he wrote. Rogan added: 'the whole thing has been pretty brutal on her, and I hope she can find some peace.' Barr was seen in public for the first time since the scandal on Thursday, walking in her native Utah, in photos obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com. Familiar face: Joe Rogan, 50, of Fear Factor fame, hosts a podcast called The Joe Rogan Experience At one point, the 65-year-old, wearing rolled-up jeans and cheetah-print flip flops, sat on the ground and smoked a cigarette. When asked to comment on the recent controversy, Barr simply said: 'I believe in one law for all people, I love all people have a nice day.' Her racist tweet said that Jarrett, who is African-American and was born in Iran, looks like the lovechild of the 'Muslim Brotherhood and Planet of the Apes'. She subsequently apologized to the former Obama aide and later wrote, 'Im not a racist, I never was & I never will be. One stupid joke in a lifetime of fighting 4 civil rights 4 all minorities, against networks, studios, at the expense of my nervous system/family/wealth will NEVER b taken from me.' In one of her latest tweets from Thursday, Barr claimed she meant to say that Jarrett was like the character in the Planet of the Apes film 'who controls human beings...' 'I am still sorry 2 have offended my black fans even if misunderstood tweet, and I was impaired. 2 am tweeting bad jokes. I do not forgive myself tho,' she added. Rogan wrote Barr is 'not doing well' and does not want to travel, and he wished her to find some peace Sean Spicer has claimed that working as President Donald Trump's press secretary was so stressful that he turned to God to get him through it. Spicer said he used his Catholic faith to 'sustain' him through the brutally long hours and relentless criticism of his time in the White House. In an interview in New York on Friday, Spicer said that on top of daily abuse from his boss he was followed everywhere he went and stopped taking Ubers because the drivers always recognized him. He said that was ambushed at an Apple store and could not do his work as a Navy reserve because he was being harassed by reporters. Summing up his intense seven months in the West Wing, Spicer said: 'You were truly in a whole new world...no matter what I did it was going to become a meme.' Sean Spicer said that he used his Catholic faith to 'sustain' him through the brutally long hours and relentless criticism of his time as the White House Press Secretary Spicer was ridiculed by critics on social media and was played by comedian Melissa McCarthy on Saturday Night Live who mocked his anger and constant gum chewing Spicer was Trump's first press secretary and from his first White House press briefing he became a star in his own right thanks to his combative, feisty style. It fell to Spicer to defend the size of Trump's crowd size and the President's early policies like the ban on refugees from Muslim majority countries, But immediately he was mercilessly ridiculed by critics on social media and was played by comedian Melissa McCarthy on Saturday Night Live who mocked his anger and constant gum chewing. Appearing at BookExpo America, a major book industry conference in New York, Spicer said that until Trump's election victory he had spent his career until then doing communications for the Republican party. One of the few times he got recognized was at men's clothing retailer Joseph A. Bank when a man in the sweater section said he noticed him. In his new job, however, everything changed. Spicer said: 'For me the intensity and scrutiny, that no matter what I did it was going to become a meme. 'The hardest part is that as a human being when someone says something about you you want to push back say that's not true. But my job was to just suck it up. 'I used to chew a lot of gum, in case you hadn't seen the Melissa McCarthy stuff. Who cares? Spicer was Trump's first press secretary and from his first White House press briefing he became a star in his own right thanks to his combative, feisty style 'Some people drink coffee, I chew a lot of cinnamon gum and suddenly you wake up and there's memes about you on Twitter. The smallest little thing on every single thing I did became an issue'. Spicer said that former White House press secretary Josh Earnest warned him he would not be able to take an Uber car any more after he got the job. Spicer did not believe him but in the first car he took after his first press briefing the driver recognized him immediately - and demanded a good tip. One Saturday Spicer tried to go to the Apple store to buy his wife a watch as a surprise, but he was filmed and the footage was posted online. The president saw it and ended up calling him to ask why he was at the Apple store, Spicer said. Spicer was speaking to promote his forthcoming memoir called 'The Briefing', which is due out next month Spicer said that under such intense scrutiny he turned to his family and faith to get through it all. He said: 'If you believe that God has a plan this is part of it, some days are going to be better than others'. Spicer said that after praying he found himself asking: 'Could I have done that better, were you the best person you could be today?' He said: 'There's a reason we call it Catholic guilt; are you reflecting on it, saying can you be better.' Spicer was speaking to promote his forthcoming memoir called 'The Briefing', which is due out next month. He said that writing the book was 'very cathartic' and that he had 'saved a lot of therapy bills' by putting his account of things down. If one of his daughters ever wanted to follow in his footsteps, Spicer half joked that 'I'd probably start showing her a lot of Tweets and say this is what happened to Daddy'. Asked who is favorite Democrat was, Spicer said that it was Nancy Pelosi, the Senate Minority Leader, as she was the 'greatest fundraising tool'. Spicer said that the rancor on Capitol Hill had 'gotten out of control on both sides'. With no reference to Trump, who routinely insults people on Twitter, he said that 'the idea you can say certain things about people is insane, and I'm not blameless'. Shawna Umphrey, 19, was one of two victims shot in her front yard during an argument involving a dog defecating in a neighbor's front yard Wednesday night A man allegedly shot two people before shooting himself in a SWAT standoff, all because they supposedly allowed a dog to poop in his front yard. Henry Castro, 62, of Yakima, Washington, is said to have shot Shawna Umphrey, 19, and Michael Bretches, 43, in Shawna's front yard on Wednesday night, before leading police into a hours-long standoff that ended with Castro shooting himself. The incident took place at about 9.15pm, when Castro approached Shawna, Bretches and his cousin, Carl Stone, who were all in Shawna's front yard at the time, according to WJAC. Stone said Castro accused the group of allowing their dog to defecate in Castro's front yard. After that, Castro grabbed Bretches 'by the neck, and then he pointed the gun towards his neck and he said, "Now, youre gonna die,"' Stone recalled. 'I was gonna try to do something, and he pointed the gun to me, he said, "You do anything, Im gonna shoot you."' Stone said that they all tried to run away, but Castro shot Shawna and Bretches. Holding her arm out to the side, Shawna's mother, Marcie Umphrey, said of Castro that 'He pointed it at her like that, and shot her.' 'I just broke down, cried hysterically,' Marcie said. Shawna (left) went into surgery for multiple bullet wounds and is expected to fully recover. Her mother, Marcie Umphrey (right), said that she 'broke down, cried hysterically' after the shooting The shooting took place in the front yard of Shawna's home in Yakima, Washington A witness said that alleged shooter Henry Castro, 62, fled back to his own home (pictured) after he shot Shawna and Michael Bretches, 43, in Shawna's front yard After shooting the two people, Castro apparently ran back to his own home, while other neighbors called police. When police arrived at his home, Castro refused to come outside, leading to a standoff in which police used bullhorns and flash grenades in an attempt to force Castro to exit his home, according to Yak Tri News. At about 10.45pm, a SWAT team arrived, complete with negotiator, to assist police efforts to roust Castro out of his home. The standoff lasted several hours. At 3am, the SWAT team finally entered Castro's home, where they found him with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Castro was taken to Seattle, Washingtons Harborview Medical Center, where he was treated for a life-threatening injury and is reported to be in critical condition. Shawna and Bretches were taken to a local Yakima hospital for surgery for their multiple gunshot wounds. They are both expected to make a full recovery. Investigators found a gun in Castro's home. Castro does not have a history of court charges, save for minor fishing violations, and is said to have kept to himself. President Donald Trump defended what he called 'reciprocal' tariffs on U.S. allies Friday and said he might favor scrapping NAFTA and replacing it with separate deals with Canada and Mexico. 'NAFTA look it's been a terrible deal for the United States. People are starting to see it,' Trump said, asked NAFTA after his administration announced it was slapping steal and aluminum tariffs on allies Canada and Mexico as well as the European Union. Those nations, in turn, announced they were hitting the U.S. with taxes on products ranging from steel to peanut butter. 'And I believe in the word reciprocal. You're gonna charge five times, we're gonna charge five times. That hasn't been done. No other president ever brought it up. and it's gonna be done now,' Trump said. 'NAFTA look it's been a terrible deal for the United States,' said Trump, as the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the EU traded shots in a trade war His saber rattling came after his chief economic advisor Larry Kudlow said it was a 'trade discussion' and 'not a trade war. Trump went back to fuming over the U.S. trade deficits with other nations. 'We lose over $100 billion a year with Mexico,' he said. 'All of these countries including the European Union, they charge five times the tariff... they charge five times what we charge for tariffs,' he said. 'We lose many, many, many billions of dollars with Canada,' Trump said, apparently still referencing the trade deficit. 'They're very restrictive as to taking our agricultural product and other things,' he said. Then he moved to the idea of slicing up NAFTA, a trade treaty that has been the subject of talks with Canada and Mexico since the start of his administration. Trump, seen here with the media as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo looks on, trashed NAFTA and defended 'reciprocal' tariffs 'We're talking about NAFTA. To be honest with you ... I wouldn't mind seeing NAFTA where you go by a different name. Where you make a separate deal with Canada and a separate deal with Mexico,' Trump said. 'Because you're talking about a very different two countries. But I wouldn't mind seeing a separate deal with Canada where you have one type of product so to speak and a separate deal with Mexico,' he continued. 'These are two very different countries. It's been a lousy deal for the United States from Day One,' Trump said. Trump accused Mexico a location where U.S. and European automakers conduct manufacturing as having 'taken' U.S. companies. 'Mexico has taken our car companies. A big percentage of them. Now we can't do that,' Trump said. 'And look: The American worker agrees with me. Obviously the stock market agrees, because when you look what's going on with the stocks, they're starting to see I'm right,' he said, on a day the market rebounded on a good economic report that Trump touted in advance on Twitter. 'But if you take the European Union and you see the kind of tariff they change, and then we don't, that's called not fair trade. I want fair trade. I like free trade, but I want fair trade. At a minimum I want fair trade,' he said. 'And we're going to have it for our workers and for our companies. And you know what? The other side understands it. To be honest with you, they cannot believe that they've gotten away with this for so many decades.' Trump was unsympathetic when told complaints were coming from some of the nation's closest allies. 'They're our allies but they take advantage of us economically. And so I agree. I love Canada. I love Mexico. I love them. But Mexico's making over $100 billion a year. And they're not helping us with our border. Because they have strong laws and we have horrible laws. We have horrible border laws.' He said: 'They could solve our border problem if they wanted, but they don't want to. And when they want to, then I'll be happy.' Trump also claimed nations admit in closed door meetings they are taking advantage of the U.S., then compared them to the media, a group he regularly trashes. 'And other countries understand, you know, when I talk to them they look at me and this is in closed doors, not for you people, and they essentially say, 'We can't believe we've gotten away with this for so long.' It's like you guys can't believe you've gotten away with it for so long,' the president said. Twenty years after after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting and killing a seven-year-old girl in a Nevada casino restroom, a California man is citing immaturity as the basis for a new sentencing hearing so he can get parole. Jeremy Strohmeyer was 18 when he pleaded guilty to molesting, kidnapping and killing Sherrice Iverson, seven, by strangling and snapping her neck in a bathroom at the Primadonna Resort and Casino in Primm, Nevada, in May 1997. In October 1998, Strohmeyer was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences one for each of the four charges he pleaded guilty to without the possibility of parole. Jeremy Strohmeyer (pictured in 1997) was 18 years old when he confessed to molesting and killing Sherrice Iverson, seven, in a Nevada casino restroom in May 1997 Now 39, Strohmeyer returned to a Las Vegas courtroom on Thursday, asking a judge to grant him a new sentencing hearing which could lead to the possibility of his being paroled, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Throughout his two decades in prison, Strohmeyer is said to have insisted that his lawyers urged him to take the plea deal in lieu of going to trial, where prosecutors would seek the death penalty. Strohmeyer pleaded guilty to snapping seven-year-old Sherrice Iverson's neck in the bathroom of Nevada's Primadonna Resort and Casino Strohmeyer was a high school senior, age 18 years and seven months, when he admitted to killing Iverson. Studies have shown that people ages 18 to 20, or in 'late adolescence,' lack the emotional and intellectual maturity shown by adults. In court Thursday, Laurence Steinberg, a Temple University professor specializing in adolescent psychological development, testified that, 'Young people are more impetuous and impulsive than adults, so theyre more likely to make decisions without thinking about them or thinking about future consequences.' He added that people's personalities do not solidify until they are in their 20s. Steinberg also stated that, 'The same characteristics that have been used to describe 16- and 17-year-olds in Supreme Court cases would also describe people who are 18 years and months old.' In 2012 and again in 2016, the Supreme Court ruled that juveniles who were given life sentences for only murdering one person should be granted a chance at receiving parole, according to The Mercury News. Now 39, Strohmeyer (left in early August 1997 and right in late August 1997) has been in prison for more than two decades. He is now back in court seeking a new sentencing hearing The Primadonna Resort and Casino in Primm, Nevada, where Iverson was killed When questioned by Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc DiGiacomo, Steinberg, who had not analyzed Strohmeyer, admitted that he was not privy to the level of Strohmeyer's maturity at the time when he killed Iverson. When DiGiacomo said that some 18 year olds are capable of showing greater intellectual capacity than others might have, Steinberg said intellectual capacity is dependent on the individual. Steinberg also said that it isn't possible to determine what level of intellectual or emotional maturity a person might have had as a teenager, based on testing them when they are older. 'There have been dozens of studies done that have looked at individuals who committed serious crimes when they were teenagers and have followed them into adulthood and have tried to predict whether they would turn out to be chronic adult criminals, and theyre not able to predict,' Steinberg said. A ruling on whether Strohmeyer is given a new sentencing hearing could be made by September. Should Strohmeyer be granted the hearing, prosecutors have said that they would go for the death penalty this time around. In 2001, the Nevada Supreme Court rejected Strohmeyer's appeal to vacate his guilty plea based on the grounds that his lawyers pushed him into accepting the plea deal. The court also rejected a 2006 appeal he made. JAMES COMEY Clinton is furious that Comey, then the FBI director, publicly revealed the re-opening of the secret email server investigation just before election day - and has said so time after time after time. THE FBI Comey's entire organization does not escape her wrath. 'The FBI wasn't the Federal Bureau of Ifs or Innuendoes. Its job was to find out the facts,' she writes in What Happened. VLADIMIR PUTIN 'There's no doubt in my mind that Putin wanted me to lose and wanted Trump to win,' she told USA Today in September last year while promoting What Happened. It was hardly a new theme. As early as December the New York Times obtained audio in which she told her donors: 'Putin publicly blamed me for the outpouring of outrage by his own people, and that is the direct line between what he said back then and what he did in this election.' THE RUSSIANS Putin's entire apparatus gets a name-check. In May she told the Codecon convention how '1,000 Russian agents' had filled Facebook with 'fake news'. She told NPR 'my path toward November was being disrupted with Russians'. WIKILEAKS The 'transparency website' is consistently ranked along with Comey by Clinton at the top of her blame list. She told NPR : 'Unfortunately the Comey letter, aided to great measure by the Russian WikiLeaks, raised all those doubts again.' And she writes of its founder Julian Assange in What Happened: 'In my view, Assange is a hypocrite who deserves to be held accountable for his actions.' LOW INFORMATION VOTERS 'You put yourself in the position of a low information voter, and all of a sudden your Facebook feed, your Twitter account is saying, "Oh my gosh, Hillary Clinton is running a child trafficking operation in Washington with John Podesta.",' she told the Codecon convention in May. 'Well you don't believe it but this has been such an unbelievable election, you kind of go, 'Oh maybe I better look into that.'' THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE 'We have an electoral college problem. It's an anachronism,' she told Vox. ANTI-AMERICAN FORCES 'I think it's important that we learn the real lessons from this last campaign because the forces that we are up against are not just interested in influencing our elections and our politics, they're going after our economy and they're going after our unity as a nation,' she told Codecon in May. 'What is hard for people to really accept - although now after the election there's greater understanding - is that there are forces in our country - put the Russians to one side - who have been fighting rear guard actions for as long as I've been alive because my life coincided with the Civil Rights movement, with the women's rights movement, with anti-war protesting, with the impeachment. EVERYONE WHO ASSUMED SHE WOULD WIN 'I was the victim of a very broad assumption that I was going to win,' she told the Codecon convention. BAD POLLING NUMBERS Clinton says polls in key states did not serve her. 'I think polling is going to have to undergo some revisions in how they actually measure people,' she told the Codecon convention. 'How they reach people. The best assessments as of right now are that the polling was not that inaccurate, but it was predominantly national polling and I won nationally.' BARACK OBAMA Clinton has two beefs with Obama: one of them being that he won two terms. Clinton says that succeeding an incumbent is almost impossible for a Democrat. 'No non-incumbent Democrat had run successfully to succeed another two-termer since Vice President Martin Van Buren won in 1836,' she writes in What Happened. But she also says his response to the Russian campaign of interference wasn't enough. 'I do wonder sometimes about what would have happened if President Obama had made a televised address to the nation in the fall of 2016 warning that our democracy was under attack,' she writes in What Happened. WHITE WOMEN 'I believe absent Comey, I might've picked up 1 or 2 points among white women,' she told Vox in September. 'White woman... are really quite politically dependent on their view of their own security and their own position in society what works and doesn't work for them.' 'What happened in my election is I was on the way to winning white women until former director of the FBI Jim Comey dropped that very ill-advised letter on Oct. the 28th and my numbers just went down,' she said in a March 2018 speech in India. 'All of a sudden white women who were going to vote for me, and frankly standing up to the men in their lives and the men in their work places were being told, "She's going to jail, you don't want to vote for her. It's going to be terrible you can't vote for that." It stopped my momentum and it decreased my vote enough. Because I was ahead and I was winning and I thought I had fought my way back. ' THE NEW YORK TIMES The newspaper was blamed as early as May at the Codecon conference in Rancho Palos Verde, California. She singled out its managing editor Dean Baquet - the paper's most senior editor - and said of coverage of her email issue under his direction: 'They covered it like it was Pearl Harbor.' JOE BIDEN Biden could have run against her and didn't. But Clinton writes: 'Joe Biden said the Democratic Party in 2016 'did not talk about what it always stood forand that was how to maintain a burgeoning middle class.' 'I find this fairly remarkable, considering that Joe himself campaigned for me all over the Midwest and talked plenty about the middle class.' BERNIE SANDERS 'His attacks caused lasting damage, making it harder to unify progressives in the general election and paving the way for Trump's 'Crooked Hillary' campaign,' she writes in What Happened. 'I don't know if that bothered Bernie or not.' BERNIE BROS 'Some of his supporters, the so-called Bernie Bros, took to harassing my supporters online. It got ugly and more than a little sexist,' she writes in What Happened. PEOPLE WANTING CHANGE 'I thought, at end of day, people would say, look, we do want change, and we want the right kind of change, and we want change that is realistic and is going to make difference in my life and my family's life and my paycheck,' she told Vox. 'That's what I was offering. And I didn't in any way want to feed into this, not just radical political argument that was being made on other side, but very negative cultural argument about who we are as Americans.' MISOGYNISTS Asked by CNN's Christine Amanpour at the Women for Women International event in new York in May if misogyny was to blame she said: 'Yes, I do think it played a role.' TELEVISION EXECUTIVES 'When you have a presidential campaign and the total number of minutes on TV news, which is still how most people get their information, covering all of our policies, climate change, anything else was 32 minutes, I don't blame voters,' she told The View. 'They don't get a broad base of information to make decision on. The more outrageous you are, the more inflammatory you are, the higher the ratings are.' NETFLIX Hillary does not do Netflix and chill - or if she does, she doesn't find it very relaxing. 'Eight of the top 10 political documentaries on Netflix were screeds against President Obama and me,' she claimed at the Codecon convention. FACEBOOK 'If you look at Facebook the vast majority of the news items posted were fake. They were connected to as we now know the 1,000 Russian agents who were involved in delivering those messages,' she told Codecon. TWITTER Usually mentioned in the same breath as Facebook, the micro-blogging site is seen by Clinton as one of the reasons for her loss. She told the Codecon convention in may that Trump had a method in his tweets. 'They want to influence your reality. That to me is what we're up against, and we can't let that go unanswered,' she said. CONTENT FARMS IN MACEDONIA 'Through content farms, through an enormous investment in falsehoods, fake news, call it what you will - lies, that's a good word too - the other side was using content that was flat out false,' she told the Codecon convention in May. 'They were conveying this weaponized information and the content of it, and they were running, y'know there's all these stories, about y'know, and you know I've seen them now, and you sit there and it looks like you know sort of low level CNN operation, or a fake newspaper.' CAMPAIGN FINANCE 'You had Citizens United come to its full fruition.' she told Codecon in May. 'So unaccountable money flowing in against me, against other Democrats, in a way that we hadn't seen and then attached to this weaponized information war. THE MEDIA 'American journalists who eagerly and uncritically repeated whatever WikiLeaks dished out during the campaign could learn from the responsible way the French press handled the hack of Macron,' she writes in What Happened. Now-president Macron had a massive tranche of his emails hacked and released shortly before the French voted. Many outlets did not report on their contents. STEVE BANNON AND BREITBART 'Provided the untrue stories,' she told the Codecon convention in May. THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY 'I set up my campaign and we have our own data operation. I get the nomination. So I'm now the nominee of the Democratic Party. I inherit nothing from the Democratic Party,' Clinton said told the Codecon convention in May. 'I mean, it was bankrupt. It was on the verge of insolvency. Its data was mediocre to poor, nonexistent, wrong. I had to inject money into it.' THE REPUBLICAN PARTY The Republicans were far better prepared for a campaign than the Democrats she claimed, when it came to money and data, telling the Codecon convention: 'So Trump becomes the nominee and he is basically handed this tried and true, effective foundation.' CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA The data-targeting firm ultimately owned by Robert Mercer, the billionaire Breitbart backer, and his family, is said to have targeted voters to drive them away from Clinton. 'They ultimately added something and I think again we'd better understand that. The Mercers did not invest all that money for their own amusement,' she told the Codecon convention. WOMEN PROTESTERS The massive demonstrations in Washington and other cities in the wake of the election were organized as an immediate response to Clinton's shock defeat. But that did not stop Clinton from writing in What Happened: 'I couldn't help but ask where those feelings of solidarity, outrage and passion had been during the election.' MATT LAUER The NBC Today show anchor quizzed both candidates at a 'commander-in-chief forum' on board Intrepid in New York. But Clinton - who went first in the back-to-back interviews, complained about Lauer focusing on her secret server and whether it raised questions over her trustworthiness. 'Lauer had turned what should have been a serious discussion into a pointless ambush. What a waste of time,' she writes in What Happened. She later delighted in his firing for sexual misconduct, saying in December: 'Every day I believe more in karma.' WHITE VOTERS 'White voters have been fleeing the Democratic party ever since Lyndon Johnson predicted they would,' she told Vox. DEMOCRATIC DOCUMENTARY MAKERS 'We're not making the documentaries that we're going to get onto Netflix,' she told Codecon. She was asked by the interviewer: 'This is because Hollywood isn't liberal enough?' 'No, it's because Democrats aren't putting their money there,' she replied. BENGHAZI INVESTIGATORS The attacks on the U.S. diplomatic compound in the Libyan city of Benghazi on September 11, 2012, happened when Clinton was Secretary of State. It claimed four American lives, and was the focus of intense investigation by Congress. Clinton told the Today show: 'Take the Benghazi tragedy - you know, I have one of the top Republicans, Kevin McCarthy, admitting we're going to take that tragedy - because, you know, we've lost people, unfortunately, going back to the Reagan administration, if you talk about recent times, in diplomatic attacks. 'But boy, it was turned into a political football. And it was aimed at undermining my credibility, my record, my accomplishments.' VOTER SUPPRESSION Suppressing her voters was named by Clinton as one of the major factors in her defeat in her interview on the Today show when she rattled off her laundry list. 'What was at work here?' she said. 'In addition to the mistakes that I made, which I recount in the book, what about endemic sexism and misogyny, not just in politics but in our society, what about the unprecedented action of the FBI director, what about the interference of an adversary nation, what about voter suppression?' It was a return to a theme - she suggested it was a problem in Wisconsin in an interview in May with New York magazine. 'I would have won had I not been subjected to the unprecedented attacks by Comey and the Russians, aided and abetted by the suppression of the vote, particularly in Wisconsin,' she said. 'Republicans learned that if you suppress votes you win.' MITCH McCONNELL The Senate majority leader is accused of stopping the Obama administration from revealing what Clinton says the Russians were up to, helping tip the balance against her because he did not want a third successive Democratic term in the White House. 'Mitch McConnell, in what I think of as a not only unpatriotic but despicable act of partisan politics, made it clear that if the Obama Administration spoke publicly about what they knew [on Russia], he would accuse them of partisan politics, of trying to tip the balance toward me,' she told the New Yorker. THE SUPREME COURT Clinton claims the Supreme Court watered down the Voting Rights Act at the Codecon convention. 'You had effective suppression of votes,' she said. 'I was in the senate when we voted 98-0 under a Republican president, George W Bush, to extend the Voting Rights Act and the Supreme Court says 'oh we don't need it any more' , throws it out, and Republican governors and legislatures began doing everything they could to suppress the votes.' Clinton appears to be referring to Second 4(b) of the Act being ruled unconstitutional by the court in 2013, because it relied on out of date data which meant it was not in line with the 15th Amendment. FATHERS, HUSBANDS, BOYFRIENDS, AND MALE BOSSES Clinton says that James Comey's actions in re-opening the FBI investigation allowed men to influence their wives or girlfriends. 'Women will have no empathy for you because they will be under tremendous pressure - and I'm talking principally about white women - they will be under tremendous pressure from fathers, and husbands, and boyfriends and male employers, not to vote for 'the girl',' she told NPR. THE INVISIBLE STATE Named by her confidante Lanny Davis as the reason she lost at a reading of his book while Hillary nodded along in approval. PIZZAGATE The claim that members of the Democratic party and particularly the Clinton campaign were running a pedophile child trafficking ring out of the basement of a Washington D.C. pizza restaurant first surfaced before the 2016 election. She told an address to a women-only club in New York in April 2018: 'It spread like wildfire. You look and that and think, that's ridiculous. But you have no idea how many people will believe things that are presented as news.' 'MANY FUNNY THINGS' Clinton said in September 2019 that 'many funny things' including Russian interference helped Trump win. Seven men were arrested after cannabis with a street value of up to 4 million was brought to the UK on a shipping container from Spain. The drugs haul came into the Port of Liverpool on the Wec Vermeer vessel on Sunday, and was tracked by the National Crime Agency (NCA) to Lancashire four days later. The lorry driver and two men unloading the container, which had more than 400kg of cannabis inside, at industrial premises in Lytham St Annes on Wednesday were arrested and the drugs seized. The National Crime Agency seized the cannabis at an industrial site in Lancashire after it was smuggle through Spain The drugs were seized and seven men have been arrested after the 4million haul was intercepted Three men in the Kirkham area, and a seventh suspect in the Trafford Park area of Greater Manchester were detained. All of the suspects were arrested on suspicion of conspiring to import class B drugs and released under investigation on Thursday. Greg McKenna, from the NCA said: 'This is a significant disruption of an organised crime network that has stopped the proceeds of crime funding further criminality that would damage communities and exploit the vulnerable. 'We take importations such as this very seriously, and these arrests show that we will detect criminal activity and arrest those responsible' The romance between Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle and Donald Trump Jr. is still going strong, with the pair spotted together on Wednesday in New York and Thursday in Washington D.C. The twice-married Guilfoyle, 49, was seen on Wednesday racing into the swank Manhattan eatery The Grill to grab dinner with her beau after taping her Fox News show 'The Five.' Photos show her leaping out of a Town Car and running into the restaurant while on her phone. A few minutes later, Secret Service agents descended on the area and Don Jr., 40, slipped into the restaurant unnoticed. That was just the start of the pair's romantic early weekend, on which they got a head start by flying out of LaGuardia Thursday on a Delta shuttle flight. Social media users spotted the pair speaking together before boarding a commercial flight to head to Washington. After arriving in the nation's capital, they were seen together at the Trump International Hotel Thursday evening, with Don Jr. posing for a few photos. In the beginning: Kimberly Guilfoyle and Donald Trump Jr. are still going strong. They were seen in a picture taken in Trump Tower earlier this year Blue velvet: Guilfoyle, 49, was seen heading into a restaurant in NYC on Wednesday (above) followed shortly after by her new paramour and his detail Family matters: Don Jr. headed off to Camp David with Tiffany, Jared Kushner and Ivanka on Friday (above) Good eye: A guest at the Trump International Hotel tweeted that Guilfoyle and Don Jr. were eating together on Thursday and shared a picture of himself and the first son (above) 'Donald Trump Jr. is 2 tables away with Kimberly Guilfoyle. Lol,' wrote Liam Ward on Thursday afternoon. Ward then shared a photo of himself with President Trump's eldest son on his social media, joking that he was posting it for the 'clout.' It was all over by Friday afternoon however, or so it seemed at least, as Don Jr. headed of to Camp David with his father and siblings. He was seen boarding Marine One with Tiffany and Ivanka and Jared to head off for the weekend. A series of photographs uncovered by DailyMail.com show the two together although some are from before Don Jr.'s public split in March from his wife Vanessa. The two had been married for 12 years and have five children. Their divorce is ongoing. A person close to Don Jr. and Guilfoyle said they started dating after the split. They had previously been seen together at the Trump Hotel in Washington, D.C. on January 31, the day after the State of the Union address which Guilfoyle covered for Fox News and which Trump Jr. attended. Don Jr. is in jeans and Guilfoyle in leisure wear as they pose for a picture with friends Daphne Barak a documentary filmmaker and Bill Gunasti, a television producer. A photo taken in early May also shows the two attending a farewell party in Manhattan for Richard Grenell, the new U.S. Ambassador to Germany, along with Harris Faulkner, Guilfoyle's Fox News co-worker. That was one of their first public outings, and the two have managed to keep things under wraps in recent weeks. Press release: The pair were first seen together in public in early May when they attended the Ambassador Grenell Goodbye Bash in New York City (above with Harris Faulkner) Friends: Guilfoyle and Don Jr. posed with Bill Gunasti and Daphne Barak in the Trump Hotel in D.C. after the State of the Union address in January Double date: Don Jr. and Vanessa with Guilfoyle and her then-husband Eric Villency (above in 2007) Family portrait: Villency is the man behind the hugely popular Peloton bikes, and the two had a son Ronan before splitting in 2009 after three years of marriage (family above in 2017) Guilfoyle was a prosecutor in Los Angeles and later San Francisco prior to her Fox News days, and spent eight years working in the district attorney's office in both cities. She married first husband Gavin Newsom in 2001, just two years before the prominent Democrat was elected as mayor of San Francisco. The two split in 2005 and divorced the following year; Newsom is now California's lieutenant governor. Guilfoyle went on to marry Eric Villency, the CEO of a design firm, the following year. He's the entrepreneur behind the popular Peloton bikes. The two had a son, Ronan, before splitting in 2009 after three years of marriage. She also had rumored relationships with Sofia Vergara's ex Nick Loeb and with the then-married Anthony Scaramucci. Guilfoyle has known Don Jr. and Vanessa for a decade on the social scene and was briefly considered for the role of press secretary during the transition. Don .Jr and his wife Vanessa had been married for 13 years when they announced their split. The couple has five children Kai (10), Donald III (9), Tristan (7), Spencer (5) and Chloe (3) and split their time between New York City, a Westchester estate and the Mar-a-Lago resort club in Palm Beach, Florida. It was revealed after the split that Don Jr. had had an affair with Aubrey O'Day during his marriage. A former Afghan interpreter for the SAS last night revealed how he had been hunted relentlessly by the Taliban but the British Government still refuses him sanctuary in the UK. Abdul, who worked with British forces on the frontline for nearly five years, said he had been shot at and had his home attacked as part of a terrifying campaign of intimidation by insurgents. He said he had been forced to flee from the Taliban four times and was now hiding in the shadows because he feared for his life. Abdu (right), 35, worked with British forces on the frontline for nearly five years but claims he's being refused refuge in the UK - despite being targeted by the Taliban The 35-year-old said he had handed over three death-threat letters to the British authorities, together with details of menacing telephone calls, but they had merely told him to move home. In the calls, he has been told he was convicted by a Taliban court under Islamic law and sentenced to death because of his work with infidel forces. Details of his ordeal come after a defence select committee inquiry found that officials had refused to allow a single interpreter to the UK under its intimidation scheme. Speaking from the Afghan capital Kabul, Abdul said: The British told me only to change my telephone number, to change where I live, and I have done everything possible to protect my family, but each time I am found. He added: I am forced to live like a nomad, I am running all the time and living in the shadows but the places to hide even in Kabul are becoming fewer and I ask the British authorities to show us compassion and moral decency so my family can live without fear and wondering when a bullet will find me. The only reason I am a target is that I worked side by side with British soldiers the British know that and have the evidence the Taliban is after me. Translator Fardin, whose face has been obscured, has also been hunted by Taliban fighters and refused sanctuary in the UK Abdul began working for UK forces as a frontline patrol interpreter in 2007, having worked previously with US troops. He said he stopped working with the British in 2012 when his contract ended and he did not try to renew it because of the death threats. Because he stopped working before December 2012, he was not entitled to come to Britain under a relocation scheme. Headline in Daily Mail on January 27 this year Abdul said because he was not eligible for the scheme he tried to do what the British and Afghan governments wanted and merged back into the community and work. He bought a taxi and kept a low profile in Kabul but he was recognised, threatened and forced to sell it so he could move on. He changed house for a third time and stayed with his parents but gunmen sprayed it with bullets, narrowly missing children. Again, Abdul, his wife and their four children moved home, only for him to receive telephone death threats despite regularly changing his number. He said: I worked for many years on the frontlines, coming into contact with the Taliban and their supporters from all over Afghanistan. They photographed me, they spoke with me, they know my name. I questioned their prisoners, their spies... so of course there are few real hiding places in a country where a stranger will always be suspicious. Many of the people I questioned are now free and want revenge. I know of interpreters whose families have been captured and butchered by the Taliban. No one should have to fear this. Headline in Daily Mail on April 28 this year He said his brother, who faced the same dangers as a frontline interpreter for the British, had been granted asylum in the UK after paying people smugglers to reach England. Abduls work and bravery was praised by UK officers after they were caught in several ambushes and IED attacks. He said: I gave three letters to the British they still have them. These were posted through my door and that of my parents. Plus, I gave the details of private numbers the threats were made from but I was just told to move house or change numbers, which is the kind of advice a child could give. The Daily Mails Betrayal of the Brave campaign, which has the support of MPs, former military commanders and soldiers, has highlighted dozens of cases of translators who say they have been abandoned to the Taliban after working loyally for UK forces. Last week the select committee said ministers had dismally failed to protect interpreters and that those who were dangerously exposed should be given a new life in Britain. By any standards, it was the most decorous of invasions. The ten women who gatecrashed a male-only bathing pond in North London this week were not strident, vociferous or impolite. One professed to feeling nervous; others insisted that they were not natural activists. Yet all felt moved to remonstrate against proposed reforms to the Gender Recognition Act, which, they claim, could allow predatory men to masquerade as trans women in order to prey on females. Their method of drawing attention to their cause was a novel one: they said they were identifying as men for the day to highlight the problems inherent in the planned legislation, adopting Man Friday as the name of their campaign, set up on the website Mumsnet. The ten women who gatecrashed a male-only bathing pond in North London this week were not strident, vociferous or impolite One of the protesters pictured with a fake beard in the protest at proposed gender laws Yet despite its laudable intentions to protect women and those with genuine gender dysphoria their protest movement has proved so contentious that some participants have faced a barrage of online abuse and even physical threats from hardline transgender activists. The very 21st-century insult Terf (which stands for trans-exclusionary radical feminist) is being hurled at them. Hampstead Heath, with its network of outdoor pools one designated for men, one (until recently) women-only and one mixed was the venue for this weeks protest. One woman sported a pantomime beard; another wore a lime green mankini (a male version of a bikini). It was all done with a lightness of touch but serious intent. The women chose the male outdoor swimming pond for their demonstration against planned laws that would allow men who merely identify as women they would need no evidence that they have transitioned from male to female to use the womens pond and female changing rooms. Hannah Clarke, 39, one of the pond invaders and a founder member of the Man Friday movement, is articulate, measured in her language and solidly middle-class. Her father is a retired Army major, magistrate and Tory councillor; her mother has also been a Conservative councillor in the Home Counties for almost three decades. Hannah says: Were scrupulous about respecting transgender rights, but the law must also acknowledge biological differences between men and women and their entitlement to separate spaces in order to retain dignity, privacy and safety. She and her 160 or so fellow Man Friday activists balk against enshrining in law changes that would allow self-identifying men into female spaces such as single-sex hospital wards, changing rooms, loos, refuges and prisons. Hannah, a former civil servant whose husband works in finance, concedes: Im not a natural activist. Id never protested about anything in my life before Man Friday. I was scared, nervous, jittery. But I believe women must fight to be heard about this. There was a wonderful camaraderie at the [Hampstead] ponds. Although I was terrified, I had a sense of belonging; of a shared purpose. We were the politest protesters ever. We paid our 2 entrance fee to the ponds. Some women stayed outside giving out leaflets. Ten of us went into the mens changing room. There were probably about 30 men in the changing area we went into. Some of them started shouting at us. I think it would have been quite obnoxious to flash naked bodies at them so we tried to change facing the wall. All the women were as respectful as possible. We were grown-up about it. Campaigners say changes to the Gender Recognition Act could enable people to simply declare themselves to be a man or woman to get all the legal rights of either sex We had a man shout: Its utter b*****ks. You wouldnt like it if we went to the womens pond and showed off our c**ks. But that is precisely the point; its exactly what we are protesting about. We are concerned that predatory men are already using changes in the law as a charter to invade womens space and violate their privacy. In the U.S., where the clothing and homeware store Target has allowed men who identify as female into the womens and childrens changing rooms, there has been a threefold increase in voyeurism and all the perpetrators were male. The fear is that sexual offenders here will use gender identity policies to gain access to areas designated for women and children. Hannah also cites the case of sexual predator Christopher Hambrook, who four years ago was jailed indefinitely in Canada after falsely claiming to be transgender and sexually assaulting vulnerable females in womens refuges. Yet the current accepted view that whether you are a man or a woman is merely a feeling, an inner essence, which transcends biology offers a loophole to such abusers. And if proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act are passed, this new orthodoxy will become enshrined in law. The debate is a complex and contentious one, but it is being silenced by some activists who conflate discussion with bigotry and free speech with intolerance. And in their efforts to be seen as inclusive, businesses, councils and Government ministers are quashing discussion for fear of being labelled trans-phobic. In order to cater for transgender women, the women's pond changed its rules last December to allow men in who say they identify as female Hannah Clarke, 39, one of the pond invaders and a founder member of the Man Friday movement Meanwhile, Twitter has been condemned for deleting accounts of female members of the group Fair Play For Women for stating what its members term the biological fact that men cannot become women. Gender self-identification has wide implications for womens rights, yet the government minister Maria Miller, chair of the Women And Equalities Committee, led an inquiry that proposed it should become law without hearing from a single womens organisation. Women like Hannah and her fellow pond protester Amy Desir, 30, a divorced mother-of-two from Luton, Bedfordshire, are incensed at this silencing of free speech. Amy, who works in middle management for a medical technology firm, was sufficiently concerned to become an activist. Ive never seen myself as a feminist until now, she says. But I was following the discussion on Mumsnet about men just saying Im a woman and having all the protection and spaces just for saying that. I thought: That cant be true. But it was. And people were being enlisted to train the police and school teachers about the subject, and I thought it was bonkers. In December, when Swim England published its guidance about men who self-identify as women being allowed into female changing rooms, I thought it was Orwellian. It was talking about re-educating people. As a result, she and Hannah joined a men-only swimming session in Dulwich, a prelude to this weeks intervention. An onslaught of abuse followed her actions. Ive been called trans-phobic scum, trans-phobic trash, a terf, ugly and hateful, she says. Other people have been told to die in a fire. I have security installed in my house because I dont want anybody putting a brick through my window when the kids are asleep. None of these threats has, however, deterred her from the campaign or her insistence that her inalienable right to free speech must be upheld. Weve got to get this right for women. Weve got to get it right for people who have genuine gender dysphoria, she says. When we dont listen to each other, we are going to get the wrong policy. Were going to get hatred, division and violence. We need a conversation because so many people have not heard about whats happening. Thats why were doing Man Friday, to get people talking about it. Were also doing it for transgender women who are willing to talk and share their concerns about this and are called traitors to the cause as a result, which is horrendous. Teacher Debbie Hayton, 50, is among the handful of trans women who are prepared to talk publicly. She supports both the right of men and women to preserve single-sex spaces, and the good-natured Man Friday campaign. Debbie, who transitioned six years ago and is married with three children, believes the feminist activists have exposed the possible unintended consequences of self-identification on trans rights. Their method of drawing attention to their cause was a novel one: they said they were identifying as men for the day to highlight the problems inherent in the planned legislation, adopting Man Friday as the name of their campaign, set up on the website Mumsnet Women like Hannah and her fellow pond protester Amy Desir (pictured), 30, a divorced mother-of-two from Luton, Bedfordshire, are incensed at this silencing of free speech At present, the law decrees that trans people need evidence in the form of a diagnosis of gender dysphoria, as well as two medical reports, as recognition that they have transitioned from male to female (or vice versa). To abandon this gate-keeping process in favour of an amorphous feeling of womanhood could engender suspicion of trans people and their motives, argues Debbie. Worse, those opposed to trans inclusion may take on the role of unofficial gatekeepers and challenge trans people who use single-sex spaces appropriate to their preferred gender, she says. With no more than our word to rely on, we would be in a much more vulnerable position. Man Friday campaigners have highlighted these dangers before any changes have been made to the law, so I welcome their intervention, she adds. Self-identification might sound superficially attractive, but thoughts and feelings are no substitute for facts and evidence when we are protecting the rights of women and trans people. Debbie says she uses women-only changing facilities with the consent of other users. I dont draw attention to my history, but if I am clocked I would defer to the feelings of the women whose space I am sharing. Respect works both ways, she says. She adds that consideration is key. Women and girls do not expect to see male genitalia in women-only changing areas, and I dont either. Trans women with male genitalia who apply discretion are more likely to be accepted that than those who do not. Grudging toleration is a poor substitute for genuine acceptance. It is a commonsense approach to a fraught debate that the ideologues might do well to heed. It would be utterly ludicrous to accuse Debbie, as a trans woman, of trans phobia for supporting the actions of Amy, Hannah et al. Of course there are intelligent contrary arguments to Debbies. Jane Fae is a trans woman, writer and diversity advocate who profoundly disagrees with her. It is Janes right, of course, to do so and to be heard. She believes the Man Friday campaign foments fear among transsexuals and intolerance among the bigoted. She also welcomes any reduction in the level of evidence that needs to be put to a panel to determine whether a gender recognition certificate is issued. For decades in this country transsexuals have self-identified, and their rights have been guaranteed under the Equality Act, which gives them parity with those who have had sex change surgery, she points out. What the Man Friday campaigners are doing is creating a fearful situation, she says. Trans women and trans men do not just get out of bed one day and decide to be whatever gender. They dont just go: Ooh, Im off down to the swimming pool. They spend hours, days, weeks building up the courage to go. Ive lost count of the trans people whove said: Im not going swimming now. This campaign has not stopped men abusing women but it has stopped a lot of trans people going swimming. For decades in this country transsexuals have self-identified, and their rights have been guaranteed under the Equality Act, which gives them parity with those who have had sex change surgery, she points out Theres a ratcheting up of violence. Im sensing a lot more people are putting the boot into trans people. The Man Friday campaign is not causing that, but its contributing to it. Amy Desirs response when I told her that was: Yes, but women get hurt, too. I thought: For Gods sake, its not tit-for-tat. If theres a problem for women, lets talk about it, but dont try to enforce talking about it at the cost of people actually being hurt. Jane feels aggrieved that trans folk are being asked to defend themselves on the basis that people who are not trans might do something horrid. Citing the example of predatory males infiltrating womens refuges, she says: This notion that a rogue male could take advantage of it (the self-identifying law) is silly. If men want to abuse, they will abuse. They will nick a womans jacket and go into the womens loo. They do not need paperwork to do it. I think its very easy to fit cliches into the debate. Every trans woman Ive known whos ever worked in a refuge has always declared it. Ive known three. Nothing is black and white, its all shades of grey. I dont think that everyone protesting against trans people is wrong or stupid but some should know better and do know that what theyre doing is causing hurt to people. The debate is clouded by fears that dissent or even discussion could be construed as lack of inclusivity. Psychologist James Caspian, 60, who worked for a decade in a gender clinic, is a firm advocate of free and frank discussion. He made headlines last year when Bath Spa University rejected his proposal to do research into gender reassignment reversal because it was deemed to be potentially politically incorrect. Today, he is outspoken on the current debate. When womens groups have arranged meetings to discuss the implications of the proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act, on many occasions so-called trans activists, sometimes in masks, have sought to prevent those meetings from taking place, sometimes engaging in intimidation of the speakers. In a democracy, people have the right to say what they think as long as theyre not breaking the law. It seems that discussing the Gender Recognition Act makes some people very uncomfortable and they are unwilling to have a conversation about it. Trans activists need to engage in the debate as well. All voices need to be heard. Views are being suppressed because critical thinking is being conflated with criticism, which, in turn, is being conflated with hate and that is dangerous because it leads to the shutting down of free speech. This conflict is very difficult to resolve but people really need to be heard. Additional research: Stephanie Condron Brody Jenner and his fiancee are treating guests to luxury affair when they wed at the 'world's best resort' this weekend - but have asked for cash to fund their honeymoon. The Hills star and his wife-to-be Kaitlynn Carter are set to tie the knot in an intimate celebration Saturday at an upscale jungle resort on an Indonesian island. To offset the hefty price-tag of the big day, they're reportedly requesting money for their 'Honeyfund' - a crowd-funding site - instead of gifts from their 70 guests. A source close to the family said the plea was made on the couple's online registry page where other details of the nuptials were shared. 'Instead of asking for gifts, Brody, 34, and Kaitlynn, 29, are asking for money. They are having a "Honeyfund," the source said. The two will wed at the spectacular Nihi Sumba - a luxury island resort about 250 miles east of Bali. Brody Jenner and his fiancee are treating guests to luxury when they wed at the 'world's best resort' this weekend - but have asked for cash to fund their honeymoon. Wedding venue: The location of Brody Jenner's wedding has been revealed: the spectacular Nihi Sumba - a luxury island resort about 250 miles east of Bali A URL to the page titled 'Jennerisland' shows a password is needed to access the registry The hotel, previously called Nihiwatu, has been voted 'Best in the World' by Travel + Leisure two years in a row and has nightly rates starting at $795 for a one-bedroom and goes right up to an eye-watering $16,595 for a night at its five bedroom estate. The source added: they said, "We appreciate you coming from far and wide and your attendance is as great a guest as anything." 'But they are asking for money, not gifts. They have set up a donation link. It struck me as odd for people so well to do to be asking for that.' The couple's honeymoon suite is said to cost up to at least $6,000 a night, according to Page Six. Brody, 34, and Kaitylnn's ceremony on Saturday is set to kick off at 4.30pm local time on Nihi Oka Beach. Guests have been advised to dress in 'beach formal' and don wedges or otherwise sensible shoes. Fabulous: Nestled in the jungle, the remote haven overlooks miles of Nihiwatu Beach on the spectacular Indian ocean coastline Tropical: The rooms seem to forgo walls completely, opening out onto the lush surroundings 'Jenner island': Brody's family and friends have descended on the resort After the ceremony, the party will 'follow a candlelit path' to a reception where they'll sip cocktails in the forest, according to the source. Guests will then enjoy a 'tropical feast' as the sun goes down in the same spot where the couple got engaged in May 2016. The next day, they will have a BBQ on the beach and watch a movie under the stars. 'Oh my goodness, everyone is so excited. The guests are having the time of their lives. They are in paradise, literally,' the source said. 'They are staying in the resort and they are having a wonderful time.' Nestled in the jungle, the remote haven overlooks miles of Nihiwatu Beach on the spectacular Indian ocean coastline. The wood-carved rooms, each equipped with signature canopy beds, seem to forgo walls completely, opening out onto the lush surroundings. She also shared a few clips from the jungle-themed pre-wedding party, with Brody getting into the spirit in a Hawaiian shirt, long red wig, laurel crown and face paint. Fun: Brody's mom Linda Thompson has been keeping fans posted on the festivities Kaitlynn Carter has shared photos on her Instagram of the couple's trips in Indonesia Thursday also happened to be Linda's other son Brandon Jenner's six-year wedding anniversary with wife Leah, to whom she posted a congratulations on Instagram. There's plenty on the island for the party to do besides, including visiting the chocolate factory, literally run by a man named Charly. They can also check out some traditional Ikat textile weaving, but only the females because it is taboo for the men to watch. Alternatively they can take part in the Pasola ritual, where priests a black cock to ask the gods if the villagers should attack each other with blunted spears on horseback. Three invited guests who will not be taking part in any of the fun are Brody's dad Caitlyn, and his little half-sisters Kendall and Kylie. Caitlyn reportedly opted against going because of a business opportunity, while her daughters just 'didn't bother RSVPing. ' Brody's dad Caitlyn (pictured with rumored girlfriend Sophia Hutchins) reportedly opted against going because of a business opportunity An American Airlines employee has been injured after driving a company van off a fourth floor parking garage at Miami International Airport. The van was being driven by a man in his 50s and landed on the concrete upside down Friday morning. The unidentified man was able to remove himself from the vehicle and only sustained minor injuries. American Airlines said it is investigating what caused the accident and will examine surveillance video. Scroll down for video An American Airlines employee was driving a company van Friday morning The unidentified man in his 50s drove the van off a fourth floor parking garage He was able to remove himself from the upside down van and suffered minor injuries Video courtesy WSVN 'At approximately 8.19am ET, an American Airlines team member was involved in a motor vehicle accident at Miami International Airport,' a spokesperson for the airline said in a statement. 'Our colleague sustained minor injuries, but out of an abundance of caution was transported to a local hospital for evaluation,' they added. 'The best thing that we know right now is he was wearing his seatbelt, and that could be the cause of why he's still here with us today,' Miami-Dade Police detective Argemis Colome said. No other injuries were reported and the airline van was later taken away from the scene by a tow truck. 'We appreciate the assistance of the Miami-Dade Police Department, and the other first responders, who quickly took care of our team member. The details of how this accident occurred is still under investigation,' the airline spokesperson added. Miami-Dade police said he pulled himself out of the vehicle and wore his seatbelt Francis Smith, 56, from Norridgewock was found crushed underneath a manure spreader on Thursday. He was pronounced dead at the scene A farmer from Maine who had served time in jail for a kidnapping in 2012 has been killed in an accident involving a piece of farm equipment. Francis Smith, 56, from Norridgewock was found crushed underneath a manure spreader on Thursday. He was pronounced dead at the scene. 'It appears that Mr. Smith was working to repair the equipment when the front tongue jack, which appears to have not been properly pinned in place, rotated and caused the spreader to fall on Mr. Smith,' Chief Deputy James Ross, of the Somerset County Sheriff's Office, said. Ross said investigators did not know when the accident happened. Smith's family had not been able to get a hold of him since Monday, Ross said. Ross confirmed that Smith was the same man who pleaded guilty to kidnapping, criminal threatening, terrorizing and assault charges for taking a hostage at a paper mill in March 2012. Smith was sentenced to 12 years in prison but was released after six. He was currently serving six years probation. Smith was working to repair the equipment when the spreader toppled over and fell on top of him. It appeared to have not been properly secured at the time Smith's lawyer from the trial said that he was severely depressed about losing his job at the mill after having worked there for almost 25 years. Smith then held the mill manager hostage in his office for more than six hours. He brought two guns along with him and ashed the manager of the mill to shoot the manager dead. Smith held a handgun to the manager's head and forced him into a chair during the incident. After negotiating with police over the phone, Smith eventually released him some nine hours later. Before sentencing in November 2012, Smith read from a statement that he was a different person at the time of the crime. He asked judge Michaela Murphy to 'remember the good Francis' who would not commit those crimes and said there was 'absolutely no chance of there being repeat behavior.' The judge agreed to give him probation after serving six years after feeling that there was evidence he was remorseful and would use probation to get any help he needed. 'I often do not offer probation when there has been serious conduct, but I'm confident he would take advantage of those opportunities in probation,' she said. 'He reacted that way, which is not the right way, but that's what happened and he paid for it,' he said. 'It's very sad. I think he could have had some more breaks.' What strikes you first is the squalid nature of the womens stories. Their husbands have beaten and abused them, they claim; lied and cheated, cavorted with prostitutes, become addicted to drugs. One weeping wife even accuses her spouse of molesting her infant child. Wearing colourful headscarves and robes, and often clutching handbags stuffed with banknotes to pay the 300 fee for their cases to be decided, this procession of downtrodden women have come before a panel of three judges to plead for their miserable marriages to be dissolved. Pleading her case: A woman gives evidence to a sharia court inside Birmingham Central Mosque The Sharia Council at Birmingham Central Mosque from left to right: Dr Amra Bone, Sheikh Muhammad Talha Bukhari, Dr Mahmoud Akhtar Four of the eight petitioners were born overseas in Ghana, Ethiopia and Pakistan and two speak such poor English that they find it easier to describe their marital woes in Urdu on this rainy Sunday afternoon in the heart of Birmingham. We are not in a divorce court. At least, not one with any standing in the civil law of England and Wales. Convened in a windowless chamber in the citys huge Central Mosque, decorated with pictures of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina and a rather magnificent Moroccan tea urn, this is one of Britains secretive sharia law courts. After much negotiation, I have been granted a rare glimpse into its arcane, controversial workings. Such is the protective veil surrounding these religious tribunals (or councils, as Islamic jurists prefer to call them) that, as a recent Home Office review conceded, not even the Government knows how many operate in this country. Sharia courts are proliferating across Britain and are held in many towns and cities with sizeable Muslim communities Critics regard them as anathema to British values because they keep many Muslims isolated, entrenched and with little social stake in wider British citizenship and life One study, by Reading University, put the number at around 30; the think-tank Civitas estimates there could be 85. What we do know is that sharia courts are proliferating across Britain and are held in many towns and cities with sizeable Muslim communities. As the Government review states, critics regard them as anathema to British values because they keep many Muslims isolated, entrenched and with little social stake in wider British citizenship and life. Sharia is a code covering every aspect of life, from the way people dress, eat and handle financial and property matters, to how they behave towards family and others Largely derived from the Koran, the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad and other ancient Islamic scholars, it dates from between the 7th and 10th centuries As I have discovered, these fears are not without justification. Indeed, so many of the countrys 2.8 million Muslims are using sharia courts that they are convened in all manner of places, from mosques to converted houses and shops. So exactly what is sharia law and how is it dispensed? Among many non-Muslims, any mention of sharia instils fear and repulsion. An impression has been shaped by stories from countries in the Middle East, South-East Asia and parts of Africa, where it is meted out in its most draconian form, with women flogged or stoned to death for committing adultery on the scantest of evidence, and petty thieves having their hands amputated. Sharia law, as practised in Britain, does not handle criminal matters. Pictured: Dr. Amra Bone, member of the Sharia Council at Birmingham Central Mosque Then there are those sickening internet videos posted by so-called Islamic State, whose barbarity lest we need reminding and corruption of Islamic teaching is utterly repugnant to people of the true Muslim faith. In fact, sharia is a code covering every aspect of life, from the way people dress, eat and handle financial and property matters, to how they behave towards family and others. Largely derived from the Koran, the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad and other ancient Islamic scholars, it dates from between the 7th and 10th centuries. One major criticism is that, while the world has changed since then and civil law has moved with the times, the edicts of sharia have remained unaltered. Sharia law, as practised in Britain, does not handle criminal matters. Under the 1996 Arbitration Act, however, Muslim tribunals are empowered to adjudicate on business and financial disputes, leading to fears that this might be the slippery slope towards wider use of sharia. A decade ago, the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, caused an outcry by suggesting that incorporating elements of sharia into civil law might be unavoidable, given the increasingly diverse make-up of the British population. In recent years, amid mounting concern that many young British Muslims are failing to integrate into mainstream society, the Establishment has largely consigned these liberal views to the past. Influential voices in politics, the clergy and human rights fear sharia is becoming a parallel legal system that furthers social division. They fear it runs counter to a basic principle of our democracy enshrined since Magna Carta: that everyone is equal before the law. In his new book, Reimagining Britain, Justin Welby, the current Archbishop of Canterbury, says sharia should never become part of the British legal system because it is incompatible with our laws. Disquiet has been expressed, too, by the former government integration tsar, Dame Louise Casey, who found evidence that some sharia councils denied women and children human rights by condoning beatings, marital rape and forced marriage. In British sharia courts, 90 per cent of the petitioners are female and almost all cases involve divorce. According to the Home Office, there are many reasons for this. About 100,000 British Muslim couples more than 60 per cent of the total are not legally married, since they have only undergone an Islamic wedding, or nikah, and failed to register their marriages civilly. In many cases, this is because they and their families only attach importance to the religious ceremony and see no point in solemnising the union for 46 at a register office. Some Muslim husbands also reject the idea of a civil marriage, because it gives their wives more legal rights. As sharia permits a Muslim man to take four wives, it also allows men to practise polygamy without breaking Britains bigamy laws. However, when these unofficial marriages break down all too often because the wives are mistreated the consequences for women can be devastating. They cannot go to civil divorce courts, where they might expect equitable rulings on such matters as child custody, the division of assets and ownership of property. Instead, they are at the mercy of sharia courts, often presided over by imams and scholars who have come to Britain from deeply patriarchal countries with cultures and traditions far removed from the British way of life. One woman whose story sheds worrying light on the sharia court system is NHS staff nurse Ayesha Khan, 29. Her Pakistani grandparents moved to Bradford to find work decades ago, but Miss Khan, born and raised here, is a modern Yorkshire woman, forthright and fiercely independent. Picture shows a muslim woman giving evidence to the Sharia Council at her divorce hearing in Birmingham Central Mosque Within her community, however, she says it can be enormously difficult to break free of certain centuries-old cultural traditions. So, in 2013, her father told her she must marry a local man he had chosen for her, but whom she didnt know, and she had to obey him. To start with, things were fine, she told me. But then [her husband] became jealous and controlling, the domestic abuse and violence started and it got to the point where I ended up in hospital. She added bravely: It wasnt much, just a broken nose and a lot of bruising. Two years ago, she approached the Sharee Council (as it is called) in nearby Dewsbury, expecting that, on hearing her story, it would swiftly grant her a divorce. As she had only undergone an Islamic wedding and the marriage had not been registered civilly, this was all she needed to be free of her brutish husband. Yet it was the start of a frightening ordeal. In British sharia courts 90 per cent of the petitioners are female and almost all cases involve divorce Chaired until recently by the grandfather of Britains youngest convicted terrorist, Hammaad Munshi, who was 16 years old when he was arrested after police found a guide to making napalm on his computer, the court is in the predominantly Muslim Savile Town district of Dewsbury, a hotbed of fundamentalism. The jurists on its sharia council are said by some Muslim critics to be mentored and financially supported by Saudi Arabian Wahhabi fundamentalists and I am told that they have a reputation for delivering hardline and misogynistic judgments. Their rulings, however, carry such great sway that they are sought by Muslims from across Britain. On the day of Miss Khans case, she was aghast to find that her husband against whom she had a restraining order granted by a British court had also been called to give evidence. Im not a person to be intimidated, but I was that day, she said of the traumatic hearing. I was the only woman in the room and it was very scary sitting at this circular table with my husband and being questioned by scholars. They didnt speak proper English, which made it even worse. I tried to explain what hed done, but they just grilled me and made me out to be a liar. My husband made out it wasnt as bad as I was saying. Incredibly, she says, the judges told her to forget what he had done and go back to the man who beat her. To the elders hearing my case, the bottom line was that I should forgive him. But I had gone way past that stage. The process was so distressing. They wanted to know all the ins and outs of the marriage, and I had to fight to get my point across. They were obviously more on my husbands side. They just kept saying, You need to make up! You need to make up! But it was way too late for that, and I dont believe I should have had to justify myself to anybody when there was domestic violence involved. The elders refused to grant her a divorce, telling her they needed to deliberate further and that this would be a lengthy process. She remained in limbo for months. Desperate to move on with her life, she eventually abandoned the case at Dewsbury and approached a sharia council in Bradford, which claims to interpret sharia in a more progressive manner. It is presided over by Harun Subhaalni, a personable young religious teacher from a wealthy Bradford Kashmiri family who drives a vintage white Rolls-Royce and hears cases in a rented former estate agents office. Miss Khan says Subhaalni, who is in his 20s, treated her with empathy and quickly granted the divorce. As sharia permits a Muslim man to take four wives, it also allows men to practise polygamy without breaking Britains bigamy laws However, his claim to offer a modern alternative to the brand of sharia handed down in Dewsbury is rather undermined by the shockingly patriarchal posts I found on his councils Facebook page. The rights of the husband upon his wife are greater than the rights of the wife upon the husband, began one, said to have been taken from the Koran. Man is caretaker of his wife and household. He is responsible for all her affairs. He is responsible for training, direction and discipline if needed. It is an essential right of man over his wife to be obeyed so long as his comments do not conflict or contradict the commands of Allah the Almighty . . . righteous women are devoutly obedient. There was even a dire warning for any wife who refuses to accede to her husbands sexual demands. If a husband calls his wife to his bed but the latter refuses to fulfil the call (for any reason other than a lawful one) which drives the man to be upset with his wife, then the angels will curse such a wife until she gets up in the morning. When I asked Mr Subhaalni how these chauvinistic messages squared with his contemporary, British interpretation of sharia, he said that they had been posted by his stand-in, who did not share his interpretation of the Koran, while he was away sick last year. He has since removed them from the website. However, there is no doubt some of Britains sharia courts hold fast to these ancient beliefs and administer rulings accordingly. In fairness, when I visited, Mr Subhaalni appeared to handle the steady flow of women who came into the office seeking advice on a variety of family, property inheritance and marital issues (he also conducts religious marriages and even provides an Islamic dating service) with care and professionalism. Although he charges women 300 for a divorce (male petitioners dont need to pay a fee), with concessions for refugees and those on benefits, he insists he is a rich man from a wealthy family and is not doing it for the money. He said that he returned to Britain after studying in Pakistan and Egypt and found that sharia councils here were failing us. Wed go to mosque and wed have an imam speaking in Urdu to British-born youngsters who dont understand what theyre saying and only have links to Pakistan through their grandparents. How can we put these imams in charge of preaching and dispensing the law to the community? He bemoaned that fact that British citizenship was not being taught. The first tenet of sharia is that Muslims must comply with the law of the land they live in, so I want to bring our council up to a standard where we can deal within the law. He says the services of his council which has conducted 76 divorces and 46 marriages since December are in such demand that he hopes to move to bigger premises. Mr Subhaalni told me: Weve made this a hub for everybody [not just Muslims] and do a lot of work in the community. For example, when people come out of prison, we mediate with their families to get them back home. We have a service to stop young people being forced into marriages. He contrasts such activities with the Dewsbury sharia council, which he says is woefully out of touch with young British Muslims and is driven by money. It asks for a bank statement before anything else, he says, and takes the side of those who can pay. Officials in Dewsbury refused to comment on this criticism. Nor would they allow me to witness one of their hearings which is why it was so fascinating for me to gain access to Birmingham Central Mosque. Whatever may occur behind the closed doors of other, more secretive sharia courts, here the judges compassion was undeniable. Then again, this court is unique in being chaired by a woman Dr Amra Bone, an erudite Islamic studies lecturer thought to be Britains only female sharia judge. The long-serving court administrator was also a woman, Saba Butt a rare feminine presence and the proceedings were being observed by a young lawyer keen to set up what he believes will be the first official sharia council in Manchester. The women who came before them were pitiable to behold. One, who had been raised by her non-Islamic grandmother, described in a Brummie accent how her husband had deceived her into marrying him by saying he owned a garage. In fact, he was a former criminal who, she claimed, had sexually abused one of her children. Disturbingly, one of the elderly male judges still saw fit to ask her whether she might consider returning to live with him. After the sexual abuse, there is no chance I will let him near my child again, she replied, seemingly appalled at the very question. Dr Bone intervened to say the divorce had been granted. The wife would simply have to wait for three menstrual cycles to pass, in accordance with sharia law, then she would be free to remarry. The next case involved an Ethiopian whose husband came to Britain in the Nineties as a child refugee. They had married in Addis Ababa in 2003, and he brought her back here to get her a UK visa. However, he left her to live with his brother and sister-in-law, going back and forth between the UK and East Africa, where he secretly took a second wife and consorted with mistresses. Whenever he returned, she would become pregnant and she now had five children aged between five and 15. She, too, was granted a religious divorce. What she didnt seem to grasp was that, as she had married a British passport-holder, her marriage was also valid civilly so before she was free to remarry, she needed a civil divorce. The judges patiently explained this to her. As one of Britains oldest established sharia councils, Birmingham is also asked to adjudicate on marital disputes from overseas. This can make it difficult for the parties to appear in court personally. During my visit, the panel debated whether it might be in order to hear cases and deliver judgments via Skype. Dr Mahmoud Akhtar, a white-bearded scholar from Huddersfield, expressed reservations. Dr Bone was broadly in favour, as long as peoples identity could be verified. But she later told me this innovation was unlikely to happen any time soon. Perhaps not. Yet we might think the very notion of dispensing sharia by Skype deeply ironic, given the ancient origins of Islamic jurisprudence and accusations that it is far removed from modern British values. Yes, I had certainly been impressed by what I saw in the Birmingham mosque. But if we are to uphold these British values, surely we must adhere to one universal law a law under which everyone, regardless of their gender, ethnicity and religion, is treated equally? Concern at the rise of sharia in Britain is not confined to Establishment figures such as the Archbishop of Canterbury. Womens rights groups and leading feminists, including countless Muslims, are campaigning to reform these courts and even have them closed and with good cause, as I shall show in part two of my investigation, to be published soon. When judges can order a battered wife from Yorkshire to return to her brutal husband, one understands why such critics passionately believe sharia law belongs to another time and place, and is utterly incompatible with the freedom and equality we cherish. Ayesha Khans name has been changed to protect her identity. Special counsel Robert Mueller's investigators want to know how a close friend of Jared Kushner's ended up in the Seychelles last year and met with some of the same mysterious figures who huddled with Blackwater founder Erik Prince there. New Yorker hedge funder Rick Gerson was in the Seychelles, an island nation in the Pacific, just weeks before Prince, the brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, was there. Both men met with separately with Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan of Abu Dhabi while they were there. Both also had contacts with George Nader, the Lebanese-American man with high level Middle East contacts going back decades who helped broker the meeting. Rick Gerson is a friend of Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner's who ended up in the Seychelles shortly before Erik Prince showed up and met with some of the same people. Here Libi Gerson (L) and Rick Gerson attend the Museum of Modern Art film benefit honoring Quentin Tarantino on December 3, 2012 in New York City. Gerson's presence was established by his text messages and confirmed by a person familiar with the meeting, NBC News reported. Nader has been cooperating with prosecutors since being stopped by the FBI at Dulles International Airport in Virginia in January. He was arrested 1985 on child pornography charges, although charges were later dismissed. Nader also attended a December 2016 meeting at New York's Four Seasons hotel, which was attended by the crown prince, as well as key members of Donald Trump's inner circle. Among them were Kushner, former chief White House strategist Steve Bannon, and former White House national security advisor Mike Flynn. Mueller's team, which is probing Russian election interference, is interested whether the meetings were an effort to set up a back channel to Russia. Blackwater founder Erik Prince met with the crown prince of Abu Dhabi in the Seychelles Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates Prosecutors are focusing on a December meeting in New York with the crown prince as well as a meeting in the Seychelles Nader, who has for years served as a conduit between administrations and Middle Eastern leaders, also was there when Prince met with a Putin-connected investor Kirill Dmitriev and Emiratis who were there. Dmitriev oversees the state-run $10 billion Russian Direct Investment Fund and has ties to Putin family members. The Washington Post reported last April cited officials who said MBZ coordinated the meeting with Russians in hopes of setting up a back channel between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. A Gerson spokesman pushed back at the NBC report and said Gerson wasn't there when Prince met with the Russian and the Emirati representatives. 'Mr. Gerson was on vacation in the Seychelles prior to the meeting you reference. He knew nothing about the meeting, had left before the meeting was reported to have taken place, and has never met or communicated with Erik Prince,' said the spokesman. George Nader has been a go-between between U.S. officials and top Middle Eastern leaders LETS GET TOGETHER: Waves break over coral reef near the coast of the Seychelles main island Mahe on November 28, 2009 Stephan Roseman and Rick Gerson attend "BASS! How Low Can You Go?" Curated by AMIR SHARIAT at Leila Heller Gallery on May 8, 2013 in New York City The spokesman also pushed back following publication of the NBC report. "Your story today about Rick Gerson is completely wrong. Mr. Gerson is not under scrutiny or investigation by any agency including the Special Counsel's office. Your reporters have completely distorted the facts to suit their narrative making false and misleading suggestions,' according to the statement. People familiar with the meetings told NBC Gerson attended because of his ties to Kushner, and that UAE officials considered him 'Kushner's guy.' When he was president-elect, Trump made Kushner a key figure to contact various foreign leaders, then brought him onto this White House staff where he has been a close advisor. Robert F. Kennedy's daughter, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend has joined her brother Robert F Kennedy, Jr, in calling for a new investigation into their father's 1968 assassination. After personally reviewing evidence and visiting the convicted killer Sirhan Sirhan in prison in California, Kennedy, Jr has argued that the wrong man was put behind bars for killing Robert F. Kennedy who died on June 6, 1968. 'My father was the chief law enforcement officer in this country,' Kennedy, Jr told The Washington Post. 'I think it would have disturbed him if somebody was put in jail for a crime they didn't commit.' Previously silent on the issue, Townsend has now agreed with her brother. The former lieutenant governor of Maryland told the Boston Globe in an email on Thursday, 'I think Bobby makes a compelling case.' But at least two of the nine other children of the late presidential candidate, former attorney general, and senator from New York, who was known as Bobby Kennedy, disagree with their brother, and now their sister. Both Joseph P. Kennedy II and Kerry Kennedy stand against the idea of reopening an investigation into his death. Robert F. Kennedy's daughter, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend has joined her brother Robert F Kennedy, Jr, in calling for a new investigation into their father's 1968 assassination; The aftermath of his shooting on June 5, 1968 is shown here Joseph P. Kennedy II, the former congressman from Massachusetts, said in a statement: 'As we approach the 50th anniversary of my fathers passing, I think what is most important is that our country and my family reflect on what my father stood for and fought for a legacy promoting global peace, social justice, and civil rights.' Kerry Kennedy, who is the seventh child of Bobby and Ethel Kennedy and president of the Robert F Kennedy Center For Justice and Human Rights (which her mother founded), also appears to be against a fresh look at her father's assassination. 'The reason that people are interested in the circumstances of my fathers death is because of what he did with his life,' she said. 'And I think we should focus on his life and not so much on his death his moral imagination, his capacity for empathy, his quest to heal divisions, and his belief that one person can make a difference.' Robert F Kennedy, Jr (left) believes that Sirhan Sirhan was not the man who killed his father, and sister Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (right) thinks he 'makes a compelling case' Robert F. Kennedy, Jr has argued that the conviction of Sirhan Sirhan (pictured) put the wrong man behind bars for killing Robert F. Kennedy Democratic Party politician and Senator from New York, Robert F Kennedy (1925-1968) begins his campaign for the Presidency at the Overseas Press Club in New York on April 1, 1968 Both Joseph P. Kennedy II (right) and Kerry Kennedy (left) stand against the idea of reopening an investigation into his death Clutching his rosary beads, Senator Robert F. Kennedy lies wounded on the floor of the Ambassador Hotel on June 5, 1968, after being shot following his victory speech in the California primary election, with wife Ethel at lower left One person who is trying to make a difference, at least in terms of who is held responsible for Bobby Kennedy's death, is Paul Schrade. Schrade, now 93 years old, is a former United Auto Workers official who was with Bobby Kennedy when the candidate was shot on June 5, 1968, and was also wounded, himself. Schrade, Bobby Kennedy and a group of people were walking through the pantry at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on the way to a news conference when the attack happened. This was at a time when Secret Service security was not provided to presidential candidates. Two months prior to his death, civil rights leader the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr was killed in Memphis. U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy holds two fingers up in a victory sign as he talks to campaign workers at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968, before being shot; Ethel Kennedy is at his left and his California campaign manager, Jesse Unruh, speaker of the California Assembly is at his right Wife Ethel Kennedy and Bobby Kennedy are seen here before the senator he was fatally shot on June 5, 1968 during his Presidential Campaign at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles Robert and Ethel Kennedy are seen here with two of their children on June 25, 1957 This June 1968 file photo shows Sirhan with his attorney Russell E. Parsons in Los Angeles Sirhan became Convict No. B21014 at San Quentin Prison on May 23, 1969 Kennedys Clash Over Whether To Reopen Investigation Into 1968 Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy Environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy, Jr told the Washington Post: 'I went there because I was curious and disturbed by what I had seen in the evidence. I was disturbed that the wrong person might have been convicted of killing my father. My father was the chief law enforcement officer in this country. I think it would have disturbed him if somebody was put in jail for a crime they didnt commit.' Former lieutenant governor of Maryland Kathleen Townsend Kennedy told the Boston Globe in an email: 'I think Bobby makes a compelling case.' Joseph P. Kennedy II, the former congressperson from Massachusetts, said in a statement: 'As we approach the 50th anniversary of my fathers passing, I think what is most important is that our country and my family reflect on what my father stood for and fought for a legacy promoting global peace, social justice, and civil rights.' Kerry Kennedy, president of the Robert F Kennedy Center For Justice and Human Rights (which her mother founded), said: 'The reason that people are interested in the circumstances of my fathers death is because of what he did with his life. And I think we should focus on his life and not so much on his death his moral imagination, his capacity for empathy, his quest to heal divisions, and his belief that one person can make a difference.' Advertisement Schrade has been leading the charge since 1974 in arguing for the investigation to be reopened, based on his belief that Sirhan could not have shot the late Kennedy. 'Yes, he did shoot me. Yes, he shot four other people and aimed at Kennedy,' Schrade told the Post. 'The important thing is he did not shoot Robert Kennedy.' Sirhan was apprehended at the scene that night, just hours after the presidential candidate had won the Democratic primary in California. He had a .22-caliber revolver that held eight bullets in his hand, and multiple pieces of evidence have been revealed to show he was tackled in front of Bobby Kennedy after firing two or three rounds. Bobby Kennedy died the following day on June 6, 1968. Ethel was pregnant with their youngest child, Rory Kennedy, at the time. But the autopsy showed the candidate was shot from behind, with evidence that indicated he was hit at close range. Schrade has also pointed to audio recordings of the incident that indicated that 13 shots were fired. 'Why didnt they go after the second gunman?' Schrade asked, in his interview with the Post. 'They knew about him right away. They didnt want to know who it was. They wanted a quickie.' No other gunman was ever apprehended and the investigation was closed with Sirhan's conviction in 1969. He was first sentenced to death but that was commuted to a life sentence in 1972. Sirhan is now 74, incarcerated in state prison in San Diego, and has lost all of his legal appeals and 15 bids for parole, the most rejection having coming in 2016. Despite having pleaded guilty to the murder of Bobby Kennedy, Sirhan has consistently maintained he did not remember shooting him. The scene in the hallway outside the emergency room of Central Receiving Hospital is shown here, where Senator Robert Kennedy was taken immediately after he was shot at the Ambassador Hotel on June 5, 1968 It's also been suggested he may have been subjected to coercive hypnotism after his arrest. The Los Angeles District Attorneys Office and the Los Angeles Police Department declined to be interviewed. Both entities consider the assassination of Bobby Kennedy to be a closed case. His assassination occurred just over four and a half years after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. The forensic psychiatrist who assisted in the investigations into the death of American child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey has been shot dead outside his office. Dr. Steven Pitt, 59, helped investigate the high profile 1996 murder case as well as a string of other killings in the Phoenix area more than a decade ago. In JonBenets case Pitt believed the pineapple found in the six-year-olds digestive tract, which her mother denied she ate, was proof of a family cover up. He was leaving his office when witnesses say they heard a loud argument then gunfire as he was shot on Thursday. Dr. Steven Pitt, 59, who helped investigate the high profile 1996 death of child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey, has been shot dead outside his office on Thursday, pictured in June 2007 Phoenix Police found Pitt, left, dead from a gunshot wound at 5:23pm Thursday. Investigators have released a sketch of the suspect behind the shooting, who fled the scene, right His office is located near the intersection of 71st Street and Bell Road in Scottsdale, a suburb of Phoenix. Phoenix police say Pitt was 'critically wounded' when officers first arrived on the scene, according to ABC15. A flyer from the police department says he was found deceased from a gunshot wound Thursday at 5:23pm. Phoenix police spokesman Sgt. Vince Lewis says he has no information on whether the killing is connected to his work, according to Tuscon.com. 'We are not ruling anything out, but at this point, a loud argument probably suggests they knew each other either professionally or personally,' Lewis said. Investigators have released a sketch of the suspect, who fled the scene. Police describe him as a Caucasian man who is bald and was seen wearing a dark-colored hat with a short brim. Pitt is known for assisting in six-year-old JonBenet's death investigation after she was found brutally murdered in her Boulder, Colorado home. The psychiatrist believed the pineapple found in JonBenet's digestive tract was a key to the investigation as it was proof she ate not long before she died. Her mother Patsy said that the beauty queen hadn't eaten any fruit before she went missing, however the mother's fingerprints were found on the fruit bowl, raising Pitt's suspicions towards a cover up. Pitt gained recognition for working on a number of high profile cases including JonBenet's death, Phoenix's Baseline Killer in 2006, and the 1999 Columbine High School shooting He was shot outside his Scottsdale, Arizona office, pictured above Thursday evening Police gathered outside the office complex after gunfire rang out and Pitt was found dead The suspect fled the scene, above, as police now hunt for information on the suspected killer A colleague of Pitt speculates a person connected to one of his criminal cases could be behind the shooting Phoenix Police put up this flyer in pursuit of the suspect, a white male, who fled the scene Thursday evening 'The fingerprints on the bowl or cup that were used to give JonBenet the pineapple were Patsys fingerprints,' Pitt formerly said to People Magazine. 'It suggests someone is not telling the truth about what happened at that home that night,' he added. A prosecutor later cleared her parents and brother in 2008 based on DNA evidence. Pitt also aided in the investigation of the Baseline Killer in Phoenix in 2006, hunting down a man later convicted of killing nine people. He also consulted in the 1999 Columbine High School shooting. His most recent case was on a spree of shootings in the Maryvale area that started in April where six have been shot and one victim shot last month died from their injuries this week. A friend of Pitt and a fellow Phoenix psychologist David Weinstock told the Arizona Republic he speculates a person connected to one of Pitt's criminal cases could be behind the shooting. 'I could be wrong, but the timing and circumstances sound a lot like someone who was waiting outside his office for him,' Weinstock said in an email. 'I suspect this was one who either got out after Steve helped put him away or someone whose case he was working on who felt threatened about what Steve could do,' he added. Pitt is known for assisting in the investigations of the 1996 death of American child beauty pageant queen JonBenet Ramsey, pictured above Ramsey was a beauty pageant queen who was murdered in her home Christmas evening Ramsey's home pictured sectioned off by police after she was found dead inside on Christmas night in 1996 Her mother Patsy Ramsey holds up a reward sign for information on her daughter's killer on May 1, 1997 after four months of media silence in light of her daughter's death Weinstock added that he and Pitt had previously discussed the risks they face in their professions. Despite the potential for danger, Pitt had not filed any protective orders as per Maricopa County Superior Court records, according to AZCentral. Pitt worked as a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix at the time of his death. 'Dr. Pitt was beloved on this campus and went above and beyond mentoring our students and lecturing to our community,' Dean Guy Reed said in a statement in light of Pitt's death. He gained recognition in his career for his work in forensic psychiatric evaluations and has appeared on a myriad of news shows to talk about his investigative work on his various high profile cases. Joann Sanchez, the center manager of the complex that houses Pitt's office, says Pitt was a close friend who she called 'The Tin Man' because he had the 'biggest heart ever'. Bobette Siegel, a licensed clinical social worker who also worked in the building said everyone in the complex knew Pitt. 'Its such a loss for his professional community, the forensic community, his family and for me personally, she said. A former cafeteria manager pleaded guilty on Friday to stealing nearly $120,000 from a Georgia high school over a five year period. Brenda Watts admitted to one charge of theft by conversion after stealing money from North Springs High School students and depositing the cash into her bank account, according to Channel 2 Action News. Watts was originally arrested in January 2014 after a whistleblower came forward and exposed the scam, which authorities believe amounted to $300 per day. Brenda Watts pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $120,000 over a five year period on Friday Position of trust: Brenda Watts, former cafeteria manager at North Spring High School in Fulton County, is alleged to have taken around $300 a day for at least five years from payments made for food That amounts to $1,500 a week and potentially more than $50,000 a year. 'I saw wrongdoing, so I reported it,' Beth Walsh, a former cafeteria worker at the school, told Channel 2. Walsh said she became suspicious after discovering that a cash only register manned by Watts didn't have any electronic records to process sales. Watts was arrested in January 2014 on theft charges She later provided detectives with surveillance video that showed Watts bypassing four electronically monitored food cart lines designed to register all sales, instead pocketing the cash before it could be recorded. According to Channel 2, the judge presiding over the case ordered Watts to repay the money she stole but was spared from having to serve any jail time. Walsh said that the unmonitored cash only line had been in operation for more than 15 years, meaning Watts' lucrative scam could have potentially reached sums totaling more than a million dollars. Walsh believes she was fired for exposing the wrongdoing. She later filed a lawsuit against the Fulton County School System and accepted a $50,000 settlement before taking the litigation to court. The school district said in a statement that the incident has led them to instituting tougher procedures regarding inventory control and new training for all employees. High Street cosmetics chain Lush was condemned yesterday after it launched an anti-police hate campaign. The Home Secretary, crime chiefs and a police widow were among those appalled by the companys astonishing decision to put photos of police officers under the words Paid to Lie in its shop windows to draw attention to the so-called spy cops scandal. They said the crass and insensitive campaign approved by the chains Jeremy Corbyn-supporting co-founder Mark Constantine stereotypes all police officers as corrupt and includes some fundamental misrepresentations of the facts. The window displays appeared in Lush's 105 outlets under the headline 'Paid to Lie' Lush's co-founder Mark Constantine, left, has appeared on stage with Jeremy Corbyn, right In a bizarre stunt, Lush is supporting the Police Spies Out of Lives campaign for women who were duped into relationships by undercover officers who infiltrated anti-capitalist and green protest groups over a 40-year period. In the window displays of Lushs 105 outlets, a split-face image of a police officer in uniform and undercover appears under the headline Paid to Lie. Mock crime scene police tape also carries the phrase Police have crossed the line. Similar materials are promoted on the Lush website. Home Secretary Sajid Javid condemned the chain, saying: Never thought I would see a mainstream British retailer running a public advertising campaign against our hardworking police. This is not a responsible way to make a point. The campaign argues the deception by the undercover officers led to the systemic, institutional sexist abuse of female activists some of whom had officers children and has criticised the inquiry into the scandal. The retailers decision to support the campaign was driven by environmental activist Rebecca Lush. Miss Lush has no relation to the origins of Lush but advises it on how to support activists. It was given the go-ahead by Lush co-founder Mr Constantine, who holds Left-wing views and has appeared on stage with Jeremy Corbyn. But the controversial move saw the chain accused of smearing all police officers. Former Metropolitan police chief inspector Peter Kirkham accused Lush of running an anti-police hate campaign. Your anti-police advertising campaign is an utter disgrace, he wrote on Twitter. It stereotypes ALL police officers as corrupt & includes some fundamental misrepresentations of the facts. Chairman of the National Police Chiefs Council Sara Thornton said: We fully accept that some undercover policing operations, ethics and behaviour in the past were a violation of the victims human rights, an abuse of police power and caused significant trauma. But she added: This campaign from Lush UK is both insulting and damaging to the tens of thousands of officers who place themselves in harms way to protect the public on a daily basis, and who have nothing at all to do with the undercover inquiry. The head of the National Crime Agency, Lynne Owens, warned Lush had undermined public confidence in the police, while vice-chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales Che Donald suggested people boycott the retailer. The Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands, David Jamieson, said: This is a crass and insensitive campaign ... Lush have needlessly waded into a highly complex area. Meanwhile Christine Fulton, whose police officer husband Lewis was stabbed to death while on duty in Glasgow in 1994, said: I am appalled at the campaign by Lush, the police service should be supported and respected. Who do Lush call when they have a shoplifter, their staff are abused or their stores broken into? Hang your heads in shame. The officers at the centre of the spy cops scandal were part of the Special Demonstration Squad, a unit within the Metropolitan Polices Special Branch tasked with infiltrating various protest groups over 40 years. Undercover revelations that put Scotland Yard in the spotlight The scandal of undercover police officers who had sex with activists in groups they infiltrated is likely to become one of Scotland Yards most damaging episodes. For four decades, officers from the disbanded Special Demonstration Squad allegedly tricked women whom they were targeting into sexual relationships. Almost half of the officers used names of dead babies to create cover stories with birth records. MPs, trade unionists and justice campaigners, such as those in anti-racism groups, were targeted. Some police were arrested alongside activists, prompting concerns the targets did not get a fair trial. Around 60 convictions have been quashed and 80 more could go the same way. Allegations of inappropriate sexual relationships emerged in 2011 when an officer offered to help defend six environmental campaigners in court whom he had infiltrated. The trial later collapsed. A public inquiry into the scandal was set up in 2015. Advertisement Some of the officers involved were disciplined or sacked and the unit was shut down in 2008. Compensation of 400,000 has been paid to one woman who had a child and the Met has officially apologised to eight women whose rights had been violated. Theresa May set up a public inquiry into the scandal in 2015. However, Lush has joined women who were fooled by the officers in criticising the way it is being handled. Specifically, they claim it has given some of the officers involved anonymity, while the police are allegedly keeping the full details of which groups were infiltrated a secret. Miss Lush said: When Theresa May launched this public inquiry we all hoped that the truth about this scandal would finally be exposed and that the disgraceful police tactics would be examined. Instead, the public inquiry chair is making the inquiry more secretive and is granting the police anonymity in secret hearings. It is time the Home Secretary listened to the victims and appointed a diverse panel to hear the full evidence. Mr Constantine a herbal trichologist was also critical of the way the inquiry is being run, saying: Confidence in the police will never be restored until this public inquiry does its job. The Corbyn supporter has previously made cash donations to the successful election campaign of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset, Martyn Underhill, a former police officer. Mr Underhill, who ran as an independent, backed the Lush campaign. He said the deployment of the undercover officers in these cases was disproportionate and distasteful, adding: I do support Lush in exposing this issue. Last night Lush said: To clear this up, this isnt an anti-police campaign, its to highlight the abuse that people face when their lives have been infiltrated by undercover police. Benedict Cumberbatch channelled his inner Sherlock Holmes as he saved a cyclist who was being attacked, it is reported. The Hollywood star - who plays the quintessential detective in the hit BBC series - is said to have leaped to the rescue of a Deliveroo rider who was being beaten up by a group of four, it emerged on Friday night. The Sun reports Cumberbatch was in an Uber vehicle on Marylebone High Street in central London with his wife, Sophie Hunter, when they saw the cyclist being hit over the head with a bottle. Cumberbatch - pictured as Sherlock outside the detective's iconic Baker Street home - jumped in to save a Deliveroo cyclist The star waded in with the help of an Uber driver when they saw a Deliveroo cyclist being attacked by four people (file photo) The driver of the car, Manuel Dias, told the newspaper: 'Benedict was courageous, brave and selfless. If he hadn't stepped in the cyclist could have been seriously injured. 'Here was Sherlock Holmes fighting off four attackers just round the corner from Baker Street. 'He stood there instructing them in the street, shouting, "Leave him alone".' The attackers are said to have run away after trying to fight Cumberbatch before they realised who he was (Cumberbatch is pictured with co-star Martin Freeman as Watson) The driver said he grabbed one of the men and Benedict got hold of another and added the star knew exactly what to do. The attackers reportedly tried to punch the actor, who managed to push them away. The driver says they fled when they recognised who he was. After the frenzy was over, Benedict asked the cyclist how he was and when he replied that he was okay, the actor embraced him According to The Sun, the actor said: 'I did it out of, well, I had to, you know?' Tests found evidence of 'StingRay' cell phone data collectors operating near the White House, it has been revealed. The tests conducted last year found signals consistent with technology that spoofs cell phone data towers to collect mobile data, according to a Department of Homeland Security letter released on Friday. The tests were unable to validate the activity or attribute it to specific devices, and follow-up counterintelligence investigations found that some the signals were actually coming from legitimate cell towers, DHS acting undersecretary Christopher C. Krebs wrote in the May 22 letter to Senator Ron Wyden. Still, the potential presence in the Capital of tower spoofers, a known tool of foreign intelligence agencies including China and Russia, raised alarm bells for security officials. Trump talks on the phone aboard Air Force One during a flight to Philadelphia on January 26, 2017. Democrats are criticizing his cell phone use after evidence of spy gear was found Tests conducted last year found signals consistent with technology that spoofs cell phone data towers to collect mobile data near the White House, a new letter reveals The letter said that a pilot test from January to November of 2017 'did observe anomalous activity that appeared consistent with IMSI catcher technology' within the Washington DC area, including near the White House. Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, released the letter and seized upon the finding of possible surveillance technology to blast phone companies, as well as President Donald Trump, for potential security lapses. 'The news of a possible foreign stingray near the White House is of particular concern giving reports that the President isn't even using a secure phone to protect his calls,' Wyden said in a statement. Last week, Politico reported that Trump uses two iPhones, one to make calls and the other to tweet. The phones are issued by a military office that oversees White House telecommunications, but its unclear what security modifications have been made to them. 'The cavalier attitude toward our national security appears to be coming from the top down,' Wyden said in the statement. 'It is high time for the FCC and this administration to act immediately to protect American national security.' International Subscriber Mobile Identity (ISMI) catchers, also known under the brand name StingRay (above), emulate legitimate cell phone towers to collect cell phone data International Subscriber Mobile Identity (ISMI) catchers, also known under the brand name StingRay, work by emulating legitimate cell phone towers to connect with mobile phones and collect data transmitted to and from the device, including phone calls. The devices have legal uses by law enforcement, but are feared to be an increasingly favored tool for hackers and foreign intelligence agencies. Wyden has long made mobile phone network security a signature issue. 'I've spent the past year fighting to reveal what a terrible job the telephone companies and FCC are doing at protecting Americans from being spied on, tracked, or scammed,' Wyden said. 'This letter is yet more evidence that these threats are absolutely real and they are already attacking Americans.' Health and Social Care Secretary Jeremy Hunt is pushing for a temporary exemption for doctors and nurses to a cap on skilled workers from outside the EU Theresa May is facing a Cabinet revolt over visa restrictions blamed for depriving the NHS of hundreds of foreign medics. Jeremy Hunt is pushing for a temporary exemption for doctors and nurses to put a cap on skilled workers from outside the EU. The Health Secretary says that while Britain is training more medical staff of its own, this process will take years meaning more foreign staff are needed to fill NHS vacancies. He has been backed in private by Sajid Javid, the Home Secretary, who is said to be very sympathetic to the case for a temporary exemption. Chancellor Philip Hammond and Business Secretary Greg Clark, who want even looser restrictions on skilled workers, are also said to be ready to back the cause. A group of Tory backbenchers, said to number dozens, have also signed a letter to the Prime Minister urging her to soften her position on the issue. The British Medical Journal, which is also campaigning to change the rules, says more than 1,500 foreign doctors were refused a visa between December and March despite having job offers from the NHS. The Tory backbenchers letter, written by MP Heidi Allen, said the cap was forcing the country to make a binary choice between professionals needed to grow the economy and professionals needed to staff our health system. It warns: Without urgent intervention, we believe our NHS is heading towards a perfect storm. The row centres on the annual quota of 20,700 Tier 2 visas available for skilled workers from outside the EU. They are designed for migrants taking up posts that cannot be filled by UK workers. The cap is part of wider government efforts to hit the flagship target of reducing net migration to below 100,000 a year but at present, doctors and other NHS staff are seen as no different from other professionals such as engineers and IT specialists. Campaigners say thousands of skilled jobs are being left unfilled because the monthly limit has been hit for five months in a row. This year Mr Hunt announced plans to open five new medical schools as part of a drive to make the UK self-sufficient in doctors by 2025. However, with doctors taking seven years to train, he is pushing for doctors and nurses to be removed from the Tier 2 cap until newly-trained staff are able to enter the workforce. Chancellor Philip Hammond (pictured), who wants even looser restrictions on skilled workers, is also said to be ready to back the cause Whitehall sources last night acknowledged there was a debate within government about the issue but one insider said Mrs May had given no indication that she would back down. Dr Sarah Wollaston, Tory chairman of the Commons health committee, said applying the visa cap to doctors makes no sense at all. She added: It should be lifted immediately, and in a way that does not disadvantage other skilled groups, such as scientists. Our immigration policy should be designed to benefit the UK not leave science, healthcare and industry with a shortfall of vital skilled workers. The BMJ has launched a campaign to scrap the cap, warning that the current system is leaving hundreds of NHS posts remaining unfilled, putting extra pressure on overstretched staff and threatening the care of patients. It says NHS trusts are being forced to pay overseas doctors up to 50 per cent more than their UK counterparts to ensure they are eligible for visas. The Home Office said about one in three Tier 2 visas already go to the NHS. Controversial plans for a customs partnership with the EU have been quietly dropped following opposition from Cabinet Brexiteers. Theresa May set up a Cabinet group last month to revive the option after it was mauled by Eurosceptic ministers. But Whitehall sources revealed last night that almost no work has been done on the plan, with Government efforts focused on an alternative favoured by Cabinet Brexiteers. Sources said the working group of Mrs Mays deputy David Lidington, Environment Secretary Michael Gove and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox had met just once. Sources said the working group of Mrs Mays deputy David Lidington, Environment Secretary Michael Gove (pictured) and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox had met just once One said it was a face-saving exercise to allow the option, which was backed by the Prime Minister, to die with dignity. Left-wingers campaign to stay in EU A group of Jeremy Corbyns closest supporters yesterday launched a campaign to keep Britain in the EU. Left Against Brexit unveiled a speaking tour to persuade Labour to drop its commitment to back Britains exit from the EU. The Labour leader has a long history of opposing the EU and has said the Brexit vote must be respected. Speakers include Manuel Cortes, head of the TSSA transport union, Michael Chessum, who helped found the pro-Corbyn Momentum group, and Labour MP Catherine West, a Corbyn ally. The group wants to change Labours stance but is not pushing for a second referendum. Mr Cortes, whose union helped run Mr Corbyns leadership campaign, called Brexit a Tory act of war on our class, adding: Frankly, there is no one better placed than Jeremy to call for peace and reconciliation with Europe. Advertisement By contrast, a group working on the Governments alternative plan maximum facilitation or Max Fac has held six meetings and conference calls. The group Brexit Secretary David Davis, Business Secretary Greg Clark and Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley has also visited the Irish border with the north. A Cabinet source said: It looks like it is the only game in town. Another said the customs partnership had taken too many blows to survive, adding: Its done. Thats not just the Brexiteer view, thats the view now from the Cabinet Office and even Downing Street. The focus on Max Fac comes despite a warning last month from HM Revenue and Customs that it could cost business an extra 20billion a year. Supporters of the scheme in Government accuse HMRC of trying to sabotage the plan. They say the figure was never briefed to ministers and believe the cost could be just a tenth of that amount. Under Max Fac, new technology and automation would be used to streamline customs procedures and remove the need for physical checks wherever possible. The demise of the customs partnership will be seen as a victory for Cabinet Brexiteers. The group Brexit Secretary David Davis (pictured), Business Secretary Greg Clark and Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley has also visited the Irish border with the north The plan would have meant that after Brexit, the UK would be forced to levy EU tariffs at the border and pass them to Brussels. In cases where the UK wanted to levy lower tariffs, firms would have to apply for a rebate. Critics warned it was unworkable and would stop the UK signing trade deals. Boris Johnson described it as crazy and Mr Gove said it was flawed. Ministers faced fresh controversy yesterday about how to resolve the issue of the Northern Ireland border. Reports claimed Mr Davis was backing a plan to let EU and UK regulations for goods and agriculture operate side by side in Northern Ireland. Liechtenstein has a similar double-hatted scheme. It would require the creation of a ten-mile-wide buffer zone along the 310-mile border to allow farmers and traders to operate freely across the border with no need for checkpoints. Mr Davis is said to have been persuaded that technology alone could not resolve the border problem after police said checkpoints and cameras could become a target for terrorists. Sources at the Department for Exiting the EU said it had been discussed, but denied Mr Davis backed it. The DUP also suggested it was unacceptable. The lack of an Irish solution makes appears to have scuppered ministers hopes to have agreed customs arrangements with the EU this month. A video of a firefighter giving CPR to a collapsed dog after saving it from a burning pet store has warmed the hearts of many in China. Emergency services rescued about 20 cats and dogs from a fire that broke out at a pet store in Anhui province yesterday. Footage from the scene shows a firefighter hunching over on the ground resuscitating a small unconscious pooch after the blaze. A firefighter saves a collapsed pooch from a burning pet shop in China and performs CPR on it One small white dog collapsed and remained unresponsive after being rescued from the fire Firefighters were alerted to the scene in Hefei city at about 6am on May 31. They had to use tools to pry open the metal gate of the store, which was not yet open for business. The fire ripped through the small shop, sending plumes of black smoke into the air. 'Move the pets outside first! Prepare the fire hose!' One firefighter was heard directing the others. Some of the pets appeared unconscious after being rescued. They had apparently inhaled too much smoke, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The firefighters laid the rescued pets on the ground and gave them oxygen from their respirators. Firefighters had to pry open the metal gate of the store, which was not yet open for business 'Move the pets outside first! Prepare the fire hose!' One firefighter was heard commanding Anhui firefighters were alerted to the scene in Hefei city at about 6am on Thursday After checking for signs of breathing, one fireman performed CPR on the pooch by pumping its tiny chest delicately while administering oxygen. Moments later, the dog came to One small dog collapsed after the blaze and remained unresponsive. After checking for signs of breathing, one fireman performed CPR on the pooch by pumping its tiny chest delicately while administering oxygen. Moments later, the dog came to thanks to the fireman's effort. Holding the cats and dogs to their chests, other firefighters carefully wiped the dust off the animals' tiny faces with damp towels. Later on, several puppies regained their energy and were heard barking and jumping around in their cages, wagging their tiny tails as if they were thanking the brave men who rescued them. Other firefighters carefully wipe the dust off the pets' tiny faces with damp towels One of the rescued cats has its face cleaned with a damp towel after being rescued Several cats regain their energy and are heard meowing, as if they were thanking the rescuers A fireman checks one of the rescued dogs to see if it's injured in the fire It was not known if any people were injured in the fire. The video, also posted onto the official channel of Anhui fire department, gained almost seven million views. Web users applauded the heroic actions of the firefighters. 'Each and every life is valuable,' one said. 'Thank you, brave firemen, for saving these animals!' 'Tiny angels encountering big angels,' another said. 'I'm so touched by these animal-loving firefighters.' A toddler has been saved after being trapped by the neck at an anti-theft grille 30 feet above ground in south-west China. Shocking footage shows the child holding onto the metal bars and struggling mid-air as one neighbour watched on. The mother managed to pull up the toddler before the police arrived, according to reports, and the child survived unscathed. A toddler has his head trapped between metal bars of an anti-theft grille outside his home in China (left). Neighbours position a blanket below to fetch the cihld in case of falling (right) The child, claimed to be two years old, was left unattended at home when the mother went out for grocery shopping, a neighbour told Yibin Jinjiang Online, a local media site. The child's gender has not been revealed. The incident happened in a residential area of Pingshan county in Yibin city, Sichuan Province on May 30. The child apparently climbed out of the window and was trapped between the metal bars of an anti-theft grille on the second floor. Footage shows the toddler dangerously swinging back and forth at about 30 feet high. A man, assumed to be a neighbour, can be seen watching closely by a window. However, he did not appear to offer any help to the struggling child. A group of residents held a large blanket and positioned it below the toddler as they prepared to catch the child. A man, assumed to be a neighbour, watches on as the two-year-old struggles and kicks mid-air The mother allegedly rushed back home and pulled up her child before the police arrived Pingshan police rushed to the scene three minutes after receiving the report, according to Chengdu Business Daily. Luckily, the toddler was lifted and pulled back inside the house by the mother before the policemen arrived, said the report. It's believed the child had not sustained any injuries. The mother refused to comment on the incident to local reporters. Billions of super-fleas are about to invade UK homes, experts have warned. The recent hot and humid weather, with lots of thunderstorms, has created ideal breeding conditions for the insects. The males, known as 'super-fleas', have penises 2.5 times the length of their body. They are becoming increasingly resistant to insecticides and are causing havoc for humans, as well as pets. Scroll down for video Pet owners across the UK are being warned that a huge infestation of fleas could soon be heading their way. The influx is being caused by rising temperatures that provide the ideal breeding ground for fleas Ged Cranny, store manager at Pets at Home in Weymouth, Dorset, said there could be a mass flea invasion this summer unless people take precautions. Pet owners should check their home, as well as their dog or cat, for a flea infestation. He said fleas can live within bedding as well as soft furnishings used by the whole family. He advised all pet owners to wash pet bedding regularly at 60 degrees, clean furniture, hoover carpet and throw away the vacuum cleaner dustbag after each clean. He also says people should check their pet's coat for 'flea dirt', which appears as brown or black spots. Nigel Binns, a pest control expert from Basis Prompt, said: 'The activity and behaviour of fleas is often very much dependent on the climate. 'Mild temperatures during the winter means that fewer than usual will have been killed off and, as they thrive in a warm and humid environment, they're likely to be present in greater numbers than usual during the next few weeks. 'The population of fleas seems to have grown rapidly in recent years, but the risk of an infestation could be bigger than ever this summer.' Fleas are known for their painful and itchy bites, and are usually carried into homes by cats and dogs, who can catch the pests from wildlife rodents, such as rats and foxes. Nigel Binns, a pest control expert from Basis Prompt, says that the key thing to look out for is your pet itching. He said: 'That can be confirmed, in cats or dogs with light-coloured coats, by brushing back their hair and finding either fleas or droppings' (stock image) Once in the home, the creatures can easily hop around on furniture, carpets and rugs, where the females can lay up to 50 eggs every day. And in warm and humid conditions, these eggs take just a few days to hatch. Mr Binns says that the key thing to look out for is your pet itching. He said: 'That can be confirmed, in cats or dogs with light-coloured coats, by brushing back their hair and finding either fleas or droppings. WHAT CAN YOU DO TO GET RID OF FLEAS? Billions of super-fleas with penises twice the size of their bodies are about to invade UK homes following warm weather. But experts claim there are steps you can take to get rid of them: - Wash pet bedding regularly at 60 degrees - Clean furniture to help destroy fleas at each stage of their life-cycle - Vigorously hoover carpets, floorboards and skirting boards - Throw away the vacuum cleaner dust-bag after each clean - Check their pet's coat for 'flea dirt' - brown or black spots - Regularly treat your pet with a flea treatment throughout the year - Treat your home annually with a household flea spray to prevent infestations Nigel Binns, a pest control expert from Basis Prompt, said: 'The activity and behaviour of fleas is often very much dependent on the climate. 'Mild temperatures during the winter means that fewer than usual will have been killed off and, as they thrive in a warm and humid environment, they're likely to be present in greater numbers than usual during the next few weeks. 'The population of fleas seems to have grown rapidly in recent years, but the risk of an infestation could be bigger than ever this summer.' Advertisement 'In dark-coated breeds, it may be better to comb the animal over a light coloured bed-sheet or towel to highlight any fleas or their droppings as they fall. 'The identity of the black specks may be confirmed by adding a few drops of water. If they turn red, your pet has fleas. 'Bite marks on you or members of the family, usually around ankles or legs, often leave small red spots which are itchy. 'And, if you do have fleas in your home, you may even see them jumping on your carpet or furniture.' If your home does become infested with fleas, Mr Binns recommends thoroughly cleaning all bedding and furniture, as well as floors and skirting boards. Over the years, fleas have become resistant to many older insecticides. However, modern chemical treatments should still be very effective, experts say. Binns added: 'Fleas found on pets are usually only a small part of a bigger issue, as the vast majority of any flea infestation is probably living in the house. 'Anyone treating their pet must be sure to treat their home thoroughly at the same time or the problem is highly likely to return.' Fleas are known for their extraordinarily generous manhoods. The small arthropods are in possession of a 3.3mm (0.12 inches) penis, which may not sound like much, but is almost 2.5 times the length of their entire body. On an average human, that would result in a four-metre (13ft) member. Fleas hold the record for the biggest penis of any insect, but are not the record-holders for the entire animal kingdom. That honour goes to the barnacle, which has a penis that measures eight times its own body length, which would work out at 14 metres (45ft) on an average human. Fleas keep their lengthy genitals coiled up inside their abdomen. The penis itself is so thin and wispy that it requires a series of extra structures, dubbed penis rods, to support it during mating. Angry Facebook investors grilled Mark Zuckerberg at a shareholder meeting this week, warning the company risked becoming a 'corporate dictatorship'. The billionaire executive was urged to 'take a page from history' and 'emulate Washington, not Putin', during the heated encounter. One investor argued that Facebook's recent Cambridge Analytica data scandal was tantamount to a human rights violation. The group's remarks were in response to a number of recent Facebook controversies, including Russian interference in the US presidential election, the spread of fake news and concerns over user privacy. Scroll down for video Angry Facebook investors grilled Mark Zuckerberg at a shareholder meeting this week, warning the company risked becoming a 'corporate dictatorship'. One investor argued that Facebook's recent data scandal was tantamount to a human rights violation (file photo) Shareholders at the meeting in Menlo Park, California, which was webcast, also targeted Facebook's tax planning and refusal to release reports on pay by gender. Will Lana of Trillium Asset Management said that his firm had identified 'at least 15 distinct controversies' facing the company. He argued for a change to the board's approach to risk management to avoid further scandal. 'The proof of the current structure's inadequacies is on display in the current headlines,' Lana said. Facebook risked becoming a 'corporate dictatorship,' James McRitchie, another of the company's investors, told Zuckerberg. 'Mr Zuckerberg, take a page from history,' McRitchie added. 'Emulate George Washington, not Vladimir Putin.' Zuckerberg was urged to 'take a page from history' and 'Emulate Washington, not Putin' during a shareholder meeting on Thursday (file photo) A plane pulling a banner that read 'YOU BROKE DEMOCRACY' flew over during the meeting. The aircraft advertised Freedom From Facebook, a group of privacy activists that are pushing the US Federal Trade Commission to split up the company. Investors also set their sights on Facebook's recent data scandal, which eventually forced Zuckerberg to speak in front of members of Congress, as well as EU officials. It was revealed in March that Facebook had handed over the private data of millions users to the now-defunct political consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica. WHAT IS THE CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA SCANDAL? Communications firm Cambridge Analytica has offices in London, New York, Washington, as well as Brazil and Malaysia. The company boasts it can 'find your voters and move them to action' through data-driven campaigns and a team that includes data scientists and behavioural psychologists. 'Within the United States alone, we have played a pivotal role in winning presidential races as well as congressional and state elections,' with data on more than 230 million American voters, Cambridge Analytica claims on its website. The company profited from a feature that meant apps could ask for permission to access your own data as well as the data of all your Facebook friends. The data firm suspended its chief executive, Alexander Nix (pictured), after recordings emerged of him making a series of controversial claims, including boasts that Cambridge Analytica had a pivotal role in the election of Donald Trump This meant the company was able to mine the information of 87 million Facebook users even though just 270,000 people gave them permission to do so. This was designed to help them create software that can predict and influence voters' choices at the ballot box. The data firm suspended its chief executive, Alexander Nix, after recordings emerged of him making a series of controversial claims, including boasts that Cambridge Analytica had a pivotal role in the election of Donald Trump. This information is said to have been used to help the Brexit campaign in the UK. Advertisement The company profited from a feature that meant apps could ask for permission to access your own data as well as the data of all your Facebook friends. This meant it was able to mine the information of 87 million Facebook users even though just 270,000 people gave them permission to do so. Christine Jantz, chief investment officer at Northstar Asset Management, another Facebook investor said Thursday: 'If privacy is a human right then we contend that Facebook's poor stewardship of user data is tantamount to a human rights violation.' Zuckerberg responded by reiterating the company's previous plans to verify the identity of advertisers and to increase security spending. 'We're going to make sure that we take a broader view of our responsibility,' Zuckerberg said. 'At the same time we also feel a responsibility to keep building the next generation of new experiences that are going help us all connect in meaningful new ways.' He also promised the platform would be more transparent in its efforts in future, such as putting out reports on fake accounts. '[This is a] good way to have people in the community judge our process toward this and hold us accountable,' Zuckerberg added. Facebook executives said the firm rejected all shareholder proposals at the meeting, while all eight of its director nominees were elected, according to Reuters. Proposals included calls for a new voting structure and greater oversight and transparency. HOW DOES FACEBOOK COLLECT DATA ON USERS WHEN THEY VISIT OTHER SITES? Facebook has been embroiled in a massive data scandal after it was revealed that at least 87 million users' data was harvested without their knowledge. Much of the attention has been cast on how the firm collects data when users are on the site. In a new blog post, Facebook has provided further details on how it tracks users when they're off of the site. It also means non-Facebook users are also tracked as they browse the web. Here are some of Facebook's services and plugins that collect data on users when they're not on the site: Social plugins Many sites have 'Like' and 'Share' buttons that connect to Facebook, while many apps or sites use 'Facebook login,' which allows you to log into another site or app using your Facebook account This collects your IP address, browser and operating system information and the address of the website or app you're using. Facebook Analytics The firm says it helps websites and apps 'better understand' how people use their services. It gives websites and apps information on which users are visiting their site, based on demographics like age, gender and location, as well as what they click and how much time they spend on the website. This collects your IP address, browser information and cookies. Facebook ads and measurement tools These enable websites and apps to show ads from Facebook advertisers, run their ads on Facebook or elsewhere and glean more data on ad campaigns. Facebook's main services for this are the Facebook Audience Network, Facebook Pixel and Facebook ad measurement. Advertisement It remains unclear to what extent outside shareholders sided with Facebook and Zuckerberg. He and other insiders control about 60 per cent of votes at the company. Following the fiery meeting, shares of Facebook rose 2.19 per cent on Thursday to close at $191.78 (144.09) per share. Experts suggested the jump was a sign investors don't expect Facebook's recent controversies to have a negative impact long term. It may also reflect investors buying Facebook stock while it is relatively low following a plummet in share value in March and April. China's drone-killing lasers have successfully destroyed an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from 1,000 feet (300 metres) away. The feat was demonstrated at a recent arms conference in Kazakhstan and comes amid growing tensions with the US. Sources say the portable laser weapon can intercept low-altitude drones and could also gun down moving targets and naval vessels. However, details about exactly how it works have yet to be revealed. Scroll down for video China's drone-killing lasers have successfully intercepted an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from 1,000 feet (300 metres) away. The feat was demonstrated at a recent arms conference in Kazakhstan and comes amid growing tensions with the US The technology arm of China's largest state-owned arms dealer, China Poly Group, tested the gun at last week's International Exhibition of Weapons Systems and Military Equipment in Astana, Kazakhstan. According to developers, drones with large payloads are becoming easier to obtain and could be used to launch terror attacks, writes Asia Times. For this reason they say police forces around the world would be increasingly in need of tools like this gun to counter them. The 30-100KW vehicle-based laser weapon, which was first used at the G20 summit in Hangzhou in 2016, has a beam that can cut through sheet steel. It can penetrate a target with an exterior as thick as 10mm from 2,600 feet (800 metres) away. It has also been revealed that a civilian version of the weapon with reduced power could be used by government officials or celebrities concerned about their privacy. The 30-100KW vehicle-based laser weapon has a beam that can cut through sheet steel. It can penetrate a target with an exterior as thick as 10mm from 2,600 feet (800 metres) away WHAT IS THE 'SILENT HUNTER' LASER? The 'Silent Hunter' is a Chinese counter-drone laser weapon system. It was first used at the G20 summit in Hangzhou in 2016. The technology arm of China's largest state-owned arms dealer, China Poly Group, tested the gun at the International Exhibition of Weapons Systems and Military Equipment in Astana, Kazakhstan in May. The 30-100kw vehicle-based laser weapon has a beam that can cut through sheet steel, developers say. It can penetrate a target with an exterior as thick as 10mm from 2,600 feet (800 metres) away, sources say. It has also been revealed a civilian version of the weapon with reduced power could be used by government officials or celebrities concerned about their privacy. According to the developers, drones with large payloads are becoming easier to obtain and could be used to launch terror attacks. Developers said police forces around the world would be increasingly in need of tools like this gun to counter them. It is not clear how strong the laser beam is or exactly how it works. However, there is reason to believe they could be extremely powerful, which could be worrying as military tensions escalate between China and the US. Advertisement The development of the weapon comes as tensions soar between the US and China. Last month US officials demanded Beijing investigate a series of incidents involving military-grade lasers in Djibouti dating back several weeks, spokeswoman Dana White said. 'They are very serious incidents,' Ms White said. 'This activity poses a true threat to our airmen.' In one case, two pilots on a C-130 cargo plane (pictured) suffered minor eye injuries as they came in to land at the base in the Horn of Africa nation WHAT IS THE ISSUE INVOLVING MILITARY LASERS BETWEEN THE US AND CHINA? According to US officials, Chinese nationals have on multiple occasions shone military-grade laser pointers at US pilots operating out of the American base in Djibouti. Officials have issued a formal diplomatic complaint and demanded Beijing investigate a series of incidents dating back several weeks, spokeswoman Dana White said in May. 'They are very serious incidents,' Ms White said. 'This activity poses a true threat to our airmen.' In one case, two pilots on a C-130 cargo plane suffered minor eye injuries as they came in to land at the base in the Horn of Africa nation. Located at Djibouti international airport, the US military's Camp Lemonnier base is its only permanent facility in Africa. It is used largely for counter-terrorism operations in East Africa and Yemen. China last year opened a naval base in Djibouti, only a few miles (kilometers) from the US facility, marking the first overseas base for Beijing's rapidly growing military. Ms White said she was 'confident' that whoever had shone the high-powered lasers was Chinese. In April the Federal Aviation Administration published a warning to pilots to use extreme caution in the area. 'There have been multiple lazing events involving a high-power laser in the vicinity,' the warning reads. Advertisement In one case, two pilots on a C-130 cargo plane suffered minor eye injuries as they came in to land at the base in the Horn of Africa nation, another spokeswoman, Major Sheryll Klinkel, told AFP. Located at Djibouti international airport, the US military's Camp Lemonnier base is its only permanent facility in Africa. It is used largely for counter-terrorism operations in East Africa and Yemen. China last year opened a naval base in Djibouti, only a few miles (kilometers) from the US facility, marking the first overseas base for Beijing's rapidly growing military. Ms White said she was 'confident' that whoever had shone the high-powered lasers was Chinese. China has unveiled ambitious plans to build a new space station and put it in orbit by 2020. According to China's Ambassador to the UN, construction of the space station is already underway and the craft will be open for scientists around the world to use from 2022. Like the International Space Station (ISS), the China Space Station (CSS) would orbit 250 miles (400km) above Earth. China hopes the space station will be operational for around a decade, supporting astronauts for 180-day stints. This means it could outlive the ISS which may lose its funding from the White House as soon as 2024, according to the latest documents. Scroll down for video China has unveiled ambitious plans to build a new space station (artist's impression) and put it in orbit by 2020. According to China's Ambassador to UN, construction is already underway and will be open for scientists around the world to use from 2022 'CSS belongs not only to China, but also to the world,' said Shi Zhongjun, China's Ambassador to UN, according to state-run news agency Xinhua. 'All countries, regardless of their size and level of development, can participate in the cooperation on an equal footing,' he said. The CSS is due to be launched by 2019 and will be fully operational by 2022, according to the documents released by the UN's Office for Outer Space Affairs. Up to three astronauts will be able to live in the CSS - which consists of one core module and two experimental ones - at the same time. 'Through the vehicle of CSS, we would like to build up a model of sincere mutual beneficial cooperation among countries in the peaceful exploration and use of outer space,' Mr Shi said. The US initially banned China from participating in the ISS project, which is run by the European Space Agency, Canada, Russia and Japan. Last month China launched a relay satellite (pictured). It was part of the country's mission to become the first to soft-land a probe on the moon's far side, also known as the dark side because it faces away from Earth and is comparatively unknown It looks like the new space station could also out-live the ISS. The Trump administration is thinking about privatising the International Space Station, according to NASA documents obtained by the Washington Post in February. The White House wants to stop funding for the station after 2024, the documents indicate, and is working on a transition plan to hand the orbiting lab over to private industry. 'NASA will expand international and commercial partnerships over the next seven years in order to ensure continued human access to and presence in low Earth orbit,' the document said. More would be given to the project for additional years 'to enable the development and maturation of commercial entities and capabilities which will ensure that commercial successors to the ISS potentially including elements of the ISS are operational when they are needed.' WHAT WAS CHINA'S OUT-OF-CONTROL TIANGOING-1 SPACE STATION? China lost control of its first ever space station, Tiangong-1, in 2016, just five years after its launch. The 10.4-metre-long (34ft) spacecraft was left to spiral back toward Earth with no way of anticipating where it would land. In December 2017, China alerted the United Nations that Tiangong-1 would come down by late March 2018 but could not predict exactly when or where. It was carrying highly toxic chemicals and could have crashed into a number of highly populated areas, including New York, Barcelona and Chicago, according to researchers' estimated flight paths. Tiangong-1 came down in the central Pacific Ocean on April 2, 2018, and mostly burned up in the atmosphere upon re-entry. A second Chinese space station, Tiangong-2, was launched in 2016 after Tiangong-1 went offline, and remains in orbit. Advertisement Between 1999 and 2017, China has had 15 sucessful space missions. Last month China launched a relay satellite. It was part of the country's mission to become the first to soft-land a probe on the moon's far side, also known as the dark side because it faces away from Earth and is comparatively unknown. The satellite is named Quegiao or Magpie Bridge after an ancient Chinese folk tale about an arc formed by birds which reunites two lovers. It is set to connect the ground station with the lunar probe which is due to launch later this year. China lost control of its first ever space station Tiangong-1 in 2016, just five years after its launch. The 10.4-metre-long (34ft) spacecraft was left to spiral back toward Earth with no way of anticipating where it would land. EXPLAINED: THE $100 BILLION INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION SITS 250 MILES ABOVE THE EARTH The International Space Station (ISS) is a $100 billion (80 billion) science and engineering laboratory that orbits 250 miles (400 km) above Earth. It has been permanently staffed by rotating crews of astronauts and cosmonauts since November 2000. Crews have come mainly from the US and Russia, but the Japanese space agency JAXA and European space agency ESA have also sent astronauts. The International Space Station has been continuously occupied for more than 20 years and has been expended with multiple new modules added and upgrades to systems Research conducted aboard the ISS often requires one or more of the unusual conditions present in low Earth orbit, such as low-gravity or oxygen. ISS studies have investigated human research, space medicine, life sciences, physical sciences, astronomy and meteorology. The US space agency, NASA, spends about $3 billion (2.4 billion) a year on the space station program, with the remaining funding coming from international partners, including Europe, Russia and Japan. So far 244 individuals from 19 countries have visited the station, and among them eight private citizens who spent up to $50 million for their visit. There is an ongoing debate about the future of the station beyond 2025, when it is thought some of the original structure will reach 'end of life'. Russia, a major partner in the station, plans to launch its own orbital platform around then, with Axiom Space, a private firm, planning to send its own modules for purely commercial use to the station at the same time. NASA, ESA, JAXA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) are working together to build a space station in orbit around the moon, and Russia and China are working on a similar project, that would also include a base on the surface. Advertisement In December 2017, China alerted the United Nations that Tiangong-1 would come down by late March 2018 but could not predict exactly when or where. It was carrying highly toxic chemicals and could have crashed into a number of highly populated areas, including New York, Barcelona and Chicago. Tiangong-1 came down in the central Pacific Ocean on April 2, 2018, and mostly burned up in the atmosphere upon re-entry. A second Chinese space station, Tiangong-2, was launched in 2016 after Tiangong-1 went offline and remains in orbit. Google is ending its controversial 'Project Maven' deal with the Pentagon. Google Cloud boss Diane Greene informed employees of the decision during an internal meeting on Friday morning, Gizmodo reported, citing sources close to the situation. The contract, in which the Pentagon used Google's artificial intelligence technologies to analyze drone footage, was set to expire in 2019. Greene told employees that it won't be renewing the contract once it expires. Scroll down for video Google is calling off its controversial 'Project Maven' program with the Pentagon. The contract is set to expire in 2019 and Google Cloud CEO Diane Greene said they won't renew it past then The decision comes after Google faced months of backlash over its involvement in the program, with nearly a dozen employees resigning from the company as a result of the move. And more than 3,000 employees penned a letter addressed to Google, saying it shouldn't be 'in the business of war'. During the meeting on Friday, Greene told employees that the backlash has been 'terrible for the company,' according to Gizmodo. At one time, Google was interested in pursuing partnerships with the military, Greene said. But it has since adjusted its stance, and now plans to release updated ethical principles about its use of AI next week, Gizmodo noted. It was revealed in March that Google is engaging in a mysterious drone program with the Pentagon, with participation from Nvidia and other tech firms and academic institutions. Work on the project began last April. Google has been dealing with significant backlash since it was revealed that the firm is participating in a military drone project. Thousands of employees penned a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai (pictured) urging the company to pull out of the contract Pictured is footage of a truck from the view of a camera on a MQ-9 Reaper, which is an unmanned aerial vehicle used by the military for surveillance purposes in war zones At the time, Google said its TensorFlow software would be used for 'non-offensive uses only,' namely assisting in object recognition on unclassified data. Greene had recently assured employees that the technology won't 'operate or fly drones' and 'will not be used to launch weapons'. Google executives also said the contract was of little value. However, leaked emails showed that Google's business development unit hoped to make as much as $250 million per year from the military drone project, according to documents obtained by the Intercept. In the emails, Dr. Fei-Fei Li, head scientist at Google Cloud, wrote that she was worried about how the public would perceive the project. 'This is red meat to the media to find all ways to damage Google,' Li wrote, according to the Intercept. 'You probably heard Elon Musk and his comment about AI causing WW3' 'I dont know what would happen if the media starts picking up a theme that Google is secretly building AI weapons or AI technologies to enable weapons for the Defense industry,' she continued. Li added that the firm should take care to protect the 'very positive images' presented by Google Cloud about 'Democratizing AI' and 'Humanistic AI'. Leaked emails showed that Google's business development unit hoped to make as much as $250 million per year from the military drone project, according to the Intercept Google hoped to build a 'Google-earth-like' surveillance system that enabled military analysts to 'click on a building and see everything associated with it' In a set of additional emails obtained by Gizmodo, executives describe how Google had wide-ranging plans for the AI drones. The firm hoped to build a 'Google-earth-like' surveillance system that enabled military analysts to 'click on a building and see everything associated with it' and construct graphs of things like vehicles, people and other detailed features for 'the entire city,' according to Gizmodo. Previously, Google said the technology wasn't being used to identify people, but things like trees, birds and other generic objects. Google's AI had developed a higher accuracy rate in being able to classify images for Project Maven, detecting cars that had been missed by image labelers, Gizmodo said. 'Among other things, the results showed several cases that with 90+ percent confidence the model detected vehicles which were missed by expert labelers,' Reza Ghanadan, a senior engineering program manager at Google, wrote in an email. Googlers had shown frustration with the company over Project Maven's potential implications. In the letter, the staffers argue that the project could 'irreparably damage' Google's brand and its ability to retain top talent moving forward. WHAT IS PROJECT MAVEN? The U.S. military has been looking to incorporate elements of artificial intelligence and machine learning into its drone program. Project Maven, as the effort is known, aims to provide some relief to military analysts who are part of the war against Islamic State. These analysts currently spend long hours staring at big screens reviewing video feeds from drones as part of the hunt for insurgents in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. The Pentagon is trying to develop algorithms that would sort through the material and alert analysts to important finds, according to Air Force Lieutenant General John N.T. 'Jack' Shanahan, director for defense intelligence for warfighting support. A British Royal Air Force Reaper hunter killer unmanned aerial vehicle on the flight line February 21, 2014 in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Military bosses say intelligence analysts are 'overwhelmed' by the amount of video being recorded over the battlefield by drones with high resolution cameras 'A lot of times these things are flying around(and)... there's nothing in the scene that's of interest,' he told Reuters. Shanahan said his team is currently trying to teach the system to recognize objects such as trucks and buildings, identify people and, eventually, detect changes in patterns of daily life that could signal significant developments. 'We'll start small, show some wins,' he said. A Pentagon official said the U.S. government is requesting to spend around $30 million on the effort in 2018. Similar image recognition technology is being developed commercially by firms in Silicon Valley, which could be adapted by adversaries for military reasons. Shanahan said he' not surprised that Chinese firms are making investments there. 'They know what they're targeting,' he said. Research firm CB Insights says it has tracked 29 investors from mainland China investing in U.S. artificial intelligence companies since the start of 2012. The risks extend beyond technology transfer. 'When the Chinese make an investment in an early stage company developing advanced technology, there is an opportunity cost to the U.S. since that company is potentially off-limits for purposes of working with (the Department of Defense),' the report said. Advertisement 'Amid growing fears of biased and weaponized AI, Google is already struggling to keep the public's trust,' the employees wrote. Should Google continue with the project, it risks damaging some of its core values, they noted. '...Google's unique history, its motto 'Don't Be Evil', and its direct reach into the lives of billions of users set it apart', they added. The employees went on to say that Project Maven could put Google on par with the likes of shadowy defense contractors like Palantir, Raytheon and General Dynamics. Further, the staffers said that even though peers like Amazon and Microsoft have worked on defense projects with the government, that's not a bullet-proof argument. 'This contract puts Google's reputation at risk and stands in direct opposition to our core values,' the letter continues. 'Building this technology to assist the US government in military surveillance -- and potentially lethal outcomes -- is not acceptable', A new record has been set by Qantas for the fastest ever passenger flight time from Australia to the UK. The Boeing 787-9 from Perth to London Heathrow completed the journey in 16 hours and 29 minutes instead of the scheduled 17 hours and 20 minutes. This means that a total of almost an hour was slashed off the expected flight time and beats the previous record of 16 hours and 35 minutes, also set by Qantas. A Qantas Boeing 787-9 has set the record for the fastest flight time between Perth, Western Australia, and London Heathrow. In fact, the QF9 service that left Perth on Tuesday evening was so quick, it is understood that the flight crew was warned that it could arrive too early, according to airlineratings.com. This is because Heathrow has a curfew on planes taking off and landing at night and the plane touched down at 4.36am local time - just minutes after the restrictions were lifted. The 9,000 mile service also marked another milestone as it was the first time the Perth to London leg, which flies against prevailing winds, was quicker than the return trip from the UK to Australia. The route from Perth to London is just over 9,000 miles and Qantas launched the first non-stop flights between Australia and London in March The airline's chief technical pilot, Alex Passerini, has previously revealed the biggest issue for the flight path is struggling with headwinds. He explained: 'It is the most technically challenging route that Qantas flies today because of that complexity of the airspace that we deal with and some of the challenges that poses.' The Dreamliner aircraft used on the route boasts of a number of advantages over other models, including lower cabin noise, larger windows, improved air quality and technology to reduce turbulence. The inaugural flight from Perth to London lands at Heathrow in March. The plane has 42 business class flat-bed seats, 28 premium economy seats and 166 economy seats The plane has 42 business class flat-bed seats, 28 premium economy seats and 166 economy seats. It carries around 92 tonnes or 110,000 litres of fuel, burning approximately 20 per cent less than traditional aircraft its size. There are also more than 21,000 individual items loaded onto the aircraft for each flight including 330 peppermint tea bags and hundreds of chocolate biscuits. Qantas launched the first non-stop flights between Australia and London in March to enormous fanfare. The flight is 24 per cent further than the UK's previous longest route, operated by Garuda Indonesia between Heathrow and Jakarta - a measly 7,275 miles in comparison. Soaps have come a long way since the very first British Soap Awards, and tonights 20th ceremony (ITV, 8pm) is a good time to reflect on their achievements. It is extraordinary that soaps remain top of the ratings, even though numbers have diminished substantially. But how much has changed? The number of highly dramatic storylines has undoubtedly increased, but they are not a new phenomenon. Hollyoaks dealt with male rape 18 years ago, marking a watershed moment in soap history. Gary Lucys brilliant portrayal of victim Luke is one of the most memorable performances ever he won Best Newcomer at the Soap Awards that year. Award winners are a much younger bunch now. As Hollyoaks and recently Doctors have a stronger showing in the line-up, younger peoples achievements are celebrated more. In this week's Coronation Street Rosie (pictured with Craig and Gemma and hosts Holly and Phil) is offered a job on a Japanese TV game show whilst visiting ITV's This Morning There is more than a passing nod to the older actors, though, probably because the judging panel now decides most of the results. The public tend to vote for the same people every year, so this is a welcome change. And for the first time ever, the awards will be broadcast live. Enjoy! CORONATION STREET: THE FUTURES ROSIE The only thing that makes Weatherfields solicitors office bearable is Rosie. With her huge fluffy earrings dangling like two Pomeranians, every word she utters is a riot. Sadly, its about to end when she engineers a drugs bust to get back at her old adversary Antoine. Daytime TV comes calling in the form of This Morning (ITV really likes to promote its own), where Rosie is spotted by a modelling agent and offered a job on a Japanese TV game show. Given that I doubt she can spell sushi (saying it might be a bit of a push, too), thatll be an uphill climb. So, sadly, its goodbye to Rosie, who has been not so much a breath of fresh air as a veritable gale force wind. What she has left on the photocopier, however, is about to change someones life (and its not a copy of her posterior). At least Rosemary the medium is back, suggesting that Gail pay her 3,000 to remove Richards curse. Roy agrees to lend her the money if he can go with her. Determined to expose Rosemary as a fraud, Roy attends her psychic event in search of evidence. Having claimed to be in touch with Richard, Hayley and Alma, whos next? The Street has an extensive death list its going to be a long day. Stacey and Martin are caught re-bonding in Martin's van in this week's EastEnders EASTENDERS: A SHED LOAD OF LOVING Some couples are just meant to be together. Sadly, none of them live in Walford, where everyone would be better off hibernating from puberty until death, just to save themselves the grief that every relationship entails. The Martin/Sonia/Stacey love triangle appeared to have been resolved with Martin and Stacey deciding they belonged togevver. But nothing is that simple. When Stacey accuses Martin of being embarrassed by her (no surprise if he were) by not being honest with Bex, she agrees to a date with Shrimpys mate (where do they get these ridiculous nicknames?). When Martin spots her on the date in the Vic (where else?), they resolve their differences. Now it gets messy. To keep their re-bonding quiet, they sneak around grabbing each other whenever they can. The allotment shed wouldnt have been top of my list, especially as they are seen by Ted, who mistakes Stacey for Sonia. Next is Martins van, where the police catch them. Ever thought about a movie date night? Ross and Dawn (pictured) share a kiss after Rebecca doesn't show up for a date with Ross in this week's Emmerdale Its a big week for the police. Suspecting Vincent is dead, Kim visits them, and they are still dealing with the fallout from the E20 robbery (all 12 in takings?) and Shakils murder. How do they have time to poke around in vans looking for a barrow boy and his terminally miserable wife? Lacey Turner (Stacey) has won seven Soap Awards. Its a pity she hasnt used them to dispense with several locals. Yes, I mean you, Karen. And chess players. EMMERDALE: A NEW DAWN Someone tell Ross and Pete not every day has to end with them removing clothes. When Rebecca doesnt show to a date with Ross, hes found by Dawn. Then we have OTLITA syndrome (One Thing Leads Inevitably To Another) and they kiss. Whats going to stop him? Short of being superglued into his trousers, very little. Rebecca is upset when she realises what happened. She got away lightly. Chas and Sarah are shocked when Debbie confesses she was behind Rosss acid attack. Still, at least we have Gerrys funeral to look forward to. The Grim Reapers arrival is about as cheery as it gets these days. Kanye West is gearing up for the release of his latest album, YE. The project was announced in April on Twitter along with several other GOOD Music releases, including Pusha T's new album, DAYTONA, a joint Kanye and Kid Cudi album called Kids See Ghosts and a new release from Teyana Taylor. Kanye shared a few details about the album, including potential singles, album art and more. Chicago-raised rapper Kanye West's latest album, YE, is set to release on Friday, June 1, 2018 Kanye West YE Kanye West's new album was initially called Turbo Grafx 16, according to a tweet from the rapper. He appears to have changed that at least once however. The rapper shared a screen grab of a conversation between him and someone called Wes, believed to be either Wes Lang or Sheck Wes, wherein they discussed title ideas. Wes suggested Kanye call the project LOVE EVERYONE, to which the father-of-three replied: 'I love that.' However, it's been revealed that the album's being called 'YE', after the rapper held a listening session in his Wyoming studio last night. As you may recall, when Kanye released The Life of Pablo in 2016, the title remained a mystery until it dropped. Leading up to the release date, the project's name changed several times. YE is Kanye's eighth solo studio album. When does Kanye West's album come out? Kanye West's album was released on Friday, June 1, 2018. YE is currently available for streaming on Tidal, Spotify and Apple Music. According to Kanye's website, fans can also get copy of the album in merchandise bundles. All music coming out of Yeezy sound has to ride like the new Tesla Yeezy sound is Tesla radio ye (@kanyewest) May 6, 2018 Kanye West YE album tracklist Kanye Wests latest album, Ye, contains seven songs. Neither Lift Yourself, nor Ye vs. the People (featuring T.I.) made the album. The tracklist is as follows: I Thought About Killing You Yikes All Mine Wouldnt Leave No Mistakes Ghost Town Violent Crimes On the opening track, I Thought About Killing You, Kanye raps about suicidal thoughts. Today I seriously thought about killing you. I contemplated, premeditated murder. And I think about killing myself, and I love myself way more than I love you, so, he says on the song. Kanye delves deeper into his mental health struggles on Yikes, calling his Bipolar disorder his super power. The rapper also touches on the #MeToo movement, nearly losing Kim Kardashian, Tristan Thompsons cheating scandal and his hopes for his daughters on Ye. According to Rap Genius, the album will also feature a song called Extacy, though the song does not appear on the tracklists visible on Spotify, Tidal or Apple Music. A number of stars have been spotted in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where Kanye's studio is located, which has fueled speculation about collaborations. Travis Scott, Tony Williams, The Dream, King Louie, ASAP Bari, Wheezy, Mike Dean and Pi'erre Bourne were spotted in the notorious ski town on various different occasions. .@trvisXX in Wyoming too? Seems like Kanye and Travis albums are getting closer... pic.twitter.com/DDj3Up7Pwd Hunter Segesta (@Segesta24) March 10, 2018 YE features collaborations with Ty Dolla $ign and Kid Cudi. It also features a contribution from Tame Impala's Kevin Parker. He told Australian radio station Triple J Kanye invited him to send over beats he'd created if he felt so inclined. The musician submitted a piece sampling You Keep Me Hangin' On by Vanilla Fudge, but heard nothing from Kanye about it. 'I was like, "Oh, he obviously hasn't used it." I hadn't heard anything back and wasn't invited [to Wyoming] that doesn't bode well,' Kevin said. Then he listened to YE and realized Kanye had 'used bits' of his creation on a track called Ghost Town. Kanye West album cover Kanye Wests album was initially going to be a photo of Jan Adams, the plastic surgeon who operated on his mother, Donda West, before she died. Kanye shared the photo with a friend, Identified only as Wes, writing, I want to forgive and stop hating. At the last minute, Kanye decided not to use the photo. Instead opting to use a picture of the scenery at his Jackson Hole, Wyoming, studio. Per a tweet from his wife, Kim Kardashian, the album cover photo was snapped by the rapper en route to his listening party on Thursday. He added text that reads, I hate being bi-polar its awesome. Kanye West album leak Kanye West's YE has not leaked. Rumors began swirling that it had due to a misleading Reddit post. For confidential support call the Samaritans in the UK on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch or click here for details. He's the sexy Melbourne model who caused a stir when he strutted into the Love Island villa this week as an intruder. But Elias Chigros hasn't always been so successful when it comes to striking a pose. The hunk, 27, starred in a controversial ad campaign for Boost Juice in 2017, which has since been banned following public backlash. REVEALED: Love Island's intruder Elias Chigros is the face of controversial banned Boost Juice adverts which faced backlash over 'cultural appropriation' Elias fronted their 'Summer Warrior' campaign, and the company was accused of cultural appropriation after Elias and other models donned fruit and body paint in the images. Many outraged consumers took to social media to slam the photo shoot, branding it 'tone deaf ignorant content', last November. In a statement on their Facebook page, Boost Juice responded: 'It has been brought to our attention that our recent Summer Warrior campaign has caused offence. This was genuinely not our intention. We sincerely apologise. Elias fronted their 'Summer Warrior' campaign, and the company was accused of cultural appropriation after Elias and other models donned fruit and body paint in the images 'We will be removing this campaign from our [social media] channels and we thank you for your feedback.' Explaining the concept to NITV in a second statement, a representative for the brand said they were trying to 'visualise the power of fruit and vegetables by having people wear it.' The brand added: 'We are proud to have a diverse workforce that is made up of people from many different cultures in both our stores and support office, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.' Although Elias's time as the face of Boost Juice may have been short lived, he's since starred in campaigns for brands such as Target and Myob. She has an incredible wardrobe to show off at showbiz affairs. So it's no surprise Winnie Harlow, 23, party hopped from Kurt Geiger's launch at Selfridges to her own REVOLVE 'LA Party In London at Hotel Cafe Royal on Thursday. Showing no signs of slowing down, Lewis Hamilton's rumoured ex-girlfriend put her phenomenal pins on display in her infinitely small blazer-style dress at the event sponsored by Ciroc. Long legs: Winnie Harlow displayed her towering legs in a tiny blazer dress as she party hopped across London on Thursday Really showing off her endless legs, the statuesque model sauntered into the swanky parties with killer heels which were embellished with microscopic baubles. Layering with several golden necklaces, the America's Next Top Model ensured eyes were on her cleavage in the perilously plunging garment. The Canadian born beauty wore her sleek straight tresses scraped off her face with no fringe and she applied heavy make-up to her eyes. Keep it going: Showing no signs of slowing down, Lewis Hamilton 's rumoured ex-girlfriend put her phenomenal pins on display in her infinitely small blazer-style dress at the event sponsored by Ciroc Having fun! Winnie was in high spirits as she was dancing at the REVOLVE 'LA Party in London While Winnie made a fashionable late appearance to her own party, Victoria's Secret Angel Chanel Iman made a stunning arrival. The model, who is expecting with New York Giants player Sterling Shepard, looked absolutely sensational as she flaunted her leggy frame in a clingy lilac mini-dress. It is no surprise the event attracted a glamorous guest list as Winnie counts a whole host of stars, including Nicki Minaj and Bella Hadid, as her pals. The stars were attending the bash in honour of premium clothing brand REVOLVE which has been worn by stars including Kim Kardashian and Emily Ratajkowski. London is the world launch of #REVOLVEAroundTheWorld which encompasses six events. Revolve has collaborated with ambassadors such as Alessandra Ambrosio, Olivia Culpo, Chrissy Teigen and Nicole Richie. Leggy lady: Really showing off her endless legs, the statuesque model sauntered into the swanky parties with killer heels which were embellished with microscopic baubles Earlier in Selfridges for the Kurt Geiger bash, Tallia Storm and Maya Jama joined forces with Pearl Mackie for the fun-filled extravaganza. The actress found fame on ANTM in 2014, where she was kicked out in the second week of finals, before returning to a comeback series where she finished 6th. Since then she has soared to fame in the industry and fronted campaigns for Desigual, Diesel and Swarovski atop a host of magazine covers. Pin-credible exit: Showing no signs of slowing down, Lewis Hamilton's rumoured ex-girlfriend put her phenomenal pins on display in her infinitely small blazer-style dress Earlier in April, the catwalk stunner discussed the changes in the modelling industry in an interview with ELLE Magazine. She explained: 'There is a big shift happening in the fashion industry in terms of beauty standards, and I feel Im part of that shift. 'I remember on Americas Next Top Model, Tyra Banks asked me if a photographer told me to cover my skin for a shoot, would I do it? I said no. I dont care who it is, or who thinks I should. Im going to stay true to myself. What a pair! While Winnie made a fashionable late appearance to her own party, Victoria's Secret Angel Chanel Iman made a stunning arrival Fabulous: The pregnant star was so glad to support her fellow model pal Winnie at her glamorous event in London Stealing a smooch! Showing how close the pair are, Winnie planted a tender kiss on her friend's baby bump as they posed for pictures at the party Pucker up! The statuesque model bent down on her knees when she affectionately kissed her pregnant pal's growing stomach Top gang! Chanel, Michael Mente, Raissa Gerona, Winnie and Victoria Justice were in the party mood Top night! The statuesque model continued the party as she rubbed shoulders with her pals at the occasion All night long! Earlier in the evening, Winnie sauntered into the Kurt Geiger party which was hosted across London at Selfridges Leggy lady! Showing no signs of slowing down, Lewis Hamilton 's rumoured ex-girlfriend put her phenomenal pins on display in her infinitely small blazer-style dress Sleek: The Canadian born beauty wore her sleek straight tresses scraped off her face with no fringe and she applied heavy make-up to her eyes Larking around: Since then she has soared to fame in the industry and fronted campaigns for Desigual, Diesel and Swarovski atop a host of magazine covers Good company: A whole galaxy of stars descended on the fashionable occasion including Stormzy's girlfriend Maya Jama Having fun! Maya joined forces with Winnie and Neelam Gill at the fashionable affair Trendy lady! The radio personality showcased her flare for fashion when she headed out in double denim as she teamed her jeans with a stylish jacket Vibrant: Maya injected a splash of colour into her ensemble by accessorising with a bright red bag and adding a shade of scarlet lipstick Pout and about: Stormzy's girlfriend is incredibly loved-up with her beau but she was flying solo on the glitzy occasion Great time: Maya threw her arms out in the air as she posed up a storm outside this glamorous venue Ladies night out! The musician's girlfriend held hands with her female companion when she headed out onto the tiles without Stormzy Turning heads: Tallia Storm put on a sultry display yet again onas she stepped out at the Kurt Keiger event wearing a thigh-skimming mini dress Beaming! The songstress, 19, donned the red leather number which boasted zip detailing up the front and was clinched around the waist with a belt Smoulder: The blonde beauty styled her shoulder-length locks in loose waves, adding a full face of make-up to her look in mauve tones Perky: The star hopped into a black cab following the event later in the evening Lady in red! Giggling Tallia Storm ensured she would be noticed in her stunning scarlet PVC dress as she made a giddy arrival with her pal Cute chic: Pearl Mackie put her abs on display in her tangerine crop top which she teamed with her PJs-style two-piece Stunner: Tiffany Watson arrived at the event wearing a plunging white jumpsuit adding a pop of colour to the ensemble with shocking pink stilettos Typically stylish: Chloe Lewis perfectly summer chic in a pair of lilac trousers and a knotted white blouse Vision in white! Tiffany later headed to REVOLVE with Chloe when they mingled among a whole host of stars Kelli O'Hara was reunited with her King and Ken Watanabe had his 'English school teacher' back. Did they dance? For a little bit. 'We ran in the room and just hugged and hugged and hugged,' Ms O'Hara told me. The pair are old friends. They shared the stage of the Vivian Beaumont Theater at the Lincoln Center in New York in the most glorious production of the Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II musical The King And I that I have ever seen (and I've sat through a few!). It's now heading into the London Palladium, with previews starting on June 21. Kelli O'Hara (pictured left) was reunited with her King and Ken Watanabe (right) had his 'English school teacher' back, writes Baz Bamigboye O'Hara joined the Palladium company and director Bartlett Sher in a rehearsal studio on Wednesday. 'It's 100 per cent my London debut,' she said. Everyone kept apologising to me, explaining that O'Hara was jet-lagged. You wouldn't have known it. Working with Sher again 'is like putting on an old shoe that fits pretty comfortably', she told me. 'We're back at it, and it's a good feeling.' She watched, fully engaged, as Dean John-Wilson, playing Burmese emissary Lun Tha, presented the King (who looked splendid in a tracksuit paired with day-glo Nike trainers) with a 'gift' in the shape of Na-Young Jeon's Tuptim. And then, like all of us in the room, she was entranced by Na-Young's beautiful voice as she sang My Lord And Master. Then it was her turn. Dressed in a work uniform of black slacks, T-shirt, cardie and, for contrast, a white hooped underskirt (well, it IS set in 1862, and Catherine Zuber's superb costumes are not for the rehearsal studio) she mapped her way through the King's wives as she quietly began to introduce the song Hello Young Lovers. Then she lifted it into the stratosphere. That's why she won a Tony Award for best actress in a musical. I've seen her in pretty much everything she has done in New York, from playing in the ensemble of Follies in 2001 through The Light In The Piazza (the first time she was directed by Sher) and on through The Pajama Game, South Pacific, Nice Work If You Can Get It and The Bridges Of Madison County. 'You heard that voice, right?' Sher asked me. 'Nobody has a better voice. And she has all that rich acting skill. I don't think there's a better soprano working in musical theatre.' It's true. Plus, she has this way of drawing an audience in. Sher agreed. Kelli O'Hara (pictured) has been reunited with Ken Watanabe for a new run of The King and I at the London Palladium 'The greatest of the actors make the biggest space feel like somebody's living room.' Ms O'Hara is from Oklahoma. She has an easy-going grace, but she's nobody's fool. Her co-star, Watanabe, said he's 'very happy' the Palladium has a proscenium stage, unlike the Beaumont's thrust. 'The proscenium is more comfortable for singing,' said the actor, best known for screen roles in Batman Begins, Inception and Letters From Iwo Jima. He's also thrilled to be doing the polka again with O'Hara. 'I listened to Hello Young Lovers hundreds of times backstage in New York and was so happy to hear it again today.' He's keen to present the show to the Palladium audience. 'This story of the King of Siam and Anna the school teacher is completely England. 'English people, I think, love this story maybe more than in America. 'The story of different cultures, sexual feelings and the need to be a little more sensitive is a good story.' Sher said he waited for O'Hara and Watanabe to be available before agreeing to bring the show to London. 'He has all the traits of a real king,' Sher said of the actor, 'as opposed to the more elevated, over- the-top qualities that (Yul) Brynner had.' The director observed that Rodgers and Hammerstein had 'years and years of these weird versions that go for all the schmaltz and sentiment and don't get all the other stuff underneath. The King and I (Ken Watanbe pictured in rehearsals) is now heading into the London Palladium, with previews starting on June 21 'This is a kingdom in trouble it's got Cambodia all around it, it's besieged by colonialism, there are the stresses of the industrial revolution, it's a time of huge transformation. And he's trying to figure out how to protect his country. 'This school teacher shows up and gives him an insight into how to protect his country.' We talked a bit about how our perceptions of golden age musicals are changing because of the #metoo movement. But Sher insists that The King And I isn't a #metoo kind of show. 'We do have to think differently about how Anna and the King interact. But he lives in an era where men and women weren't equal. 'The bigger lesson is about the education of women in developing countries, and developing countries changing. 'He's in the middle of such a transformation and he has to change.' Watch out for... Tamara Lawrance, Hayley Atwell and Jack Lowden, who will star in a three-part BBC adaptation of Andrea Levys novel The Long Song. Lawrance will play the storys narrator July, a slave on a sugar plantation in Jamaica in the 19th century. Atwell plays Julys owner Caroline. And Lowden (far right) who was in Dunkirk and appears with Saoirse Ronan in Josie Rourkes film directorial debut Mary Queen Of Scots, plays Robert, concerned for the welfare of both women. Theyre terrific roles for all three. Lawrance was excellent as Cordelia in King Lear with Ian McKellen, though shes not available to join the West End transfer. And the drama comes hot on the heels of Atwells success in Howards End. Tamara Lawrance (pictured), Hayley Atwell and Jack Lowden, who will star in a three-part BBC adaptation of Andrea Levys novel The Long Song Hayley Atwell (pictured) will star in a new BBC drama based on the novel The Long Song Only Fools And Horses is heading from Peckham to the West End. A musical version of the classic BBC comedy about South- London street trader Del Boy Trotter one of those television character names that stays with you your whole life (Minnie Caldwell, anyone?) and his dodgy deals is in pre-production mode. Contracts haven't been signed yet but the show is being developed for a run at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, from either February or March of next year. Only Fools And Horses (Nicholas Lydnhurst and David Jason as Del Boy and Rodney pictured) is heading from Peckham to the West End, writes Baz Bamigboye Created by writer John Sullivan, the original Only Fools And Horses was launched in 1981 and slowly built into a television juggernaut. One of its Christmas episodes drew more than 24 million viewers. David Jason took Del Boy and made him his own; ditto Nicholas Lyndhurst, who played Del Boy's kid brother 'Rodders'. The duo became the stuff of TV legend. The actors are not involved in the stage production. But Sullivan's son Jim has written the show, with Paul Whitehouse. Whitehouse's representatives initially confirmed his involvement but have since refused to return calls or emails. Producer Phil McIntyre also did not respond to enquiries. I was particularly interested in knowing whether two songs written by John Sullivan for the TV series The Nags Head (the show's theme tune) and The Jolly Boys' Outing were being used or not. A spokesman at the Haymarket said they could not discuss the show, and that no decisions have been finalised. People who saw a workshop of the Only Fools And Horses show said they were surprised by how good it was. 'It was classy, and a lot of fun,' said one theatre executive who attended the event. 'Someone said they're going to have a Reliant Regal Supervan drive on stage, but I wasn't sure if they were serious or not,' the executive added. Well, whether that guy was being a plonker or not, we shall find out early next year. Contracts haven't been signed yet but the show (Del Boy and Rodney pictured) is being developed for a run at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, from either February or March of next year The National Theatre is exploring the possibility of transferring Natasha Gordons smash hit Nine Night, starring Cecilia Noble, to the West End. It would be a triumph for Gordon if the NT can do it. The National is riding high, following the move from the Dorfman to the Harold Pinter, of Nina Raines scorching play Consent. I also loved Ian Ricksons production of Translations on the Olivier stage. Ambulance Rating: On Monday this column cited Victorian prime minister Benjamin Disraeli's dictum, 'Never explain,' as the perfect maxim for TV thrillers. But that's only half the quote. The old opportunist also said: 'Never complain.' But in modern Britain, that's the worst possible advice. The sad truth is that those who moan the loudest get all the help, as Ambulance (BBC1) starkly proved. This fast-moving documentary, following paramedic crews through a tense and hectic night shift on an icy December night in Birmingham, started with a 999 call from an anxious woman whose mum had fallen out of bed. Betty was 89, and unable to get up. The sad truth is that those who moan the loudest get all the help, as Ambulance (BBC1) starkly proved 'I only went into the lounge for a moment,' the daughter fretted. But she wasn't trying to make a fuss: Betty didn't seem to be in pain, and they both knew the emergency services would be rushed off their feet on a Saturday. She was right about that. A horrendous pile-up at an underpass in the city centre had left six dead and more injured. The carnage was so terrible that, when the first responders arrived, they feared it was the aftermath of a terrorist attack. One-track minds of the night In every episode of Missions (BBC4), the French astronauts stranded on Mars speculate on where their leader keeps his infamous stash of porn magazines. Do the Continentals really think of nothing else? Advertisement This series is peerless at observing the emotions of all in the rescue services. Seasoned veteran James, in charge of the crash scene, used dispassionate jargon 'injuries incompatible with life', 'confirmed recognition life extinct'. Gradually, we understood that this was his way of coping, of quelling his own feelings, in order to do his job. Novice ambulance driver Tash, just 21, discovered how hard this was: in the aftermath, she sobbed helplessly on the phone to her mother. In fact, Tash coped superbly, and her mum must have been deeply proud watching this. Meanwhile, Betty was still waiting, quietly and patiently unlike the foul-mouthed wannabe gangster who called 999 screaming that he'd been shot in the back and was bleeding to death. Crews rushed to his aid. Howling in pain and terror, the cowardly hoodlum flung abuse at everyone who tried to help him. It turned out he'd been shot not in the back, but the backside. The real shame is there's no way for the NHS to reclaim the cost of treatment from ungrateful criminals. And still Betty waited. It was almost seven hours before paramedics arrived, and discovered this decent, uncomplaining old lady was in a much worse way than she would admit. Cold, confused and exhausted, she had sores on her hands and feet that could indicate septicaemia. In hospital, pneumonia was diagnosed. Betty died a few months later. Prompt treatment might not have saved her, but she certainly deserved it. She just wasn't the type to complain. Great Art Rating: No complaints about the engrossing series on history's most influential painters, Great Art (ITV), which this week looked at the father of modernism, Edouard Manet. Each episode combines a brief biography with a general survey of the artist's impact and a closer look at three or four masterpieces. The format is old-fashioned and didactic, and not ashamed of it. No complaints about the engrossing series on history's most influential painters, Great Art (ITV), which this week looked at the father of modernism, Edouard Manet Manet's best-known images, such as the naked woman picnicking in the park with two Parisian dandies, and the fed-up barmaid staring blankly at you across the counter at the Folies Bergere, are unmistakeable even if most of us might guess they were by Toulouse-Lautrec or some more famous painter. Presenter Tim Marlow explained succinctly why Manet's name deserves to be remembered and what he did to shape the art movements that followed, while pointing out hidden themes in the pictures. A lovely programme in a series worth recording. Shailene Woodley has revealed she almost quit acting before her starring role in Big Little Lies. Speaking to NET-A-PORTER's weekly digital magazine PorterEdit, the actress, 26, admitted she 'hit a wall' with the industry, and told her agent she was 'not interested' in the script of the hit HBO show. Yet, she revealed the sense of 'sisterhood' between her and her co-stars helped her fall back in love with acting - which she now brands 'the best job in the world'. Tough time: Shailene Woodley has revealed she almost quit acting before her starring role in Big Little Lies The TV adaptation of Liane Moriarty's novel found huge success last year, and went on to win a string of Emmy and Golden Globe Awards. However, Shailene confessed that she almost rejected the show - which stars Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern and Alexander Skarsgard - as she had grown tired of the industry and its pressures. She explained: 'There was a point in my life, right before Big Little Lies, where I had hit a wall with acting. I felt it was time to do something different. 'It was time to do something different': The actress, 26, admitted she 'hit a wall' with the industry, and told her agent she was 'not interested' in the script of the hit HBO show 'I called my agents and said, 'Please don't send me any more scripts; I need to explore other avenues. 'They respected me and didn't send me anything for almost a year until Big Little Lies. I didn't know what it was or who was involved, I just said, 'Thanks, I'm still not interested.' When asked why she turned cold, the California native explained she felt too much pressure as a woman in the industry, over how she should look or act. Back to her best: Yet, she revealed the sense of 'sisterhood' between her and her co-stars helped her fall back in love with acting - which she now brands 'the best job in the world' 'I can't half-a*** anything, so when it came to me having to look a certain way or speak a certain way for this image I was meant to create, it turned me off,' she said. 'We often see a pattern with young women in this industry: they lose a bit of weight after they become successful, their hair changes or their skin becomes clear. 'There's a lot that goes into the behind the scenes that, if that's not your thing, can itch at your soul.' However, she went on to reveal that it was Big Little Lies itself that helped her overcome her struggles - as well as a nudge from one of her co-stars. Battling through: Big Little Lies follows Shailene, Nicole (right) and Reese (left) as three emotionally troubled women living in Monterey, California Girl power: She revealed it was her Big Little Lies co-star Laura Dern who convinced her to do the show (above), which she praised for its sense of 'sisterhood' rather than 'competition' She said: 'I read [Big Little Lies], fell in love with it, and Laura [Dern] called me and that was really the push,' Before praising of the series: 'I don't know that I've ever worked with a group of women where competition didn't get in the way of sisterhood. Every single person was championing the other members.' Big Little Lies follows Shailene, Nicole and Reese as three emotionally troubled women living in Monterey, California. High drama: The cast are currently filming season two, which will reportedly explore the guilt of the women and the fallout of his death (pictured with Reese) Touching upon difficult parenting, life as a single mother and domestic abuse, the series ends with the trio, alongside Dern and Zoe Kravitz, becoming involved in a murder investigation - following the death of Skargard's character Perry. The cast are currently filming season two, which will reportedly explore the guilt of the women and the fallout of his death. After working on such an empowering show, Shailene admitted her attitude towards acting has done a complete U-turn, and she is now working on several other projects. 'I have the best job in the world. I could cry talking about it,' she said happily. 'And it's fleeting, I remind myself of that every day. What I do can be taken away at any moment.' Shailene made her first screen appearance in 1999, before bagged larger roles on The O.C and The Secret Life of the American Teenager. She is now splitting her time between filming and promoting her new flick Adrift - about a couple who are stranded in the Pacific after a hurricane in Hawaii. To see the full interview with Shailene, read PorterEdit here Translations (National Theatre) Verdict: Fine revival Rating: We may have to wait a while for a production to top Ian Ricksons fine new revival at the Olivier of Brian Friels drama about Englands occupation of Ireland before the Great Famine. Ricksons nuanced rendition, starring Colin Morgan, has the measure of Friels enigmatic vision which sees the colonisation of Ireland as a tragedy that diminished everyone. We may have to wait a while for a production to top Ian Ricksons fine new revival at the Olivier of Brian Friels drama about Englands occupation of Ireland before the Great Famine Morgan plays a young man returning from Dublin to act as a Gaelic interpreter for British Army cartographers mapping his native Donegal. He breezily captures the naivety of a collaborator who thinks he can be on the side of economic progress imposed by England without compromising his culture. Adetomiwa Edun, in a finely poised performance, plays the shy yet spirited soldier who finds himself falling in love with Judith Roddy, the girl who dreams of escaping her servitude. Ricksons nuanced rendition, starring Colin Morgan, has the measure of Friels enigmatic vision which sees the colonisation of Ireland as a tragedy that diminished everyone Seamus OHara, as the teacher hoping to marry her, is desperate to impress by finding a lucrative job. All that stands in his way is his growling father (Ciaran Hinds). Everything comes to a head when the English seek revenge for a missing soldier, and perhaps Rickson overplays his hand by showing modern British troops patrolling the stage. Until that point, designer Rae Smith keeps the huge space wreathed in a vast cloud, drawing curtains of rain across a small cottage hewn from the peat bogs. The message is history can be personal, or impersonal, but always painful. She joined the Today show in January, replacing Lisa Wilkinson in the co-host's chair alongside Karl Stefanovic. And on Friday, the Channel Nine breakfast show team helped Georgie celebrate her 48th birthday. In a cringeworthy moment, Karl, Sylvia Jeffreys and Richard Wilkins sang Happy Birthday to Georgie, before Karl presented her with a rather unusual gift. Scroll down for video Cringe! Karl Stefanovic sangs Happy Birthday to his Today co-host Georgie Gardner on Thursday's breakfast show... before giving her a VERY unusual gift 'Thank you everyone and thank you to our lovely viewers for the birthday messages,' Georgie said after being presented with a cake and flowers. Karl then jokingly gifted Georgia a USB cable, which he had just found in his pocket. 'I've got one more present for you,' Karl said, laughing. 'I found it in my jacket.' Celebrating: Karl, Sylvia Jeffreys and Richard Wilkins sung Happy Birthday to Georgie Richard then added: 'You borrowed that from me yesterday!' Georgie jokingly thanked Karl for the gift, saying: 'That will come in great use.' Meanwhile, Sylvia laughed and said how 'special' the occasion was. Birthday girl: Georgie was presented with a cake and flowers on the show Earlier on the show, Georgie and Karl poked fun at their rumoured behind-the-scenes rivalry during a 'travel happy' segment. Georgie jokingly covered Karl's mouth and nose with a neck pillow, as if she were trying to smother him. Before the incident, the pair had both said there was 'a bit of turbulence here on set'. His 2017 album, Damn., became the first non-classical and non-jazz album to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music. And on Wednesday, Kendrick Lamar accepted his accolade during a ceremony at Columbia University in New York, New York. The 30-year-old Compton-born rapper did not comment as he received the award, he simply smiled and shook hands with the presenter as he was given a standing ovation. Scroll down for video Winner: On Wednesday, Kendrick Lamar accepted his Pulitzer Prize for Music during a ceremony at Columbia University in New York, New York Dressed in a silk button-down shirt and white pants, Lamar sat next to his mother during the ceremony. The presenter said of the rapper's fourth LP, 'a virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African American life.' Even though he did not comment or do interviews at the university during the event, he did speak on the Pulitzer's Facebook Live video: "It's an honor ... I've been writing my whole life, so to get this type of recognition -- it's beautiful." Previous recipients of the award include Bob Dylan, Hank Williams and Duke Ellington. Humble: The 30-year-old Compton-born rapper did not comment as he received the award, he simply smiled and shook hands with the presenter as he was given a standing ovation Also celebrated: Ronan Farrow (top right) took a picture with the Humble rapper, and also accepted a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service Ronan Farrow took a picture with the Humble rapper and also accepted a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. The 30-year-old son of Mia Farrow - who was also in attendance - and Woody Allen won the award for reporting he did for The New Yorker, and shared it with Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey of The New York Times. The University presented the award for, 'explosive, impactful journalism that exposed powerful and wealthy sexual predators, including allegations against one of Hollywoods most influential producers, bringing them to account for long-suppressed allegations of coercion, brutality and victim silencing, thus spurring a worldwide reckoning about sexual abuse of women.' Star-studded: The 30-year-old son of Mia Farrow - who was also in attendance - and Woody Allen shared the award for reporting he did for The New Yorker, along with Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey of The New York Times Damn. hit shelves and airwaves on April 14, 2017, and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The album stayed at number one for three consecutive weeks, and was certified triple platinum. This list of the LP's accolades is large and includes the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. Advisory: Damn. hit shelves and airwaves on April 14, 2017, and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 DNA: The album stayed at number one for three consecutive weeks, and was certified triple platinum Lamar is currently in the midst of a North American tour and is next set to play June 1 in Bristow, Virginia. He has 10 more shows schedule in the month of June, including stops in Hartford, Connecticut; Camden, New Jersey; and Toronto, Ontario. The concert series is set to wrap on June 16 in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania. She has carved a career in acting recent years, after shooting to fame as a top model. And Poppy Delevingne added yet another string to her bow on Thursday, as she launched her new line of bathing products with Jo Malone London in LA. The 32-year-old turned heads in a vibrant PVC skirt and matching jumper as she posed playfully in a bathtub to celebrate the new collection, titled Queen of Pop. Leading lady: Poppy Delevingne added yet another string to her bow on Thursday, as she launched her new line of bathing products with Jo Malone London in LA The blonde commanded attention in a bright green mini skirt, which cut off high at her thigh to leave her long and slender legs on show. Only making the look more eye-catching, Poppy teamed the embellished number with a matching thin knit jumper as she posed outside the venue. She proved her trendy sense of style further with gold buckled loafers, and tied her look together with retro rectangular shades. Here she is: The 32-year-old turned heads in a vibrant PVC skirt and matching jumper as she posed playfully in a bathtub to celebrate the new collection, titled Queen of Pop Rub-a-dub-dub: She added gold loafers to her look as she frolicked in the playful setting Having a ball: Poppy was seen throwing her legs into the air and her head back with laughter as she frolicked in the bubbles Styling her hair into a half up-do and sporting a bronzed, glowing make-up look, Poppy drew attention to her naturally stunning features as she beamed for cameras. Clearly delighted about her collection, she was later seen posing playfully in a bath tub - throwing her legs into the air and her head back with laughter as she frolicked in the bubbles. Poppy's new bathing line features an array of coloured candles and colognes, as well as the fragrance brand's first ever bottle of bubble bath. Flower power: She later changed into a stunning lilac maxi dress for the celebratory dinner later on Life of luxury: Poppy's new bathing line features an array of coloured candles and colognes, as well as the fragrance brand's first ever bottle of bubble bath Say cheese! She delightedly posed with Ashley Fultz (L) and Mara Ferreira (R) at the event The sister of model Cara has carved a career in acting in recent years - but has reverted to her passion for fashion and beauty with the new collection. However, despite making her name as a model, Poppy recently claimed she 'never' felt like she 'belonged' to the catwalks. She told Sunday Telegraph's TV Guide in May: 'I never really sort of felt like I belonged, I was always that model who would sort-of walk on set and trip over the lighting and fall flat on my face.' Poppy broke into the acting world last year, after securing roles in the Kingsman: The Golden Circle as well as King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. Two-time WWE Divas Champion Nikki Bella was spotted canoodling with a mystery man while on the balcony of her Fontainebleau Miami Beach suite on Thursday. The E! Network cameras rolled as the 34-year-old reality star and her dimpled male companion flirted for the eighth season of Total Divas premiering this fall. The tattoo-sleeved guy was only identified as Brandon, according to an Insta-story posted on her co-star Nia Jax's social media account. Scroll down for video Handsy: Two-time WWE Divas Champion Nikki Bella was spotted canoodling with a mystery man while on the balcony of her Fontainebleau Miami Beach suite on Thursday Boom mic alert! The E! Network cameras rolled as the 34-year-old reality star and her dimpled male companion flirted for the eighth season of Total Divas premiering this fall The San Diego-born brunette openly caressed her grinning gentleman caller's face for all to see in between sips of champagne. However, fans shouldn't jump to conclusions considering the deceiving drama and sensational, exploitative nature of both reality television and the world of professional wrestling. For the balcony scene, Nikki (aka Stephanie Nicole Garcia-Colace) flaunted her surgically-enhanced assets in a white cropped tank and black leggings from dance rehearsal. 'Feeling himself!' The tattoo-sleeved guy was only identified as Brandon, according to an Insta-story posted on her co-star Nia Jax's social media account PDA: The San Diego-born brunette openly caressed her grinning gentleman caller's face for all to see in between sips of champagne Easy tiger! It's not known if the feeling was mutual as he kept his hands to himself Balcony scene: Nikki (aka Stephanie Nicole Garcia-Colace) flaunted her surgically-enhanced assets in a white cropped tank and black leggings from dance rehearsal Drumming up publicity: However, fans shouldn't jump to conclusions considering the deceiving drama and sensational, exploitative nature of both reality television and the world of professional wrestling In a preview for this Sunday's Total Bellas, the licensed real estate agent reunites with her ex-fiance John Cena for the first time since calling off their May 5 nuptials on April 15. The WWE couple of six years admitted they missed each other in the clip originally taped in January, and Us Weekly reported Thursday that they have rekindled their romance. Nikki wasn't the only one chatting up Brandon as her bikini-clad castmate Lana (aka Catherine Perry) took shots of Fireball Cinnamon Whisky with him. On/off: In a preview for this Sunday's Total Bellas, the licensed real estate agent reunites with her ex-fiance John Cena for the first time since calling off their May 5 nuptials on April 15 Taped in January: The WWE couple of six years admitted they missed each other in the clip, and Us Weekly reported Thursday that they have rekindled their romance But the platinum-blonde 33-year-old seemed more excited about the presence of the paparazzi than Brandon. The Florida-born wrestler struck several outlandish poses in nothing more than a blue string bikini. Barefoot Lana scraped her locks into a messy top bun as she sunned her fit 5ft7in figure on the balcony. Cheers! Nikki wasn't the only one chatting up Brandon as her bikini-clad castmate Lana (aka Catherine Perry) took shots of Fireball Cinnamon Whisky with him Party: But the platinum-blonde 33-year-old seemed more excited about the presence of the paparazzi than Brandon Look at me! The Florida-born wrestler struck several outlandish poses in nothing more than a blue string bikini Careful! Barefoot Lana scraped her locks into a messy top bun as she sunned her fit 5ft7in figure on the balcony Only man there? Later, Brandon posed with both ladies as well as Paige (aka Saraya Bevis), Nikki's twin sister Brie Bella (aka Brianna Danielson), and Nia (aka Lina Fanene) for a group picture Checking out the view: Joining the roughhousing gang - who celebrated Natalya Neidhart's 36th birthday - was Dancing With the Stars' Sharna Burgess Later, Brandon posed with both ladies as well as Nikki's twin sister Brie Bella (aka Brianna Danielson), Paige (aka Saraya Bevis), and Nia (aka Lina Fanene) for a group picture. Joining the roughhousing gang - who celebrated Natalya Neidhart's 36th birthday - was Dancing With the Stars' Sharna Burgess The flame-haired Australian 32-year-old choreographed a dance for Team Natty consisting of the Bella Twins and birthday girl Natalya (aka Natalie Neidhart-Wilson). 'Team Natty': The flame-haired Australian 32-year-old (L) choreographed a dance for the Bella Twins and birthday girl Natalya (R, aka Natalie Neidhart-Wilson) Selfie: The dance routine came easily for Nikki (M), who was the sixth contestant eliminated from the 25th season of the ABC dance competition last October 'Team Nia': Meanwhile, Dancing With the Stars' Brinn Nicole (2-R) choreographed a rival routine for (L-R) Lana, Nia, and Paige Who will win? The Total Divas' ultimate dance off takes place Thursday night at Miami hotspot E11EVEN The dance routine came easily for Nikki, who was the sixth contestant eliminated from the 25th season of the ABC dance competition last October. Meanwhile, Dancing With the Stars' Brinn Nicole choreographed a rival routine for Lana, Nia, and Paige otherwise known as Team Nia. The Total Divas' ultimate dance off takes place Thursday night at Miami hotspot E11EVEN. It seems the Love Island stars are willing to do just about anything to attract a mate. On Thursday's episode, rivals Natasha Cherie and Millie Fuller left little to the imagination while trying to impress the same man, newcomer John James Parton. The two women put on an eye-popping display in skimpy matching bikinis as they desperately attempted to catch the DJ's eye. Scroll down for video That's one way to get the boys talking! Scantily-clad Love Island stars Natasha and Millie flashed plenty of flesh in matching bikinis as they competed to impress newcomer John James Who wore it best? On Thursday's episode, rivals Natasha and Millie put on an eye-popping display in skimpy matching bikinis while desperately attempting to catch the DJ's eye Millie and Natasha, both 24, looked like a pair of Playboy centrefolds as they sashayed around the villa in their brightly-coloured swimwear. The scantily-clad temptresses had both made it clear they wanted to date John James, who is yet to couple-up since arriving in Mallorca. Fellow contestant Erin Barnett joked: 'How funny was it today that Tash and Millie were wearing the exact same bathers and they want the exact same man?' That's cheeky! During the episode, Millie, 24, exercised in the backyard in full view of John James, provocatively raising her derriere while performing leg exercises 'F**k off, no! What a joke! That is full on': Natasha was shocked by Millie's seductive display During the episode, Millie exercised in the backyard in full view of John James, provocatively raising her derriere while performing leg exercises. Natasha was shocked by what she was seeing, saying: 'F**k off, no! What a joke! That is full on.' Erin joked she should one-up her rival, encouraging her to 'go jump on the trampoline with your t**s!' Later, when Natasha and Erin were relaxing on flamingo lilos in the swimming pool, Erin pointed out that John James was looking in their direction. 'He's probably comparing bikinis,' she said, which prompted Natasha to reply: 'Well, there's no competition.' Unbeknownst to Natasha at the time, John James had already told other Islanders that he wasn't interested in dating her. Former beauty queen Tayla Damir later broke the news gently to Natasha. Love Island Australia continues Sunday at 8.30pm on 9Go and 9Now 'He's probably comparing bikinis': Later, when Natasha and Erin were relaxing on flamingo lilos in the swimming pool, Erin pointed out that John James was looking in their direction It appears Vikki Campion has undergone a very glamorous makeover ahead of her controversial appearance on Sunday Night. Preview clips of the tell-all interview show the 33-year-old sporting heavy make-up and a plump pout as she details her scandalous relationship with former deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce. Ms Campion will join her politician partner for the intimate sit-down, for which they were paid a whopping $150,000. In the teaser, which was released earlier this week, the brunette looks very different than she did a few years ago when she was a media advisor in Canberra. My, how you've changed! Vikki Campion, 33, looks dramatically different in her controversial $150,000 interview with partner Barnaby Joyce which is set to air on Sunday Night (right) She is picture on the left in 2016 Ms Campion once had curly blonde hair and a much more natural look. Over the years, she has changed her hair colour regularly, going between blonde and brunette. But her looks of old are in stark contrast with her appearance during her Sunday Night interview, where she is seen with newly darkened locks, straightened and parted at the side. The new mother - who gave birth to Joyce's baby last month - also wears thick foundation and dark eye-shadow. Her plump pout is coated in a nude lipstick as she purses her lips while in the firing line of questioning from Alex Cullen. Then and now: Older pictures of Campion show her sporting curly blonde hair and a more natural looking make-up (left) She also appears more refreshed than she does in old photographs, which show her with thinner lips. All eyes will be on Ms Campion when her interview with Joyce goes to air on the Channel Seven program this coming Sunday. Earlier this week, Seven's Sunrise aired a excerpt of the interview, in which she claimed she was pressured to abort her politician partner's baby. Remarkable transformation: Old photographs of Ms Campion which have surfaced online show the star looking dramatically different. She is picture here in 2014 'They said, 'If you don't, they're going to come after you,' she stated. But the new mother - who gave birth to the couple's son Sebastian five weeks ago - said all the drama was worth it. 'Everything was worth it for this,' she could be seen saying as she held the hand of her baby boy. Once upon a time! An old selfie of Ms Campion shows her with curly blonde hair Joyce is now estranged from his wife of 24 years Natalie, whom he shares four adult daughters with, as a result of his extramarital affair with Campion, which forced him to quit as Nationals leader and deputy prime minister. The backbench MP for the New South Wales seat of New England told the Seven Network he had let his family down. 'I failed, I failed, I failed, I failed, I failed,' he said. Despite the personal and political pain that caused to her boyfriend, Ms Campion claims it is the price of love. 'I couldn't help it. You can't help who you fall in love with,' she said. Claire Danes covered her baby bump on Thursday in a black-and white sundress while heading to a chat show taping in Los Angeles. The 39-year-old actress looked lovely in the patterned dress with a bow tied above her stomach. The Homeland star also covered up with a black sweater and completed her outfit with white heels. Maternity wear: Claire Danes covered up her baby bump in a black-and-white sundress on Thursday while heading to a chat show appearance in Hollywood Claire had her blonde hair straight down around her shoulders and accessorized with small hoop earrings. The actress carried a black garment while heading into the Jimmy Kimmel Live studio in Hollywood. Claire has been promoting her new movie A Kid Like Jake also starring Jim Parsons, 45. The film by director Silas Howard tells a story of gender identity as it follows two parents as they learn to cope with the fact their son doesn't assume the typical gender norms. New movie: The 39-year-old actress has been promoting her new movie A Kid Like Jake A Kid Like Jake also features Octavia Spencer and Priyanka Chopra and will be in theaters on Friday. Claire announced last month that she was expecting her second child with husband Hugh Dancy, 42. They met on the set of Evening in 2006 and announced their engagement in February 2009. Pregnant star: The My-So Called Life star announced last month that she was pregnant with her second child with husband Hugh Dancy Claire and Hugh married in 2009 in a secret ceremony in France. The also have a five-year-old son Cyrus together. Claire since 2011 has been playing CIA officer Carrie Mathison on the Showtime spy thriller Homeland. The models were out in force on Thursday night, as they attended theVictoria's Secret book launch in NYC. Sara Sampaio wowed in a sexy, leather mini-dress as she mingled alongside a slew of other VS Angels, including Martha Hunt and fellow catwalk star Hannah Ferguson. Sara and Martha almost matched in asymmetric black dresses which showed off their long legs as they arrived at The Beekman Hotel for the party. Leggy looks: Sara (left) Sampaio joined Martha Hunt (right) at the Victoria's Secret book launch in NYC on Thursday night at The Beekman Hotel Scarlet: Hannah Ferguson arrived in a little red crop top with a matching pair of shoes Sampaio, who became a Victoria's Secret Angel in 2015, rocked a sleek ponytail and a soft pink lip, adding a few swipes of mascara to define her eyes. She paired her slick ensemble, which featured jewels along the hemline, with matching patent leather pumps. Her VS counterpart Martha kept things extremely simple a strappy, Nineties-style mini, adding feathered heels to dress up the look. Model moments: Sara showcased her long legs in a catwalk-inspired back dress Vet status: Sampaio became a Victoria's Secret Angel in 2015 Model behavior: The Portugal native spent the evening posing alongside her fellow models including Lais Ribeiro, Josephine Skriver, and Martha Hunt LBD: The 26-year-old model gave off major dominatrix vibes in a sexy, leather mini-dress as she mingled alongside a slew of other VS Angels Longtime friends: Sara, whose diagonal hemline and lapels were dripping with crystals, posed with the man of the hourphotographer Russell James Meanwhile, Sports Illustrated model Hannah looked sophisticated in a black blazer and matching straight-leg trousers. Underneath, she made a full showcase of her impressively chiseled abs in a red bandeau top. Meanwhile, the man of the hourphotographer Russell Jameswas spotted in jeans, flip-flops, and a blazer. Impressive: Hannah showcased her abs in a tiny bandeau top Sophisticated: She paired a matching set of heels to go with her tiny top Killer looks: The Sports Illustrated stunner looked chiseled in her outfit Party of six: The ladies posed alongside Russell and VS' CMO Senior Creative Ed Razek Victoria's Secret's coffee table book by James is now available in the United States. Backstage Secrets: A Decade Behind the Scenes at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is a 304-page history book of the world's most coveted runway. Russell, an Australian born photographer, has worked for the brand for more than 20 years. The Portugal native spent the evening posing alongside her fellow models including Lais Ribeiro, Josephine Skriver and Gigi Hadid. VS' CMO Senior Creative Ed Razek was also in attendance. Hero worship: Gigi Hadid was the big star of the night in a silky white dress Leggy look: Josephine Skriver shimmered on her arrival at the fashion bash Glamorous: Danielle Herrington looked especially glitzy for the party Keeping it casual: Cindy Bruna wore a miniskirt with bright white trainers for a relaxed image Stunning: Sara's PVC look won't have escaped onlookers' gaze Classic: Leomie Anderson wore a figure-hugging crop top and skirt Bombshell: Gizelle Oliveira layered an Eighties-style bomber over her mini Star of the show: Lais Ribeiro showed off the glamorous book with glossy pics Pretty in pink: Lameka Fox wore a cute little pink dress with a lace-up front Stunning: Martha showed off almost every inch of her lean legs in the gathered dress Cute look: Megan Williams wore a studded belt with her slinky dress Star of the show: Sara posed inside the venue in her little black dress Catching up: Models Maggie Laine and Zuri Tibby spent time talking shop She's one of Victoria's Secret's favorite Angels. So there was no way that Gigi Hadid would pass up the launch of the book Backstage Secrets: A Decade Behind the Scenes at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show by photographer Russell James in New York Thursday. At the event the 23-year-old stunner made an impression in a white silk dress by Vivienne Westwood which expertly flattered her statuesque figure. Heaven sent! Gigi Hadid looked white hot in a silk Vivienne Westwood number during the launch party for the book Backstage Secrets: A Decade Behind the Scenes at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show by Russell James in New York on Thursday Gigi smoldered in the high-necked creme look with a dramatic leg slit. The dress was cinched her waist with a sash that matched the silky necktie. Adding an extra bit of shimmer, the IMG beauty put on crushed velvet heels and diamond rings galore. She tucked her dark blonde locks behind her ears, letting them cascaded down her back with a bit of natural texture. High and low: Gigi smoldered in the high-necked creme look with a dramatic leg slit Kick it up: Adding an extra bit of shimmer, the IMG beauty put on crushed velvet heels and diamond rings galore Best tressed: She tucked her dark blonde locks behind her ears, letting them cascaded down her back with a bit of natural texture Gigi gushed about the book on her social media, sharing several of her favorite pages with her 40million Instagram followers. 'My childhood dream was always to be in the VS show and have RJ shoot me backstage,' she wrote over a sizzling portrait of herself in the book. She used another post to praise Angel Candice Swanepoel and her world-class derriere, captioning images of the blonde: 'Cuz we all know I've been obsessed [peach emoji.] 'I grew up w some of the pics in this book !!!!! They made me dream!' adding, 'and I used to do practice runway walks during VSFS commercial breaks.' Not worthy! Photographer Russell James bowed in the presence of fashionista Gigi Look at that! The older sister of Bella Hadid showed off one of her beautiful spreads in the book Dream come true! Gigi gushed about the book on her social media, sharing 'My childhood dream was always to be in the VS show and have RJ shoot me backstage' Iconic: She used another post to praise Angel Candice Swanepoel and her world-class derriere Can't go wrong: Hadid posed with Martha Hunt, who looked classic in a little black dress which was hiked up her thigh All together now! They caught up with Martha Hunt Browsing: The model and photographer combed through the pages of the tome together Sara Sampaio smoldered in a patent leather look with chandelier-like beading hanging from the hem of an off-center skirt. Of course all of VS's most beloved Angels also made appearances. Sara Sampaio smoldered in a patent leather look with chandelier-like beading hanging from the hem of an off-center skirt. The Portuguese beauty tied her hair back into a high ponytail while keeping her face at a natural glow with just a hint of mascara and bronzer. Pony up! The Portuguese beauty tied her hair back into a high ponytail Open book! The tall brunette posed with the coffee table book Angels on Earth: Lais posed with Sara and fellow VS model Josephinie Skriver (center) Special guest! Sara teamed up with the evening's man of honor, fashion photographer Russell James Sara teamed up with the evening's man of honor, fashion photographer Russell James. The Aussie talent looked thrilled to see his muse. RJ, as he's known by the models, was both relaxed and sharp in a white shirt and blazer worn with blue jeans and sandals. Stunner Lais Ribero put her jaw-dropping figure on display in formfitting red look. Red hot! Stunner Lais Ribero put her jaw-dropping figure on display in formfitting red look Tight alright! Her dress hugged her bombshell figure and highlighted her full chest Nice to see you! The Brazilian stunner also made sure to catch up with the pro photog Show and tell: Lais opened the book to reveal the colorful pages within Her dress hugged her bombshell figure and highlighted her full chest. An asymmetrical spaghetti strap elevated the look from a simple cocktail dress to a sartorial statement. The 6foot beauty accessorized with hoop earrings and strappy black heels, letting her scarlet look take the spotlight. Leggy lady: Josephine Skriver dazzled in a black and silver mini-dress which let her long legs steal the show Cut it out! Laced-up cutouts on the shoulders gave up yet another dose of skin Being seen: All of the best Victoria's Secret beauties made appearances. Above Lais Ribeiro, Josephine Skriver, Martha Hunt and Sara Sampaio are seen together Bun in the sun: The dark blonde starlet piled her locks into a messy bun while going for a classic glow on her face Josephine Skriver dazzled in a black and silver mini-dress which let her long legs steal the show. The Danish darling's look hit about mid-thigh, offering up a great view of her gams. Laced-up cutouts on the shoulders gave up yet another dose of skin. The dark blonde starlet piled her locks into a messy bun while going for a classic glow on her face. Sheer wonder! Maggie Laine got hearts racing in a sheer lace top which left little the the imagination Abs-olute stunner: She teamed the belly baring crop teamed with a high-low fringed skirt and curly hair Amazing: Models Leomie Anderson, Maggie Laine, Lameka Fox, and Malaika Firth (left to right) looked like they were in awe of the book Monochrome mama: The blonde posed with the lovely Zuri Tibby who turned heads in black leather over a tight white bodysuit Everyone who's anyone: The book boasts moments with models including Lily Aldridge, Alessandra Ambrosio, Gisele Bundchen, Gigi Hadid, and more Maggie Laine got hearts racing in a sheer lace top which left little the the imagination. She teamed the belly baring crop teamed with a high-low fringed skirt. The IMG cutie's hair was styled into bubbly curls, which she brushed out of her face with a center part. Blushing beauty: Lameka Fox looked darling in a ruffling pink number with a plunging lace-up neckline Balance: RJ, as he's known by the models, was both relaxed and sharp in a white shirt and blazer worn with blue jeans and sandals Off the grid: Jacquelyn Jablonski looked rad in a plaid suit with shorts Chic: Above model Ming Xi and Danielle Herrington both wow Pretty penny: The upscale book retails for a cool $85 on Amazon Boss man: Models Lais Ribeiro, Sara Sampaio, Martha Hunt, and Gigi Hadid gathered around Victoria's Secret CMO Senior Creative Ed Razek The book, which retails for $85 on Amazon, boasts moments with models Lily Aldridge, Alessandra Ambrosio, Gisele Bundchen, Gigi Hadid, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Miranda Kerr, Karlie Kloss, Adriana Lima, Candice Swanepoel, and Liu Wen. It also captured moments with the show's A-list entertainers, including Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Nicki Minaj, Rhianna, Taylor Swift, and Justin Timberlake. The book's back cover described James' uncanny ability to capture 'the most watched fashion event in the world.' All eyes on you! The book's back cover described James' uncanny ability to capture 'the most watched fashion event in the world' A-List: The book boasts moments with models Lily Aldridge, Alessandra Ambrosio, Gisele Bundchen, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Miranda Kerr, Karlie Kloss, Adriana Lima, and more 'His special relationship with the talent and the brand has allowed him to capture the frantic energy and excitement from backstage, where no other cameras have been allowed to go.' Last year's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was a historic occasion for the brand. The show, which took place in Shanghai, China, was the lingerie company's first event in all of Asia. Details have yet to emerge about 2018's highly anticipated fashion affair. 'His special relationship with the talent and the brand has allowed him to capture the frantic energy and excitement from backstage, where no other cameras have been allowed to go' Abroad: Last year's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was a historic occasion for the brand, taking place in Shanghai, China Coming soon... Details have yet to emerge about 2018's highly anticipated fashion affair Flaunt it! Hannah Ferguson flaunted her toned tummy in a skimpy ensemble Hair story: Her blonde tresses were slicked back in a sleek ponytail Hero worship: Gigi Hadid was the big star of the night in a silky white dress Sophisticated: She paired a matching set of heels to go with her tiny top Leggy look: Josephine Skriver shimmered on her arrival at the fashion bash Glamorous: Danielle Herrington looked especially glitzy for the party Keeping it casual: Cindy Bruna wore a miniskirt with bright white trainers for a relaxed image Stunning: Sara's PVC look won't have escaped onlookers' gaze Classic: Leomie Anderson wore a figure-hugging crop top and skirt Bombshell: Gizelle Oliveira layered an Eighties-style bomber over her mini Pretty in pink: Lameka Fox wore a cute little pink dress with a lace-up front Star of the show: Lais Ribeiro showed off the glamorous book with glossy pics Stunning: Martha showed off almost every inch of her lean legs in the gathered dress Cute look: Megan Williams wore a studded belt with her slinky dress Relaxed chat: Gigi was cornered by Russell James for an intense conversation Star of the show: Sara posed inside the venue in her little black dress She's expecting her second child with AFL star husband Jimmy Bartel. And on Thursday, pregnant WAG Nadia Bartel was glowing as she celebrated the launch of Pink Hope's Pinky Promise campaign at Sydney's The Langham. The brunette beauty stunned in a white outfit that covered her growing baby bump, as she joined the likes of Pip Edwards and Sally Obermeder at the 'slumber party.' Scroll down for video She's glowing! Pregnant AFL WAG Nadia Bartel cloaks her baby bump in a flowing white outfit as she stuns at Pink Hope's slumber party in Sydney Nadia wore a high-neck blouse with a fitted skirt, which flared out at the bottom. Nadia teamed the outfit with perspex heels, and showed off a golden tan on the day. Her hair was out in loose tousled curls, and she wore a bronzed makeup palette, which included dewy foundation and a nude lip. One hot mama! Nadia wore a high-neck blouse with a fitted skirt Sitting pretty: Nadia was in good spirits and rocked pink glitter on her face as part of the festivities Nadia - who is a campaign ambassador for Pink Hope - joined blogger Elle Ferguson in hosting the 'slumber party' at the hotel. Guests enjoyed canapes, fresh blow-dries and manicures, with Nadia in good spirits and rocking pink glitter on her face as part of the festivities. The campaign encourages women to look after their own health, check in on their best friends and get checkups for breast and ovarian cancer. Stylish: Pip Edwards flashed her toned abs in a white crop top and high-waisted grey trousers at the event In good company: Nadia - who is a campaign ambassador for Pink Hope - joined blogger Elle Ferguson (M) in hosting the 'slumber party' at the hotel Chic as always: Sally Obermeder looked chic in a black long sleeve top and a flowing lace skirt On the night, Pip flashed her toned abs in a white crop top and high-waisted grey trousers. She teamed the look with a black blazer and had her blonde locks tied back off her face. Breast cancer survivor Sally Obermeder looked gorgeous in a black long sleeve top and a flowing lace skirt. At one point, Sally posed for pictures while playing with confetti and pink balloons. Also in attendance was former Bachelor star Lana Jeavons-Fellows, who was stylish in a pink faux fur jacket, singlet and jeans. Having a ball: At one point, Sally posed for pictures while playing with confetti and pink balloons She's been a Victoria's Secret Angel since 2015. And on Thursday, Martha Hunt showed off her long legs in a barely-there black dress while heading to the New York City book launch for Russell James' Backstage Secrets: A Decade Behind the Scenes at the Victoria's Secret Fashion show. The 29-year-old model chose a spaghetti strap LBD with an asymmetrical hemline that nearly reached her hip. On her way: Martha Hunt showed off her long legs in a barely-there black dress while heading to the book launch for Russell James' Backstage Secrets: A Decade Behind the Scenes at the Victoria's Secret Fashion show on Thursday in New York City The statuesque beauty went braless in the revealing look, which showed off her sculpted back as well. Martha paired the frock with black heels featuring a fringed accent along the top. She styled the leggy look with a chainlink handbag and no visible jewelry. Martha styled her blonde tresses pulled back and center parted. The 29-year-old model chose a spaghetti strap LBD with an asymmetrical hemline that nearly reached her hip Martha sported cat eyes with a touch of pink lipstick beneath defined brows. She posed with Gigi Hadid, who stunned in a satin-y white dress with button details and a ribbon tie neck-line. Gigi, 23, also flashed her toned legs in her chosen ensemble for the book launch. Good looking pals: The statuesque beauty went braless in the revealing look, which showed off her sculpted back as well Victoria's Secret Angels Sara Sampaio, Josephine Skriver and Lais Ribeiro were also in attendance. Sara rocked a leather mini dress with chain accents while pulling her brunette tresses back. Meanwhile Lais wowed in a low-cut red dress; she opted for minimal makeup, revealing her stunning natural beauty. Strike a pose: Victoria's Secret Angels Sara Sampaio, Josephine Skriver and Lais Ribeiro were also in attendance; (from L to R) Lais, Sara, SMO Senior Creative Ed Razek, Martha and Gigi She's a new face when it comes to the modeling scene. But on Thursday Maggie Laine definitely succeeded in garnering quite a bit of attention at a Victoria's Secret Fashion Show book launch thanks to her extremely revealing top. The 21-year-old Georgia native certainly wasn't shy when it came to her eye-catching ensemble. Bunch of beauties! On Thursday Maggie Laine (second from left) definitely succeeded in garnering quite a bit of attention at a Victoria's Secret Fashion Show book launch thanks to her extremely revealing top; (from L to R) Leomie Anderson, Maggie, Lameka Fox and Malaika Firth Toned tummy! The Victoria's Secret darling opted for an asymmetrical sheer black crop top decorated with sparkling elements The Victoria's Secret darling opted for an asymmetrical sheer black crop top decorated with sparkling elements. Perhaps more head-turning was her choice to forgo a bra, which meant her ample assets were on full display. Her skimpy crop top also meant her amazing abs were revealed, while a matching partially sheer skirt with asymmetrical hem flaunted the young beauty's lithe legs. Black stiletto heels and a large ring on her left hand reminiscent of an insect completed her mesmerizing look. Not shy! Perhaps most head-turning was her choice to forgo a bra, which meant her ample assets were on full display She parted her golden locks in the middle, and they fell in a wave of curls down past her shoulders. Light blush and a rose lip ensured the starlet was ready for her turn in front of the cameras. Maggie's appearance on Thursday was one of her first official outings since she was arrested back in March for marijuana possession. Peek-a-boo! Her skimpy crop top also meant her amazing abs were revealed, while a matching partially sheer skirt with asymmetrical hem flaunted the young beauty's lithe legs; seen with Zuri Tibby TMZ reported that the model had less than an ounce on her at the time of her arrest on March 17 in her home state of Georgia. Maggie was released soon after - the same day of her arrest. In Georgia, the possession of one ounce or less is a misdemeanor with a fine of about $1,000. Studying up! The 21-year-old Georgia native certainly wasn't shy when it came to her eye-catching ensemble; with Leomie, Lameka and Malaika According to Business Insider, marijuana is legal in nine states with Vermont as the first state to legalize it. It is legal as medical marijuana in 29 states. In Georgia it is legal to have marijuana for medical reasons but only up to 20 ounces of low-THC cannabis oil. She's set to tie the knot with fiance Karl Stefanovic in the next coming months. But Jasmine Yarbrough was busy celebrating her close pal's nuptials on Friday. The blonde beauty shared a throwback photo from the time she was a bridesmaid at her friend Georgia Crocker's wedding. Wedding bells! Karl Stefanovic's fiancee Jasmine Yarbrough shared a throwback photo of her friend's wedding on Friday Not long now! The Mara & Mine shoe designer is gearing up for her own wedding with Today show star Karl On the day, the 33-year-old wore a stunning sea green plunging gown and clutched a bouquet of flowers. 'Best day standing by your side @georgiacrocker_ ' Jasmine wrote in the caption. The Mara & Mine shoe designer is gearing up for her own wedding with Today show star Karl, which is reportedly taking place this year. According to unconfirmed reports, the couple will wed in November at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles. Reports: According to unconfirmed reports, the couple will wed in November at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles The pair have already exchanged vows during a commitment ceremony in March. Jasmine's sister Jade, her parents and even her 92-year-old Nanna were there to celebrate the couple. Two of Karl's children, whom he shares with ex-wife Cassandra Thorburn, were also present. After the ceremony, Karl told News Corp of the event: 'We are very much in love. We clicked right from the start.' 'Its a commitment ceremony. It was lovely.' An episode from Todd Sampson's show which featured a cannibal eating a human skull was banned in America - but still aired in Australia. An Indian tribe member was seen gnawing on the dead flesh in the startling opening episode of Body Hack 2.0 on Thursday night. And Todd has admitted that the gruesome moment was rejected by American network Discovery when the show aired in the US. Scroll down for video How did that happen? An episode from Todd Sampson's show which featured a cannibal eating a human skull was banned in America - but still aired in Australia Sampson told The Project that the 'crunch' of the tribesman eating into human flesh was too much for audiences. 'The thing that turned me off was not the visual... it was the smell,' he admitted. He later Tweeted: 'Just out of interest...they wouldn't show this ep on American TV (it's on Discovery). 'I'm proud that @channelten was willing to put it on a commercial network so that more people get a chance to see it. Australia is the best!! #BodyHack.' A sight to see: An Indian tribe member was seen gnawing on the dead flesh in the startling opening episode of Body Hack 2.0 on Thursday night Despite the stomach-turning content, Todd insisted the program is a family show that aims to explore how 'we can understand ourselves better by trying to understand others - regardless of how different those others are.' He added: 'I do encourage children to watch but it's not babysitting TV. If that happens they'll be in shock. 'During the commercial breaks, it's worth having a conversation.' Confronting moment: And Todd has admitted that the gruesome moment was rejected by American network Discovery when the show aired in the US Grateful: He gushed that 'Australia is the best' for airing the startling moment on Channel 10 Body Hack aims to delve into the traditions and religious beliefs of the Aghori Sadhu tribe. In the first episode, Sampson watched as elder, Babaji, laughed hysterically before chowing down on the human matter - a practice his culture considered 'strength giving'. The startling tradition was one of several bizarre rituals exposed in the series, with Babaji also filmed drinking contaminated ocean water from a human skull. Todd Sampson's Body Hack airs 8.45 Thursdays on TEN and tenplay. She has juggled a successful media career with motherhood for years. And after resigning as host of Studio 10, mother-of-two Jessica Rowe says she hates label 'stay at home mum'. Speaking to Yahoo!Be on Friday, the self-proclaimed cr** housewife explained why the parenting term bothered her. Scroll down for video 'Im not a big fan of saying that': Former Studio Ten host and mother-of-two Jessica Rowe reveals why she hates the label 'stay at home mum' Jessica shares daughters Allegra, 11, and Giselle, nine, with news presenter husband Peter Overton. 'Were all working... So Im not a big fan of saying "stayathome mum" and "working mum",' the TV presenter said. Jessica continued: 'All of us move through those different parts of our lives often daily, weekly or yearly... And I dont think its about one versus the other.' Family: Jessica shares daughters Allegra, 11, and Giselle, nine, with news presenter husband Peter Overton Jessica sent shockwaves through the morning TV industry when she abruptly quit her hosting role at Studio 10 in March. She cited personal reasons and more time with her family as the reason for her exit. Last month she detailed how hard things had become for her family before she made the decision to leave the Channel 10 show. Shock exit: Jessica sent shockwaves through the morning TV industry when she abruptly quit her hosting role at Studio 10 in March Speaking to Nine Honey, Jessica said that she'd become 'grumpy' and couldn't be there emotionally for her daughters. 'I was finding in the afternoons I'd be getting grumpier and I don't like feeling like that and I thought something has to give,' she explained. 'When they were younger I felt they needed me physically, and now it's more emotional, and I want to be there for them.' The decision didn't come easily, with Jessica considering the move for six or seven months, she told the website. Kanye West has discussed his mental health battles on his new album Ye. The much talked about eighth studio offering - unveiled at a listening party on Thursday - instantly earned praise from fans around the world. In the lyrics, he addresses suicidal thoughts, fears that his wife Kim Kardashian will leave him and his experience of bipolar disorder. Raves and reviews: After Kanye West revealed his new album Ye with an exclusive listening party (above with wife Kim) and live worldwide stream on Thursday fans and critics took to social media to share their opinions about his eighth studio release Interestingly, Kanye offered an honest insight into his home life, taking a deep dive into lyrics that admit wife Kim has threatened to walk out. He says: 'Wife calling screaming saying we're about to lose it all I had to calm her down 'cos she couldn't breathe/I told her she could leave me now but she wouldn't leave/This is what they mean for better or for worse huh?' Kim, who married Kanye in 2014, has stood by Kanye while he's been criticised for behaving erratically online after his return to Twitter in April. In the lyrics, Kanye also confirms that he has bipolar disorder, saying: 'That's my bipolar sh*t, n***a what/That's my superpower, n***a ain't no disability/I'm a superhero! I'm a superhero!' Another set of dark lyrics hears him rap about contemplating murder and suicide. Lots to say: People were quick to share opinions of all sorts after the listening party/live stream He says: 'The most beautiful thoughts are always besides the darkest/Today I seriously thought about killing you. 'I contemplated, premeditated murder/And I think about killing myself, and I love myself way more than I love you, so.' Many were pleased about the way he spoke about mental illness in the album. 'Every other artist makes a mental illness sound like the SADDEST s**t ever in their music. Kanye said his mental illness is his 'Super power'. WE NEED THIS TYPE OF ENERGY,' wrote Kardashian superfan Myleeza. Hip hop duo Moosh and Twist wrote: 'Kanye Talking About Mental Health On This New Album Is Great. He Said It's Not His Disability He Says It Makes Him A SuperHero.' Different: Some fans were quick to praise Kanye for addressing taboo subjects Destigmatizing: Many were pleased about the way he spoke about mental illness in the album 'KIDS NEED THIS S***. IF YOU EVER BEEN DEPRESSED OR SUFFER FROM ANXIETY THIS IS AN ALBUM THAT U CAN REALLY FEEL.' Others praised the seven-track record for being an exciting evolution of Ye's classics. 'Kanye's new album is some of old Ye mixed with a brand new sound,' wrote Big Brother alum Dan Gheesling. 'Crazy how he keeps reinventing every single album. Really enjoyed it #Kanye.' 'This album sounds like Yeezus had a baby with College Dropout but cheated with Life of Pablo and was adopted by Graduation,' wrote a fan. Better than ever: Many praised the seven-track record for being an exciting evolution of Ye's classics Digging it: 'This album sounds like Yeezus had a baby with College Dropout but cheated with Life of Pablo and was adopted by Graduation,' wrote a fan Music writer Sowmya Krishnamurthy shared a quick rundown. 'One listen Kanye review: The beats are cool. Lyrically, you're not getting anything crazy insightful. Meh. I need more Kid Cudi in 2018. WTF was that Nicki Minaj voicemail?' Others had more straightforward reviews. Actor Ryan Phillippe wrote: 'The production is phenomenal. like magical. it's just facts.' Bullet points: Music writer Sowmya Krishnamurthy shared a quick rundown Facts: Actor Ryan Phillippe wrote: 'The production is phenomenal. like magical. it's just facts' Fire alarm: Rapper Pusha T, who is embroiled in a beef with Drake right now, tweeted: 'Welp... #YE the album so f***ing fiiiiiiire' with three flame emojis Rapper Pusha T, who is embroiled in a beef with Drake right now, tweeted: 'Welp... #YE the album so f***ing fiiiiiiire' with three flame emojis. Some fans took issue with the album's brevity, as Ye is only seven tracks long. One said: 'On the real though, wish the album would've been longer.' Another posted: 'Wish this album was more than 7 tracks [sobbing emoji].' Telling it like it is: Some fans had super straightforward reviews Short and sweet: Some fans took issue with the album's brevity, as Ye is only seven tracks long Gimme more! Another posted: 'Wish this album was more than 7 tracks [sobbing emoji]' Comedian Akilah Hughes wasn't giving the rapper any slack in the wake of his laundry list of controversial statement on TMZ and Twitter. 'This song is literally about when he tweeted that slavery was a choice. This is some lazy end of semester work is what this album is.' Other people quoted the album's lyrics, revealing intimate verses about his wife Kim. 'Had to calm her down 'cause she couldn't breath / Told her she could leave me now, but she wouldn't leave,' blog Rap-Up shared. Nope: Comedian Akilah Hughes wasn't giving the rapper any slack in the wake of his laundry list of controversial statement on TMZ and Twitter Verses: Hip hop magazine XXL quoted the lyrics: 'Father forgive me, I'm scared of the karma/'Cause now I see women as someone to nurture, not something to conquer' Kanye on an emotional cut from his new Ye album' Hip hop magazine XXL quoted the lyrics: 'Father forgive me, I'm scared of the karma/'Cause now I see women as someone to nurture, not something to conquer' Kanye on an emotional cut from his new Ye album.' They also shared some feedback from the exclusive Wyoming listening party. Posting the reactions of BigSean, Lil Yachty 'and more' the magazine said: 'all are going crazy to the sounds of Kanye's new LP.' Though the album has been unveiled, it isn't available on streaming services yet. Confessions: Some quoted the album's lyrics, revealing intimate verses about his wife Kim Most controversially, he waded into his sister-in-law Khloe's relationship with Tristan Thompson - the man who has fathered her first child. So far, he has kept uncharacteristically quiet over the cheating scandal that has engulfed his sister-in-law Khloe and Tristan. He rapped: 'All these THOTS on Christian Mingle... That's what almost got Tristan single.' Thot is an derogatory acronym for 'That ho over there'. Happier times: The charismatic rapper, 40, bizarrely waded into Khloe Kardashian's relationship with Tristan Thompson. He cheated her just before she gave birth to daughter True in April, and Kanye now hints that she nearly dumped him over it (pictured in February 2018) The charismatic rapper, 40, bizarrely blamed Tristan's cheating on the online dating service Christian Mingle and hinted that Khloe, 33, who gave birth to daughter True in April, nearly dumped him over it. Tristan was caught kissing another woman in a club in New York just days before Khloe delivered their baby girl, but the reality starlet has been sticking by her man in the weeks since. Khloe gave birth to her first child on April 12 just days after Tristan was exposed as a serial cheater during their relationship. 'Chills': Kourtney was clearly loving Kanye's album as she drove through LA Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky enjoyed a gorgeous Queensland sunset aboard the Tirelands ferry on Friday. As the sun put on a stunning show, lighting up the skyline in pink and orange, the 34-year-old actor and his 41-year-old wife watched from the deck. The evening appeared to be a tad chilly, as Chris, clad in a white shirt and shorts with a matching cap, grabbed a tasseled blanket at one stage. Family fun! Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky enjoyed a gorgeous Queensland sunset aboard the Tirelands ferry on Friday Nice view: As the sun put on a stunning show, lighting up the skyline in pink and orange, the 34-year-old actor and his 41-year-old wife watched from the deck Dressed casually in what appeared to be a navy blue jumpsuit, Elsa headed upstairs aboard the boat to grab a cup of tea. Tea tag swinging from the paper cup, she descended the stairs to join her brood, her hair in a high bun and a blue headband holding her blonde tendrils off her face. Above deck in the lounge as the sun set, Elsa and Chris could be seen having an animated conversation with some friends. During the 45-minute trip to shore, the pair also tended to their young children. Rug up: The evening appeared to be a tad chilly, as Chris, clad in shorts, grabbed a tasseled blanket at one stage Guns: Chris showed off his famous muscles in a plain white shirt Capping it off: The actor wore a black cap with a Byron Bay surf club logo Cuppa: Dressed casually in what appeared to be a navy blue jumpsuit, Elsa headed upstairs aboard the boat to grab a cup of tea Losing the light: Chris wore his sunglasses tucked into the neck of his shirt Chris, Elsa and their children were returning from a trip away with actor Matt Damon on North Stradbroke Island. Matt and Chris were joined by Matt's wife, Luciana Barroso and the pair's children, for a day on the beach the day prior. Mum-of-three Elsa had skipped the beach day while Chris took care of the couple's three children for the day, daughter India Rose, six, and twin sons Tristan and Sasha, four. Chats: Above deck in the lounge as the sun set, Elsa and Chris could be seen having an animated conversation with some friends Quick call: The Thor actor took a call on his smartphone at one stage Way back: Chris, Elsa and their children were returning from a trip away with actor Matt Damon on North Stradbroke Island Sun and surf: The family had enjoyed a day at the beach the day prior The model and her Thor star husband made their home in nearby Byron Bay four years ago, even though it's a long way from her family in Spain. Speaking to Yahoo Be, the Spanish actress said: 'I love it and it's the best place in the world. It's worth it.' She's the Australian actress who has been busy filming a biopic about the life and times of female jockey Michelle Payne. And it was a bittersweet moment for Teresa Palmer, 32, on Friday when she bid a fond farewell to co-star Stevie Payne - Michelle's brother who plays himself in the upcoming film Ride Like a Girl. Sharing a series of photos to Instagram that showed the pair happily cuddling up together, Teresa even planted a peck on her co-star's cheek. That's a wrap: It was a bittersweet moment for Teresa Palmer on Friday when she bid a fond farewell to her ride Like a Girl co-star Stevie Payne, who plays himself in the upcoming biopic about his jockey sister Michelle, Ride Like a Girl Dubbing Stevie her 'brother for life,' Teresa captioned the posts with a sweet quote from Winnie the Pooh. 'How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard,' Teresa wrote, adding the hashtags #thatsawrapforstevie and #mybrotherforlife. Her fans were quick to gush over the sweet snaps with the likes of: 'You both are so adorable' and: 'Oh my heart is bursting!!!' Bon voyage: Dubbing Stevie her 'brother for life,' Teresa captioned a series of images posted to Instagram with a sweet quote from Winnie the Pooh Bittersweet: 'How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard,' Teresa wrote, adding the hashtags #thatsawrapforstevie and #mybrotherforlife The upcoming film follows the life of Australian jockey Michelle Payne - the first woman to ride a winning horse in the Melbourne Cup. Her 2015 win was dedicated to Stevie who told Fairfax this week that being cast as himself in the film was a dream come true. 'Ah, it's unbelievable. When they asked me to be an actor, I didn't think I was going to do it, because I haven't done it before,' he said. Trailblazer: The upcoming film follows the life of Australian jockey Michelle Payne - the first woman to ride a winning horse in the Melbourne Cup Strong bond: Michelle's 2015 win was dedicated to Stevie who told Fairfax this week that being cast as himself in the film was a dream come true Teresa suffered an 'equine malfunction' recently when she was forced to jump from a spooked horse while filming Ride Like A Girl in Melbourne. Despite not being injured in the incident a producer told the Herald Sun that the Hacksaw Ridge star was left 'shaken.' 'She was shaken but not hurt. Teresa is back riding on set again and doing amazing work as Michelle Payne,' they revealed. He explained how Teresa rode the horse until it slowed down, before jumping off in case it bolted again. The producer added: 'Teresa had considerable horse riding training before commencing filming and, due to her skill, she rode the horse brilliantly until it slowed down.' She's enjoying a girls' getaway with her mum Gilly and baby daughter Sunday. And Ferne McCann seemed primed to unwind on Thursday afternoon as the trio decamped to the beach in Majorca, Spain. Ferne, 27, looked incredible as she hit the sands in a white bikini top and a personalised 'FM' panama hat, making motherhood look extremely stylish. Beach babe: Ferne McCann looked sensational as she hit the beach with her mum and her baby in Majorca, Spain this week She made a showcase of her lean post-baby figure with her denim hotpants left unzipped as she pushed the pram to the sands. Her taut stomach was on display in a frilly white two-piece, which offset her golden holiday tan. Ferne carried her baby bits in a practical rucksack while mum Gilly was on hand for essential 'Grandma' duties. Hitting the beach: The beauty seemed to be juggling motherhood seamlessly on the beach Packed for the beach: The blonde carried all her baby bits in a cute pattened backpack Ferne has gone abroad for a girls' holiday after admitting in a magazine interview this week that there are aspects of single motherhood that she still struggles with. She welcomed baby Sunday in November but is no longer with the father Arthur Collins, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for an acid attack of East London nightclub goers in 2017. Ferne spoke to OK! magazine this week about the day-to-day dilemmas she faces without the baby's father around. She said: 'While I was pregnant, I knew I was going to be a single mum, but it didn't hit me until I actually had Sunday. That was tough to deal with - realising I really was totally on my own.' Looking good: The beauty looked absolutely sensational in her white bikini and shorts In shape: The stunner showed off her lean legs as she left her shorts unbuttoned Ferne added: 'I don't have another person to confer with. I don't have another person to discuss my day-to-day decisions with - like choosing what food she has. It's tough.' The former TOWIE star, who has her own reality show Ferne McCann: First Time Mum, moved back in with her own mother within just four months of moving into her own home last year. After welcoming the baby, she now shares her own Brentwood home with just Sunday and is adjusting to life as a single parent. Helping hand: Ferne was helped by her mum Gilly (right) on the beach day out Personalised: She wore a beach hat with a personalised 'FM' design Baby duties: The star seemed to be making motherhood look extremely stylish It looks like Caitlyn Jenner will be missing her son Brody Jenners wedding this week. At the end of May it was reported that Caitlyn, formerly Bruce Jenner, would not be attending Brodys wedding in Bali on June 2 due to a lucrative business opportunity. And now the 'lucrative opportunity' has been revealed. Caitlyn Jenner reportedly won't be going to Brody Jenner's wedding due to work commitments According to Hollywood Life, Caitlyns prior commitment is the Life Ball in Vienna, which is taking place on exactly the same date that her son is supposed to be getting married to Kaitlynn Carter. The outlet says Caitlyn was spotted in Vienna with her rumoured girlfriend Sophia Hutchins. On the Life Ball site, Caitlyn Jenner is featured prominently on the homepage and is listed as one of this years international guests. Other guests include Paris Jackson, Charlize Theron and Adrien Brody. The Life Ball is one of the biggest charity events in Europe, supporting people with HIV and AIDS. This year it will be celebrating its 25th anniversary. Life Ball 2018 will feature a motorcycle tour, and a The Sound of Music theme. Brody Jenner was reportedly deeply hurt by Caitlyns decision not to attend his wedding. A source told TMZ that the 34-year-old, who is Caitlyns youngest son from her second marriage to Linda Thompson, fully expected her to be in attendance. Caitlyn's decision shines yet another spotlight on the fraught relationship she has with her children. At the end of May, she told Broadly about struggling to stay close to her children: 'I spend a lot of time by myself here in the house. 'I have a lot of children, but sometimes just because of circumstances, maintaining a close relationship with your kids is very tough. They all have lives. They've all moved on. We're just human beings; we're going to be here for a very short time. We come and we go and at the end, when it's all said and done, hopefully your family is going to be there.' A TMZ insider said that the rift between Caitlyn and Brody started when she, then as Bruce Jenner, married Kourtney, Khloe and Kim Kardashians momager, Kris Jenner. Caitlyns children reportedly viewed Kris as selfish and thought Caitlyn enabled her by allowing a wall to be put in-between Bruce and his biological children. It is also reported that Caitlyn wont be the only Jenner missing from Brodys wedding after Kylie and Kendall Jenner both did not RSVP to the invite. Brodys mother, however, is certainly attending her sons wedding, even chronicling the occasion on Instagram. In one post showing the married couple-to-be, Thompson wrote: these two exuding only good vibes as they prepare for their #JennerIsland wedding with a spiritual cleanse at an ancient Hindu temple, tagging Brody and his fiancee, and using the #goodvibesonly hashtag. Waleed Aly and Lisa Wilkinson were involved in a terse exchange on Friday night's episode of The Project over the topic of Pauline Hanson. The politician's former colleague David Oldfield had been on the program discussing the One Nation leader's policies, after which Lisa had some kind words for Pauline. The 58-year-old said: 'You have to admire her tenacity. No matter what you think of her politics, she has a passion for getting her message out there and there is plenty of people who still want to follow her.' Didn't agree: Waleed Aly and Lisa Wilkinson were involved in a terse exchange on Friday night's episode of The Project over the topic of Pauline Hanson Visibly taken aback, Waleed, 39, coolly replied to his co-host: 'I don't know that I do have to admire that.' Lisa then went on to defend her position, saying, 'If somebody has the courage of their convictions, because so often we see in politics, politicians who sway with the breeze.' The journalist conceded however, 'Mind you she has been doing that a bit this year.' Becoming impassioned, Waleed countered: 'That is my point. You can admire her ambition. She is ambitious but... is about what she believes in?' Support? The politician's former colleague David Oldfield had been on the program discussing the One Nation leader's policies, after which Lisa had some kind words for Pauline The debate continued as Lisa praised the party leader for her 'toughness'. 'Given how often she has been knocked over and she keeps getting back up. I admire that,' Lisa concluded. Waleed grew impatient, countering: 'A lot of people are tough.' The 39-year-old TV host then suggested that the senator flip flops on her politics, before going to a commercial break. The 58-year-old said: 'You have to admire her tenacity' to which Waleed replied: 'I don't know that I do have to admire that' The disagreement between The Project hosts comes after Pauline fired New South Wales senator Brian Burston from her One Nation party a day after tearfully accusing him of stabbing her in the back. The Queensland senator sent him a letter declaring she no longer had confidence in the man who joined One Nation when it first formed during the late 1990s. 'I no longer have confidence in you as an officer of Pauline Hanson's One Nation,' she said in the correspondence given to Sydney radio 2GB presenter Ben Fordham. She was catapulted into the spotlight as a contestant on Big Brother Australia in 2013. And Tully Smyth continued to sustain her attention-grabbing profile as she posted a sultry snap during her trip to Cape Leveque on Instagram on Thursday. The TV personality, 30, treated her fans to a sizzling peek at her pins and washboard abs as she slipped into a black drawstring bikini. Soaking up the sun: Tully Smyth posted a sultry snap during her trip to Cape Leveque on Instagram on Thursday The former marketing manager injected her signature boho style into her appearance. She sported a cream fedora hat and draped a sheer white cover-up around her forearms. Tully appeared to admire her location as she gazed at the flame-coloured rock formations in the snap. Relishing on her sunny trip, the blonde beauty captioned the image: 'I love a sunburnt country... #YoungBloodTravel.' Star in her own right: The TV personality, 30, was catapulted into the spotlight as a contestant on Big Brother Australia in 2013 Tully's bikini-clad snap comes after she slammed Love Island Australia, claiming it emphasises superficial appearances. Taking to Instagram on Monday, the blogger shared a snap of a post-it note which read: 'We get so worried about being 'pretty'. Let's be pretty kind. Pretty funny. Pretty smart. Pretty strong.' Directing the less-than-subtle mantra at the reality show, she added the caption: 'Hey @loveislandau... Just a thought.' However, despite hitting out at Love Island Australia, the social media star herself shares pretty pictures of food, clothing and beauty products, interspersed with frequent bikini snaps. Tully was recently embroiled in drama with her ex, model and former Big Brother star Anthony Drew (who goes by his last name). Bachelor in Paradise star Leah Costa was left 'heartbroken' last week after being dumped by Drew following a very short-lived romance. Not pleased: Bachelor in Paradise star Leah Costa was left 'heartbroken' last week after being dumped by Anthony Drew following a very short-lived romance Drew was then seen being reunited with his ex-girlfriend Tully on a night out, shortly after Leah announced she'd split with the hunky male model. Tully and Drew were spotted making eyes at each other while spending time at Melbourne restaurant Rebel Blue. Clearly not taking the breakup well, Leah took to her Instagram Story to accuse Drew of using her for 'fame.' In a tearful rant, the 25-year-old said she felt insulted after Anthony called their romance 'casual.' He often takes to his Instagram account to share glimpses of his strenuous workouts. And Dean Wells opted for a refreshing dip in the sea as he treated himself to a post-workout swim in Sydney's Manly on Thursday. A snap saw the 39-year-old Married At First Sight star going shirtless and displaying his broad shoulders as he posed in the outdoors. Well-deserved! Dean Wells opted for a refreshing dip in the sea as he treated himself to a post-workout swim in Sydney's Manly on Thursday The TV personality commanded attention as he gave the camera a smouldering gaze. Dean penned alongside the photo: 'Post workout swim time! This winters a real bummer !!! Fitness is coming along nicely!! #haha @f45manly' The Sydney-sider rose to fame as Tracey Jewel's 'TV husband' on this year's season of Married At First Sight, but was soon labelled a 'villain' after engaging in an 'affair' with co-star Davina Rankin, 27. Fitness enthusiast: The 39-year-old Married At First Sight star frequently takes to his Instagram account to share glimpses of his strenuous workouts Dean's post comes after he celebrated Married At First Sight's first Logie nomination with a cheeky joke. The reality star took to Instagram on Sunday to share in the joy - posting a snap of himself with co-star Ryan Gallagher at the nominations launch party on the Gold Coast. In the caption he referred to his scandalous 'affair' with co-star Davina on the show: 'I may win most hated man on Australian TV!! Wish me luck!!' Fans of the controversial reality TV star found his post hilarious, including Bachelor In Paradise star Jake Ellis who wrote: 'You got my vote brother haha.' 'I may win most hated man on Australian TV!' Dean poked fun at his scandalous 'affair' with co-star Davina Rankin as Married At First Sight scored a Logie nomination Controversial: The reality star marked the special occasion by writing something tongue-in-cheek about his scandalous 'affair' with Davina on the show 'Not hated by me - pretty sure someone else on your season may win that award,' another subtlety hinted. Meanwhile another follower blatantly commented: 'Davina would take the Logie for that.' Davina, who had been tagged in the post by a number of MAFS fans, jokingly replied back: 'Hahaha oh great most hated female right hurrrrr [sic].' The 60th Annual TV WEEK Logie Awards will be held at The Star on the Gold Coast on July 1. She has travelled to Vienna ahead of the annual Life Ball which fundraises for AIDs/HIV organisations. And Charlize Theron dazzled as she joined Adrien Brody at Thaddaeus Ropac's brunch in Salzburg during the amfAR EpicRide to Life Ball at Villa Emslieb on Friday. The two Oscar winners couldn't help but crack smiles at the photocall as they posed up, with Monster actress Charlize, 42, looking radiant in a scarlet frilled Veronica Beard top with statement flared sleeves. Charitable: Charlize Theron dazzled as she joined Adrien Brody at Thaddaeus Ropac's brunch in Salzburg during the amfAR EpicRide to Life Ball at Villa Emslieb on Friday Wow factor Monster actress Charlize, 42, looked radiant in a scarlet frilled top with statement flared sleeves as she joined Thaddaeus Ropac and Gery Gerhard Keszler She showcased her toned legs and slender waist in a pair of black high-waisted trousers and added extra height to her leggy frame with black stiletto heels. Her blonde bob was loosely tousled and parted to the side while her pretty features were enhanced with smoky shadow, fluttery lashes and a slick of scarlet lipstick. Adrien, 45, who won an Oscar for The Pianist in 2003, looked dapper in a black sweater, jaunty red neckerchief and jeans. Cover girl: Her blonde bob was loosely tousled and parted to the side while her pretty features were enhanced with smoky shadow, fluttery lashes and a slick of scarlet lipstick Acclaimed: The two Oscar winners looked delighted as they attended the brunch Toned: She showcased her toned legs and slender waist in a pair of black high-waisted trousers and added extra height to her leggy frame with black stiletto heels Blonde beauty: Charlize looked sensational as she proudly posed before the bash Hunk: Adrien, 45, who won an Oscar for The Pianist in 2003, looked dapper in a black sweater, jaunty red neckerchief and jeans, with actor Gilles Marini joining the pair Handsome: Gilles looked typically suave in a slogan t-shirt and jeans Actor Gilles Marini, 42, also joined the brunch and was seen chatting with the stars. The Life Ball is an annual charity event to raise money for AIDs/HIV organisations, with this year's event paying homage to The Sound Of Music. The 25th Anniversary of the charitable spectacle will include Charlize, Paris Jackson and Dame Shirley Bassey, who are all representatives of AIDs charities, with Paris set to receive the LIFE+ Award on behalf of godmother Elizabeth Taylor's AIDs Foundation. Attending for her second year, Charlize explained to The Hollywood Reporter: 'The energy and commitment of the crowd is inspiring and everyone leaves with a renewed commitment to fighting this virus and living life to the fullest. 'Our work in supporting youth to keep themselves safe from HIV continues to be energized by this special weekend and the passion that drives it.' Charlize was presented with the Swarovski Crystal of Hope award at Kaiserpavillon, Tiergarten Schoenbrunn in Vienna, Austria the day before. Chatty: Charlize slipped on some cat-eye shades as she spoke to Gilles In good company: The actors looked delighted as they joined the fundraising cause Happy: Gilles cracked a relaxed smile as he and Charlize bantered with pals The star beamed with joy as the Former US Ambassador Helene von Damm recognised her exceptional commitment to combating HIV/AIDS ahead of the Life Ball 2018. The star is the founder of Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project, which supports community-based HIV programmes and has partnered with other leading organisations fighting the pandemic. And the South African talent's work was recognised as she presented with the award, in the form of a glittering chained necklace attached to a red ribbon design - a HIV/AIDS awareness symbol. Stunning: Charlize looked like a supermodel as she walked into the bash Ashley Judd, once again, showed she is a force to be reckoned with. The 50-year old actress was given the Changemaker Award at the 4th annual Greenwich International Film Festival in Greenwich, Connecticut Thursday night. She was recognized for helping women and children around the world through her work as Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund. Scroll down for video Cool and confident: Ashley Judd was honored for her philanthropic work as Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund on Thursday night Smart and Sexy! Judd poses with Greenwich International Film Festival Executive Director and COO Ginger Stickel, Greenwich International Film Festival Director of Programming and Founder Colleen deVeer and Greenwich International Film Festival Chairman of the Board and Founder Wendy Reyes A force! Ashley Judd was honored with the 2018 Changemaker Award at the Greenwich International Film Festival in Greenwich, Connecticut last night The Changemaker Award is given to artists who have used their public platform and the power of film to further positive social change. 'Thank you, @greenwichfilm for the #changemaker award, and your kindness,' Judd tweeted last night. 'Donations to @UNFPA allow a vulnerable pregnant woman in complex humanitarian settings to give birth with greater safety, hygiene, and dignity. I appreciate the acknowledgment of our work.' #GIFF2018 The Heat actress has been working with UNFPA since 2016, and has traveled to countries including Jordan, Ukraine, Turkey, India and most recently Bangladesh, to help improve the lives of women and children. Classy Lady: Judd looked stylishly elegant in an off-white dress with her hair pulled back In a previous statement Judd said: 'It is an honour to have been chosen as a Changemaker Award recipient at the 2018 Greenwich International Film Festival, The festival serves as a great example of how film can be elevated to affect social change, and Im grateful to be a part of such an extraordinary community.' GIFF Chairman of the Board, Wendy Stapleton Reyes, added: 'we are incredibly honored to have Ashley Judd as our 2018 Changemaker. She is an unapologetic voice for equality and womens rights throughout the world. Ashley serves as an incredible example of an individual who, despite the consequences, has refused to be silenced when she has been confronted by injustice and has therefore eased the path for the next generation.' Previous honorees include Renee Zellwegger, Mia Farrow, Freida Pinto, Trudie Styler and Abigail Breslin. Women with voices: Jenna Bush Hager have both made an impact through their philanthropy Judd also showed she can make a style statement. She looked elegant, but also poised and confident as she mingled with the show's organizers at the reception party. The classic beauty wore an classic off-white ankle-length dress, pumps, and her brown long locks were pulled off her face and parted slightly to the left. Making a statement: The actress looked elegant, poised and confident at the reception party It has been a quite the impactful last year for Judd. On top of the Changemaker Award, she was also named as one of Time magazines People of the Year in 2017 for being a silence breaker, after she was one of the first people to come forward and accuse film producer Harvey Weinstein of harassment. She followed that up by filing a defamation and sexual harassment lawsuit against Weinstein last month stating that he hurt her career by spreading lies about her after she rejected his sexual advances. Making an impact: Judd walked the red carpet with fellow 2018 Changemaker Award recipient Duncan Edwards Strong woman! Judd was one of the first woman to come forward and accuse Harvey Weinstein They've just returned from a romantic bikini break with his three children. But Scott Disick seemed to forget all about his younger girlfriend Sofia Richie on Thursday night, as he snuggled up to a mystery blonde at Kanye West's album launch party in Wyoming. As 19-year-old Sofia was posting social media updates from Nobu in Malibu, Scott was pictured with his arms wrapped around the other woman, in a very friendly position. Scroll down for video Drama: Scott Disick seemed to forget all about his younger girlfriend Sofia Richie on Thursday night, as he snuggled up to a mystery blonde at Kanye West 's album launch party in Wyoming Not invited: Sofia was pictured at the high-end restaurant Nobu in Malibu while Scott was partying on Thursday Where's Sofia? Scott Disick poses with Kim Kardashian on her Instagram stories; he was also pictured snuggling up to blonde girl at Kanye West's Wyoming album party Too much fun? According to website TMZ, the 35-year-old ex of Kourtney Kardashian was 'wasted' when the shots were taken Kanye's party: The Lift Yourself rapper unveiled his eighth studio album during the star-studded listening party in Wyoming, where he recorded the record, on Thursday night The woman had her back to Scott in the picture, while he stood behind her, enveloping her in a bear hug, enjoying the party atmosphere. According to TMZ, the 35-year-old ex of Kourtney Kardashian was 'wasted' when the shots were taken. In video that Kim herself posted from the event, Scott was seen smoking and looking dazed, as he stands next to Kanye, who was clearly enjoying the response to his eagerly awaited new material. Scott became close to Kanye during his nine-year on/off romance with Kim's sister Kourtney, which ended in 2015. Late night: In video from the event he is seen smoking and looking dazed, as he stands next to a clearly delighted Kanye Dazed: The father of three appeared to be enjoying himself at the party Pals: Scott became close to Kanye during his nine-year on/off romance with Kourtney Kardashian, which ended in 2015 Kardashian clan: The reality star exes have stayed cordial for the sake of their three children - Mason, eight, Penelope, five, and Reign, three Scott and Kourtney have stayed cordial for the sake of their three children - Mason, eight, Penelope, five, and Reign, three. But while Scott scored a coveted invite on Thursday night, Sofia was not on the guest list as Kanye unveiled his eighth studio album during the star-studded listening party in Wyoming, where he recorded the record. Instead Kanye's wife Kim, Chris Rock and Jonah Hill were among the many excited guests. YE is Kanye's first album since 2016's The Life of Pablo and features the likes of Ty Dolla $ign, John Legend, Young Thug, PartyNextDoor and Willow Smith. He's on the list! Scott, seen left, scored a coveted invite to Kanye's album listening bash A release date is yet to be confirmed, although the listening party sparked plenty of discussion about the seven-track album. It seems Kanye's extended family and own life was the main inspiration, as he brought up his sister-in-law Khloe's cheating boyfriend Tristan Thompson, his own controversial slavery remarks, and even wife Kim. He rapped: 'Wife calling screaming saying we're about to lose it all, I had to calm her down 'cause she couldn't breathe, I told her she could leave me now but she wouldn't leave. This what they mean when they say "For better or for worse, huh?"' The Bound 2 hitmaker also blamed Tristan's cheating on the online dating service Christian Mingle as he rapped: 'All these THOTS on Christian Mingle... That's what almost got Tristan single.' Going it alone: Sofia was without her boyfriend as she dined at Nobu In the driving seat: The teen headed home alone following her meal He's not afraid to declare his love for his fiancee Anna Heinrich on social media. But Tim Robards centered his attention on another interest as he enthused about his travel gym in a shirtless post on Instagram on Thursday. The 35-year-old Bachelor star - who is set to marry his partner in Italy - sent his keen followers into hysterics with his cheekily emotive caption, as many of his fans believed he was referring to Anna, 31. All about fitness! Tim Robards centered his attention on another interest as he enthused about his travel gym in a shirtless post on Instagram on Thursday In the image, the reality star showcased his incredibly toned upper body as he worked up a sweat while using his portable exercise equipment. Tim bamboozled his fellow Instagram users as he kicked off his post: 'I love the way you make me feel, you give me strength, confidence, I love travelling with you, I love just hanging out in beautiful places.' The fitness expert added: 'I love holding on to you, pulling you close to me, feeling you against my skin...' I love when u turn a little more red each time I give you a look of perfectly balanced pain and pleasure.' Smitten: The 25-year-old Bachelor star is not afraid to declare his love for his fiancee Anna Heinrich on social media Injecting humour into his detailed caption, he concluded: 'But most of all I love that I can pack you in my suitcase and take you with me all over the world... #ILoveYou #TRMRings @therobardsmethod. If you want your own... THEROBARDSMETHOD.com.' Fans appeared to enjoy his hilarious joke, as one wrote: 'Very very clever @mrtimrobards!', while another penned: 'Lol, ok very romantic..not. Clearly a comedian.' Others shared their confusion with his misleading post: 'I thought you meant you're partner.' A fourth added: 'What a great spirit you are Tim.. you're a fabulous human, that was a clever read...but Anna tops the travel gym.' Funny: Fans appeared to enjoy his hilarious joke, as one wrote, 'Very very clever @mrtimrobards!', while another penned 'Lol, ok very romantic..not. Clearly a comedian' Anna and Tim's upcoming wedding has been shrouded in secrecy ever since they announced their engagement in May 2017. The showbiz couple weren't so quiet about picking out their wedding rings, as Anna and the 35-year-old hunk took to their Instagram stories last month to explain they were designing their own bands with help from Bunda Fine Jewels in Sydney. In April, an insider close to the couple revealed the engaged Bachelor couple, 'will tie the knot in a lavish destination wedding over the Summer in Europe.' Set to wed! Anna and Tim's upcoming wedding has been shrouded in secrecy ever since they announced their engagement in May 2017 Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail Australia in April, the source revealed that the reality TV duo 'will tie the knot in Italy, sometime in June this year.' Since the pair arrived in Italy earlier this week, they have been spotted enjoying the sights and surrounds of the popular wedding destination. The high-profile couple met on the 2013 season of reality series, The Bachelor Australia. They are set to get married later this month, after announcing their engagement in September last year. And it seems like Kit Harington and Rose Leslie, both 31, will have quite a unique wedding ceremony as they are said to have hired a hooded Benedictine monk to officiate. Their interesting choice of nuptials will be a nod to how they met on Game Of Thrones, a source told The Sun on Friday: 'They're getting married by a monk in a castle. It doesn't get more Game of Thrones than that.' Magical: Kit Harington and Rose Leslie will be married later this month by 'a hooded Benedictine monk in a castle' 'When you think about how they met, it's perfect,' the source continued about their choice of plans. Kit's character Jon Snow first met the wildling girl Ygritte, played by Rose, while travelling north of The Wall as part of the Night's Watch, and although they were on opposing sides it didn't take long before they fell in love. Kit and Rose announced their engagement in The Times newspaper in September, and of their special service the source said: 'They were delighted to meet Father Chad, who's really looking forward to the big day. First meeting: Kit's character Jon Snow first met the wildling girl Ygritte, played by Rose, while travelling north of The Wall as part of the Night's Watch in Game Of Thrones MailOnline has contacted representatives for Kit Harington and Rose Leslie for further comment. Contrary to current reports, during an appearance on the Jonathan Ross Show in October, Kit said that the pair wouldn't have a Game Of Thrones themed wedding, as he said: 'No. There is absolutely no chance of me convincing her of that.' The couple will wed on June 23 according to a notice which was placed at the Huntly registration office in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, just 15 miles from Rose's family home of Wardhill Castle. Kit also recently revealed that he and Rose's forthcoming nuptials will land right in the middle of filming for Game Of Thrones' eighth and final season, and has requested production on the show be halted so that his co-stars can all attend the big day. Announcement: The pair will wed on June 23 according to a notice which was placed at the Huntly registration office in Aberdeenshire, Scotland Speaking on The Jonathan Ross Show, he said: 'I rang [the producer] up and I said, 'I'm getting married and it's your fault actually. I think for the final season he is so stressed that he's reached that peaceful level. 'I was like, 'You need to factor in a 'Game of Thrones' wedding by the way.' They [the cast] have all got to be there so the whole thing has got to shut down.' In a recent interview with Glamour during her promotional tour for Solo: A Star Wars Story, Kit's co-star Emilia Clarke, 31, discussed his kissing skills in comparison to Alden Ehrenreich, 28, and she said: 'Thats really a tough call! 'Its like to be a lead male actor these days you have to be excellent in kissing, theyre both very good. Cant complain babe, cant complain. It was a good day at the office!' She recently admitted she'll never make a permanent move to Los Angeles to be with husband Mark Wright. And Michelle Keegan put on an low-key ensemble in a tweed jacket as she made an appearance at the BBC studios in London on Friday. The Our Girl star, 30, nailed the office-chic look as she slipped into a sharp checked blazer and cosy white cropped jumper. Demure: Michelle Keegan, 30, opted for an uncharacteristically modest look at the BBC Studios in London on Friday...after revealing she'll NEVER live with husband Mark Wright in LA Michelle wrapped her endless pins in a pair of high-waisted black slacks and paired the sophisticated ensemble with strappy black killer heels. The former Coronation Street actress polished off her smart look with a studded black cross-body bag and retro oval shades. Michelle styled her signature voluminous chestnut tresses in a sleek straight 'do as she accessorised with dainty silver earrings and matching rings. On her way: The former Coronation Street actress polished off her smart look with a studded black cross-body bag and retro oval shades The natural beauty amplified her features with a soft nude make-up palette as she kept a demure appearance while walking into the BBC studios. Michelle's toned-down appearance comes after she revealed she would never join her husband Mark, 31, by making a permanent move to Los Angeles. Despite Mark making his mark on Hollywood after landing his lucrative job with Extra, the brunette beauty ruled out settling down in the states during an interview on The One Show. Sharp: Michelle wrapped her endless pins in a pair of high-waisted black slacks and paired the sophisticated ensemble with strappy black killer heels 'I'd love to work in America but I couldn't see myself living out there full time,' she said. 'I'm a home bird.' She clarified. 'It won't be permanent. Definitely not.' The actress, who hails from Stockport, explained the Los Angeles natives found it difficult to understand her thick accent mistaking her for being Australian. 'When I've been out in Los Angeles, even if I'm ordering a coffee or something they think I'm Australian,' she explained. 'I have to slow down a lot and pronounce my words to make it a bit easier.' Stylish: Michelle styled her signature voluminous chestnut tresses in a sleek straight 'do as she accessorised with dainty silver earrings and matching rings Michelle and Mark, who were married in 2015, have stayed strong in the face of split rumours, despite living 9,000 miles apart as the actress filmed scenes for Our Girl. The hunk recently appeared on ITV's Lorraine where he revealed the pair are keen to prove the naysayers wrong, who believe a long-distance union can't work. He said: 'We're back and forward all the time. I just come to see her for a weekend and try and make sure it's three weeks maximum that we don't see each other. Candid: Michelle and Mark have stayed strong in the face of split rumours, despite living 9,000 miles apart as the actress filmed scenes for Our Girl (pictured May 2016) 'People are told and taught long distance relationships cant work. Why cant they work? 'As long as you see each other enough, it keeps things fresh. While we're young and we're still so in love and so happy, and shes travelling round the world with her work, why not? Michelle and Mark met in Dubai in 2012, and married in a stunning ceremony at Hengrave Hall in Suffolk three years later. Filming on the sixth and final season of House Of Cards wrapped on May 25, according to its star. And Robin Wright took to Instagram on Thursday to post a new photo of her character, Claire Underwood, looking out ominously from under her fringe with blood on her left hand. The 51-year-old star didn't reveal any juicy tidbits of the storyline. Instead, she sent out heartfelt thank yous to everyone involved in the political drama. Blood on her hand: Robin Wright took to Instagram on Thursday to post a new photo of her House Of Cards character, Claire Underwood, as filming wrapped on the sixth and final season She captioned it: 'As of last Friday, we finished filming the final season of @houseofcards. 'Working with our cast and crew has been an absolute joy. We became a family and I will miss you all and the nonstop laughs! Thank you @netflix & MRC for all of your support through the years!!' Robin took over as the lead after Netflix fired Kevin Spacey in November following multiple misconduct and assault allegations made against him, all of which he has denied. The actor's team commented at the time, saying: 'Kevin Spacey is taking the time necessary to seek evaluation and treatment. No other information is available.' The team: Robin took over as the lead in the political drama after Netflix fired Kevin Spacey in November following misconduct and assault allegations against him, which he has denied. The 58-year-old entered a sex rehab facility in Arizona in November. Meanwhile, Diane Lane, 53, and Greg Kinnear, 54, have joined the sixth season cast as siblings and many actors who have appeared over the years are also set to return. They include Constance Zimmer as Janine, Michael Kelly as Doug, Jayne Atkinson as Catherine, Boris McGiver as Tom, Derek Cecil as Seth, Patricia Clarkson as Jane and Campbell Scott as Mark. Confidant star: Robin, 58, seen at an event in NYC in October, thanked the House Of Cards cast and crew in her Instagram saying , she 'will miss' her 'family' 'Im so happy to be back. To bring this character back into the story I dont really know whats going to happen,' Constance 52, told Us in April about returning to the show for the first time since season 4. 'Having Robin in charge is the greatest thing in the world. She is fantastic!' Netflix is presently streaming Seasons 1 to 5 with Season 6 due to bow in the fall. Gerard Butler caught a flight out of LAX Airport in Los Angeles with girlfriend Morgan Brown on Friday. Brown appeared to be a little shy when she covered up a bit after getting out of a car. But moments later, she had a big smile on her face when Butler caught up with her at the airport entrance. The couple then embraced and cozily walked side-by-side to their flight, seeming to not have a care in the world. On the road again: Gerard Butler caught a flight out of LAX Airport in Los Angeles on Friday with girlfriend Morgan Brown Happier times: Brown greets Butler with a endearing smile as they prepare to catch their flight The pair have had an on again, off again relationship for about three years, but they have seemed to be the happy couple since last year. Butler kept it casual in the fashion department for the trip. He wore a classic collarless brown leather jacket with some old blue jeans, sneakers and dark sunglasses. His partner also went with the cool and easy-going look with a black leather jacket, a low cut blouse, black boots and her long brown tresses were parted in the middle. Casual cool: Brown and the 300 actor kept it casual; both wore leather jackets and blue jeans The life of an A-list actor: The 49-year old actor splits time living in his native Scotland and Los Angeles There's no telling where the couple are heading to, but we do know the 48-year old splits his time living between Los Angeles and Glasgow, Scotland. The Scottish born actor has also been hard at work with a couple of films. He had been shooting the third installment in the Fallen franchise in Surrey, England a couple of months ago. In it, the Scottish actor reprises his role of secret agent Mike Banning in the action packed series. His character finds himself framed for an attempted assassination on the President, who is played by Aaron Eckhart in the preceding film. Butler also stars in the upcoming movie Keepers. He plays a Scottish lighthouse keeper who was one of three men to vanish without a trace from the island of Eilean Mor in the Outer Hebrides in 1900. They're on in a big way! The happy couple show their affection at the premiere of Den of Thieves in Los Angeles January 17, 2018 It's the deliberately riotous reality show filmed in the leafy Hamptons hamlet of Water Mill. But Summer House viewers will notice a marked change in this year's line-up, after Bravo sacked FIVE of the show's cast, days before filming begins. DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal that twins Lauren and Ashley Wirkus, Stephen McGee, Danielle Olivera and Amit Neuman have all been axed from the show. Bravo has made no official announcement and declined to respond to a request for comment. A source claims: 'The twins weren't popular with viewers and were not seen as likable or aspirational. Sacked: Bravo has sacked Summer House castmates Lauren and Ashley Wirkus and Stephen McGee from the show, days before filming began on the third season What a base: The show films in a rented luxury Hamptons house in the leafy Hamptons hamlet of Water Mill The source added: 'They didn't seem like people I'd want to spend the summer with.' As for Danielle and Amit, they 'didn't really connect with viewers.' Perhaps the biggest surprise was the loss of Stephen, with production insiders said to be 'shocked' that he got fired. The source told DailyMail.com that: 'Perhaps his close relationship with the twins didn't do him any favors.' The changes mean more than half of the nine stars of last year's season have been replaced ahead of the third season, due to start filming this week. Riotous: But five of the nine from last year's show will not be returning Seeking sun: McGee enjoys the house's amenities in last year's show While Amit and Danielle only joined the show for the second season, the other three have been in the cast since it began in 2016. Summer House follows a group of friends who club together to rent a house in The Hamptons to escape the city. They head to the beach home for the weekends between Memorial Day and Labour Day, living it up over drunken lunches, attending fancy galas, and holding bonfires on the beach. The Summer House life: The Millennial cast head to the beach home for the weekends between Memorial Day and Labour Day, living it up over drunken lunches, attending fancy galas, and holding bonfires on the beach However while the show might be popular with fans, it isn't as liked by the neighbors of the rental in which it is filmed. Indeed families living in the houses surrounding the property have complained that they are worried their children will be exposed to bagd behaviour, after watching previous episodes of the show. 'They are not happy,' a source told Page Six, explained that one family: 'Watched the show and are now worried that their 3-year-old grandchild will be watching people having sex in the woods.' She has appeared on popular reality shows such as Ex On The Beach and Celebrity Big Brother. And Jess Impiazzi cut a stylish figure as she was seen heading to the Copyright Relics launch at The Contemporary Gallery in Altrincham, Manchester on Friday. The 28-year-old reality star showed off her slender figure in a pretty floral jumpsuit as she strutted down the street. Glamorous: Jess Impiazzi cut a stylish figure as she was seen heading to the Copyright Relics launch at The Contemporary Gallery in Altrincham, Manchester on Friday With her lean legs out in full force, Jess commanded attention in the flirty one-piece. Jess looked in her element as she enjoyed the day out while standing tall in a pair of towering gold heels. She was primped and preened to perfection with a glossy centre parted blowdry and a glamorous coat of make-up to enhance her striking features. Jess was back on the London party scene after her gorgeous break away to Spain's Barcelona for some much needed sun. Sexy: With her lean legs out in full force, Jess commanded attention in the flirty one-piece With a series of television stints under her belt, the TV star's latest venture is a horror feature flick The Seven Film. Aside from her stellar television career, Jess recently discussed her difficult childhood and how being accepted into famed Italia Conti stage school combated it. Jess recalled on Loose Women: 'The thing that got me out of that sadness was Italia Conti stage school. I auditioned and got in. 'Then I had a scholarship for college and it was the day I got the letter in 2006 that my nephew died of meningitis and septicemia. It took away the brilliance of that day. I got hit with depression. The head teacher let me go away for a couple of months. Jess went onto reveal that she eventually dropped out of the prestigious stage school to care for her mum Debbie. Debbie had lost her sight after suffering Uveal effusion syndrome, a rare condition that causes fluid to build at the back of the eyes. She's one of the most beautiful women in the world. And Charlotte McKinney definitely turned some heads on Friday as she attended the Inspiration Awards benefiting Step Up in Beverly Hills. The 24-year-old Insta-famous model chose a business-themed frock, though it was in fact quite risque. Red hot! Charlotte Mckinney definitely turned some heads on Friday as she attended the Inspiration Awards benefiting Step Up in Beverly Hills The garment appeared to be a red blazer, but boasted a slightly elongated hem that just skimmed her thighs. There was only a hint of her famous cleavage showing thanks to a low v-cut neckline. She wore the sleeves pulled up, apparently to maximize the amount of skin on display. Unique red boots with white cage-like white straps completed her exceedingly flattering ensemble. Looks can be deceiving: The garment appeared to be a red blazer, but boasted a slightly elongated hem that just skimmed her thighs Peek-a-boo! There was only a hint of her famous cleavage showing thanks to a low v-cut neckline Sky high! Unique red boots with white cage-like white straps completed her exceedingly flattering ensemble A pair of thick gold hoop earrings appeared to be her lone accessory, while her blonde tresses were pulled back into a long ponytail. Exquisite eye make-up, subtle blush and bright rose lipstick ensured the beauty was ready for her turn in front of the cameras. Of course there were many other celebs on hand as well for the charity event. Feeling it! Big Bang Theory's Kaley Cuoco, 32, was apparently looking to share the love in a black wrap-style dress with pink and red hearts and lips dotting the fabric Individual style! January Jones, 40, of Mad Men fame, chose a very eclectic collection of clothes for the event A little of everything! She layered a satiny varsity-style jacket over a light pink camisole, while she covered up down below with a sparkly skirt Nothing fancy: Julie Bowen, 48, of Modern Family looked smart in a simple black shirt and cream-colored trouser combination Family is everything: Jennie Garth attended the Inspiration Awards with daughters Fiona Eve and Lola Ray Big Bang Theory's Kaley Cuoco, 32, was apparently looking to share the love in a black wrap-style dress with pink and red hearts and lips dotting the fabric. The asymmetrical garment was also quite short, revealing the television star's toned gams. A big red lips belt buckle and some cute pink sneakers completed her fun look. January Jones, 40, of Mad Men fame, chose a very eclectic collection of clothes for the event. Blue beauty! 90210 star Jennie Garth, 46, wowed in a satiny cobalt number that fell to just above her knees Two of a kind! Jennie also brought along her daughter, 11-year-old Fiona Eve Facinelli She layered a satiny varsity-style jacket over a light pink camisole, while she covered up down below with a sparkly skirt. Matching sparkling strappy heels and some massive pink hoop earrings finished off her unexpected combination. Julie Bowen, 48, of Modern Family looked smart in a simple black shirt and cream-colored trouser combination. Flattering! Regina Hall, 47, of Girls Trip delighted in a geometric pattern playsuit which highlighted her shapely legs A little serious: Spider-Man: Homecoming actress Garcelle Beauvais, 51, looked ready to get down to business in a heather grey pantsuit paired with tan and gold heels Leggy lady! Torrey DeVitto, 33, who stars in Chicago Med and Vampire Diaries, opted for a floral shorts and coat combo and a sheer black top Black pointed toe heels and a pink leather handbag rounded out her outfit. 90210 star Jennie Garth, 46, wowed in a satiny cobalt number that fell to just above her knees. Regina Hall, 47, of Girls Trip delighted in a geometric pattern playsuit which highlighted her shapely legs. Spider-Man: Homecoming actress Garcelle Beauvais, 51, looked ready to get down to business in a heather grey pantsuit paired with tan and gold heels. Torrey DeVitto, 33, who stars in Chicago Med and Vampire Diaries, opted for a floral shorts and coat combo and a sheer black top. All smiles! The Leftovers and Private Practice actress Amy Brenneman, 53, chose a navy sleeveless top and black trousers for the event Elegant! Lisa Ling, 44, looked svelte in a plunging black dress Proud mom-to-be! Christine Lakin, 39, who acted in Veronica Mars, was excited to show off her baby bump According to the ITV website Coronation Street is about the everyday lives of ordinary folk living in a Northern town called Weatherfield. Everyday and ordinary? Coronation Street? I dont know what you say to that except LOL. It's Anna Bada**: Anna Windass killed Pat Phelan (stabbing him in the chest) but not before Phelan shot his daughter Nicola (inadvertently, during a struggle in her living room) It isnt even at the best of times but particularly this week, which consisted of five nightly specials that had to be screened at 9pm they were so dark and demented. They werent even like ordinary episodes of Coronation Street. Fridays show was on at the same time as The Bridge for instance but not as violent and twisted. Well not quite anyway Even veteran residents considered tonights events were out of the ordinary. Its all going on today isnt it?! cooed Gail. One to watch: It isnt even at the best of times but particularly this week, which consisted of five nightly specials that had to be screened at 9pm they were so dark and demented Shona admonished her but (unusually) David Platt sided with his mother, acknowledging: shes got a point to be fair. It was all going on. Anna Windass killed Pat Phelan (stabbing him in the chest) but not before Phelan shot his daughter Nicola (inadvertently, during a struggle in her living room) and Michelle Connor (very deliberately, in The Bistro just as she was about to get married, which if nothing else ruined the wedding photos). Pat Phelans high-octane finale was intercut with developments in the storylines involving David being raped by Josh, Aidan Connor committing suicide, and Rosie Webster foiling cocaine dealer Antoines scheme to trick fashion model Olivia into acting as what Gemma Winter called a drugs donkey (mule). Very ordinary. Coronation Street shouldnt be this exciting, and mixing serious issues like male rape and suicide with the pantomime villain caricature of Pat Phelan was inadvisable. But having said that, the denouement of his reign of terror was terrific. It was certainly more cinematic than even the most ambitious, indulgent, EastEnders specials. Tonight didnt feature anything as spectacularly, quintessentially, Mancunian as Thursdays ninety second segment of Joy Divisions Atmosphere playing as Phelan walked down the middle of Coronation Street preparing to go into Eileens house to see his daughter Nicola and his newborn grandson Zack. But the scene with Anna Windass walking down the famous ginnel, following the blood trail Phelan had left as he carried Nicola to get help after hed shot her was quietly effective. Shes dying! he yelled bursting into the Bistro where Michelle and Robert were getting married. Tense storylines: Coronation Street shouldnt be this exciting, and mixing serious issues like male rape and suicide with the pantomime villain caricature of Pat Phelan was inadvisable Pats uncharacteristic appeal for help from the Weatherfield locals didnt last long. He rejected their attempts to call an ambulance by threatening: if I see anyone else with a phone I will start shooting and convincing them (and us) that he meant it too. She needs surgery now or shes going to die! insisted the doctor. No, you are going to save her! Phelan countered. Pat! Shes your daughter! Robert implored. Yeah he knew that. Driven along by some formidable performances (particularly Connor McIntyre as Phelan), it fizzed along at a pace that managed not to become preposterous (a la Walford) even when Phelan announced: I need a hostage. It was when he dragged Michelle into the Bistros kitchen that he discovered someone was waiting for him. You?! he muttered. Yeah me, said Anna Windass defiantly, plunging a knife into his chest as he shot Michelle and just standing there staring at him watching the effect. Phelans actual demise was nicely done. When he went to pull the blade out the doctor cried out to stop him (thats keeping you alive right now!) but Pat did it anyway, growling with relish: lets make sure its you that goes down for murder. At least Im going to die happy knowing youll rot in jail for this. You were going to shoot her, replied Anna. And even if you werent Id still have done it. It would have been worth every second. Definitely! Nicely done: Phelans actual demise was nicely done. When he went to pull the blade out the doctor cried out to stop him Michelle was slumped on the floor, bleeding, but still managed to gasp that she would back Anna up. People like you dont get to win! Anna snarled spitefully into Phelans face. Now were finished here Im going to go out and meet my grandson and were going to forget you ever existed.I win. Seconds later, the wild light in Phelans eyes going blank told us this time he was really dead. Anna Windass will now be known forever more as Anna Bada**. The rest of the street watched Nicola being carried into an ambulance. What if she dies? asked Gary Windass, who had brought Phelan back into the street. Its OK, Sarah Platt assured him. Its not though is it? said Gary. Shocking: Michelle was slumped on the floor, bleeding, but still managed to gasp that she would back Anna up. People like you dont get to win! Anna snarled spitefully into Phelans face No, not reallyYoud think even Sarah-Lou would see that. In fact tonights show proved Corrie is far from everyday. It appears that so much happens in Weatherfield that its the sort of place where, even when you stab someone in the chest (Dead) with a carving knife as Anna just had Pat you dont get arrested or taken into custody but are allowed to chat to all your mates, cuddle your new baby grandson, and then go round to Eileens for a cup of tea (to make up). I am so sorry for what he did to you - for what we did to you, cried Eileen. Anna forgave her, elaborating: in prison I fantasised about killing him - what it would feel like. But it didnt feel good because it felt like hed done that. (A clever line and sentiment.) I dont like the person hes made me into. I feel the same, said Eileen. Slumped: It appears that so much happens in Weatherfield that its the sort of place where, even when you stab someone in the chest (Dead) with a carving knife as Anna just had Pat you dont get arrested or taken into custody We cant be the same as him cos hes done this to us. Hes tried to destroy. But hes failed because were still here and we get to live our lives and forget about him. Its like weve been sleeping and hes just a bad nightmare. From today we wake up and we move on. A fantastic speech, but for all that, minutes that Anna announced she wasnt moving back to Weatherfield but going to live in Durham with her auntie Maureen. So much for just forgetting about him. The only disappointment with Phelans rampage was that (surprisingly) they didnt take the chance to cull the cast. Nicola and Michelle both pulled through so when Faye decided to go with Anna Bada** she became the only character to leave. There was one last nifty twist. The Platts saw Josh watching the police and ambulances (and them), revelling in being released after he was questioned about raping David. Gail raged at him with a level of lethal spite that confirmed she was far scarier than Pat Phelan. But David walked up to Josh and quietly told him: See all this today? He thought he got away with it but they got him. Just like well get you one day. Davids mother obviously wasnt quite so confident. Only one down: The only disappointment with Phelans rampage was that (surprisingly) they didnt take the chance to cull the cast The episode ended with Gail phoning Rosemary. We saw the dastardly Lewis Archer (Nigel Havers) listening/smiling on in satisfaction as Gail promised the con artist she would pay Rosemary to get rid of the curse Richard (Hillman) put us, for once and for all. I cant go on like this, all this bad luck Coming after Kylie and an infinite number of other dramas, Davids rape was the last straw. Earlier Gail had wailed to Shona: Why do things like this keep happening with this family?! That wasnt difficult. BECAUSE YOU LIVE ON CORONATION STREET! She's on her world tour in support of her new album Hopeless Fountain Kingdom. And Halsey added an extra stop to her itinerary when she dropped into New York City to perform at Good Morning America's Summer Concert Series in Central Park on Friday. GMA co-host Robin Roberts welcomed the 23-year-old to the stage, who launched straight in to her double platinum hit Bad At Love. Ready to go: Good Morning America co-host Robin Roberts gave Halsey a warm welcome before her performance at the show's Summer Concert Series in Central Park on Friday Halsey, whose real name is Ashley Frangipane, glittered in a white crop top with a glittery silver overlay and matching, high-waist, white pants with silver sequin detailing. She soon heated up the park with a succession of hits while rocking new long blonde tresses. And she surprised everyone, including, apparently, the GMA co-hosts, when she was joined onstage by special guest Fifth Harmony alum Lauren Jauregui. High energy: The 23-year-old hit the stage and went straight into her double platinum-selling single Bad At Love They're loving it: The delighted audience waved and sang along to the hit Getting her kicks: The beautiful blonde glittered in a white crop top with a silver overlay and matching, high-waist, white pants with silver sequin detailing The couple sang their hit duet Strangers. Lauren, 21, flashed her tummy in a black crop top and I.Am.Gia Electra pants in bright color blocks of red, white and black. She wore a red jacket over the top to keep warm in the cold morning air, teasingly pulling it down to flash her shoulders. Up close: The beautiful blonde got off the stage to sing to her adoring fans Guest star: Even GMA's hosts seemed surprised when Lauren Jauregui joined Halsey on stage Beautiful duet: Halsey and the 21-year-old Fifth Harmony alum sang their hit, Strangers The beautiful blonde and her brunette pal cuddled up to take the applause of the delighted crowd. 'Thank you for having me mama always end up smiling like a child when we get to perform together LOVE YOU! @halsey,' Lauren tweeted after the performance. Halsey took to Twitter, too, captioning a selfie: 'Only way I can describe that Good Morning America performance is fun, sweaty, sleepy, and sexy! Athleisure wear: Lauren, 21, flashed her tummy in a black crop top and I.Am.Gia Electra pants in bright color blocks of red, white and black with a red jacket over the top to keep warm Cuddling up: The pair happily hugged it out after their surprise performance 'Idk who keeps letting me be on family friendly morning TV but no complaints! That was soooo fun being with you guys again after so long! I looooove New York.' Meanwhile, she is due to play at Randall's Island in NYC on Saturday evening. Halsey kicked off her world tour in Uncasville, Connecticut on September 29, 2017, and is due to wrap it on September 26 in Berlin, German, after some 78 gigs. Taking the stage by storm: Hundreds of fans turned up to see Halsey in Central Park Thousands of years after Plato first wrote about the lost city of Atlantis, it still captures the imagination. The fictional island has sparked books, movies, expeditions and - in one extravagant leap from reality - a luxury hotel. Perched on the tip of the Palm Jumeirah, the largest man-made island in the world, and modelled after the mythological underwater city of Atlantis, is a bucket-list resort that has come to be seen as a symbol of Dubai itself - a city seemingly lost in the pursuit of extravagance. In a time where social media reigns, Atlantis has the enviable moniker of being the fourth most Instagrammed hotel in the world. But when opulent hotels are a dime a dollar, what is it about this resort that beckons to people across the globe? One of the seven emirates making up the United Arab Emirates, Dubai has marketed itself as an unmatchable international tourist destination. "Only here", it calls to jaded travellers, "can you ski at an indoor snowfield despite it being 45C outside" or "hey if you're going to take in a view - why not do so from Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building?" It's working, too. A decade on from opening its doors, Atlantis, which boasts 1539 rooms, sits at around 96 per cent occupancy. Those who want to stay can choose from a range of rooms including the hotel's famed underwater suite, one of the few places on earth you can go to bed with sharks and wake up unscathed. And for those truly dedicated to decadence, there's a Royal Bridge Suite, where for a cool $A17,000 you can holiday in the penthouse with your own butler, security guard and beauty spa - one person choosing to do so for 20 nights. But the majority of people staying at Atlantis aren't billion dollar oil-sheikhs or reality TV stars, though there's no doubt they're among the crowd, but just regular people splurging on a few days in the promise of Nirvana. The flamboyant Grand Lobby is teeming with a crowd of these regular people when I arrive. Women wearing colourful saris, men in billowing white thobes with chequered head scarves, and bedraggled westerners wearied from their long-haul flights are sprawled in various positions on plush red lounges, all busily awaiting their turn to be one of the 823 guests the front desk staff check in every day. In the middle of it all, an underwater inspired, writhing sculpture reaches to the ceiling, promising to those waiting not only a dedicated commitment to underwater themed decor, but also that everything here aims to offer that little bit extra. A porter materialises beside me and asks if he can take my bag. "It's ok," I tell him. "I've got it, it's not heavy." "No it's not ok," he replies with a mournful shake of his head. This is my first taste of the attraction of Atlantis - it's a place where they demand you enjoy yourself, starting with letting someone else carry your baggage. I meet with the same disapproval at dinner that night. Ayamna, one of the resort's 23 upscale restaurants, offers hearty Lebanese fare as a belly dancer weaves her way through tables. The haunting sounds of Middle Eastern music fill our ears. "We're ok for dessert," my host tells the attentive waiter - after we've just spent hours gorging ourselves on a smorgasbord of dishes that covered our table until you could no longer see the surface. His face is crestfallen and a week later I still feel like I've let him down. It's just one of many moments in my days at Atlantis where I question reality. Taking a bath while gazing at the lit up Dubai city skyline, snacking on an elaborately crafted palm tree built out of dates, floating through the hotel's sprawling water park and swimming at a white sand beach in the Persian Gulf while gazing at a never-ending line of construction. Often I feel as though I'm on another planet. But it is below ground where the hotel really suspends reality. Towering ten-metre windows offer a glimpse into one of the world's largest aquariums, home to more than 65,000 fish, stingrays, sharks and other underwater life forms. The wow-factor display is made possible only by a complex feeding and care schedule involving 472 kilograms of seafood and 100 workers a day, a behind-the-scenes tour reveals. But the result is a massive drawcard for holiday-makers who loiter by the windows trying to capture that perfect shot - preferably with a stingray spread-eagled in the background. It's here as I duck to avoid spoiling people's holiday snapshots that I realise one of the reasons Atlantis lends itself so well to the Instagram-obsessed. It truly has to be seen to be believed, and while a picture is no substitute for the real thing, they are worth a thousand words - or so I hear. Hours into my journey home, as I try to sleep upright as the stranger in the next seat uses me as a pillow, my time at Atlantis seems like the myth that inspired it. My leap from reality is over. IF YOU GO GETTING THERE: Dubai is a 14-hour flight from Sydney and Brisbane and about 13 hours from Melbourne. Emirates flies from Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne to Dubai. Go to emirates.com. STAYING THERE: Atlantis The Palm is a five-star hotel with great access to the beach, luxurious pool facilities and an action packed water park. The resort is also home to world-class restaurants and bars. Prices start at approximately $A320 per night. For more, visit atlantisthepalm.com PLAYING THERE: The hotel's Aquaventure waterpark features waterslides, river rapids and private cabanas and is a great day out for children and adults alike. Aquaventure is available to guests of the hotel free of charge. The writer travelled as a guest of Atlantis The Palm, Dubai. South Australia's Monarto Zoo has welcomed four baby cheetahs into the family. The cubs born last week are healthy along with mother Kesho, keeper Jon Allon said. "At this early stage we are giving the new family complete privacy, and only monitoring developments through a security camera in the den," he said. Cheetahs are classified as vulnerable and breeding programs are critical to securing the future of the species. "It is heartbreaking to see the number of wild cheetah population decline, it's mainly due to habitat loss and the killing and capturing of cheetah to protect livestock against predation," Mr Allon said. The gender of the cubs is yet to be determined and they will remain off-limits to the public for now to give the family time to bond. The death of a Tasmanian man forced to wait months for a bed through the National Disability Insurance Scheme has prompted a powerful demand for emergency action. Greens senator Jordan Steele-John grilled senior officials about Tim Rubenach's death during a Senate estimates hearing on Friday. The 31-year-old died from pneumonia just over a week ago. He contracted bacterial meningitis as a baby and suffered from severe epilepsy. "A man is dead, a family is grieving the loss of a son," Senator Steele-John put to the heads of the National Disability Insurance Agency. The senator said Mr Rubenach's family endured a prolonged crisis - not just around delays in delivering vital medical equipment, but in the lack of support worker hours allocated to him through the NDIS. "You could not have written a more obvious cry for help if they had written 'help me' in the letters they have sent us, and the letters they have sent the NDIA, and the letters they have sent the minister," he said. Senator Steele-John, who uses a wheelchair and is a vocal advocate for disability rights, was not satisfied with apologies from the heads of the agency including its chief executive Robert De Luca. "I would imagine - not wanting to speak on their behalf, and speaking very frankly - that they would not give a s*** whether anybody in this room is particularly sorry about the death of their son," he said. "They would want to know that the agency owns the failure that is represented in the death of their son, as does the government who currently presides over it." He described Mr Rubenach's death as a failure of the federal government and the disability scheme. "What I would like to hear from you, Mr De Luca, is that you acknowledge not only that you are sorry but there are multiple elements of failure here that you are proactively looking into rectifying," the senator said. "I do not want to be sitting here in three and six and 12 months time, talking about another death, and another death, and another death, because we just couldn't get a hospital death to a man in time." Senator Steele-John said it was not good enough the local hospital had to lend Mr Rubenach a bed after months of delays. Social Services secretary Kathryn Campbell described the death as sad and tragic, but said the department was not in a position to attribute blame for the death totally to the NDIA. Mr De Luca accepted there had been failures in handling Mr Rubenach's case. "All I can say is the actions that we're taking to address the things that we can control we're taking," he said. "We need to make significant progress in the ability to actually streamline processes so situations where people need things urgently get what they need urgently. You have my complete commitment to that." Marika Koroibete hitting his straps with the Melbourne Rebels would be a terrifying prospect for most opposing wingers. But at least Blues flyer Matt Duffie knows what's coming. Friday's Super Rugby match at Eden Park will be a reunion of sorts when the pair share the same field for the first time since they were Melbourne Storm starting wingers in the 2015 NRL season. That they're marking each other directly adds another element for Duffie, who was close friends with Koroibete in their former code. The Blues flyer remembers the pair watching and talking a lot about their school days love of rugby union. "We'd never say, 'Hey, when are you going to go back?' but it's pretty funny how things work that two years later we were both playing union," Duffie told AAP. "The thing I know with Marika in either code is once he gets on a roll of confidence he's bloody hard to stop. I saw it first-hand." Duffie made his All Blacks breakthrough with two midweek appearances in Europe last November. He was trumped by Koroibete, whose rookie Wallabies season in 2017 comprised eight Tests. One of his four tries came in his lone appearance against the All Blacks - aiding their upset win in Brisbane. A hat-trick in the Rebels' 40-13 defeat of the Sunwolves last week cemented Koroibete's Australian selection and probable starting berth to face Ireland this month. Duffie said the 25-year-old had clearly found his feet in the 15-man code and posed multiple threats. "The longer we play as ex-rugby league players, the more understanding we get," Duffie said. "I went through it coming back from Storm as well. It took me a while. "The type of player that he is, you get him in the wide channel one on one, he's going to do a lot of damage." A weekly round-up of news affecting your health EYES Australians have been reminded antibiotics are not always needed for most common eye infections. The majority of eye infections in adults are viral conjunctivitis, which can be treated with cold compresses, artificial tears and a topical antihistamine. Professor Stephanie Watson, Maria Cabrera-Aguas and Pauline Khoo from Save Sight Institute recommend an antiviral ointment to be prescribed if there is evidence of herpes simplex virus conjunctivitis. "However, antibiotics are not needed, are costly and may increase antibiotic resistance," they warn. "Urgent referral to an ophthalmologist for microbiological samples and treatment is needed for infectious keratitis and endophthalmitis," they added. VITAMIN D Vitamin D can help babies grow when given to pregnant women, but not when given to infants, a study has found. The vitamin is essential for building and maintaining healthy bones and research suggests it may have other potential health benefits. A randomised clinical trial of 975 healthy infants in Finland, published in journal JAMA Pediatrics, reported no difference in bone strength or incidence of infections at age 24 months when infants were given three-times the regular daily dose of supplemental vitamin D compared to those given a standard dose of the vitamin. EPILEPSY Epileptic seizures strike with little warning and nearly one third of people living with epilepsy are resistant to treatment that controls these attacks. Researchers at the University of Sydney have developed a non-surgical, wearable device using advanced artificial intelligence (AI) to predict when a seizure may strike. A study published this week showed the small electronic chip alerted epilepsy sufferers within 30 minutes of the likelihood of a seizure. Using three data sets from Europe and the United States, the device uses a predictive algorithm to inform the alert system. "We are on track to develop an affordable, portable and non-surgical device that will give reliable prediction of seizures for people living with treatment-resistant epilepsy," said Dr Omid Kavehei from the Faculty of Engineering and IT and the University of Sydney Nano Institute. "Just four years ago, you couldn't process sophisticated AI through small electronic chips. Now it is completely accessible. In five years, the possibilities will be enormous," said Dr Kavehei. While a lot more testing is required, it's development has been welcomed by Epilepsy Action Australia. "Living with constant uncertainty significantly contributes to increased anxiety in people with epilepsy and their families, never knowing when the next seizure may occur," said chief executive Carol Ireland. "Any progress toward reliable seizure prediction will significantly impact the quality of life and freedom of choice for people living with epilepsy." PAIN People living with chronic pain have been asked to participate in a new University of Queensland study to gain a better understanding of the psychology of pain. It's hoped the new insight will improve pain management treatments. "Living with chronic pain can be very challenging, and people often have different views on their pain experience," said Clinical Psychologist and Research Fellow Dr Rachel Elphinston at UoQ. "Some people think negative emotions such as stress can make pain worse, while others believe the only treatments that work are medication and surgery," she explained. Common chronic pain conditions include arthritis, back or neck pain, pain resulting from injury, post-surgical pain or nerve-related pain. The researchers are looking for adults with chronic pain to complete a short online questionnaire. "Engaging individuals with chronic pain and understanding their beliefs and attitudes will help us not only develop ways to improve pain treatments but also improve access to the right treatment at the right time," said Dr Elphinston. Don't play poker with Mathias Cormann. The finance minister is playing a high stakes game on two sets of tax cuts and he's already seen some opponents fold and others start to crack. The June sitting of parliament is make-or-break for the coalition as it tries to get its corporate and personal income tax cuts made law. Labor supports the first half of the personal tax cut plan because it helps lower- and middle-income earners, but says the second half is a handout to the rich. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has offered his own generous tax cuts over the next four years, but won't support the coalition's seven-year plan to radically change the tax brackets. He wants the government to split the bill in half. Sitting across the poker table, the inscrutable Cormann keeps raising the stakes. "We will not split the package. Bill Shorten has to make a decision whether he wants to stand in the way of personal income tax relief for low- and middle-income earners," Cormann said during the week. Either Labor votes for the full deal and everyone gets their tax cut, or Labor rejects it and Shorten is the Grinch Who Stole Christmas-In-July. It appears the high stakes game is working. Labor is reportedly considering voting for the full $140 billion tax cut and banking on winning the election to reverse the parts it doesn't like. That is itself a risky game, even though the polls suggest Shorten will be in power after the next election. Cormann doesn't have such a good hand in his other poker game. Labor and the Greens don't support dropping the corporate tax rate from 30 per cent to 25 per cent for businesses with turnover above $50 million. So Cormann is steadily working on the crossbenchers, picking them off one by one. Tasmanian independent Steve Martin joined the Nationals on Monday, so he's on board with the tax cuts. Senators David Leyonhjelm, Cory Bernardi and Fraser Anning also back them. The two Centre Alliance senators at this point are a 'no', but are still weighing up their options, while independent Tim Storer doesn't support the cuts but will consider them as part of wider tax reform. Pauline Hanson is key, but Cormann's negotiating has helped split One Nation. Hanson was signed up to the tax cuts and she shook Cormann's hand on a deal, bringing Peter Georgiou and Brian Burston with her. Then the Longman by-election was called and Labor realised they needed to win over One Nation voters who preferenced candidate Susan Lamb in 2016. Shorten launched blistering attacks on Hanson and One Nation over the corporate handouts - and she folded. Hanson backed out of her earlier deal, and the decision broke her party, with Burston going public on Thursday, promising to vote for the corporate tax cuts in defiance of his leader. Hanson said her long-time supporter had sold himself out. "For him to turn around and do this to me -- it's hard. But I'm going to keep going. And I'm going to get good people in that parliament beside me," she said. Cormann's game got a bit trickier. "Obviously from my point of view it would be preferable if all One Nation senators remained committed to the consensus that we reached," he told Sky News on Friday. A split in One Nation doesn't help the coalition get the deal through, even if chaos in the party helps the coalition in the long run win back conservative voters. Cormann will keep negotiating, but the senate-whisperer might have found his toughest opponent in Derryn Hinch. The Victorian senator is playing the same tough poker game as Cormann, and he wants the cuts to be limited to companies with turnovers under $500 million. Cormann is ruling that out. But with two key sitting weeks before July 1, that high stakes game becomes tougher to play if Hinch is the last one standing and willing to go all in. A Queensland woman doused in petrol and set alight by her boyfriend has described her day-to-day struggle following the assault. The teenager told the Beenleigh District Court on Friday she avoids petrol stations and is fearful of lighting a gas stove after being set alight by Brae Taylor Lewis at a home south of Brisbane in May 2016. Lewis, 19, was convicted on Thursday on one count of malicious act intended to cause grievous bodily harm but is yet to be sentenced for the crime. The economy might be going well but everyday Australians aren't seeing it in their wage packets, Labor frontbencher Ed Husic says. After the Fair Work Commission announced a 3.5 per cent lift in the minimum wage, Mr Husic said it was important that good economic conditions were shared with the whole community. "The issue has been, for some time, that people on low and middle incomes, their wages aren't reflecting that. They've been flatlining for quite some time," Mr Husic told Sky News on Friday. Greens MP Adam Bandt said one-in-four people in poverty are working full-time. "Even though the economy is apparently strong, this decision will still leave many full-time workers living in poverty," he said. "Until we enshrine in law a minimum wage above poverty level, inequality will continue to grow in Australia." Former prime minister John Howard has called on the Turnbull government to prioritise a personal touch in repairing relations with China. In 1996 Mr Howard met with the then Chinese leader Jiang Zemin during the Taiwan Strait crisis which the former Liberal leader described as a turning point in returning relations to normal. "With a country the size of Australia, the relationship between the two leaders is important. The Chinese saw our relationship as something that deserved regular watering at the highest level," Mr Howard told The Australian on Friday. A Thor-themed whisky decanter allegedly stolen from a CBD bar, has turned up at the Melbourne airport. The decanter, weighing 8kg and 60cm long with a leather-bound shaft and engravings, was stolen from a CBD bar on Saturday night. Police released images of a group of men they believed could help lead them to the custom-made decanter, shaped like Thor's mystical hammer from the popular superhero franchise. On Friday, investigators found the hammer-shaped bottle at Melbourne Airport. A 52-year-old man from Mindarie, WA, presented himself to Perth police station a short time later and is assisting police. Weeks after the Turnbull government allocated Australia's largest-ever aid package to the Pacific, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop will begin a three-island nation blitz to spruik free trade. International Development Minister Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong and Labor senator Claire Moore will join Ms Bishop on a trip to Palau, Micronesia and Marshall Islands from June 3-7. On the agenda will be signing aid partnership deals and discussing whether the Pacific island countries may be interested in joining the Pacer Plus free trade deal which covers Australia, NZ and eight island countries. The May budget included a record $1.3 billion aid investment for Pacific island nations, which are considered among the most vulnerable in the world to climate change as they grapple with rising sea levels and the increased frequency and intensity of cyclones and storms. The group will hold talks with Palau President Tommy Remengesau, Micronesia President Peter Christian and Marshall Islands President Dr Hilde Heine. It's not the first bipartisan trip to the Pacific, after the foursome visited Solomon Islands, Samoa and Vanuatu in 2016. Senator Fierravanti-Wells ruffled feathers across the Pacific and China earlier this year when she accused Beijing of building "white elephant" projects and "roads to nowhere" and expressed concerns about the sustainability of China's loan arrangements with the island nations. Notorious triple murderer John Walsh has confessed to bashing his cellmate to death with a sandwich press at a Sydney prison. The 79-year-old also urged a judge to get on with sentencing him after pleading guilty to the murder of fellow convicted killer Frank Townsend in their Long Bay prison cell last year. Townsend, 71, was found with severe head injuries on January 2, 2017, and later died in hospital. On Friday Walsh appeared via video link from Long Bay jail in the NSW Supreme Court, where a sentencing hearing was set down for August 10. "Why is it being drawn out for so long? I'm guilty," he asked. "This is not a productive conversation, Mr Walsh," Justice Peter Johnson replied. It comes a decade after Walsh killed his wife and two grandchildren at his Cowra home in the central west of NSW. In June 2008, the then-69-year-old stabbed his wife and bludgeoned her and his seven-year-old grandson with a hammer. He drowned his five-year-old granddaughter in the bath and also drowned the family dog. When Walsh's daughter came to collect the kids he attacked her with an axe but she fought him off, suffering serious head injuries. He told her, "I am doing this because I love you" and "when I am done with you lot I am going to Newcastle to kill your ex-husband", according to the facts at his 2009 court sentencing. Walsh later told police his wife's murder was a "mercy killing" and that he decided to also kill his daughter and grandkids because there would be no one left to look after them. Townsend was convicted of the shooting death of a woman in 2010. If you look out the window and glimpse a convoy winding through Sydney's streets guarded by swarms of federal agents and state police, don't be alarmed. Any day now a decade's worth of spent nuclear fuel assemblies weighing 24 tonnes will be moved out of Sydney's Lucas Heights facility in a highly sensitive transport mission months in the making. The radioactive cargo is set to be shipped to La Hague, in France, but details about the port, routes and specific timing of the operation remain classified with the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) only disclosing it will happen mid-year. An ANSTO spokesman has assured the public of the operation's safety, saying the radioactive materials will be enclosed in specially-designed transport casks reinforced with lead and made to withstand almost anything, including a jet fighter crash. "There is no credible chance of any accident or incident that could result in the cask being compromised," an ANSTO spokesman said. It will be the 10th transport mission of spent nuclear fuel assemblies, with the last shipment sent to the United States in 2009. The spent fuel has come from Australia's multi-purpose OPAL reactor, whose uses include the production of around 5.5 million nuclear medicine doses for Australian patients, used for the diagnosis and treatment of heart, lung and skeletal conditions and cancers. The reprocessing project will cost $45 million, including the contract with France, equipment, staff and other costs. Once the uranium and plutonium are extracted, they will be recycled into overseas civil power and research programs, with the remaining materials vitrified into a safer form for waste storage and sent back to Australia. "It's putting it all into a furnace and melting it with glass forming materials so the radioactive materials are bound up in the glass," says Hef Griffiths, ANSTO's Chief Nuclear Officer. "What we get back is a very low volume, highly durable waste form." The spent fuel assemblies, which would have been considered high level waste, become transformed into an intermediate level waste, Mr Griffiths told AAP. But the question of where it will be stored remains. Late last year a citizen's jury in South Australia investigated the issue over six sitting days then rejected a proposal to build a high-level nuclear waste dump in the state's north. The verdict was a significant blow to the idea of a dump, recommended for consideration by the state's royal commission into the nuclear fuel cycle. Conservation groups and indigenous communities have already rejected the idea over safety concerns and the government have had trouble convincing the wider community. The waste from this year's transport mission will be returned from France in many years' time and sent to the yet-to-be-built National Radioactive Waste Management Facility where it will be kept in storage for several decades. Eventually the waste will need to be moved again to a permanent disposal facility. An ice-affected and sleep deprived truck driver has been jailed for causing the death of a much-loved father of six in a horror pile-up on a Melbourne freeway. Michael Brian Templeton, 31, was speeding and did not react to the traffic slowing ahead of him on the day of the crash that killed Kari-Pekka Maunus. Templeton's tip truck swerved erratically and slammed into the back of Mr Maunus' ute, running over it and killing him instantly in March 2017. Mr Maunus, 49, a respected boilermaker, was heading to work the morning he was killed. Templeton was jailed for six years on Friday after pleading guilty to culpable driving causing death. He was affected by the drug ice at the time of the crash and estimated he had only slept about two hours the night before. The victim's wife Mia hoped the sentence served as a powerful message about the dangers of using drugs and driving. "Michael's decision to mask his pain, like so many others, by using drugs was a bad decision that took the life of an innocent man," she said in a statement. "I've lost my partner of 30 years and my six kids have lost their loving father. "Driving without thinking about the consequences may not only destroy your life but significantly impact the lives of the ones you love and others you have never met." The tip truck and trailer weighed 15 tonnes and it was travelling at 88km/h when it struck Mr Maunus's Toyota Hilux. "There was dust and debris flying into the air," witness Anne Cassidy said in her statement. County Court Judge Trevor Wraight said the cars ahead were highly visible, the weather was fine and it was obvious that for some time before the crash, traffic had slowed. Templeton had a longstanding drug issue and had taken ice almost daily for eight years leading up to the crash, the judge said. Templeton said he thought about Mr Maunus and his family daily and can only imagine their pain. "I need to serve time for his family and to be honest to help myself," he told authorities. "I think about the effects of the accident on his family every day. "I try to put myself in their position to see the damage I have done ... but I can never really know." Templeton was jailed for six years with a minimum of four years. He has served 441 days in pre-sentence custody, so he will be eligible for release in less than three years. Mikey Wright is the lone Australian male left in contention while Stephanie Gilmore is well placed to extend her World Surf League lead in Bali. Gilmore's two-wave score of 11.40 gave her victory over Silvana Lima (9.54) and Keely Andrew (8.50) in their third-round heat on Friday at the Keramas break. Fellow Australians Sally Fitzgibbons and Tyler Wright also won their three-woman contests to progress to the quarters, with Fitzgibbons' 15.93 - which included a stunning 9.93 barrel ride - the highest total of the morning. Chasing a seventh world crown, Gilmore already has two wins from three completed events this season, giving her a solid lead over American and fellow quarter-finalist Lakey Peterson. All three will line up in separate heats on Saturday. Meanwhile, wildcard Wright will fly the Australian flag in the men's quarter-finals after he snatched victory thanks to a 8.20-point ride from his last wave. The 21-year-old banked a 15.80-point total to pip in-form Griffin Colapinto for top spot, end countryman Adrian Buchan's campaign and join sister Tyler in their respective quarter-finals. Tahitian Michel Bourez looms large though after he scored a 9.93 ride to claim wave-of-the-day honours. Conditions permitting, Wright will meet Brazil's Willian Cardoso in Saturday's quarter-finals in what has become a wide-open field with the exits of Queensland's series leader Julian Wilson and defending world champion John John Florence. Pauline Hanson has asked her One Nation NSW senator Brian Burston to resign from the Senate over his decision to support the government's company tax cuts. Senator Hanson sent him a letter saying she does not have confidence in him, and she wants him to resign from the Senate to allow her to pick a replacement. "No, I will not be resigning from One Nation and I most certainly will not ever be resigning from my senate position," Senator Burston told 2GB radio on Friday. Energy companies will have to give five years' notice before closing their ageing Victorian power stations under a new agreement with the state government. The deal is part of an extension to mine licences of the Latrobe Valley power plants, that will ensure at least 17 years of mine rehabilitation, Resource Minister Tim Pallas announced on Friday. It will mean Energy Australia's licence for the Yallourn mine will be extended to 2051, but will not allow mining beyond 2032, and AGL's Loy Yang licence will go to 2065, but mining is not allowed past 2048. Australia's export credit agency is in hot water for being too festive in the lead up to Christmas last year. Export Finance and Insurance Corporation officials were grilled about $30,762 spent on taxpayer-funded Christmas parties across the country during a Senate estimates hearing on Friday afternoon. Parties were held in Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide. Labor senator Alex Gallacher questioned whether it was an appropriate use of taxpayer funding. "It is normal business to have functions with clients," chief financial officer Stuart Neilson said. Senator Gallacher read out a guest list and pointed out there was a royal commission under way into the behaviour of banks. "Westpac, ANZ, HSBC, NAB Bank, Bendigo Bank, Commonwealth Bank, Bank of Melbourne, are these your customers? You need to buy them a drink at Christmas?" Senator Gallacher said. Mr Neilson said the banks provide referral business. Senator Gallacher said the spending could be seen as "extraordinary largesse". A man who allegedly assaulted a constable in Toowoomba before speeding across a footpath and four lanes of highway to escape has been charged by police in Queensland. The 26-year-old man allegedly punched the officer several times in the chest in the car park of a pub at Harlaxton two weeks ago before speeding away in his car. Police swooped on him at Kearneys Springs in Toowoomba on Friday, when he allegedly obstructed officers during the arrest. He is due to appear in Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Saturday on multiple offences including assaulting police, dangerous operation of a vehicle, wilful damage and three counts of obstructing police. Communities in and around the NSW coastal town of Tathra will receive a $2 million dollar grant to help them clean up after a bushfire swept through almost 100 properties. The fire, which is believed to have started after branches hit powerlines on March 18, reduced swathes of bushland to ash along with more than 60 houses and dozens of caravans and cabins. Fire crews cordoned off dozens of homes after it was discovered many contained asbestos. Federal minister Angus Taylor said the more quickly the waste is removed, the sooner people can begin rebuilding their lives. Already more than 4700 cubic metres of general waste and 5300 cubic metres of asbestos has been cleared, the NSW government says. "Council, local agencies and contractors have worked hard to ensure waste from the fire has been processed and disposed of safely and efficiently," Emergency Services Minister Troy Grant said on Friday. The grant, provided to Bega Valley Shire Council by the Commonwealth and NSW governments, will help council store potentially hazardous material from fire-affected properties. "The government has teamed up with insurance companies and affected residents to remove the debris as quickly as possible," NSW cabinet minister and Bega MP Andrew Constance said. More than 80 shipping containers have been lost from a cargo vessel battling through wild seas on the NSW coast. YM Efficiency was making its way from Taiwan to Sydney on Thursday evening when large swells knocked 83 containers into the water off Newcastle. "It's a situation particularly at night where a shipping container in the water is very heavy - it sits about a foot above the water - so it presents a significant risk to navigation," Roads and Maritime Service spokesman Angus Mitchell told the Seven Network on Friday. The latest alleged sexual assault on a child in Tennant Creek has prompted demands for the Northern Territory Government to reveal what history the family has had with child protection services. A five-year-old girl was allegedly assaulted on Sunday and taken to Alice Springs for medical treatment. Police say they are not investigating and referred the case to government department Territory Families because the incident did not involve an adult and only two children aged under 10, below the age of criminal responsibility. The department described it as "sexualised behaviour of two young children, there is no evidence of sexual assault". This latest incident comes after after the rape of a two-year-old girl in the same town in February. Police dropped charges against a 24-year-old male relative over that rape this week, after he had been locked up for more than three months, and charged another man, aged 25. That prompted a report by Northern Territory Children's Commissioner Colleen Gwynne which was scathing of Territory Families' management of the girl, who along with her siblings had been the subject of 52 notifications to child protection agencies. Last week a 50-year-old prominent Territory musician and community policeman was jailed for molesting a seven-year-old girl, also in Tennant Creek. Deputy Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro said people had a right to know what history the government had had with the family involved in the latest incident with the five-year-old girl. "If it had a history with this family or with the children involved then it needs to come clean with Territorians about that and explain why a situation like this was allowed to occur," she told reporters. "What we need to know is whether or not the department is being responsive enough or not understanding notifications. "The recommendations in the Children's Commissioner's report says its system needs to better alert case workers, to ensure where there are multi-notifications that alert comes through so that child can be given important attention." "We cannot afford to wait any longer and see any other children not being protected the way they deserve to be." That report criticised Territory Families as having systemic cultural problems, including staff putting the right to privacy above protecting children, which meant information was not shared properly between police and agencies. Territory Families rejected the report. Federal Assistant Minister for Children and Families David Gillespie has cited such cases as representing a crisis and advocated for more indigenous children in care to be adopted, rather than reunited with families. A man armed with a knife is on the run after stabbing two people at their home in the NSW Bega Valley. The man, who's dressed in khaki pants and a black jumper with red vertical stripes, attacked the man and woman at their property near Bega about 3.30pm on Friday before carjacking a vehicle, seriously assaulting the driver in the process, NSW Police said. "Residents on the Sapphire Coast Drive between the suburbs of Bournda and Kalaru are urged to be vigilant and remain inside their homes," police said in a statement. A policeman has been taken to hospital after being kicked while arresting a teenager accused of leading officers on a car chase through the Adelaide Hills. A Subaru wagon was detected doing 130km/h in an 80km/h zone in Meadows on Friday evening and police gave chase, but had to terminate the pursuit. Another patrol stopped the Subaru using road spikes and as they arrested an 18-year-old man, one of the officers was kicked. The Clarendon teen has been charged with engaging in a police pursuit, exceed speed and assault police and has been bailed to appear in the Mount Barker Magistrates Court at a later date. Defence Minister Marise Payne has warned against countries in the region adopting a "might is right" approach to international relations. In what could be a veiled swipe at China, Senator Payne insisted nations have a right to be free from coercion when they reasonably object to the behaviour of other nations. Relations with China have soured in the past year, with Beijing especially cranky about Australia's foreign interference laws. "When Australia disagrees with the actions of another nation, including partners and allies, we say so," Senator Payne told the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, the largest annual gathering of defence ministers, military chiefs and senior security officials across the region. She pointed to Australia's stance on the South China Sea, which encourages countries to resolve territorial claims based on international law, as well as the publicly expressed disappointment that the US had withdrawn from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact. Senator Payne made the case that it was important for the US to continue to play an active role in the region to ensure peace and security. The speech acknowledged disruption to international relations can create instability but emphasised strategic competition must be bound by rules that shouldn't be casually discarded. "Adopting a 'might-is-right' approach is contrary to the interests of all nations," she said. Senator Payne pointed to the recent Australia-East Timor settlement of a long-running maritime boundary dispute using a United Nations conciliation process. "It's an example of the rules-based order in action," she said. After years of bitter wrangling, Australia and East Timor in March signed a historic treaty at the United Nations to resolve a maritime boundary dispute in March. The deal also carves up $56 billion in potential revenue from oil and gas reserves in the Timor Sea. Senator Payne also warned of the growing terrorism threat in southeast Asia, highlighting the recent suicide bombings in Surabaya, Indonesia and insurgency in Marawi in the Philippines. "Nobody wants to see (Islamic State) take root in our region after being denied territory and legitimacy in the Middle East," she said. Senator Payne will participate in a female leaders panel at the dialogue. Incoming chief of the defence force Angus Campbell is also in Singapore for the dialogue, along with the bosses of the foreign affairs and defence departments. Indian hit-and-run driver Puneet Puneet has cried out and sobbed at an extradition hearing in New Delhi as his lawyers said he smashed his head against a wall because he's mentally unbalanced. Judge Gurmohina Kaur is deciding whether Puneet should be sent back to Melbourne for sentencing on his conviction for running into and killing Queensland student Dean Hofstee, 19, on October 1, 2008. Puneet, who was a 19-year-old learner driver at the time, also seriously injured 20-year-old Clancy Coker. Puneet was on bail and awaiting sentence after pleading guilty to culpable driving when he used a friend's passport to flee Australia in 2009. Police arrested him four years later in India, on his wedding day. In court on Friday his lawyers were arguing Puneet was not mentally competent to be the subject of an extradition decision when the defendant began making high-pitched noises and calling for his uncle. Judge Kaur stopped proceedings and said "What happened? Stand up Puneet! Stand up! What happened?" Puneet, with a bandaged head, fell into his uncle's arms and began crying hysterically, before he was removed from the courtroom. Judge Kaur then asked "Who was making those sounds? Was that him?" Bhaskar Valli, the advocate for the Union of India, which handles extradition cases for the Indian government, said the defence argument about Puneet's mental health was "yet another malicious application". The defence has previously argued Puneet would face racism in Australia if extradited, was gravely ill, was mentally unfit to face trial, and that the case was of a "political character." The defence has also said Puneet suffered from kidney problems, schizophrenia, weight loss and at one point drank poison, due to his fragile state of mind. "If he or his lawyers feel his mental state will not lead him into a safe environment, let him come forward so that we can verify this," said Valli. "This is not a man of good intent or bona fide character", he added, referring to Puneet's actions in fleeing from Australia nine years ago. As arguments continued over when the case could proceed, Valli said "Your ladyship has been extremely indulgent" over the various delays and postponements in the hearings. Judge Kaur retorted by calling for a special hearing on Saturday to hear the full detail of the defence's claims over Puneet's mental health, and potentially offer a decision in the case. The next hearing will be a the Patiala District Court in Delhi on June 2. Boaters in NSW have been warned to be on the lookout for more than 80 shipping containers that came loose from a vessel off Newcastle. The Liberian-registered YM Efficiency was making its way from Taiwan to Sydney on Thursday night when it encountered rough seas. It lost 83 containers overboard and a further 30 were badly damaged. The ship, operated by the Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation, spent Friday night at sea off Sydney ahead of an expected assessment on Saturday morning. Roads and Maritime Services warned boaters over marine radio to be aware of the potential hazards and said two containers were spotted about 100 metres off Fingal Head and Boondelbah Island, near Port Stephens. A Yang Ming spokeswoman said there were no dangerous goods or marine contaminants inside. "There is no security concern about the condition of the vessel," she said in a statement to AAP. The company is informing customers and discussing the next steps with its insurer. One Nation's Brian Burston is refusing to quit his Senate seat, undercutting Pauline Hanson's power base unless she can force him out. Senator Hanson sent her long-time supporter a letter on Friday demanding he resign from the Senate to allow her to pick a replacement. "I no longer have confidence in in you as an officer of Pauline Hanson's One Nation party," Senator Hanson's letter said. "You describe yourself as loyal to me and now I ask that you demonstrate that loyalty to me by giving up your seat in the Senate to enable the party to appoint a replacement NSW senator." But Senator Burston is refusing to go, which means Senator Hanson's crucial three-vote bloc in the upper house is cut to two, vastly undercutting her influence. "I will not be resigning from One Nation and I most certainly will not ever be resigning from my senate position," Senator Burston told 2GB radio on Friday. "I certainly will not be standing aside for Pauline to put in a crony that's a yes-man or woman." The crisis started when Senator Burston publicly revealed his plans to vote for the government's company tax cuts, after Senator Hanson reneged on a deal to back them. An intermediary also spent two weeks trying to set up a meeting with the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers party in NSW so Senator Burston could defect. The party didn't want him - but Senator Burston claims he wasn't aware of the approach. Former Labor leader Mark Latham won't confirm if One Nation has asked him to replace Senator Burston. "I've been approached by representatives of four different parties wanting me to run in the senate," Mr Latham told the Nine Network. "I'm not going to be talking about private conversations." Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said it was not in the government's interest for One Nation to split, especially over the crucial tax cuts. With historic Treaty legislation awaiting debate in state parliament, Victorians will get a chance to ask questions on a new online platform to be launched before a walk to the MCG for reconciliation. Thousands of people are expected to come to Federation Square on Saturday for Reconciliation Week events, culminating in the Long Walk ahead of the Dreamtime at the G match between Richmond and Essendon. Essendon Great Michael Long will not be attending the event due to illness and has asked Olympic gold medallist Nova Peris to help lead the Long Walk from 5pm on Saturday. Premier Daniel Andrews is also expected at the event. The state government will also launch on Saturday Deadly Questions, a new online platform. According to the 2016 Australian Reconciliation Barometer, many Victorians feel they don't know much about the state's Aboriginal heritage, but they also don't feel comfortable asking questions, for fear of offending or appearing ignorant. Deadly Questions will encourage people to put those awkward questions directly to Aboriginal Victorians, to learn more about their cultures, and the purpose, value and process of Treaty. It will be launched by Aboriginal Affairs Minister Natalie Hutchins alongside Yorta Yorta elder and daughter of Sir Doug Nicholls, Aunty Pam Pederson, and Gunditjmara man, playwright and musician Richard Frankland. The banking royal commission's own lawyers have advised against extending regulations protecting consumers to cover loans to small businesses. Barristers assisting Commissioner Kenneth Hayne QC have recommended no additional statutory obligations be imposed with respect to making loans to small businesses. Senior counsel Michael Hodge QC said small business entrepreneurs are, by their nature, optimistic about the ability of a business to succeed. "Any increase in regulatory requirements on banks to scrutinise the optimism of the small business borrower must necessarily be premised on the proposition that the banks are too willing to make loans to small business. "Neither the case studies nor the work that we have done outside of the hearings suggests that this is the case." Mr Hodge submitted it was not necessary or desirable to increase the obligations of banks making small business loans to be akin to or more like the responsible lending obligations imposed by the National Credit Act. "Nevertheless, we acknowledge that this is not a view that is universally held," he said, adding more regulation was contemplated some years ago. The royal commission received more than 630 public submissions about small and medium-size enterprises. It received more than 75,000 documents after issuing notices to produce, then interviewed 40 individual borrowers before selecting a small number to give evidence during a two-week public hearing that ended on Friday. Its next public hearing will focus on issues affecting Australians who live in remote and regional communities. It will include farming finance, national disaster insurance and how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians interact with financial services providers. The first part of the two-week hearing will be held in Brisbane from June 25, before moving to Darwin the following week. An SOS will be sent to Alex Glenn after Brisbane's forward stocks took another hit with boom prop Payne Haas having season-ending shoulder surgery. Brisbane are sweating on Kiwi international Glenn returning two weeks early from a knee injury after confirming 18-year-old Haas had undergone shoulder reconstruction and would not be sighted again until the 2019 pre-season. Haas joins Test backrower Matt Gillett (neck) and prop Korbin Sims (jaw) on the sidelines while lock Josh McGuire is trying to overcome an ankle injury and play for Queensland in Wednesday's State of Origin opener. After an NRL debut against South Sydney that promised so much six weeks ago, Haas' season is already over with just three games to his name. He injured his shoulder in Brisbane's round-12 loss to Manly three weeks ago. "That (shoulder reconstruction) is a six-month recovery but he will be back in time for the start of the pre-season," Broncos high performance boss Jeremy Hickmans said of Haas. The outlook is much better for Glenn. The back-rower is eyeing a return a fortnight early in their NRL clash in Melbourne next week after their Origin bye. He had been ruled out for up to six weeks with the knee medial ligament injury suffered against Manly. Glenn took a step closer to a Melbourne return after running strongly twice this week. "Alex is ticking all the boxes," said Hickmans. "He will be back to skills with the main group next week with the aim of getting ready to play against Melbourne." Ninth-placed Brisbane will welcome back Glenn after the controversial Matt Lodge, Tevita Pangai and youngsters Joe Ofahengaue and Jaydn Su'A had carried the injury-ravaged Broncos pack. Ofahengaue and Su'A have been so impressive that they were among the six development players invited to take part in Queensland's Origin I camp on the Gold Coast this week. Jason Day has stormed into a tie atop the leaderboard midway through the second day at the US PGA Tour's Memorial tournament in Ohio. Former world No.1 Day fired a second consecutive round of four-under-par 68 to climb to eight under and he sits alongside Japanese ace Hideki Matsuyama (71) and American duo JB Holmes (66) and Wesley Bryan (68) in a share of the clubhouse lead at Muirfield Village near Columbus. Day equalled his best 36-hole score at the Jack Nicklaus-hosted Memorial, which is considered a home event for Day given he lives in Columbus and is a Muirfield Village member. But 12-time US Tour winner Day has struggled at Memorial, with only one top-25 result in nine previous appearances. Also in a share of the lead but still out on course is Abraham Ancer (four holes). A shot back of the lead at seven under is former amateur world No.1 Joaquin Niemann, who will get his round underway in the afternoon. Next best of the Australians is John Senden, who iced a 69 with a stunning approach to four feet which he converted for birdie at the difficult par-4 18th. After an opening 73, Senden now sits at two-under the card, while Adam Scott remains at even par early in his round. Cameron Davis is also at even par and will get his second round underway in the afternoon groups which include fellow Australian Rod Pampling (one over) and Marc Leishman (two over). Rounding out the Australian contingent is Cameron Smith, whose 72 left him at three over and is likely to miss the cut. Tiger Woods opened with a bogey and the five-time Memorial winner sits at one over. Ever since Shane Webcke's "Captain America" moment almost 20 years ago, Jarrod Wallace has wanted to play front row for Queensland. Now Wallace is set to produce his own heroics after vowing to stand up to NSW's monster pack in next week's State of Origin series opener in Melbourne. In just his third Origin, Wallace, 26, will spearhead a Maroons pack that must overcome injury and form concerns to blunt the Blues juggernaut led by David Klemmer and Reagan Campbell-Gillard on Wednesday night. Queensland prop Wallace hoped to channel idol Webcke after the 21-Origin wrecking ball inspired his Maroons dream as a kid. "I can't remember the exact game but Webcke caught the kick in the in-goal and there were these NSW guys coming flying at him and they were bouncing everywhere," Wallace said. "It was like Captain America stuff. I was sitting there thinking I want to do that one day. "I was seven or eight years old. I knew then I want that (Maroons front row) jersey and to be in that position." Webcke will again be on Wallace's mind when he runs out onto the MCG as a maligned Queensland pack look to silence their critics. The Maroons raised eyebrows by picking Josh McGuire despite the lock being sidelined for the last five weeks with an ankle injury. They also opted for out of sorts North Queensland back-rowers Coen Hess and Gavin Cooper. And Josh Papalii is the Maroons' most experienced forward in Origin I, one month after being relegated to reserve grade by NRL club Canberra. "Webcke was my favourite, big Petero (Civinoceva) was outstanding and to take it (starting jersey) off (retired great Nate) Myles was a huge honour and a huge achievement for me (last year)," Wallace said. "I want to make sure every time I pull the jersey on, if they were to come up to me off the field they would shake my hand and say they were proud." Asked if he and front row partner Dylan Napa could stand up to NSW, Wallace said: "Definitely. "We had a big job last year against Klemmer and (Aaron) Woods and they were the NRL's two best props at that stage. "They had played for NSW for eight years so nothing changes for us just because there are two new guys there." McGuire, halfback Ben Hunt (thigh) and fullback Billy Slater (hamstring) trained strongly on Friday and are expected to be officially declared fit after Queensland's Sunday session. The Maroons squad leave their Gold Coast camp and fly into Melbourne on Monday. A second man has been charged over a violent brawl at Melbourne's Etihad stadium that led to another footy fan being banned for life. The 69-year-old Yarraville man has been charged with intentionally and recklessly causing injury and affray over a brawl at Medallion Club on May 25 that led to a 46-year-old Carnegie man receiving a life ban. Both men will appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on September 10, with the younger man facing charges of intentionally and recklessly causing injury, affray, possessing cocaine and resisting police. A young man who allegedly stabbed a woman to death and critically injured two other men on the NSW far-south coast remains under police guard in hospital. A large-scale hunt began on Friday afternoon after a couple were attacked in their home in Bega about 3.30pm. A 71-year-old man flagged down a passing driver outside his house on East Street after he and his wife were stabbed. The 69-year-old woman died at South East Regional Hospital and her husband was airlifted to Sydney's St George Hospital where he remains in a critical condition. The culprit allegedly escaped in their car and police took off after him, warning local residents to stay inside during the search. About an hour later, the 20-year-old offender struck a 55-year-old male driver in the head with a hammer while carjacking him on the Sapphire Coast Drive in Bournda, police say. That victim was also airlifted to St George Hospital where he remains in a critical condition, while a female passenger escaped unharmed. The 20-year-old offender crashed 500 metres down the road and ran into bushland and officers called in helicopters, negotiators and special tactical operatives to capture him. The fugitive was arrested about 8.20pm and taken to the South East Regional Hospital. Starbucks decided to sacrifice millions in lost sales to close for an afternoon of nationwide racial-bias training, after two black men were arrested in a Philadelphia store in April From ABC canceling "Roseanne" and kissing goodbye to millions in lost ad revenue to Starbucks training staff against racial bias, corporate America is touting a moral backbone as the must-have asset of the Trump era. "It's a profound change," says Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, senior associate dean for leadership studies at Yale School of Management. "It is emblematic of CEOs, generally of larger old-line enterprises that are jumping in to fill the void of a moral vacuum," he tells AFP. It took Disney CEO Bob Iger hours, if not minutes, to axe ABC's top-rated show on Tuesday after household name and Donald Trump supporter Roseanne Barr fired off a racist tweet about a former Barack Obama White House advisor. "Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values," announced, ABC's Channing Dungey, the first black woman president of a major broadcast network. Iger's speed was unprecedented: universities waited years to rescind honorary degrees after Bill Cosby was accused of drugging and sexually assaulting women. But it wasn't his first bold decision. Last June, he and Tesla boss Elon Musk resigned from President Donald Trump's advisory council in protest at the United States leaving the Paris climate deal. Meanwhile in August, Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier led the way in quitting Trump's manufacturing council after the president prevaricated in condemning white supremacists at a deadly rally in Virginia. - 'More profit in long-term' - Starbucks this week decided to sacrifice millions in lost sales to close for an afternoon of nationwide racial-bias training, after two black men were arrested in a Philadelphia store in April. On Thursday, vehicle retail website Autotrader.com pulled its sponsorship of Samantha Bee's "Full Frontal" television show after the comedian used a gendered four-letter expletive to refer to Trump's daughter Ivanka. And following a Valentine's Day school shooting that killed 17 people, Walmart and Dick's Sporting Goods raised to 21 the minimum age for gun purchases, short-circuiting paralysis in US Congress on meaningful gun reform. "The research indicates that morality in leadership is more important than it's ever been," says James Lemoine, assistant professor of organization and human resources at University at Buffalo School of Management. It took Disney CEO Bob Iger hours, if not minutes, to axe ABC's top-rated show after household name and Donald Trump supporter Roseanne Barr, pictured, fired off a racist tweet "Paradoxically, the companies that focus less on profit and more on stakeholders make more profit in the long-term," he tells AFP. He attributes the change to the rise of the millennial generation and social media, which has exposed individuals and companies to unprecedented transparency, as well as an American appetite to hold the powerful accountable. "Cynics may say companies are just doing it so that they can get good press... but it also makes good business sense in the modern world because of how much more closely people are able to follow these companies," Lemoine says. It is a trajectory he traces back to Bill Clinton's impeachment, and popular discontent with George W. Bush following Hurricane Katrina and the Iraq War. But Sonnenfeld believes it is "absolutely" linked to Trump and concern that demagoguery is no longer on the fringes of society. - Teaching ethics - "The coarsening of public discourse is what they are responding to," he tells AFP. "That's why CEOs are moved to act because they can see how precious the balance of our national character is." Perceived wisdom also considers the #MeToo movement, bringing to account powerful men accused of sexual misconduct, a result of Trump's election despite accusations against him and himself bragging of being able to grab women. Nadine Strossen, professor at New York Law School, says steps taken by society to combat racism and discrimination can be more effective than government censorship, even if she guards against a rush to judgment in some instances. She welcomed the Starbucks training as a company taking responsibility to make society more positive. ABC, she said, sent "a very strong statement" about what was not tolerated in 21st century America. "In fact, social pressure can exert an even more potent chilling effect than fear of punishment from the government," she said. Lemoine says business schools are now debating the traditional focus on profit-oriented forms of leadership, wondering if it was at least partly responsible for the early 21st century corporate scandals such as Enron. "May be we need to teach more moral approaches to leadership, but then that opens up a whole other can of worms in that then we have to answer what are morals, what are ethics?" he asked. "Do ethics require a business to take proactive steps to make the world a better place, in addition to its profit motivation?" Ivanka Trump (shown here with husband Jared Kushner and their son) is facing a backlash over what critics perceive as her failure to have a moderating influence on her father, US President Donald Trump She is the powerful, glamorous first daughter, a woman even liberals hoped would be a moderating influence on her presidential father. Today, the reputation of divisive White House figure Ivanka Trump is under siege. The impeccably presentable working mom has emerged as a lightning rod for many Americans disappointed with the Trump clan, but particularly among Democrats who had envisioned her as a voice of reason in Donald Trump's rollercoaster administration. The wife of close Trump adviser Jared Kushner had vowed to influence her father on multiple subjects, from child care to climate change. But she has been branded "complicit" for letting Trump undo key pay equity rules, cowardly for her failure to speak up forcefully on issues including her father's misogyny, and accused of co-opting feminism by convincing women that candidate Trump had their best interests at heart. Most recently, a comedian hurled a gendered four-letter expletive at her for not adequately addressing immigration concerns. She has attended private discussions with world leaders, including a dinner with South Korea's president to discuss the US nuclear standoff with Pyongyang. And she briefly sat in for Trump at a G-20 meeting, earning accusations of nepotism by those miffed by her insufficient diplomatic qualifications for the role. Ivanka drew flak in March when she was all smiles celebrating the controversial relocation of the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, as Israeli forces killed dozens of protesting Palestinians in Gaza. Recently she was bombarded with accusations of tone deafness after tweeting a photo of herself hugging her son while outrage swelled over the Trump administration policy authorizing separation of border-crossing children from their parents. During a segment about the policy on Wednesday's "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee," the host used the C-word to describe the first daughter, shocking language even by today's standards. Bee apologized Thursday, calling her verbal attack "inappropriate and inexcusable." "I crossed a line, and I deeply regret it," she said. - 'Everybody loves Ivanka' - Trump has acknowledged that his daughter -- poised and charming-- can serve to soften his rough edges, as she did on the campaign trail. "Everybody loves Ivanka," the president mused last September. "Sometimes they'll say: You know, he can't be that bad of a guy, look at Ivanka." Experts see a first daughter with extraordinary power. "She attracts criticism too because she set herself up to be the conscience of the Trump administration," Iowa State University history professor Stacy Cordery, an expert on first families, told AFP Thursday. Americans, she added, are more comfortable when the president's children maintain low profiles. Ivanka "has an unprecedented and highly visible, yet amorphous role," Cordery said. "That runs counter to American history and tradition." Ivanka has refused to describe herself categorically as Republican or Democrat. But her mysterious role as special assistant to the president has been questioned from the start. Critics argue she has not pushed back enough publicly against her father. She presented herself as a champion of equal pay for equal work, vowing to "fight for this right alongside of him," only to support Trump's rollback of a key equal pay initiative once he was president. But she has not remained silent on controversial issues. Last August, when her father failed to directly condemn neo-Nazis after deadly violence in Charlottesville, Ivanka issued a clear denunciation, tweeting that "there should be no place in society for racism." Months later, she broke with her father when he supported accused child predator Roy Moore in his failed Senate bid. But it was her inability to convince Trump not to exit the Paris climate accords that exasperated many, especially after she had organized president-elect Trump's meeting with Al Gore and Leonardo DiCaprio on the issue. Ivanka is aware of the criticism directed her way. "Some people have created unrealistic expectations of what they expect from me," that her presence would carry enough weight with her father that he would "abandon his core values," she told the Financial Times in September. "It's not going to happen," she said. "To those critics, shy of turning my father into a liberal, I'd be a failure to them." After Ivanka opened the Jerusalem embassy, another former first daughter, Chelsea Clinton, weighed in to say she had little sympathy for Ivanka Trump, her onetime friend. "She's an adult. She can make the choices for herself," Clinton told The Guardian. "We are responsible for our choices." The Trump-Kim summit is set to be one of the biggest geopolitical events of recent times Singapore hotel rooms are being snapped up, police are preparing to lock down the city and thousands of journalists are set to jet in for the greatest media circus on Earth -- the US-North Korea summit. Top officials are scrambling to salvage the historic meeting between President Donald Trump and the North's leader Kim Jong Un planned for June 12 in the city-state. If the summit -- already cancelled once by Trump before plans got back on track -- does go ahead, then tiny, placid Singapore will be the unlikely ground zero for one of the biggest geopolitical events of recent times. The delegations of US and North Korean officials, along with their security details, are expected to be huge. But they are likely to pale in comparison to the gigantic media pack set to swarm the tropical city-state. Some 3,000 people are expected to apply for media accreditation, sources involved in planning the event who spoke on condition of anonymity told AFP. It should easily eclipse the contingent of journalists at the last comparable event in Singapore, the 2015 meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Taiwan's then-leader Ma Ying-jeou. Hundreds of journalists witnessed that meeting. - Media invasion - There was a foretaste of the coming invasion this week as reporters camped out at the upscale Fullerton hotel to get a glimpse of Kim Chang Son, Kim's de facto chief of staff, who is in Singapore to lay the ground for the meeting. Top hotels rumoured to be summit venues are almost fully booked Meanwhile top hotels rumoured to be summit venues -- the frontrunner is the five-star Shangri-La, where the Xi-Ma meeting took place -- are almost fully booked. But while world leaders hold their breath amid rising hopes a summit could lead to Pyongyang permanently abandoning its nuclear weapons programme, some Singaporeans were more concerned about the potential disruption to their peaceful lives. Chang Anthony posted on Facebook that the meeting in the squeaky-clean city-state -- calm and stable to the point of sometimes being mocked as boring -- was "going to cause us inconvenience". "Can government declare a (public holiday) for this special day?" he asked. "Oh crap, two most unpopular leaders in the world coming here for world peace," lamented Timothy Klein on the site. Security will certainly be onerous, with large numbers of police set to be deployed and extensive road closures expected around the summit venue. - Free drinks for delegates - But Lim Tai Wei, a fellow at the National University of Singapore's East Asia Institute, played down fears the event could cause widespread disruption. "You have to bear in mind that the country has the experience of hosting the Xi-Ma meeting in 2015, and also previously having hosted past US presidents," he told AFP. Reporters have been staking out the Fullerton Hotel where Kim Chang Son, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's de facto chief of staff, is staying While some may lament the sudden influx of media and diplomats, businesses see it as an opportunity. In a city famous for the "Singapore Sling" cocktail, watering hole Escobar is proving the country's bartenders can still rise to the occasion with two special summit drinks. The "Trump" is a blue, bourbon-based cocktail while the "Kim" is a red-coloured cocktail with soju, a Korean liquor, as its base. Both cost Sg$12.60 ($9.40), a reference to the summit's expected date. The bar -- named after drug kingpin Pablo Escobar -- will also have a "US-North Korea showdown" where customers who order a tray of 20 shots get to compete in a game of "rock, paper, scissors" while wearing gloves emblazoned with the countries' flags. And there is a special treat for weary summit participants. "If you can show that you're a delegate attending the event, I'll buy you a round of drinks on the house," owner Stan Sri Ganesh told AFP. US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis wants to push the message that Washington is steadfast in its backing of the Asia-Pacific region When US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis attends a security summit in Singapore this weekend, he hopes to assure allies of America's commitment to the region and its aim of checking China's seemingly inexorable rise. But the issue the Pentagon chief may well be faced with most often is one he would prefer not to weigh in on: what on Earth will happen between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump? Mattis, whose department has spent years refining military options against North Korea and its nuclear programme, wants to steer clear of speculation surrounding a possible meeting between the two leaders. "We continue with the diplomatically-led campaign," Mattis told reporters as he headed to the Shangri-La dialogue in Singapore, referring questions on the issue to the State Department. Events between the US and North Korea have been evolving rapidly, after the mercurial Trump called off a historic summit with Kim, only to immediately reverse course. The two men are now apparently back on track to meet in June, also in Singapore. So, instead of focusing on the possible summit with North Korea, Mattis wants to push the message that Washington is steadfast in its backing of the Asia-Pacific region. "All I am doing is saying we are unwavering in our focus out here and we are unapologetic about... standing with our allies and our partners," Mattis said. He tackled the same topic at Shangri-La a year ago, months after Trump took office with his "America First" agenda. The president's campaign rhetoric left allies fretting over whether the US would turn its back on Asia, where it has underwritten maritime security since the end of World War II. - 'Continued militarisation' - Murray Hiebert, a senior associate of the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said Mattis's pitch is a tougher sell this year. Trump's "on-again off-again threat of (tariffs) against China and his abrupt cancelling of the talks with (Kim) and then just as abruptly trying to schedule them again makes Trump's administration appear highly erratic and unpredictable," Hiebert told AFP. And over the past year, he noted, China has continued its military build up in the disputed South China Sea, including landing bombers on Woody Island and deploying surface-to-air and anti-ship missiles on other contested features -- ignoring Washington's call for it not to do so. "Mattis can probably still call China out for doing what Xi Jinping had promised China wouldn't do, but this message will soon sound hollow," Hiebert said. The Pentagon last week rescinded its invitation to China to join maritime exercises in the Pacific over Beijing's "continued militarisation" of the South China Sea, and the US military periodically conducts "freedom of navigation" operations to defy China's territorial claims. But overall, despite Washington's warnings of China's rising might, Beijing has faced few consequences for its military buildup in the region. Trump has also given conflicting messages on global trade and imposing tariffs on Beijing, and experts warn the US is ceding leadership to China. "Most countries in the region which are part of the global supply chain are anxious that they will be impacted by a trade war between China and the US," Hiebert said. Mattis is giving a speech Saturday but this year's keynote is by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is expected to outline India's growing regional role. The Pentagon is renaming its oldest and largest military command to reflect the growing importance of India and the Indian Ocean in US strategic thinking. From now on, the storied US Pacific Command, or PACOM, will be known as the Indo-Pacific Command. The name change is largely symbolic but in 2016 the United States designated India a "major defence partner" with the aim of improving military cooperation, increasing information-sharing and cutting red tape to ease defence deals. "Given China's assertiveness, India is seen as the only country that can, with the US, play a role in offsetting China's pull because India also has issues with China," Manoj Joshi, a distinguished fellow at the Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation, told AFP. But what allies "will be looking for is practical measures, not mere slogans and declarations." A policeman, now in Australian custody, fled Malaysia after being sentenced to hang for the killing of a Mongolian model linked to a Najib government bribery scandal Leading Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim claimed Friday that Australia was complicit in alleged corruption by the former government as he called on Canberra to send home a policeman implicated in a murder scandal. Former opposition leader Anwar slammed Canberra's "tainted" policy towards ousted prime minister Najib Razak's administration, which was sensationally ousted in last month's election. Anwar, who was jailed by Najib in 2015 and released after the election, said Australia had always made "extremely supportive" statements about Najib's administration. He cited the high-profile case of a policeman, now in Australian custody, who fled Malaysia after being sentenced to hang for the killing of a Mongolian model linked to a Najib government bribery scandal. "It's time Australia accepts the fact that some of their foreign policy clearly has been tainted, has been perceived by many Malaysians as complicit, or tolerant, of the crimes of corruption and also criminal actions," the 70-year-old told ABC radio Friday. "So I think the Australian authorities need to do their utmost to make sure that this is corrected and that means (former police officer Sirul Azhar Umar) should be allowed to come back. "(He should) be given security protection, to say the truth and let a new trial that is clearly transparent and just to proceed." Sirul has claimed he was ordered by "important people" in 2006 to murder model Altantuya Shaariibuu -- the mistress of a Najib associate accused of arranging kickbacks for the purchase of French submarines. Anwar, the presumptive successor to 92-year-old Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, said he was willing to move on as relations with Australia need to be "extremely cordial". Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop defended Canberra's previous relationship with Najib and said she was "looking forward to a close and productive relationship" with the new government. "Our positive and broad-based ties with the previous administration enabled us to collaborate on matters that were in both Australia and Malaysia's national interests," Bishop said in a statement. "We do not seek to impinge on the sovereignty of other countries, just as we expect other countries not to interfere in our political affairs." Australia's home affairs department, which manages the Sydney detention centre where Sirul is being held, told AFP Friday it would not comment on individual cases. Rachid Zock and his fellow freedivers say that by promoting regulated spearfishing, they are also defending Lebanon's fast-depleting aquatic wildlife Hunting fish with spear guns may seem like a counterintuitive way to save Lebanon's dwindling marine life, but a growing community of freedivers argues it is a potent awareness-raising tool. At 5:00 am, three men park their car in the northern port of Qalamun. Grabbing their fins, masks and spear guns, they board a boat and set out to sea. Wrapped in tight camouflage wetsuits as they skim across the silvered water, these amateur underwater hunters resemble their counterparts the world over. Rachid Zock and his friends say that by promoting regulated spearfishing, they are also defending Lebanon's fast-depleting aquatic wildlife. Zock, 38, a freediving and spearfishing instructor, says he has seen Lebanon's fish populations drop in the three decades he has been exploring its waters. "I started fishing underwater aged seven, and I used to see so many fish of different shapes and sizes. But they've diminished over the years," he says. The divers float, head down on the water like tree leaves. Suddenly, one of them duck dives, piercing the surface as he heads vertically into the blue. Zock, a freediving and spearfishing instructor, says he has seen Lebanon's fish populations drop in the three decades he has been exploring its waters Others watch through their masks to make sure he is safe, as he fins a dozen metres (yards) down, clutching his spear gun. He can stay down for more than two minutes on a single breath. - Overfishing - The fish populations living off Lebanon's northern coastline have shrunk in recent years, fishermen say. And the European Commission estimates that 90 percent of fish species surveyed in the Mediterranean are overfished, it said in April 2017 following a study. The EC launched an initiative with non European Union countries -- dubbed MedFish4Ever -- to address the issue after a ministerial conference last year. Members of the Freedive Lebanon club all have a spearfishing licence which forbids them catching fish at night or using any machine, its founder Rachid Zock says But Lebanon, which had 7,000 fishermen in 2014 and where fishing only makes up a tiny part of the economy, has not signed up. Faysal Tawokji, 25, says he has been diving to set up underwater fish traps every day for 12 years. "I was catching 40 kilos (just over 88 pounds) of fish a day in 2016 but that decreased to half the next year," he says. His income has not improved since. "I've lost hope and decided to leave Lebanon -- because of the small catches and the competition from imported fish at half the price," says the young fisherman. - Chance to replenish - Retired fisherman Hassan Mallat, 74, says Lebanon's fish stocks are hit by pollution, bad practices and overfishing. "Some fishermen have deliberately tightened their net holes to grab more produce," he says, looking up from below his old goggles. "They are preventing small fish from growing and multiplying. Bigger fish that succeed in fleeing toward the shore to lay eggs are caught by traps." Lebanese freedivers like Rachid Zock (L) and Jamal Hilal dive vertically into the water clutching a spear gun to hunt for fish while holding their breath Spearfishing instructor Zock says that, when treated properly, the sea's resources replenish themselves. He gives the example of July 2006, when a war between Lebanese militia Hezbollah and neighbouring Israel rocked the country. "Fishermen stayed at home for a month. Back at sea, they noticed fish numbers had increased," he says. "The sea's ability to regenerate life instigated my initiative," Zock adds with a wide smile. The instructor started the Freedive Lebanon club alone, but by 2017 it had 90 members, he says. He insists that all members have a spearfishing licence, which comes on condition that catching fish at night, or using any machine, is forbidden. Lebanon's spearfishing instructor Rachid Zock says that, when treated properly, the sea's resources replenish themselves "Many fish sleep in shallow water at night. Spearfishing then would be a knockout blow," he says. After an hour of diving, the spearfishermen have still not caught anything, and move to another spot. Soon, one of them fins up to the surface with the first catch of the day, a large glistening brown fish with rounded side fins. - 'Fishermen become voters' - Beyond their community, Zock and his fellow aquatic enthusiasts also do their best to speak to fishermen about preserving Lebanon's underwater wildlife. "We explain when to stop fishing certain species according to their mating and spawning seasons, and hunt others instead," Zock says. Several times a year, as egg-laying approaches for different species, the freedivers invite fishermen to awareness sessions about preserving Lebanon's underwater wildlife Several times a year, as egg-laying approaches for different species, they invite fishermen to awareness sessions. But not all of them are receptive, Zock says. Some fishermen "stand against our campaigns because they insist on grabbing everything they can as fast as possible," he adds. Lebanese law bans dynamite and poison fishing, while also since July 2010 regulating the size of fishing nets, but many complain those rules are not enforced. Abdulkader Alameddin, the mayor of Mina's Tripoli district, says bad practices by a few have affected the livelihoods of all fishermen. All the municipality can do is "hand recommendations to concerned departments based on fishermen's complaints," he says. But with no law enforcement, the problem persists, says Zock. "Politicians cover for those who break the rules because those fishermen become voters during elections," he says. Mallat, the retired fisherman, says the government must do more. "The government doesn't support fishermen to abstain from work for four months a year to regenerate sea life." "And it doesn't set fish prices" to ensure a decent income, he says. Sitting in his boat, fisherman Khaled Salloum, 50, admits his tightly knotted net is prohibited. "But if the government actually (enforced) regulated fishing I'd be first to burn my net" and use a legal one, he says. Four hours have elapsed. One of the amateur freedivers guts and cleans the only catch of the day. "We got our fish today," says Jamal Hilal, 28, flinging its guts and scales into the water. "It's time to give back to the sea." Thousands of Jordanians take to the streets of Amman on May 30, 2018 to protest against a new income tax draft law Jordan's King Abdullah II ordered the government on Friday to freeze new price hikes on fuel and electricity, officials said, after angry protests across the cash-strapped country. Past price hikes have triggered riots in Jordan, a country of 9.5 million with few resources, burdened by poverty and unemployment. Late Thursday and early Friday, hundreds of Jordanians demonstrated in Amman and other cities, calling for the "fall of the government" as they blocked roads with cars and blazing tyres. That came after the government decreed rises of up to 5.5 percent on fuels and a 19 percent hike in electricity prices, as well as laying out plans for a new income tax. But early Friday, the king ordered the government to shelve hikes set to take effect that day as the country's Muslim majority observe the holy month of Ramadan, official Petra news agency said. Price have steadily risen in Jordan over recent years as the cash-strapped government pushes reforms demanded by the International Monetary Fund. The country has a public debt of some $35 billion (30 billion euros), equivalent to 90 percent of its gross domestic product. In 2016, it secured a $723-million three-year credit line from the IMF to support economic and financial reforms and was told it must drop subsidies and raise taxes to meet conditions for future loans. Earlier this year, Jordan as much as doubled bread prices after dropping subsidies on the staple, as well as hiking value-added taxes on several goods including cigarettes. The price of fuel has risen on five occasions since the beginning of the year, while electricity bills have shot up 55 percent since February. According to official estimates, 18.5 percent of the population is unemployed, while 20 percent are on the brink of poverty. More than 1,000 demonstrators rallied outside the prime minister's office in central Amman late Thursday, chanting: "The people want the government to fall". In the northern cities of Irbid and Ajlun, some protesters cut off roads with burning tyres, while in the Tabarbur suburb of Amman motorists blocked roads with their cars. Durian is eaten across Southeast Asia and is both famous for its popularity and infamous for its pungent smell It's one small step for Thailand, one giant leap for Southeast Asia's smelliest fruit. Thailand plans to shoot durian into orbit to test its durability in a project that could see the staple "king of fruits" consumed in zero-gravity conditions. "In the future we want astronauts to be able to eat Thai food," said a spokesperson for Thailand's Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA). "We want to see whether there are any physical changes after it returns to earth, for example it might get smaller, or cracked." The sticky snack is eaten across the region and is both famous for its popularity and infamous for its pungent smell, prompting bans on durians in hotel rooms, elevators and airplane cabins. The fruit's reputation raises questions about how it will be received inside such close confines as a spaceship. But the test, carried out with an organisation that has yet to be named publicly, will use a dried and vacuum-sealed version of the fruit, which packs much less of an odour. Liftoff is scheduled for July, when packages of durian will be sealed, placed in a box and rocketed into space for five minutes. Different kinds of Thai rice will also make the daring journey. Advances in technology and the growing number of countries sending their citizens into space have enriched astronauts' controlled cuisine with new flavours. And with Asia catching up with more established space programs, menus are diversifying. The pickled dish kimchi boldly went where few fermented vegetables have gone before when a South Korean astronaut brought it with her in 2008. Total started its South Pars 11 gas field project in Iran in July 2017 French oil major Total said Friday the probability of winning an exemption from US sanctions against Iran to continue a major gas field project was very faint. The energy giant had already warned that, unless Washington granted it a waiver, it would pull out of the South Pars 11 project which it started in July 2017, two years after Western powers signed a nuclear deal with Tehran prompting the return of many businesses to Iran. But earlier this month, President Donald Trump announced his withdrawal from the deal, and told companies that they face sanctions if they do business with Iran. Iran's oil minister on Wednesday gave Total 60 days to win a sanctions waiver from Washington before it would lose its stake in the multi-billion-dollar project. But on Friday, Total's chairman Patrick Pouyanne told shareholders that the prospect of a sanctions exemption was dim. "The probability of us getting an exemption is very slim", he said. Total said earlier this month that it has $10 billion of capital employed in its US assets, and US banks are involved in 90 percent of its financing operations, making Total highly vulnerable if targeted by any US actions. By contrast, Total said it had spent less than 40 million euros ($47 million) on the Iranian project, which it runs with its partner Petrochina and which is dedicated to the supply of domestic gas inside Iran. A withdrawal from the Iran project would not affect Total's current overall production targets as the group had since opened up other growth opportunities, it said. Meanwhile, Tehran said that Chinese state-owned oil company CNPC will replace Total on the gas project if the French company pulls out. Family members who lost loved ones to repression during Yahya Jammeh's two-decade rule in Gambia hold a protest in April 2018 Three people living with AIDS in Gambia are suing former president Yahya Jammeh, alleging he detained and abused them as guinea pigs to test his supposed cure, one of their lawyers said. "My clients are claiming damages for false imprisonment and (declaring) that the defendant subjected the plaintiffs to inhumane and degrading treatment contrary to the constitution" while they underwent Jammeh's alleged HIV/AIDS cure, lawyer Combeh Gaye told AFP shortly after filing the suit on Thursday. Jammeh, who has lived in Equatorial Guinea since January 2017 when armed intervention helped end his tough 22-year rule, claimed to possess a range of mystical gifts, including the power to cure asthma, epilepsy and sterility as well as AIDS, using plants and chants. The AIDS patients who have gone to court are two men of 63 and 64 years old and a woman of 51. They are members of associations that support people living with HIV/AIDS, according to the text of their suit seen by AFP. Shortly after Jammeh in January 2007 publicly announced his "discovery" of an AIDS cure, the three plaintiffs and six other people, including a minor, were invited to meet the president at State House and became his "first batch" of experimental subjects. In their court case, they testified that top among Jammeh's "rules was that the members of the group should immediately desist from using any anti-retroviral drugs and/or any other form of conventional medication" given to people with HIV/AIDS. Jammeh kept the patients locked up during some six months of treatment until July 2007, brushing aside their objections to being filmed during the alleged therapeutic sessions. They later learned that videos had been broadcast on state media, including official GRTS television, the three plaintiffs said. Despite the ineffective and painful nature of the supposed remedy, the first batch of subjects backed up Jammeh's claim to have cured them when they were discharged. The court case specifies that they "were compelled by fear and threats from the defendant's agents". Then health minister Tamsir Mbowe joined Jammeh in "false and misleading claims", encouraging "numerous" other people with HIV actively to seek magical treatment, the plaintiffs argue. A Muslim onetime soldier, Jammeh seized power in a bloodless 1994 coup in the former British colony, a small enclave of a nation inside Senegal either side of the Gambia river and with an Atlantic seaboard. From 1996, the increasingly erratic leader won successive presidential elections until he was beaten by opposition candidate Adama Barrow in December 2016, agreed to step down and then changed his mind. After a six-week political crisis, Jammeh left the country on January 21, 2017, in the wake of military intervention by the Economic Community of West African States and a final mediation bid. Liu Xia, pictured on a poster (R), faces daily restrictions on movement and surveillance, although Chinese authorities maintain she is free Liu Xia, widow of dissident Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo, has said she felt that loving her husband was a "crime" for which she had received a "life sentence", according to an audio recording released Friday. Liu Xia, 57, has been under de facto house arrest -- despite facing no charges -- ever since her husband was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010, in a move that angered Beijing. Liu Xiaobo, a veteran of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, died last year while serving an 11-year jail sentence for "subversion", making him the first Nobel laureate to die in custody since the era of Nazi Germany. Liu Xia faces daily restrictions on movement and surveillance, although Chinese authorities maintain she is free. In an emotional phone call with her close friend Chinese writer Liao Yiwu last week, Liu Xia said, "they should add a line to the constitution: 'Loving Liu Xiaobo is a serious crime -- it's a life sentence'". "They are going to keep me here to serve out Xiaobo's sentence," Liu said, between bouts of continuous sobbing. "I want to see just how much more cruel they can get and how much more shameless they will become; I want to see how much more depraved this world is." Liao on Friday released a recording of the call through the US-based website China Change. The German embassy offered in April to help Liu Xia travel to Germany but the move did not take place. Liao asked her to wait until July to see if the authorities would allow her to travel out of China. June is a month of particular political sensitivity for the ruling Communist Party, which heightens surveillance and censorship around June 4, the day China cracked down on democracy protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Liao said their conversation left him feeling shocked and anguished. "The 29th anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre is approaching, and I decided to send out this message to the world, continuing to call for her to be freed," he wrote in a letter that accompanied the recording. "Since when did love become a crime?" Last month, dozens of the world's leading writers and artists, from Michael Chabon to Paul Auster and Khaled Hosseini, called on China to release Liu Xia in an online campaign. AFP reporters have tried to visit Liu's home multiple times in recent years but were blocked each time by plain-clothes men. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured speaking in New York in May, 2018, calls for "common sense" to prevail on trade US President Donald Trump on Friday complained of Canada's "restrictive" trade practices, after Ottawa retaliated against US tariffs on steel and aluminum. "Canada has treated our Agricultural business and Farmers very poorly for a very long period of time," Trump tweeted. "Highly restrictive on Trade! They must open their markets and take down their trade barriers! They report a really high surplus on trade with us." His comments followed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's call one day prior for "common sense to prevail," after Washington hit Canada and other close allies with tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum beginning Friday. In response, Canada said proportional duties would be imposed on US steel, aluminum and consumer goods from July 1. The European Union and Mexico also drew up retaliatory measures, putting the world's largest economies on the brink of a trade war. Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Thursday that the United States has a US$2 billion trade surplus with Canada in steel, and that "roughly half" of all US steel exports go to Canada. In November the US Commerce Department affirmed findings that Canadian softwood lumber producers had unfairly subsidized and dumped product on the United States market. The US has also demanded access to Canada's protected dairy sector. The intensified trade conflict coincides with bogged down negotiations between Canada, Mexico and the US to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement. Those talks were trigged last year by Trump who called that pact a "disaster." The US is Canada's largest trading partner. India and its regional role are taking centre stage at this year's summit as nations look to counter China's military rise Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Friday for countries to have "equal access" to shared maritime and air spaces, and for regional disputes to be settled under international law. In a speech at the start of a security summit in Singapore, Modi described his vision of nations across the Asia-Pacific region forging closer security and economic ties. Although Modi did not single Beijing out for direct criticism, he referred to China's military buildup in the South China Sea and its sweeping territorial claims across the strategic waterway. "We should all have equal access, as a right under international law, to the use of common spaces on the sea and in the air," Modi told the Shangri-La Dialogue. "That would require freedom of navigation, unimpeded commerce, and peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law. When we all agree to live by that code, our sea lanes will be pathways to prosperity and corridors of peace." India and its regional role are taking centre stage at this year's summit as nations look to counter China's inexorable military rise, and as Washington puts new emphasis on its military ties to New Delhi and the increasing importance of the Indian Ocean in US strategic thinking. The Pentagon is renaming its oldest and largest military command to reflect India's growing significance. From now on, the storied US Pacific Command, or PACOM, will be known as the Indo-Pacific Command. Modi referred to the need to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, "irrespective of size and strength", in another apparent reference to China's actions in the region. Still, his remarks were inclusive overall, coming after he met with Chinese president Xi Jinping in an April summit where both leaders promised to reduce border tensions after a standoff in the Himalayas last year. Troops from both sides had come eyeball-to-eyeball in the disputed Doklam plateau in June 2017 when Chinese soldiers started building a road and India sent troops to halt the process. A crisis was averted two months later when both nuclear-armed nations pulled back. Manoj Joshi, a distinguished fellow at the Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation, told AFP that ultimately what matters most is how much India is ready to stake in the Indo-Pacific concept, politically and militarily. "India has a reputation of talking big, but delivering little," he told AFP. "No matter what he says, the issue is not about international law or trade disputes, but about raw power -- China's growing power and the effort of the regional states to contain it under the leadership of the US." Corruption allegations swirling around Rosmah and Najib played a major part in the shock defeat of Najib's long-ruling coalition at elections last month The widely despised wife of Malaysia's toppled prime minister will be questioned next week over a massive financial scandal that helped topple the former regime, state media reported Friday. Rosmah Mansor was unpopular due to her imperious manner and reported love of going on costly overseas shopping jaunts at a time middle-class Malaysians were struggling with rising living costs. Corruption allegations swirling around her and her husband Najib Razak played a major part in the shock defeat of Najib's long-ruling coalition at elections last month to a reformist alliance. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has summoned her to give a statement on Tuesday morning to assist in its probe into SRC International, state-run news agency Bernama reported. SRC was an energy company that was a subsidiary of scandal-hit sovereign wealth fund 1MDB. Najib, his family and cronies are accused of stealing billions of dollars from 1MDB in a sophisticated fraud that stretched from the Cayman Islands to Switzerland. A summons was handed to Rosmah at her sprawling Kuala Lumpur home, and several MACC officers were seen leaving the residence, Bernama reported. MACC did not respond to requests to comment. Since his defeat, Najib has been questioned twice over SRC. He and 1MDB deny any wrongdoing. According to an investigation by the Wall Street Journal, 42 million ringgit ($10.6 million) originating from SRC was transferred to Najib's personal bank accounts, just one small part of the graft scandal. During raids on properties linked to Najib and Rosmah after the election, police seized over 400 handbags and a huge stash of jewels and cash. A house destroyed by hurricane Irma still stands in disrepair in Big Pine Key, Florida, following last year's monster hurricane season Listen closely and you'll hear the groan of collective dread in Florida and the Caribbean: yes, it's already hurricane season again. Both places were pummeled last year by monster storms and both -- in the case of Florida it was the plume of once-lovely coral islands known as the Florida Keys -- are still struggling to rebuild. "If a storm comes through, we're screwed," said Cindy P., a 48-year-old waitress who lives in the Keys and explained houses in the area weren't yet prepared. In the Caribbean, hit by two hurricanes in rapid-fire succession in September, the pain and shock of all that is still quite raw. People can't seem to catch their breath. This week alone, a new study concluded that in Puerto Rico, 4,645 people died as a result of Hurricane Maria. The official toll in the US territory is 64 dead. Against that jittery and shell-shocked backdrop, the new hurricane season started Friday. Not even waiting for it, a plucky subtropical storm named Alberto caused flooding this week along the US East Coast. Authorities in Florida say they have learned their lesson and are promising better telecoms and management of relief funds. In Puerto Rico, the government is recommending that people amass provisions for 10 days, rather than just three as had been the case until now. Much of the territory went months without water or power after Hurricane Maria. The model of an affordable house built to withstand storms, is seen next to a house with the roof still unrepaired and covered by plastic bags in Big Pine Key But like that waitress Cyndi, people do not feel ready. The Florida Keys are an archipelago that arcs out 180 kilometers (110 miles) southwest from the southern tip of the state and are connected by 42 bridges. In this tourist destination, debris still clogs many canals. In working class neighborhoods you see many destroyed homes and some people living in tents on their front lawns. "We take care of people up to a point. However, there reaches a point where they have to start taking care of themselves again," said Martin Senterfitt, emergency management director of Monroe County, which includes the keys. - Latent problems - A "now hiring" sign in a construction area in the Florida Keys, which is still struggling to rebuild after being pummeled last year by a monster storm Hurricanes Irma and Maria accentuated problems that were already latent in areas that they blasted with storm surges and more-than-200 kilometer per hour winds. For instance, of the 55,000 homes in the keys, more than 1,000 were reduced to their foundations and 3,000 suffered major damage. Also lost were 1,044 mobile homes and pre-fab houses. More expensive homes, especially those in the last island, Key West, were spared by Irma, which scored a direct hit on the islands on September 10. It was devastating for the working class: restaurant workers, landscapers, construction people and other low earners cannot find affordable housing. So they packed up and shipped out, leaving many employers without a workforce. Many businesses have dusty "Help Wanted" signs in their front windows. Many employers in the Florida Keys say they are struggling to find workers, after many people fled during last year's hurricane season "We have major demand and there's no supply," Diane Eliopoulus, marketing manager at a Hard Rock Cafe in Key West, said at a board of commissioners meeting at which she said she had lost many employees. "I get a lot of applicants, not anyone from this area. I say to them, 'would you mind looking at the housing market before making a decision to come?' I never get a call back," she added. In Puerto Rico, Hurricane Maria laid bare the decrepit state of the territory's electrical grid. Eight months after the storm hit on September 20, there are still regular blackouts. And some 60,000 customers are still without power in the US possession of 3.3 million people, which was already saddled with a gargantuan debt crisis. That extended lack of electricity killed older and sick people who depended on respirators or insulin, caused unemployment to rise and prompted nearly 200,000 people to leave the islands. - Lessons learned - Governor Ricardo Rossello also says he has learned his lesson. The government filled warehouses with spare parts and prepared agreements that will allow for immediate assistance if the electrical grid collapses again. "If we once again have to wait 50 days for the US Corps of Engineers to reach Puerto Rico, then we have not learned anything," Rossello said this week as he announced the plan. Tarps cover a house with the roof still unrepaired after the damage caused by hurricane Irma in Big Pine Key, Florida In Barbuda, a tiny island in the Caribbean, Irma blew in like a bomb, destroying pretty much everything. It is still recovering from damage estimated at more than $200 million. Just about everybody fled. To this day, only 500 of the original 1,800 inhabitants have come back. A steely riposte from Europeans to Washington's metal tariffs The EU fired its first riposte against Washington's punishing steel and aluminium tariffs on Friday, joining Canada and Mexico in a brewing global trade war against US protectionism. Brussels followed its major allies into battle against the US after President Donald Trump delivered on his "America First" promises and slapped duties of 25 percent on imports of steel and 10 percent on aluminium. The affront from Europe's closest ally builds on earlier transgressions to transatlantic ties including Trump's dumping of the Paris climate accord as well as the nuclear deal with Iran. The EU on Friday said it had opened legal challenges to the United States at the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Geneva-based arbitrator of international trade disputes that is loathed by Trump. The bloc also opened proceedings against China, the world's second biggest economy, in a case involving intellectual property, in an effort to not single out the US, the EU said. The EU's Malmstrom urged Trump to play by the rules "If players in the world don't stick to the rule book, the system might collapse. That is why we are challenging the US and China at the WTO," EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom told a news briefing in Brussels. Brussels is also preparing to slap tariffs on US products including bourbon, motorcycles and blue jeans worth up to 2.8 billion euros ($3.3 billion). - Tariff 'affront' - The US decided the tariffs in March, but gave Canada and the EU -- the biggest sources of foreign aluminum and steel for the US -- a grace period that ended on May 31. Trump's decision drew a string of furious responses from Canadian President Justin Trudeau, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron. "These tariffs are an affront to the long-standing security partnership between Canada and the United States," said Trudeau, as Ottawa hit back with retaliatory duties on US imports worth up to Can$16.6 billion (US$12.8 billion). Washington's move also left European leaders fuming. French President Macron told Trump in a telephone call that the tariffs were "illegal" and said Europe would respond in a "firm and proportionate manner". And speaking to reporters, Macron described the US move as "a mistake in many ways because it responds to existing international imbalances in the worst way -- by breaking up and creating economic nationalism. "And nationalism is war. That's exactly what happened in the 30s," Macron said. In Berlin, Chancellor Merkel said the measure "risks touching off spirals of escalation that in the end hurt everyone". Mexico, too, said it would impose retaliatory duties on a variety of US goods, including steel and a host of agricultural goods, including pork, apples and cheese. The unprecedented trade tensions are souring a gathering of the so-called Group of Seven or G7 under way in the coastal mountain resort of Whistler, Canada, normally a scene of compromise and trade promotion. "I'll be stating very clearly our disagreement with the actions they've taken," Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau told reporters ahead of the meetings. "I have every expectation that our other allies around the table will express the same sentiments." - 'Incomprehensible' - US steel imports, 2017 The prospect of a global trade has roiled financial markets this week, too, even if they were back in positive territory on Friday. Berenberg Bank economist Holger Schmieding argued that the direct impact of a US-EU trade war on the world economy would actually be rather small. Nevertheless, "Trump's contempt for international rules can deal a significant blow to business confidence especially in trade-oriented nations," the expert said. The WTO's former chief, Pascal Lamy, also said the damage would likely be limited in concrete terms. "We have to keep things in proportion," he said on the French radio station France Info. He estimated that the economic impact of the tariffs would amount to "a very small part of trade flows as a whole". The German carmakers' federation described the imposition of tariffs as "incomprehensible". "In a connected, global economy, customs barriers don't benefit anyone, including the United States," the VDA federation said. Germany's carmakers are especially braced for the latest threat from Trump, who earlier this month launched proceedings that could eventually smack tariffs on auto imports into the US. "I know he has a very particular problem with German cars," warned Malmstrom. burs-arp/pdw/jh Palestinian relatives of Mohammed al-Radeia -- one of at least 122 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since the end of March -- mourn during his funeral in the northern Gaza Strip on May 28, 2018 The United States is set to veto on Friday an Arab-backed draft resolution calling for protection measures for the Palestinians after more than 100 were killed by Israeli forces during protests at the border with Gaza. US Ambassador Nikki Haley described the text as a "grossly one-sided approach" and vowed "the United States will unquestionably veto" the measure put forward by Kuwait on behalf of Arab countries. The proposed resolution "is morally bankrupt and would only serve to undermine ongoing efforts toward peace between the Israelis and Palestinians," Haley said in a statement on Thursday. The council is scheduled to vote at 3:00 pm (1900 GMT). The United States circulated a separate amended draft resolution blaming Hamas for the recent flare-up in Gaza and demanding that Hamas and Islamic Jihad "cease all violent activity and provocative actions, including along the boundary fence," according to the text seen by AFP. Diplomats said negotiations were continuing on whether to put that measure to a vote. If put to a vote, the US-proposed text was not expected to garner enough support for adoption. Kuwait presented its draft two weeks ago, initially calling for an international protection mission for the Palestinians as protests turned violent on the Israeli-Gaza border. At least 122 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the unrest since the end of March. A Palestinian woman was killed by Israeli fire on Friday, just hours before the vote. No Israelis have been killed. After weeks of negotiations, Kuwait softened the language and instead called for "the consideration of measures to guarantee the safety and protection" of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. The draft resolution requests a report from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on a possible "international protection mechanism." - Close to the brink of war - The council has been deadlocked over how to respond to the violence, even as UN envoy Nickolay Mladenov warned this week that Gaza was "close to the brink of war." An exchange of fire on Tuesday and into the early hours of Wednesday began with a barrage of rocket and mortars into Israel from Gaza, prompting Israel to respond with strikes on 65 militant sites in the Gaza Strip. It was the worst flare-up since the 2014 war in Gaza. Israel has fought three wars with Hamas, which the United States considers a terrorist organization. The Kuwait-drafted measure deplores the use of "excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate force" by Israeli forces and the firing of rockets form the Gaza Strip into Israeli civilian areas. Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon has urged council members to vote against what he termed a "biased resolution that condemns Israel yet fails to mention the terrorists of Hamas who are responsible for the violence against Israelis and Palestinians." Haley delivered a blunt warning to European countries and other council members that choosing to "vote in favor of this resolution will clarify their own lack of fitness to take part in any credible negotiations between the two parties." It would be the second time that Haley has resorted to US veto power to block a UN measure on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In December, Haley vetoed a draft resolution that rejected President Donald Trump's decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem after all 14 other council members supported it. A draft resolution requires nine votes to be adopted in the 15-member council and no veto from the five permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States. A sign with an image of Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema The leader of Equatorial Guinea's main opposition party on Friday accused the country's government of "assassinating" his cousin inside a prison in the capital Malabo. "It is a state assassination, he was murdered. I have all the evidence, his neck was broken, his head was beaten and the blood flowed. He was murdered because he was my cousin," Gabriel Nse Obiang Obono, head of the Citizens for Innovation (CI) party, told AFP. His cousin Evaristo Oyegue Sima, a former army captain, had been imprisoned in Malabo's Balack Beach Central Prison since 2016. He had been sentenced to four years' prison for desertion, Nse Obiang said. "His family visited him on Sunday at 2.00 pm (0100 GMT) and he was in good health. At 7.00 am Monday we called his family, who had found his body in a car," Nse Obiang said. Sima's family said he had fled to Gabon before being arrested and extradited to Malabo in 2016. The country's state media did not report his death on Friday. A former Spanish colony of 1.2 million people, awash with oil but mired in poverty and a reputation for corruption, Equatorial Guinea has been ruled with an iron fist by Teodoro Obiang Nguema since 1979. After an attempted coup last December, CI says Obiang's government has carried out a wave of arrests and torture in a brutal crackdown. The European Union in February expressed concern over the "strong deterioration of the human rights situation", recalling that a CI figure had previously died in custody. A jury in Florida awarded $1 each to the three children of a black man shot dead in 2014 by a white sheriff's deputy A GoFundMe page has been set up for the family of a black man shot dead by police whose three children were awarded $1 each in damages by a Florida jury. The family of Gregory Hill, 30, filed a wrongful death suit after he was shot to death by Christopher Newman, a white sheriff's deputy, on January 14, 2014 at his home in Fort Pierce, Florida. The fatal shootings of African-American suspects in recent years have fueled a nationwide debate over race and criminal justice in the United States. A jury last week decided that the sheriff's office had been negligent and awarded $1 in damages to Hill's mother for funeral expenses and $1 to each of his three children. But the amount of negligence was pegged at just one percent with Hill found to be 99 percent at fault. The jury award was consequently reduced to just four cents and a judge is expected to reduce the amount to zero. John Phillips, the family's lawyer, said Hill was "minding his business" listening to music in his garage when police arrived, responding to a noise complaint. "Police arrived and spent less than 60 seconds on his property," Phillips said on Twitter. "(Hill) opened and closed his garage door deescalating the situation. "Police shot through his closed garage door." Hill was intoxicated at the time of the incident. An unloaded gun was found in his back pocket. Phillips said he planned to appeal the verdict and urged people on Twitter to donate to the Hill family. "We challenge America to do better than the jury for Gregory Hill's three children," Phillips said. "Even a symbolic $4 would mean so much." As of Friday afternoon, the GoFundMe page had raised $14,539 towards its goal of $75,000. Following the May 24 verdict, Sheriff Ken Mascara of the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office said he was "pleased to see this difficult and tragic incident come to a conclusion. "Deputy Newman was placed in a very difficult situation, and like so many fellow law enforcement officers must do every day, he made the best decision he could for the safety of his partner, himself, and the public given the circumstances he faced," he said. "We appreciate the jury's time and understanding and wish everyone involved in this case the best as they move forward." Rising prices of aluminum and steel due to steep US import tariffs will cause product prices to rise, and Ford says it expects costs to increase $1.5 billion this year US companies in the farm, auto and other sectors fear tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump's administration on imported steel and aluminum will damage their businesses as Washington's trading partners retaliate. While Trumps' move was praised by the steel industry, other industries bemoaned the effect of new 25 percent levies on steel and 10 percent on aluminum from the European Union, Canada and Mexico. The new tariffs took effect Friday. "Make no mistake: restricting the raw material supply to the US and imposing tariffs on imports from our closest trading partners places American manufacturers directly in harm's way," said Paul Nathanson, a spokesman for the Coalition of American Metal Manufacturers and Users, which represents some 30,000 enterprises that use the affected metals. "Plans by US manufacturers to expand will be put on hold indefinitely," Nathanson said. "Companies will be forced into difficult choices about technology, investment and jobs." Trump administration officials have defended the tariffs as essential to protecting key long-suffering manufacturing capacity in steel and aluminum, which they view as crucial to national security, which includes the US economy. "The president's trade actions have already begun putting steel workers back to work in Ohio and Illinois, and we are grateful for the administration's commitment to the nearly two million jobs supported by the domestic steel industry," said Thomas Gibson, president of the American Iron and Steel Institute. But economists warn that the negative effect of the trade actions, while diffuse, ultimately will overwhelm any upside. The moves affect sectors that rely on aluminum for soda and soup cans and on steel for any number of construction and industrial activities. The consequences will be more severe if significant retaliatory actions harm US exports. "While the tariffs may encourage some pickup in domestic metals activity and employment, they are likely to be a net loss for the US economy," Oxford Economics said in a research note, which estimated a loss of 70,000 jobs due to the tariffs and a potential spillover effect in supply chain disruptions. - Rising cost pressures - US steel imports, 2017 Metals prices already had risen in anticipation of the tariffs on key suppliers. But the duties will further pinch supply chains, adding perhaps a week and a half for imported steel to clear customs, said Timothy R. Fiore, chair of the Institute for Supply Management's Manufacturing Business Survey Committee. "If the tariff does go into effect, the near-term effect is going to be supply disruptions and not really financial if you just look at aluminum and steel," Fiore said Friday during briefing with reporters. The tariffs add to the challenges facing the manufacturing sector that already was facing higher prices for oil and other commodities amid strong global demand. Ford, which uses aluminum in its best-selling F-150 pickup trucks, said in late April that it expected to spend $1.5 billion in 2018 due to higher material costs. Arconic, which uses aluminum for composite materials to the aviation and auto industry, cut its profit estimates due to higher costs, and other companies such as Kraft Heinz have complained of a hit from higher freight and packaging costs. Among manufacturers, "the current plan is that these input costs will be pushed through to the consumer and we'll see how successful that will be," Fiore said. - Food fight? - Agricultural groups too have reacted negatively to the tariffs, fearful over what reaction the US moves will prompt. Mexico has said it will impose retaliatory duties on host of agricultural goods, including pork, apples and various cheeses. Canada and the EU are also eyeing action on a wide swathe of goods that includes food. "These tariffs will harm US farmers and take many American farm operations to the breaking point," said Brian Kuehl, executive director of Farmers for Free Trade. "American farmers overwhelmingly supported President Trump in 2016 but will not be silent in the face of trade wars that harm US agriculture." Others speaking out include Here for America, which represents international automakers and dealers that operate in the US, and the American Chemistry Council, which said the tariffs would mean higher costs to build US manufacturing capacity. "When these tariffs go into effect on Friday, trains arriving to the US from Mexico and Canada will be carrying metals that are 25 percent more expensive than when they left the station just a few days ago," the council said. "The impacts will be felt immediately in the form of higher prices for chemical manufacturers who rely on these imports to expand or build new production facilities, many of which are under construction at this very moment." White House Chief of Staff John Kelly (R) escorts North Korean Kim Yong Chol (L) to the White House on June 1, 2018 in Washington, DC Kim Jong Un's right-hand man met Friday with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office -- talks that should include the delivery of a letter from the North Korean leader about their upcoming summit. The official, Kim Yong Chol, was greeted by White House chief of staff John Kelly, who led him to the Oval Office for talks with Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, according to press secretary Sarah Sanders. Kim Yong Chol arrived in Washington from New York, where he met with Pompeo on preparations for the planned June 12 encounter between the US and North Korean leaders in Singapore. After Thursday's talks, Pompeo expressed confidence that the process was moving in the right direction, but warned that the North's young leader must be bold enough to make a "strategic shift" in understanding that he will be safer without nuclear weapons. US officials said the letter from Kim to Trump may not clear up all the questions about the agenda, but may bring the planned Singapore meeting a step closer. An F/A-18 Hornet takes off from the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean Sea to strike Islamic State group targets in Syria and Iraq The US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq acknowledged Friday the deaths of another nine civilians, increasing the toll of non-fighters killed to at least 892. The coalition completed a review in April of 159 potential civilian casualty reports and found five were considered credible, resulting in the nine civilian fatalities, a statement said. They concerned strikes in Iraq and Syria between January 2017 and January 2018. On January 9, 2017, near the Iraqi city of Mosul, two civilians were killed when a vehicle loaded with explosives that was heading towards coalition positions was struck, the statement said. On November 1, 2017, three civilians were killed and two others wounded in a strike on a road used by IS fighters in the Deir Ezzor region of Syria's Euphrates Valley. Three other coalition strikes -- on November 16, December 28 and January 8 -- against IS fighters who had retreated after the fall of their self-proclaimed capital Raqa resulted in a total of four deaths and four wounded. Of the other potential civilian casualty reports reviewed, the coalition said 149 were deemed non-credible and five were redundant. From August 2014 to April 2018 the coalition conducted a total of 29,358 strikes and "assesses at least 892 civilians have been unintentionally killed," it said. Monitoring group Airwars says the number of civilian deaths acknowledged by the US-led coalition is well below the true toll of the bombing campaign, estimating that at least 6,259 civilians have lost their lives. The US-led operations to fight IS in Iraq and Syria have largely wound down, with the jihadists ousted from almost all of the territory they once held. A rally in DR Congo's capital Kinshasa on December 31 last year against the rule of President Joseph Kabila Supporters of five pro-democracy campaigners held without trial in the Democratic Republic of Congo since December demanded Friday that the activists be released -- or at least face a judge. The group's lawyer Shabani Lukoo blasted the five activists' "arbitrary" detention by security forces and said they had been tortured. "Carbone Beni, Mino Bopomi, Cedric Kalonji, Grace Tshunza and Palmer Kabeya, all active members of the pro-democracy citizen movement Filimbi, were arbitrarily arrested by special services agents" between December 23 and 31, Lukoo said. "It has been clearly established that since their arrest they have each suffered degrading and inhuman treatment. "It is now 161 days that they were secreted within (intelligence service) dungeons and deprived of visits and legal assistance in flagrant violation of the laws of the republic." Lukoo added that Beni, whose release Human Rights Watch called for almost a month ago, had stomach and knee problems and had undergone surgery, while Kabeya and Kalonji were also "in a very bad state" but had not received any health care. The activists were arrested as they mobilised residents of the capital Kinshasa for a nationwide rally on December 31 last year against the extended rule of President Joseph Kabila. Six people were killed during the protests and the crackdown sparked international condemnation. Lukoo said the five should either be freed or taken before "a competent magistrate". "I have written to the minister of justice, the prosecutor general of the republic, the head of the ANR (intelligence service) to find a solution. No reply. I have met the minister of human rights. Lots of promises, no action," Lukoo said. "They should free our children. Being locked up is moral torture," said Bopomi's mother, Marie-Colette Wumba. The activists' supporters are in touch with the UN human rights mission and have also called on the embassies of France, Belgium and Canada for support. Congolese officials meanwhile said Friday that three policemen had been killed in an attack by an armed group in the eastern town of Butembo near the Ugandan border. "The town of Butembo was the target of an armed attack Thursday by unidentified assailants. The police station was targeted. Three policemen are dead," police officer Richard Mbambi told AFP. The town hall confirmed the attack in the Beni region of the troubled province of North-Kivu. An army spokesman confirmed a separate attack on an army post elsewhere in Beni early Friday blamed on armed Ugandan Islamist group ADF that left one attacker dead and one soldier hurt. Alastair Cook helped England make a solid reply before falling just short of his half-century Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed was left pondering his decision to bat first after a collapse handed England the advantage on the first day of the second Test at Headingley on Friday. England were 106 for two at stumps, just 68 runs behind Pakistan's lowly first-innings 174 all out that saw the veteran England new-ball duo of Stuart Broad and James Anderson share six wickets. Joe Root, the England captain, was 29 not out on his Yorkshire home ground, with nightwatchman Dominic Bess unbeaten on nought. The one sadness for England was that Alastair Cook, their all-time leading Test run-scorer, fell shortly before stumps for 46. Earlier, teenager Shadab Khan's third fifty in successive Tests helped salvage Pakistan's innings. But the tourists' top order struggled as Broad and Anderson, not at their best in Pakistan's nine-wicket win in the first Test of a two-match series at Lord's, produced a succession of challenging deliveries. Broad made the early strikes on his way to three for 38 in 15 overs, with Anderson taking three for 43. Meanwhile all-rounder Chris Woakes, one of a trio of changes, took three for 55. "I don't think any of us expected it to nip or swing like it did," Broad told Sky Sports. Former England captain Michael Vaughan led a chorus of criticism following the first Test, with Broad and Anderson -- who have more than 900 Test wickets between them -- coming under fire for bowling too short. - 'Flack not logical' - "I understand the criticism of me from the first Test," said Broad. "A lot of it is justified, some of it is not. I didn't feel some of the flack that was coming my way was overly logical. "There was an angle of promoting one's own shows and own columns in that criticism but that's the way of the world. I know within myself I'm bowling well." Pakistan arrived in Leeds knowing that if they avoided defeat they would be able to celebrate their first Test series win in England for 22 years. Friday's pitch looked a good one to bat on but humid and overcast conditions offered to assist the bowlers. Sarfraz's decision to bat was an especially bold move given England made just 184 in their first innings at Lord's. And it quickly came under the microscope as Pakistan saw all their top four dismissed before lunch. Then, early in the second session, they lost three wickets for one run in 14 balls to be 79 for seven. - Shadab impresses again - But leg-spinner Shadab, fresh from Test fifties against Ireland in Dublin and England at Lord's, inspired a late-order revival as Pakistan's last three wickets added 95 runs. In the morning, Broad almost had opener Imam-ul-Haq lbw for nought before removing the nephew of Pakistan selection chief and former Test batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq for a duck in any event when Root held a sharp, high chance at third slip. It was an encouraging sign for England, whose catching at Lord's was well below Test standard. Haris Sohail (29) and Asad Shafiq (27) both got in and got out, the pair falling to Woakes via slip catches by Dawid Malan and a juggled effort by Cook. But Shadab pulled Woakes commandingly for four to complete an impressive 48-ball fifty featuring nine boundaries. He was last man out when dismissed by fellow 19-year-old Sam Curran as the Surrey left-arm seamer, included after Ben Stokes was ruled out with a torn hamstring, marked his Test debut with a wicket. England collapses have featured prominently in their current run of six defeats in eight Tests. But Keaton Jennings, one of 12 openers to have partnered Cook in the six years since Andrew Strauss retired, celebrated his recall with 29 in a stand of 53 before he was caught behind off medium-pacer Faheem Ashraf. Cook looked assured until he gloved a hook off Hasan Ali to wicket-keeper Sarfraz. US President Donald Trump (R), flanked by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, shakes hands with North Korean Kim Yong Chol (L) outside the White House US President Donald Trump said Friday his summit with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un is back on for next month, after extraordinary Oval Office talks with a top envoy from Pyongyang. Trump emerged after a more than hour-long Oval Office meeting with Kim Yong Chol -- a general facing US sanctions who is Kim's right-hand man -- saying that the summit will go ahead in Singapore on June 12 as originally planned. While admitting that dealing with North Korea was "going to be a process," Trump said he believed that process would ultimately be "successful." Trump said the letter from Kim, hand-delivered by Kim Yong Chol, was "very nice" and "very interesting" -- but then said he had not opened it yet. Nevertheless, the US president had warm words for Pyongyang, saying the long discussions had touched on North Korea's denuclearization and economic development. Trump indicated that the campaign of "maximum pressure" was at least on hold, vowing no new sanctions while talks are ongoing. "The relationships are building and that's very positive," he said. In a move that is sure to worry US allies in Japan and South Korea, Trump also said that he and his guest had discussed US troop numbers on the Korean peninsula. "We talked about almost everything. We talked about a lot. And we talked about sanctions," he said. President Donald Trump, right, suggested the United States might pursue separate free trade agreements with Canada and Mexico to replace the 24-year-old three-nation NAFTA pact President Donald Trump suggested Friday the United States might pursue separate free trade agreements with Canada and Mexico to replace the 24-year-old three-nation NAFTA pact. The announcement came as Ottawa and Mexico City announced they were retaliating against steep metal tariffs imposed Friday and Washington faced a barrage of complaints at a finance ministers summit in Canada. "To be honest with you, I wouldn't mind seeing NAFTA where you'd go by a different name where you make a separate deal with Canada and a separate deal with Mexico," Trump told reporters. "You're talking about a very different two countries." Negotiators from the three North American partners have failed to reach an agreement to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement, which Trump again called "a terrible deal." Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau said that Washington's decision to impose the tariffs -- Canada provides half of all US aluminum imports -- had lessened the chances for a successful outcome of the NAFTA talks. Morneau said the US tariffs had also weakened the prospects for successful negotiations to overhaul the North American Free Trade Agreement. "Certainly, these actions taken on these tariffs are not ones that are conducive to a positive dialogue," he told reporters as a meeting of Group of Seven finance ministers got underway in British Columbia. "It's a negative for Canadians. We as a job have to defend Canadians. It puts us in a position where we're defending first principles, which is Canadians' rights to a strong and healthy economy for their families." US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Thursday that Washington would not extend tariff exemptions for Mexico and Canada because the current NAFTA talks were "taking longer than we had hoped." There is "no precise date" to reach an outcome, he added. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had also said Thursday that US Vice President Mike Pence had insisted on including a "sunset" privision -- which would require the trade pact's renewal in five years -- as a precondition for a meeting to handle out final details. Canadian officials and much of US industry consider this a poison pill and Trudeau said no meeting occurred as a result. US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley denounced as 'wildly inaccurate' an Arab-backed UN draft resolution to protect the Palestinians that was vetoed by Washington The United States vetoed Friday an Arab-backed UN draft resolution calling for measures to protect the Palestinians after more than 100 were killed by Israeli fire during protests at the border with Gaza. Ten countries including China, France and Russia voted in favor of the draft put forward by Kuwait on behalf of Arab countries at the Security Council. Four countries -- Britain, Ethiopia, the Netherlands and Poland -- abstained. A draft resolution requires nine votes to be adopted in the 15-member council and no veto from the five permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States. US Ambassador Nikki Haley told the council the measure was "wildly inaccurate in its characterization of recent events in Gaza" by condemning Israel for the violence. The Kuwait-drafted text had called for "measures to guarantee the safety and protection" of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, and requested a UN report to propose an "international protection mechanism." Ahead of the vote, a young Palestinian woman was shot dead by Israeli soldiers near the Gaza border fence, bringing the death toll of Gazans killed by Israeli fire since the end of March to 123. It was the second time that Haley has resorted to US veto power to block a UN measure on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In December, Haley vetoed a draft resolution that rejected President Donald Trump's decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem after all 14 other council members supported it. The council has been deadlocked over how to respond to the recent violence, even as UN envoy Nickolay Mladenov warned this week that Gaza was "close to the brink of war." A barrage of rocket and mortars into Israel from Gaza on Tuesday was followed by Israeli strikes on 65 militant sites in the Gaza Strip in the worst flareup since the 2014 war. Israel has fought three wars in Gaza against Hamas, which the United States considers a terrorist organization. An aerial view shows the Bay Side area of Miami on December 29, 2016; a Honduran national has been sentenced to more than 17 years in prison after planning to blow up a Miami mall A Honduran national living in Florida was sentenced to 17.5 years in prison on Friday for planning to bomb a busy Miami shopping mall and for attempting to provide material support to a jihadist group. Vicente Adolfo Solano, 53, pleaded guilty on March 14 of charges of seeking to give material support "to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization, after planning to detonate an explosive device at a Miami mall," US prosecutors said in a statement. The statement did not say which mall had been targeted, or give a date for the planned attack. In early 2017 Solano had told another person -- who became an informant -- that he was angry with the United States and wanted to carry out an attack in Miami and join the Islamic State group. Solano told the informant and two undercover FBI agents about his plan, and according to the prosecution gave them videos in which he made pro-IS statements and expressed anti-US sentiments. Just before his arrest Solano "took possession of what he believed was an explosive device, took steps to arm it, and walked toward a mall entrance in order to carry out his attack." The device however "was inert and did not pose a risk to the public." Solano was arrested as he entered the site and will be deported to Honduras after his time in prison. The sentence "speaks to those who harbor extremist ideals - your terroristic agenda will be thwarted and your punishment of years in prison will be your only lasting legacy," said Benjamin Greenberg, the US attorney for the district of southern Florida. Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, left, said Canada has filed a complaint at the World Trade Organization in response to "illegal" US tariffs on imports of Canadian steel and aluminum Canada filed a complaint at the World Trade Organization in response to "illegal" US tariffs on imports of Canadian steel and aluminum, Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said Friday. "These unilateral tariffs, imposed under a false pretext of safeguarding US national security, are inconsistent with the United States' international trade obligations and WTO rules," Freeland said in a statement. Canada will coordinate its WTO case with the EU, which also filed a challenge. It also requested a review of the US measures under the North American Free Trade Agreement Chapter 20 trade dispute mechanism. "As a key NORAD and NATO ally of the United States, and as the number-one customer of American steel, Canada views the US trade restrictions imposed on Canadian steel and aluminum as absolutely unacceptable," Freeland said. On Thursday, Washington announced tariffs of 25 percent on Canadian steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum. Ottawa immediately hit back with proportional Can$16.6 billion ($12.8 billion US) in tariffs on US steel and aluminum as well as consumer goods. Protestors in front of the Justice Department in Washington call for a halt to the Trump administration's policy to separate illegal immigrant parents from their children on June 1, 2018 Human rights groups took to the streets in cities across the United States on Friday to protest the Trump administration's policy to separate asylum-seeking Central American immigrant children from their parents. Hundreds of people chanted "families belong together" in front of the Justice Department in Washington, accusing the government of violating human rights and traumatizing children for political reasons. "This is indeed an emergency -- every single day children are ripped apart from their parents and the Trump administration must immediately cease this policy," said Jessica Morales, chairwoman of We Belong Together, an immigrant advocacy group. The protests came after President Donald Trump's administration confirmed that it had split hundreds of families who crossed the southern border without immigration documents since October. Last month, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced an official policy of arresting and separating all parents from their children if they cross the border illegally. The government sees the policy as a necessary deterrent to illegal immigration, but the critics say it is cruel to refugees and asylum seekers fleeing violence in Central America. "This attorney general made a decision to separate our kids from their parents. This is immoral, it's a crime, and we are not going to accept that," said Gustavo Torres, executive director of the immigrant advocacy group CASA. The backlash has placed Trump, who has promised to halt illegal immigration, on the defensive, ironically blaming Democrats for a policy choice his administration has made. The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit challenging the policy, calling it a violation of human rights. "Separating families is more than cruel and unnecessary -- it's torture," the ACLU said. - Surge of asylum requests - People protest the Trump administration's immigration policies in San Francisco The policy aims to stem a surge of poor families mostly from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras pouring into the United States. Citing the daily violence in their home countries, thousands each week cross the US-Mexico border and immediately turn themselves in to authorities asking for asylum. They are part of a broader rebound in illegal immigration that has deeply angered Trump. In April alone, 50,924 people were detained after crossing the border without papers, including 4,314 unaccompanied children and 9,647 family units, according to US Customs and Border Patrol. Late last year, the Trump administration quietly began separating some illegal border crossers from their children, sending the youngsters to holding facilities for several weeks before either transferring them back to parents or to relatives already living in the United States. From October to April, about 700 children were separated from their parents. With illegal border crossings and asylum requests undeterred, Sessions announced last month a "zero tolerance" policy that will see every unauthorized border crosser charged with a crime even before they can request asylum. "Today, we are here to send a message to the world: we are not going to let this country be overwhelmed... If you cross this border unlawfully, then we will prosecute you," Sessions said. "If you are smuggling a child, then we will prosecute you and that child will be separated from you as required by law," he said, adding: "If you don't like that, then don't smuggle children over our border." - Migrants fleeing real dangers - US Border Patrol agents question undocumented immigrant families at the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas in February 2018 The administration says the families who send or bring their children across the border are working with organized human smugglers who teach them exactly what to say to be placed into the asylum processing. That gives an incentive for people to head to the United States, they argue. The immigrants say they are fleeing real dangers in their home countries. In the two weeks that followed Sessions's announcement, authorities arrested 658 children together with 638 adults, US Border Patrol deputy chief of operations Richard Hudson told lawmakers last week. The children are believed to have been taken away from their parents, but Hudson would not confirm that. At the Washington protest, Guatemala native Exel Estrada, who came to the United States at 15 and just finished his first year in a US college, said the Trump administration is "against all immigrants." "I too was an unaccompanied minor, I too was in a detention center," Estrada said. "If there were policies like these four years ago, I would not be standing here today." US President Donald Trump (R) poses for photographs with top North Korean official Kim Yong Chol at the White House on June 1, 2018 in Washington US President Donald Trump all but rolled out the red carpet for a top North Korean official Friday, casting protocol aside and embarking on a characteristically high-stakes gamble. A jet black US government Chevrolet Suburban rolled through the South West gate of the White House, up the scorching driveway and pulled to halt. Hurriedly, and slightly anxiously, a phalanx of wiry North Korean security personnel disgorged -- one accidently closing the door on his colleague in the rush. Then exited the more composed, much smaller and slightly less trim figure of Kim Yong Chol. Spymaster, military general, envoy and apparatchik, the 72-year-old had become the most senior North Korean official to set foot at the White House in two decades. Standard protocol would suggest an official of his rank -- particularly one who is under sanction and who represents a geopolitical adversary -- would be whisked, out of sight, into the bowels of the building for a closed door meeting. Not in Trump's White House. A fellow general was on hand to greet him -- John Kelly, President Donald Trump's chief of staff -- who escorted him along the White House colonnade and into the Oval Office for a presidential meeting, a rare honor for a non-head of state, much less one from a brutal regime. White House aides had expected the sit-down with the president, if it happened, to be short, just long enough to exchange pleasantries and a letter from North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. "That is something that had been considered from the beginning" one White House official said. "The president wanted to keep his options open." In the end it ran almost 90 minutes. "We talked about almost everything. We talked about a lot," said Trump. "It went very well. It's really a get-to-know-you kind of a situation." Kim's White House visit was not on the official presidential schedule, but had been rumored for days. Then, shortly after midday, a small group of White House pool reporters -- including AFP -- received a cryptic email to meet at a designated point for an unspecified reason in seven minutes. If allowing coverage of Kim's arrival was designed to send a signal, so too was the decision about who participated for the US side. As Kim arrived, peering through a nearby glass door, was the familiar silvery mustache of John Bolton, Trump's hawkish national security advisor. Having offended North Korea with comments that hinted at regime change, he largely stayed away from the cameras and stayed out of the Oval meeting, aides said. A White House official cautioned against reading too much into Bolton's absence, but you can be certain Pyongyang got the message: Trump wants to play nice. The president underscored that message again and again, when he was asked whether his campaign of "maximum pressure," which included sanctions and threats of annihilation, was over. "I don't even want to use the term 'maximum pressure' anymore because I don't want to use that term because we're getting along," Trump said. "You see the relationship. We're getting along." "We had hundreds of new sanctions ready to go on," he added. "I'm not going to put them on until such time as the talks break down." Trump even admitted that he had not raised the issue of human rights, as he said he was looking forward to the Singapore summit with Kim Jong Un. But as he stood side-by-side smiling with Kim Yong Chol outside the Oval Office, before waiving him goodbye, there was a small but poignant reminder of the scale of Trump's task. On Kim's chest, just in front of his heart, sat a red flag pin featuring images of Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung, the previous two leaders of the Kim dynasty and the current leader's father and grandfather. One started North Korea's nuclear program, the other refused to give it up. Trump is betting he can make a deal and that North Korea's current ruler will break with decades old family tradition. Friday's meeting showed he is willing to stake America's reputation on it. ISSAQUAH, Wash. (AP) - Costco Wholesale Corp. said strong sales growth helped its fiscal third-quarter profit grow 7 percent. The company also Thursday said it plans to use some of its savings from recent corporate tax cuts to provide raises to its U.S. employees. Starting June 11, starting wages at Costco will increase a dollar an hour to $14 or $14.50. Other store chains have also announced raises as low unemployment gives retail workers more options. The Issaquah, Washington-based company said it earned $750 million, or $1.70 per share, during the quarter. That's up from $700 million, or $1.59 per share, a year ago. The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The 12 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research expected earnings of $1.68 per share. FILE- This Jan. 31, 2018, file photo shows a Costco in Homestead, Pa. Costco Wholesale Corp. reports earnings on Thursday, May 31. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File) The warehouse club operator said revenue grew 12 percent to $32.36 billion in the period, also beating Street forecasts. Analysts expected $31.77 billion. Costco said its comparable sales, which exclude the impact from brand-new stores, rose 10.2 percent overall with slower growth in U.S. stores of 9.7 percent. Of Costco's 750 stores, 520 are in the United States. Shares in Costco fell 2.4 percent to $193.51 in extended trading after the results were released. _____ Elements of this story were generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on COST at https://www.zacks.com/ap/COST TOKYO (AP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un complained of "U.S. hegemonism" to Russia's visiting foreign minister on Thursday, as one of his top lieutenants was in New York trying to pave the way for a summit with President Donald Trump. Kim told Sergey Lavrov that he hopes to boost cooperation with Russia, which has remained largely on the sidelines in recent months as Kim has reached out diplomatically to the United States as well as to South Korea and China. "As we move to adjust to the political situation in the face of U.S. hegemonism, I am willing to exchange detailed and in-depth opinions with your leadership and hope to do so moving forward," Kim told Lavrov. Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov walk, during a meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea, Thursday, May 31, 2018 . Lavrov's visit to North Korea comes ahead of a planned summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and is seen as an attempt by Moscow to ensure its voice is heard in the North's diplomatic overtures with Washington, Seoul and Beijing.(Valery Sharifulin/TASS News Agency Pool Photo via AP) Kim has previously made harsher comments and even threatened to launch nuclear attacks on the United States numerous times. But his comments Thursday come at a sensitive moment, when a senior North Korean official was in New York for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the planned summit. After his meeting with North Korean senior envoy Kim Yong Chol, Pompeo said "real progress" has been made in the last three days toward setting the conditions needed for Trump and Kim Jong Un to have a successful summit in Singapore. Still, Pompeo said he doesn't yet know whether the meeting will proceed on the announced date of June 12 and that he believes North Korea's leaders are contemplating a different path forward that would allow their nation to more fully integrate into the international community. Kim Yong Chol, the highest-level North Korean official to visit the United States in 18 years, plans to travel to Washington to convey a personal letter by Kim Jong Un to Trump. Kim Jong Un's comment on U.S. hegemonism wasn't carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency, which targets an external audience. The agency quoted Kim as saying that the North's willingness for the "denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula still remains unchanged" but also that the process should be "stage-by-stage basis by founding a solution to meet the interests of each other." Since January, Kim has significantly toned down his rhetoric against Washington and Seoul and tried to reach out to them following a year of heightened nuclear tensions that saw increased fears of war on the Korean Peninsula. But continuing differences led Trump to abruptly cancel the planned summit last week, and then quickly announce it might still be held as scheduled. Despite having a border with North Korea and relatively cordial relations that President Vladimir Putin has seemed to want to develop further, Russia has kept a surprisingly low profile as Kim has emerged onto the world stage this year, meeting twice with Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Lavrov's visit suggests Russia wants to become involved and make sure North Korea informs it of its intentions and is mindful of Moscow's concerns. In their talks, Lavrov relayed Putin's "warmest regards and best wishes" for Kim's "big endeavors" on the Korean Peninsula. He also expressed Moscow's support for an agreement Kim reached with Moon at a summit last month that focused on measures to ease hostilities and increase exchanges between the two Koreas. Video of the beginning of their meeting also showed Lavrov inviting Kim to Moscow. According to Russian media, he also discussed ways to expand relations during a meeting with Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho. "We welcome the contacts that have been developing in the recent months between North and South Korea, between North Korea and the United States," Lavrov said in comments to the media. "We welcome the summits that already took place between Pyongyang and Seoul as well as planned meetings between North Korean and U.S. leadership." He vowed Russia's support for denuclearization and a broader effort to create a stable and long-lasting peace in the region, but indicated that Moscow believes sanctions can be eased while the process is in progress, which diverges from the U.S. position that denuclearization must come first. "It's absolutely obvious that when a conversation starts about solving the nuclear problem and other problems of the Korean Peninsula, we proceed from the fact that the decision can't be complete while sanctions are still in place," he said. ___ Kim reported from Seoul, South Korea. Talmadge is the AP's Pyongyang bureau chief. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram: @EricTalmadge Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul contributed to this report. Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pose for a photo during a meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea, Thursday, May 31, 2018 . Lavrov's visit to North Korea comes ahead of a planned summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and is seen as an attempt by Moscow to ensure its voice is heard in the North's diplomatic overtures with Washington, Seoul and Beijing.(Valery Sharifulin/TASS News Agency Pool Photo via AP) Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov shake hands during a meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea, Thursday, May 31, 2018 . Lavrov's visit to North Korea comes ahead of a planned summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and is seen as an attempt by Moscow to ensure its voice is heard in the North's diplomatic overtures with Washington, Seoul and Beijing. (Valery Sharifulin/TASS News Agency Pool Photo via AP) Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, third left, pose for a photo with unidentified officials during a meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea, Thursday, May 31, 2018 . Lavrov's visit to North Korea comes ahead of a planned summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and is seen as an attempt by Moscow to ensure its voice is heard in the North's diplomatic overtures with Washington, Seoul and Beijing. (Valery Sharifulin/TASS News Agency Pool Photo via AP) Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov shake hands during a meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea, Thursday, May 31, 2018 . Lavrov's visit to North Korea comes ahead of a planned summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and is seen as an attempt by Moscow to ensure its voice is heard in the North's diplomatic overtures with Washington, Seoul and Beijing.(Valery Sharifulin/TASS News Agency Pool Photo via AP) Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov shake hands during a meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea, Thursday, May 31, 2018 . Lavrov's visit to North Korea comes ahead of a planned summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and is seen as an attempt by Moscow to ensure its voice is heard in the North's diplomatic overtures with Washington, Seoul and Beijing.(Valery Sharifulin/TASS News Agency Pool Photo via AP) North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho shakes hands with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the Mansudae Assembly Hall, Thursday, May 31, 2018, in Pyongyang, North Korea. Russian Lavrov's visit to North Korea comes ahead of a planned summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and is seen as an attempt by Moscow to ensure its voice is heard in the North's diplomatic overtures with Washington, Seoul and Beijing. (AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin) Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, right, addresses the media at the Mansudae Assembly Hall, Thursday, May 31, 2018, in Pyongyang, North Korea. Lavrov's visit to North Korea comes ahead of a planned summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and is seen as an attempt by Moscow to ensure its voice is heard in the North's diplomatic overtures with Washington, Seoul and Beijing. (AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, center right, shakes hands with North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Sin Hong Chol on his arrival at Pyongyang Airport, North Korea Thursday, May 31, 2018. Lavrov's visit comes ahead of a planned summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and is seen as an attempt by Moscow to ensure its voice is heard in the North's diplomatic overtures with Washington, Seoul and Beijing. (AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin) In this photo provided by the North Korean government, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, center rear, walks to lay a floral basket before the statues of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il on Mansu Hill in Pyongyang, North Korea, Thursday, May 31, 2018. Lavrov's visit comes ahead of a planned summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who has also made recent diplomatic overtures to Seoul and Beijing. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP) BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - The sun shone brightly at rain-soaked Shoal Creek. So did Ariya Jutanugarn, Sarah Jane Smith and Jeongeun6 Lee. Jutanugarn, Smith and Lee each shot a 5-under 67 Thursday to share the first-round lead at the U.S. Women's Open, where the course held up better than some feared after heavy rains in recent days. Thailand's Jutanugarn spent hours in front before Smith and Lee caught her in the evening. Ariya Jutanugaren, of Thailand, fixes the collar of her caddie, Leslier Luark, after finishing her round as the leader during the first round of the U.S. Women's Open golf tournament, Thursday, May 31, 2018, in Shoal Creek, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill) Jutanugarn is coming off a Kingsmill Championship win and kept up the momentum, including an eagle on No. 6. She said she started focusing more on each shot instead of worrying about the big picture. "At Kingsmill, I started (saying) I'm not going to think about the outcome," the eight-time LPGA Tour winner said. "I'm not going to think about winning the tournament." Jutanugarn and the Australian Smith each had an eagle, five birdies and two bogeys. The Korean Lee, meanwhile, had five birdies on a course that has been drenched in recent weeks, forcing the cancellation of Tuesday's practice round and limiting course time on the eve of the tournament. Danielle Kang, 2014 winner Michelle Wie, Korean Ji-Hyun Kim and Swedish amateur Linn Grant were 3 under. Smith and Lee have never won on the LPGA Tour. Now, they find themselves in the unfamiliar position of holding a share of the lead at a major championship - and trying not to get caught up in it. "It's pretty early," Smith said. "I think later on in the week it might be easier to get ahead of yourself. (Friday) morning I have got to make sure that it's just a new day and not worry too much about where I am. Whether that's possible, I don't know. I would like to say that." Lee wasn't getting carried away either. "Well, it's just the first round, just started it," she said. There were doubts about the state of the picturesque course and whether USGA officials would have to play lift, clean and place for the first time at a championship thanks to nearly five inches of rain on the week. So far, so good. Jutanugarn said it was the only time she can remember as a pro when she wasn't able to see the entire course before a tournament, having played only the first nine holes in practice. It wasn't just the rain but her golf clubs arrived late. She might as well have left the driver at home, so far. "I hit 3-wood almost every hole," Jutanugarn said. "I hit 2-iron maybe twice off the tee." Lee parred the first five holes before heating up. She arrived last Wednesday from Korea and played nine holes several times. "My main strategy today was not to have a bogey and I think that worked and also when I went to a more difficult situation I try not to get into trouble," she said. "I stay out of it." Top-ranked Inbee Park shot 70. No. 3 Lexi Thompson is 1 under. Defending champion Sung Hyun Park shot 76. Kang had four birdies and a bogey. Her brother Alex, also a professional golfer, got her to start practicing with mud balls as a teenager. "It actually gave me a sense of calm," Kang said. "It wasn't, oh, crap, there is mud. "You have to adjust, what is this mud going to do, how is it going to affect the shot." England's Mel Reid is in a group at 2 under, a few weeks after hiring a new coach. She had missed eight of nine cuts on the LPGA Tour this year. Reid said she decided to play the ball down in the wet conditions Wednesday. "Let's get the mud balls and just kind of deal with it," she said. "And I honestly think that's one of best things we could have done. It wasn't a surprise to us today. "You are going to get mud balls. You have got to accept it. It's going to cost you one shot. But it's going to be the same for everybody. Whoever deals with it the best is going to have the better outcome." Michelle Wie watches her tee shot on the 11th hole during the first round of the U.S. Women's Open golf tournament, Thursday, May 31, 2018, in Shoal Creek, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill) WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - Center Sonny Bill Williams will miss New Zealand's three-test rugby series against France this month after sustaining a knee injury. A spokesman for the Auckland-based Blues Super Rugby team said Friday that Williams aggravated an old injury in training and will undergo surgery to remove a loose bone fragment in the knee joint. He is expected to be sidelined for four weeks. New Zealand plays France in test matches at Auckland on June 9, Wellington on June 16 and Dunedin on June 23. Williams was likely to start the first test while fitness doubts linger over midfielder Ryan Crotty, who is recovering from a head injury. Captain Sam Whitelock is also in doubt for the first test because of a concussion. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - Alabama Republicans say they won't certify the votes of a statewide candidate who's come under scrutiny for what the party calls "egregious" comments. The decision announced Thursday means Jim Bonner, who's running for the utility-regulating Public Service Commission, won't get the party's nomination even if he's the leading vote-getter in Tuesday's primary. The two-time delegate to the Republican National Convention is trying to unseat incumbent Jeremy Oden. But he's made comments on social media and radio that could be offensive to women, blacks, Jews and Muslims. The party censured Bonner this week, and it took a further step after a meeting by saying it won't consider his votes in the election. Bonner says his public comments are being taken out of context, and he's appealing the decision to the party. COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The Ohio Parole Board is set to rule on a request for mercy by a condemned killer facing execution in July. Attorneys for death row inmate Robert Van Hook are asking that their client be spared, citing a history of severe childhood emotional and physical abuse and untreated mental illness. The board will make its recommendation on Friday. Van Hook is scheduled to die on July 18 for strangling and stabbing David Self in Cincinnati in 1985. FILE - This undated file photo provided by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction shows death row inmate Robert Van Hook, convicted of the fatal 1985 strangling and stabbing of David Self, a man he met in a bar in Cincinnati. Attorneys for a condemned killer are asking that their client be spared, saying he experienced a "homosexual panic" of self-revulsion before killing the man he picked up at the Ohio bar. The Ohio Parole Board is scheduled to hear arguments on Thursday, May 24, 2018, for and against Van Hook's clemency request. (Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction via AP, File) Prosecutors say courts have fairly considered Van Hook's childhood and mental health claims previously and there are no grounds for sparing him. The parole board heard arguments last week for and against Van Hook's clemency request. Republican Gov. John Kasich (KAY'-sihk) has the final say. MORAVIA, N.Y. (AP) - Milk got your stomach feeling sour? Dairy companies looking for ways to appeal to people who avoid milk because of indigestion are promoting what they describe as a natural, easier-drinking alternative. It's called A2 milk, which is produced by a subset of cows that produce milk lacking a protein that backers say is associated with milk's dyspeptic tendencies. That A2 claim has its skeptics, but the bet is that consumers will pay an extra dollar or more per half-gallon to drink milk that might not cause indigestion, gas and bloating. In this Thursday, May 17, 2018 photo, Tom Ripley, left, and his brother Dan Ripley, of the Ripley Family Farm, feed a Guernsey calf at their facility in Moravia, N.Y. Some cows on the farm naturally produce milk without a protein some people blame for indigestion. So-called A2 milk is showing up on more supermarket shelves. (AP Photo/Michael Hill) "Our approach has been, 'Listen, if you thought you had trouble with milk, try our A2 milk because you may be able to have it,'" said Dan Ripley, whose family farm in central New York has both ordinary cows and those producing what he sells as "Premium A2 Guernsey" milk. The major A2 player in the United States, Australia-based a2 Milk Company, started selling its milk in California in 2015 and this year began making a big push into the Northeast. Its milk is now sold in major eastern chains such as ShopRite and Wegmans, and TV ads with the tagline "Love milk again" went up in recently New York City and elsewhere. "The Northeast is really the big kahuna of the dairy industry in the U.S.," said Blake Waltrip, the company's U.S. CEO. The company's U.S. expansion complements its efforts to boost distribution in markets including Southeast Asia and the Middle East under a recent deal with the world's biggest dairy exporter, New Zealand's Fonterra. Separately, Nestle SA, the world's largest food company, began selling an A2 baby formula in China this year. Most cows produce milk that contains both A1 and A2 proteins. Backers of this milk claim the A1 protein can cause bloating and other symptoms because of the way it breaks down when digested. Some cows naturally produce milk without the A1 protein, and farmers can breed those cows with an eye toward building a herd that produces milk that only contains the A2 protein. This kind of milk still has lactose, but proponents say it could help people who mistakenly assume they're lactose intolerant. In Buffalo, New York, Public Espresso + Coffee co-owner James Rayburg said he has a history of milk issues but can pour A2 on cereal or add it to recipes without worries. His shop recently switched over to Ripley's milk for all the drinks they serve. "For me, I know if I'm feeling that much better about drinking that much milk, then our customers are feeling that way, too," Rayburg said. Not everyone is convinced. The National Dairy Council, which represents U.S. dairy farmers, said the claim remains an unproven theory. Bruce German, director of the Foods for Health Institute at the University of California, Davis, said existing studies have either methodological flaws or may have issues because they are funded by the industry. "Unfortunately, all the studies are somewhat sort of flawed in various ways, and they seem to be spinning a rather attractive story around A2," German said. Ripley understands the skepticism and said he became convinced only after he discovered his own children could drink A2 without the digestion problems that afflicted them with regular milk. Ripley Family Farm is essentially a competitor to Waltrip and the far larger a2 Milk Company, but both say the milk could be a boon to a U.S. dairy industry that has milk consumption dropping for decades and wholesale prices slumping amid a global oversupply. While the vast majority of Ripley farm's revenue comes from wholesaling traditional milk, selling Guernsey A2 milk and cheese is a way to make extra income. Other farmers who sell to the a2Milk Company, like Hourigan's Dairy Farm in central New York, get a premium for that milk from the company. While there are costs associated with segregating A2 milk and performing genetic tests to make cows produce the right type of milk, the extra money is appreciated. "The milk market is kind of tough right now," said Hourigan's farm manager A.J. Wormouth, "and anything we can do to add value to your product definitely helps." ___ Associated Press writer Carolyn Thompson in Buffalo contributed to this report. In this Thursday, May 17, 2018 photo, Dan Ripley, left, and his brother Tom Ripley of the Ripley Family Farm check on a Guernsey calf at their facility in Moravia, N.Y., Thursday May 17, 2018. Dairy companies looking for ways to appeal to people who avoid milk because of indigestion are promoting what they describe as a natural, easier-drinking alternative called A2 milk. "Our approach has been, 'Listen, if you thought you had trouble with milk, try our A2 milk because you may be able to have it,'" said Dan Ripley, whose farm has both ordinary cows and those producing what he sells as "Premium A2 Guernsey" milk. (AP Photo/Michael Hill) In this Thursday, May 17, 2018 photo, Dan Ripley, of the Ripley Family Farm in Moravia, N.Y., feeds a Guernsey calf. Some cows on the farm naturally produce milk without a protein some people blame for indigestion. So-called A2 milk is showing up on more supermarket shelves. (AP Photo/Michael Hill) BEIJING (AP) - China has dispatched a low-level military delegation to an annual security conference in Singapore that has dwelled heavily in past on Chinese activities in the South China Sea. China's presence at the Shangri-La Dialogue meeting this weekend is being led by Lt. Gen. He Lei, vice president of the People's Liberation Army's Academy of Military Science. The move follows a recent pattern of not sending high-level officials to the three-day forum that begins Friday, in an apparent attempt to deflect attention from China's shoring up its claims to virtually the entire South China Sea. FILE - In this March 8, 2018 file photo, Vice President of China's Academy of Military Sciences, Lt. Gen. He Lei gestures as he speaks during a press conference on the sidelines of the National People's Congress at the State Council Information Office in Beijing. China has dispatched a low-level military delegation to an annual security conference in Singapore that has dwelled heavily on Chinese activities in the South China Sea. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File) At last year's meeting, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis sharply criticized what he called Beijing's disregard for international law by its "indisputable militarization" of artificial islands in disputed areas of the South China Sea. The waterway, crucial to global trade and rich in fish and other resources, is claimed in whole or in part by six governments. In comments at a regularly scheduled briefing Friday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying rebuffed suggestions that China was contributing to tensions in the region. "I think all regional countries with the sharp eyes hope the U.S. can play a constructive role, and not be a destroyer but a contributor to the regional peace and stability," Hua said. Mattis is again representing the U.S. at this year's forum, which comes amid on-again, off-again prospects for a summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that had been planned for this month. China is North Korea's most important ally and has encouraged talks while seeking to preserve its own economic and diplomatic interests. The Singapore gathering also follows the Pentagon's decision last week to withdraw its invitation for China to participate in a multinational naval exercise in what it called "an initial response" to China's militarization of the South China Sea. The Pentagon cited evidence China has deployed anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missile systems and electronic jammers to contested areas in the Spratly Islands, where China has built military installations on man-made islands. Despite strong mutual suspicions, the U.S. had included China in the past two versions of the naval exercise known as Rim of the Pacific, or RimPac, in 2014 and 2016. China's Defense Ministry on Thursday said it still hoped for a "sound a healthy" relationship with the U.S. military. At the same news conference, ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang also confirmed China's development of its latest-model type 055 guided missile destroyer, which weighs 10,000 tons and features both stealth design and a land-attack capability. The PLA navy is believed to be planning to link the 055s with its slightly smaller type 052 destroyers as part of its future aircraft carrier strike forces. China operates one carrier at present, while another is undergoing sea trials and others are believed to be in the construction or planning stages. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - The Mormon church on Friday celebrated the 40th anniversary of reversing its ban on black people serving in the lay priesthood, going on missions or getting married in temples, rekindling debate about one of the faith's most sensitive topics. The number of black Mormons has grown but still only accounts for an estimated 6 percent of 16 million worldwide members. Not one serves in the highest levels of global leadership. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has worked to improve race relations, including calling out white supremacy and launching a new formal alliance with the NAACP, but some black Mormons and scholars say discriminatory opinions linger in some congregations from a ban rooted in a belief that black skin was a curse. FILE - In this May 17, 2018, file photo, Mormon church President Russell M. Nelson shakes hands with Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP during a news conference, in Salt Lake City. The Mormon church on Friday, June 1, 2018, will celebrate the 40th anniversary of reversing its ban on black people serving in the lay priesthood, going on missions or getting married in temples, rekindling debate about one of the faith's most sensitive topics. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File) In a 2013 essay , the church disavowed the reasons behind the ban and condemned all racism, saying the prohibition came during an era of great racial divide that influenced early church teachings. Blacks were always allowed to be members, but the nearly century-long ban kept them from participating in many important rituals. Scholars said the essay included the church's most comprehensive explanation for the ban and its 1978 reversal, which leaders say came from a revelation from God. But it didn't include an apology, leaving some unsatisfied. "A lot of members are waiting for the church just to say, 'We were wrong,'" said Phylicia Norris-Jimenez, a 30-year-old black Mormon and member of the grass-roots Black LDS Legacy Committee, a group of women who are organizing a conference Saturday in Utah to honor the legacy of black Mormon pioneers. Norris-Jimenez said non-black church members still struggle with how to talk about the ban or understand the pain it causes. She said the anniversary celebration honors something that should have never existed but that it's a good gesture and hopefully leads to more discussions about race. A fellow group member, LaShawn Williams, said she finds comfort in her belief that the ban was a "policy of people, not a policy of God," made during a racist time. She and her three children are the only black members of her congregation in Orem, Utah, and she tries to talk about race issues regularly with the teenagers she teaches in Sunday school. Williams, an assistant professor in social work at Utah Valley University, would like an apology. "If we preach repentance, we should definitely embody it," she said. The theme of the anniversary celebration in Salt Lake City was "Be one," a reference to a Mormon scripture. Gladys Knight, one of the most famous black Mormons, performed, and top church leaders gave speeches. President Russell M. Nelson said comprehending true brotherhood and sisterhood can inspire people to "build bridges of cooperation instead of walls of segregation." Nelson's first counselor, Dallin H. Oaks, acknowledged the "pain and suffering" the ban caused while urging members to "look forward in the unity of our faith." Prior to event, Ahmad Corbitt, a church employee who led the effort to organize the event, said the celebration was "a call to the entire church, and by extension, the entire world, to let go of prejudices and come together as one unified family." Corbitt declined to address a church apology, saying the faith is focused on a forward-looking approach to unity. Darius Gray, co-founder of the Genesis Group that supports black Mormons, said the church and its doctrine aren't racist but racism lingers in the faith as it does in society. He said he's been plagued by calls from Mormons concerned about how they're being treated, which he attributes to a rise in racism in the U.S. since President Donald Trump was elected. He said he wouldn't be opposed to an apology for the ban but that he's more interested in helping the faith make progress in rooting out racism. Gray, who helped plan Friday's event, said it's a step toward healing. "An apology is here today and gone tomorrow," Gray said. "More significant is what an organization does long term. The LDS church has been moving forward and changed its paradigm in massive ways." The Utah-based church doesn't provide ethnic or racial breakdowns of its members, but independent Mormon researcher Matt Martinich said those of primarily African descent account for about 6 percent of worldwide members. In the U.S., blacks account for about 1 to 3 percent of 6.6 million Mormons, according to Pew Research Center surveys done in the last two decades. It's not the only faith that struggles with a lack of black members in its U.S. congregations: The United Methodist Church, Catholic Church and Judaism also have similarly low rates, according to a 2014 Pew Research Center study . Mormons probably shouldn't wait for a rare apology from church leaders, said W. Paul Reeve, a Mormon studies professor at the University of Utah. The church seems to be trying to walk a tight rope by disavowing past beliefs while not apologizing for the ban to avoid members questioning other doctrine they think should be changed, he said. "What else are they wrong about? Are they wrong about gay marriage? Are they wrong about female ordination?" Reeve said. "If they got race and the priesthood wrong, what else could they be wrong about? I think that's part of the fear." This June 2, 2017, photo, shows Mormon women Tamu Smith, left, and Dr. LaShawn Williams in Lehi, Utah. The Mormon church's celebration Friday night, June 1, 2018, of the 40th anniversary of its reversal of a ban on blacks in the lay priesthood is rekindling discussions about one of the faith's most sensitive topics. Williams, an assistant professor in social work at Utah Valley University, would like an apology. "If we preach repentance, we should definitely embody it," she said. (Steve Griffin/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP) This June 5, 2013, photo shows Darius Gray, co-founder a support organization founded in 1971 for black Mormons called the Genesis Group, in Midvale, Utah. The Mormon church's celebration Friday, June 1, 2018, night of the 40th anniversary of its reversal of a ban on blacks in the lay priesthood is rekindling discussions about one of the faith's most sensitive topics. Gray, said the Mormon church and its doctrine aren't racist but that racism lingers in the religion as it does in the culture. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP) FILE - In this May 17, 2018, file photo, shows Mormon church President Russell M. Nelson, left, speaking as Leon W. Russell, chairman of the NAACP board of directors, center, and Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, look on during a news conference, in Salt Lake City. The Mormon church on Friday, June 1, 2018, will celebrate the 40th anniversary of reversing its ban on black people serving in the lay priesthood, going on missions or getting married in temples, rekindling debate about one of the faith's most sensitive topics. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File) PARIS (AP) - French President Emmanuel Macron has told U.S. President Donald Trump that the new U.S. tariffs on European, Mexican and Canadian goods are illegal and a "mistake." Macron's office said in a statement Friday that the two presidents spoke by phone after Trump's administration announced the decision Thursday to impose 25 percent tariffs on steel and 10 percent tariffs on aluminum. The European Union is planning retaliatory tariffs on U.S. steel and food goods in the coming weeks, once it calculates the exact cost to EU companies of the U.S. tariffs. Macron pledged the riposte would be "firm" and "proportionate" and in line with World Trade Organization rules. French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during a conference to present a plan for the preservation of heritages sites at the Elysee palace, in Paris, France, Thursday, May 31, 2018. Macron is launching a national lottery to help restore France's magnificent chateaux and other historic monuments. (Christophe Petit-Tesson/Pool Photo via AP) The U.S. decision came despite last-minute talks in Paris this week to try to reach a deal. As its first step to challenge the U.S. tariffs, the EU on Friday formally filed a request for consultations at the WTO. The two sides will discuss the matter and try to reach a deal. If that fails to solve the matter, after 60 days the EU can ask a WTO panel to rule on the case. The EU's trade chief, Cecilia Malmstrom, said that the U.S. decision to impose tariffs "is further weakening the Trans-Atlantic relations." She said the measures "will cause a lot of damage to our steel and aluminum industry" and risk hurting global economic growth. She dismissed the Trump administration's argument that the tariffs are needed for U.S. national security reasons. "Internal security is not relevant. It is pure protectionism," she said. Companies around the world have expressed concern about the tariffs and the risk that it could escalate into a trade war, in which both sides hit each other with tit-for-tat measures. Germany's Volkswagen, Europe's largest automaker, said no side would win a trade war. In a statement to The Associated Press, the company said it views the tariffs with "regret and concern." "There are fears that this marks the start of a negative spiral of measures and countermeasures where there will ultimately be no winners," the company said. The Wolfsburg-based company is calling for dialogue between the U.S. and the EU within recognized World Trade Organization principles "in order to prevent any long-term economic damage." European Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmstrom speaks during a media conference, following the United States announcement to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum, at EU headquarters in Brussels, Friday, June 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) A man walks past an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm in Tokyo Friday, June 1, 2018. Shares were mostly higher in Asia on Friday after U.S. stocks slid amid mounting trade tensions. U.S. benchmarks fell after the Trump administration said it is imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum imported from Europe, Canada and Mexico. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) ROME (AP) - Populists took power in Italy for the first time Friday with the swearing-in of a new government fusing in a coalition a political movement that delights in pillorying the establishment and a party whose anti-migrant, euro-skeptic politics have seen it soar in popularity. At an oath-taking ceremony in the presidential palace atop Quirinal Hill, the new premier, political novice Giuseppe Conte, and his 18 Cabinet ministers pledged their loyalty to the Italian republic and to the nation's post-war constitution in front of President Sergio Mattarella. Only five days earlier, the leader of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, Luigi Di Maio, was inciting followers to press for Mattarella's impeachment. The president had invoked his constitutional powers to reject the populists' initial choice for economy minister because he is an advocate of a backup plan to exit from euro-currency membership. Leader of the League party, Matteo Salvini, right, and Luigi Di Maio, leader of the Five-Star movement, during the swearing-in ceremony for Italy's new government at Rome's Quirinale Presidential Palace, Friday, June 1, 2018. (Alessandro Di Meo/ANSA via AP) Mattarella's act scuttled Conte's first try to assemble a coalition uniting the forces of Di Maio's 5-Stars and his populist rival Matteo Salvini, leader of the right-wing League, which is based in the affluent north. The president approved Conte and a rejiggered Cabinet list Thursday after Paolo Savona was moved from the economy slot to that of the ministry of European affairs. On Friday, a beaming Di Maio stood before Mattarella and recited the loyalty oath - he'll serve as minister of labor and economic development. The initial failure of Conte to form a government had alarmed financial markets, which feared a quick return to the polls that risked being tantamount to a plebiscite on Italy's keeping the euro currency. But the markets were reassured by the formation of a new government, which came three months after elections resulted in a political stalemate with no single party or alliance winning control of Parliament. On Friday, the 5-Stars' clinched their quest for national power, after five years in Parliament as the largest opposition party. Co-founded by comic Beppe Grillo, who rails against an entrenched political "caste," the Movement bills itself as a web-based democratic force, not a traditional political party. Grillo tweeted euphorically: "If you can dream it, you can do it." Conte was a professor of law at the University of Florence, who had offered ahead of the March election to serve as a 5-Star minister. He became a compromise choice for premier when rivals Di Maio and Salvini refused to let the other hold the top post. Emphasizing their "anti-establishment" claim, 5-Star ministers, who hold seven of the Cabinet posts, took a single taxi van to the Quirinal Palace. In a Facebook post, Di Maio gushed: "There are a lot of us, and we're ready to launch a government of change to improve the quality of life for all Italians." Next week the government faces mandatory confidence votes in each chamber of Parliament, where the coalition members hold narrow, but viable majorities. Salvini said he would set straight to work on a campaign pledge to expel many of several hundred thousand asylum-seekers who were rescued at sea from human traffickers over the last few years but are ineligible for asylum. Public resentment over what was perceived as fellow EU nations' failure to help ease the financial and logistical burden on Italy in caring for the flood of migrants helped boost the League's popularity. "The immigration question is still burning," Salvini said. The last-minute compromise appointment of Giovanni Tria as economy minister was aimed at calming EU leaders' jitters. He is close to the center-right forces loyal to Silvio Berlusconi, the former premier and billionaire media mogul. Another Cabinet pick seen as reassuring to those concerned the populists could set Italy drifting from its strong ties with the EU is Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi. A former minister, he teaches European Union law at LUISS, a Rome university championed by a powerful Italian industrialists lobby. Conte himself acknowledged that the populists are a whole new breed that is leaving some wondering what they will be like. "We're not Martians, and we'll prove it," said the premier, who in a play on his law professor profession promises to be the "defense lawyer" of the Italian people in an "Italians first" government. Still, the "rest of Europe is looking at Italy with apprehension," wrote Massimo Franco, a political commentator for the newspaper Corriere della Sera. "It fears that it is a laboratory for what can happen in other countries" and hopes that Italy's populist "experiment doesn't turn out to be a disaster." If the populists make reality of central campaign promises that could swell Italy's already staggering high debt, the EU and financial markets might grow uneasy again. Salvini wants to undo or at least drastically revamp pension reform that raised retirement ages. Di Maio wants to give the jobless and low-income citizens a minimum monthly income of 780 euros (about $930), an electoral pledge that helped secure the Movement's triumph in the unemployment-plagued south. Some promises have already been broken. Di Maio had vowed never to join in a governing coalition, a form of "establishment" politics that the 5-Star Movement abhors. And Salvini and Di Maio have railed for years about the recent succession of premiers who didn't run for election in Parliament. Their pick for premier, Conte, is now the latest. The new government delighted leaders of an increasingly bolder far-right in European politics. French leader Marine Le Pen hailed the new government as "a victory of democracy over intimidation and threats from the European Union." Nigel Farage, a British force behind the successful Brexit movement, advised Italy's populists to "stay strong or the bully boys will be after you." He was referring to EU officials who recently evoked dire scenarios for Italians if the populists gained power. Salvini has branded as "racist" advice from European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker for Italians to work harder and be less corrupt instead of blaming their woes on the EU. For decades, the League's forerunner, the Northern League, had branded Italian southerners as lazy, uncouth citizens draining too much development aid from the central government, whose coffers depended on taxpayers in the productive north. ___ Associated Press writer Nicole Winfield contributed to this report. Italian outgoing Premier Paolo Gentiloni, hands over the cabinet minister bell to new Premier Giuseppe Conte during the handover ceremony at Chigi Palace Premier's office, in Rome, Friday, June 1, 2018. (Claudio Peri/ANSA via AP) New Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte opens the first council of Ministers at Chigi Palace in Rome, at Chigi Palace Premier's office, in Rome, Friday, June 1, 2018. (Angelo CarconiANSA via AP) Newly appointed Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte reviews the honor guard prior to the start of the First Council of Minister at Chigi Palace Premier's office, in Rome, Friday, June 1, 2018. (Angelo Carconi/ANSA via AP) Italian President Sergio Mattarella, right, stands next to Premier Giuseppe Conte, during the swearing-in ceremony for Italy's new government at Rome's Quirinale Presidential Palace, Friday, June 1, 2018. Italy's president is swearing in western Europe's first populist government, featuring a mix of anti-establishment and right-wing ministers along with some experienced figures who have served in previous governments. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) Italian President Sergio Mattarella, left, shakes hands with Premier Giuseppe Conte during the swearing-in ceremony for Italy's new government at Rome's Quirinale Presidential Palace, Friday, June 1, 2018. Italy's president is swearing in western Europe's first populist government, featuring a mix of anti-establishment and right-wing ministers along with some experienced figures who have served in previous governments. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) Horse-mounted Carabinieri officers perform the changing of the guard, prior to the swearing-in ceremony for Italy's new government at Rome's Quirinale Presidential Palace, Friday, June 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) In this photo taken on Thursday, May 31, 2018, Giuseppe Conte, center, walks in downtown Rome. Italy's president has tapped politically inexperienced law professor Giuseppe Conte to be the premier who will head Italy's first populist government. The president's office announced Thursday that Conte had accepted the role and would be sworn in Friday afternoon with Cabinet ministers. (Angelo Carconi/ANSA via AP) Italy's premier-designate Giuseppe Conte, left, back to camera, is confronted by a group of recently laid-off workers protesting outside the parliament, in Rome, Friday, June 1, 2018. Italy's president has tapped politically inexperienced law professor Giuseppe Conte to be the premier who will head Italy's first populist government. The president's office announced Thursday that Conte had accepted the role and would be sworn in Friday afternoon with Cabinet ministers. (Claudio Peri/ANSA via AP) New Italian Interior Minister and deputy-premier Matteo Salvini applauds during the swearing-in ceremony for Italy's new government at Rome's Quirinale Presidential Palace, Friday, June 1, 2018. Italy's president is swearing in western Europe's first populist government, featuring a mix of anti-establishment and right-wing ministers along with some experienced figures who have served in previous governments. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) Italian President Sergio Mattarella, right, stands in front of Premier Giuseppe Conte, during the swearing-in ceremony for Italy's new government at Rome's Quirinale Presidential Palace, Friday, June 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) BERLIN (AP) - Two lions, two tigers and a jaguar were thought to have escaped their enclosures Friday at a zoo in western Germany, sparking a massive search by police and warnings to residents to stay indoors. Hours later, authorities said those animals had, in fact, never left their cages. A bear, however, was shot dead after flooding triggered by heavy rains swept away the fencing for its enclosure, allowing it to escape. The Eifelzoo in Luenebach, western Germany, is flooded on Friday, June 1, 2018. Two lions, two tigers, a jaguar and a bear broke out of their cages after heavy rain damaged their enclosure. (Oliver Berg/dpa via AP) Andreas Kruppert, the mayor of the town of Arzfeld, said the confusion arose because volunteers using a drone were unable to find the carnivores, prompting fears they had all escaped the zoo in Luenebach, near Germany's borders with Luxembourg and Belgium. The bear escaped from the 30-hectare (75-acre) zoo grounds into the rolling hills of the Eifel region and was shot. Western Germany has seen several strong storms in recent days, causing flash floods. PRAGUE (AP) - Czech lawmakers have approved a government plan to increase the number of troops deployed in Afghanistan and other countries. The plan calls for the Czech Republic to deploy 390 soldiers in Afghanistan through 2020, up from the current 230, as part of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission that provides training, advice and assistance to local security forces. As many as 110 Czechs will serve in Iraq, including military training instructors, up from 49 at present. Some 120 soldiers will be dispatched to Africa's Sahel region, including Mali, as part of a European Union force. Up to 385 Czechs will also serve in the Baltic states and Poland in NATO forces. Friday's vote in the parliament's lower house followed approval by its upper house, the Senate. SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Bitter rivals North and South Korea are on talking terms again, but their surprising cordiality still has moments of awkwardness, such when a senior North Korean official scolded a South Korean reporter over a question he didn't like. In a brief exchange that displayed the fundamental differences between the countries, North Korean official Ri Son Gwon reacted with irritation Friday when a South Korean reporter asked him whether North Korea's grievances against the South had been resolved as he arrived for talks on easing tensions at the border village of Panmunjom. Ri, chairman of the North Korean agency that deals with inter-Korean affairs, seemed stunned by the question. After a moment of silence, Ri, who in the past has been described by South Korean counterparts as hot-tempered, ripped into the reporter. The head of the North Korean delegation Ri Son Gwon, center, talks with South Korean reporters as he arrives to meet with South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon at the southern side of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone, South Korea, Friday, June 1, 2018. (Korea Pool via AP) "Journalists can ask questions from different angles. But don't you think that the questions should change, to meet the demand of changing times?" Ri said. "You obviously know which side caused the situation to become serious. Then why are you asking me whether the (problems) have been resolved?" Ri said he would consider similar questions as "discourteous" in the future. He called for questions that would "promote reconciliation and cooperation." Ri is hardly the first North Korean official to chastise South Korean reporters over questions they found uncomfortable. But officials have been unusually cordial in recent months as North Korea reaches out to South Korea and the United States to reduce tensions. While South Korean reporters have a reputation for aggressiveness, the question to Ri at Panmunjom was fairly predictable. North Korea had called off the high-level talks last month over what it saw as bad faith from the southern side. A surprise summit last week between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in put the meeting back on for Friday. The senior officials from the two sides agreed to establish a liaison office in the North Korean border town of Kaesong and hold military and Red Cross talks later this month on reducing tensions and resuming reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War. Kim and Moon held their first summit at Panmunjom on April 27 and issued vague aspirations for a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and permanent peace. But relations chilled when North Korea canceled the high-level meeting and threatened to walk away from a planned summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump because of the South's participation in military exercises with the United States and comments from U.S. officials. Trump canceled the summit, then said it may still take place, shortly before Kim and Moon met again on May 26. Diplomacy is also accelerating between the U.S. and North Korea to prepare for a summit, which may take place June 12 in Singapore. But Ri, still seething over the grievances question, wasn't willing to talk about the potential meeting with reporters. "Go fly to Singapore to ask that question," he told the South Korean reporter. "This is Panmunjom." Ri was in a better mood in the meeting room with South Korean officials, lightheartedly mentioning his earlier interaction with the reporter and even proposing that the meeting be opened to the media. "Reporters are the spokesmen of justice and truth," Ri said. "If they get to be with us through the whole meeting, they will think, 'Wow, the North-South high-level talks are producing a good outcome' and will vividly report what happens." South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon persuaded Ri to keep the discussions behind closed-doors for the sake of efficiency. There have been plenty of awkward exchanges between North Korean officials and South Korean journalists during tenser times. In 2008, senior North Korean diplomat Hyun Hak Bong angrily wagged a finger at South Korean reporters who asked about speculation over health problems for then North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, the late father of the current leader, fuming about "nonsense" spread by "bad people who don't wish our republic well." The interactions have been noticeably different in recent months. In April, senior North Korean official Kim Yong Chol, who is currently in the United States and plans to meet Trump, surprised visiting South Korean reporters by apologizing for media coverage problems during a joint cultural event in Pyongyang. But Kim Yong Chol also displayed a dark sense of humor, introducing himself by saying, "Hello, I am the man you blame for the sinking of the Cheonan." South Korea has accused Kim, a former military intelligence chief, of being behind the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan and the shelling of a border island which together killed 50 South Koreans in 2010. GENEVA (AP) - The Trump administration has torpedoed a plan to recommend higher taxes on sugary drinks, forcing a World Health Organization panel to back off the U.N. agency's previous call for such taxes as a way to fight obesity, diabetes and other life-threatening conditions. The move disappointed many public health experts but was enthusiastically welcomed by the International Food and Beverage Alliance - a group that represents companies including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo. and Unilever. The revelations came Friday as a WHO panel on non-communicable diseases issued a report that aimed to cut down on diseases like diabetes, cancer and obesity, which kill about 40 million people each year. The fight against such diseases is a priority for WHO's director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. FILE - In this Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016 file photo soft drinks are on display at a supermarket in London. An independent World Health Organization panel is backing away from the U.N. health agency's own call two years ago for taxing sugary drinks, in a new report on diseases like cancer, obesity and diabetes that some experts slammed as being "conspicuously limp." (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File) Dr. Sania Nishtar, co-chair of panel, said most of its 26 members supported a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages but one commissioner - whom she did not identify - hampered drafting stronger language. Eric Hargan, the U.S. deputy secretary for health and human services, reported that he was that member, arguing it was not clear that imposing taxes on sugary drinks like sodas and fruit juices would improve public health. WHO has argued exactly that over the last two years. "Deputy Secretary Hargan opposed endorsing increasing taxes on sugary drinks in the commission report," HHS spokeswoman Caitlin Oakley said, noting that the panel's mandate was to make "bold" recommendations. "Taxes on sugary drinks is not new, bold, or innovative." She also said that "evidence is lacking that such a tax produces positive health outcomes." The U.S. provides a significant percentage of WHO's yearly budget. The sweetened-drink industry has come out strongly against any such tax but Nishtar said she was not aware of any industry lobbying of the commissioners. Commission member Ilona Kickbusch, a former WHO staffer who directs the Global Health Center at the Graduate Institute in Geneva, said the United States "made it clear" that it did not want more regulation. "They (the Trump administration) felt that the evidence was not strong enough that the tax would reduce the obesity epidemic," she said. Commission members said they decided to press ahead with the report, leaving open the possibility that the commission could strengthen its call in the future. The independent commission, created last year by Ghebreyesus, did recommend taxes on tobacco and alcohol. Decisions made by the Trump administration have often run afoul of U.S. allies and competitors alike. On Thursday, the U.S. government announced new steel and aluminum tariffs against allies like Canada, Mexico and the European Union. Last year, President Donald Trump rejected the landmark Paris accord to fight global warming. WHO often convenes expert panels to ultimately set its own policies and to make tricky public health decisions. Last month, a separate WHO expert group decided that Congo's Ebola outbreak did not warrant being designated as an international emergency, a decision WHO accepted as its own. Two years ago, Dr. Douglas Bettcher, who heads WHO's non-communicable diseases department, said consumption of free sugars amounted to a "major factor" in the global increase of people suffering from obesity and diabetes. He insisted that taxes on sugary drinks would enable governments to "reduce suffering and save lives." Back then, WHO said a 20 percent price increase for such drinks would dramatically cut consumption. "WHO's position cannot change because of this report. What WHO said some years ago holds, because consumption of sugar is associated with obesity and at the same time, taxing sugar was shown to reduce consumption in many countries," Ghebreyesus said. "Not only that, the money from the taxes can be used to strengthen the health system," he added. "There are many good examples of countries like Philippines, Ireland, South Africa, and Mexico that have demonstrated this." But instead of explicitly recommending a sugar tax, the WHO commission said Friday that countries themselves should decide if they want higher taxes on sugary drinks. "When engagement with the private sector fails to contribute to the achievement of public health goals, governments should employ their regulatory and legislative powers to protect" their people, the report says. The beverage trade group applauded their decision. "IFBA strongly agrees with the (WHO panel's) assessment that the WHO and other government agencies should increase engagement of the private sector to achieve further progress," the group said in a statement. Jack Winkler, an emeritus professor of nutrition policy at London Metropolitan University, rejected the U.S. claim, saying there's now convincing evidence that taxing sugary drinks works, citing, among other research, a recent article in the journal, The BMJ. He said policies adopted in Britain show that taxing sugar-loaded drinks not only spurred manufacturers to reformulate their products but that "it has made the healthy choice the cheaper choice." Winkler said WHO's own acknowledgment that progress on combating obesity and other non-communicable disease has been slow makes the panel's refusal to endorse sugar taxes outright especially unfortunate. "When WHO doesn't pick up on a practical solution that also raises money, it is particularly absurd," he said. "The recommendation on such taxes is now conspicuously limp." In its report, the commission also recommended that governments prioritize measures to restrict junk food advertising. Martin McKee, a professor of European public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said the failure of WHO's commission to reach an agreement on sugar taxes was "difficult to fathom." He noted that since this was the only the first report from that panel, it might still revise its advice in later reports. "It would be very disappointing if this issue remained unresolved in its next report," McKee said. ___ Associated Press writer Jamey Keaton reported this story in Geneva and AP writer Maria Cheng reported from London. Uruguay's President Tabare Vazquez gestures during his statement as part of the launch of the report WHO Independent High-Level Commission on Noncommunicable Diseases (NDCs) at the headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland, Friday, June 1, 2018. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP) COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) - A judge and prosecutor said Friday that a five-year sentence given to a Georgia teen who stole a pair of pricey shoes was appropriate because a gun was used during the robbery. Dayonn Davis, who was 18 when he was sentenced this week to five years in prison followed by 10 years of probation, was charged as an adult even though he was 15 when the crime was committed and his lawyer said he had no prior record. Prosecutors Sadhana Dailey said in court that Davis contacted the owner of the Nike Oreos - so called because they're black and white - after seeing them for sale on Facebook, according to the Ledger-Enquirer . They arranged to meet at a Columbus park on Jan. 17, 2016. Another male went with Davis to the meeting. When Davis tried the shoes on, he told the seller, "These shoes is took." The other male pulled out a gun and everyone fled, the newspaper reports. "This was an armed robbery. It's not a theft. There's a big difference between a theft and an armed robbery," Dailey told The Associated Press on Friday in a phone interview. "The teen victim was robbed at gunpoint." Columbus police quickly identified Davis, who had the shoes in his closet. Davis initially told police no one else was involved but eventually gave a name, but the seller of the shoes couldn't identify the person in a photo lineup as the gunman, the newspaper reported. Davis was charged with armed robbery and reached a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to robbery by force, which allowed him to avoid the mandatory 10-year sentence that comes with an armed robbery conviction, Dailey said. "He got a break," she said. Defense attorney Susan Henderson told Muscogee County Superior Court Judge Bobby Peters her client just wants to put the whole thing behind him and move on, the Ledger-Enquirer reported. "He's been extremely remorseful," she said. "He's got his life on track now." She insisted Davis didn't know the other person would pull a gun. But the judge says that makes little difference in the eyes of the law. "I was young at the time, so I wasn't in my right mind," Davis told the judge. Judge Peters called the case an unfortunate situation and told the AP he would rather it have been handled in juvenile court. Dailey said it was appropriate to charge Davis as an adult because of the seriousness of the crime. Peters told the AP that Davis will likely be released on parole before completing his five-year sentence. Because it's a first offense, Davis' record can be expunged if he successfully completes probation, Peters said. No one else has been charged in the case. It's not clear whether the person Davis identified as the gunman was actually the other person who was there, Dailey said. ___ Information from: Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, http://ledger-enquirer.com DECATUR, Ala. (AP) - Six women are suing a north Alabama rheumatologist, accusing him of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior while they were his patients. News outlets report that the lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Morgan County Circuit Court against Dr. Michael Dick of Decatur. Dick referred questions to his lawyer, who decline to comment. The plaintiffs are identified by pseudonyms, seeking to preserve privacy. In January, Dick was arrested on two counts of misdemeanor harassment after two women came forward with allegations. He's free on bail and continues to practice. Alabama State Board of Medical Examiners General Counsel Wilson Hunter says the regulatory agency "is actively engaged in monitoring his situation." The agency issues and regulates medical licenses. Another person has died in Malaysia after a flawed Takata air bag inflator exploded, raising the worldwide death toll to 23. The unidentified driver was killed when a 2004 Honda City crashed on May 27 in Kuala Lumpur. It was the seventh death in the Southeast Asian nation. Takata's inflators can explode with too much force, hurling shrapnel into drivers and passengers. Nineteen auto and truck makers are recalling up to 69 million inflators in the U.S. and 100 million worldwide. The deaths have occurred since May 2009: - May 27, 2009: Ashley Parham, 18, of Midwest City, Oklahoma, 2001 Honda Accord - Dec. 24, 2009: Gurjit Rathore, 33, of Richmond, Virginia, 2001 Honda Accord - Sept. 13, 2013: Hai Ming Xu, of Alhambra, California, 2002 Acura TL - July 27, 2014: Law Suk Leh of Sibu, Malaysia, 2003 Honda City - Sept. 7, 2014: Jewel Brangman, 26, of California, 2001 Honda Civic - Sept. 29, 2014: Hien Thi Tran, 51, of Orlando, Florida, 2001 Honda Accord - Jan. 18, 2015: Carlos Solis, 35, of Spring, Texas, 2002 Honda Accord - April 15, 2015: Kylan Langlinais, 23, of Lafayette, Louisiana, 2005 Honda Accord - July 22, 2015: Unidentified 13-year-old boy, Mercer County, Pennsylvania, 2001 Honda Accord - Dec. 22, 2015: Joel Knight, 52, of Kershaw, South Carolina, 2006 Ford Ranger - March 31, 2016: Huma Hanif, 17, of Fort Bend County, Texas, 2002 Honda Civic - April 16, 2016: Unidentified person, Sabah State, Malaysia, 2006 Honda City. Inflator ruptured, no death cause determined. - May 1, 2016: Unidentified person, Malaysia, 2003 Honda City. Inflator ruptured, no death cause determined. - June, 2016: Unidentified person in Malaysia. Inflator ruptured, no death cause determined. -June 19, 2016: Ramon Kuffo, 81, Hialeah, Florida. Inflator ruptured while he was repairing interior of car. - Sept. 24, 2016: Unidentified driver, Johor State, Malaysia, 2009 Honda City. Inflator ruptured, no death cause determined. - Sept. 30, 2016: Delia Robles, 50, of Corona, California, 2001 Honda Civic. - July 1, 2017: Steve Mollohan, 56, of West Virginia, 2006 Ford Ranger. - July 10, 2017: George R. Sharp, 61, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 2004 Honda Civic. - July 13, 2017: Unidentified 58-year-old man in suburban Sydney, 2007 Honda CR-V. - July 19, 2017: Nichol Lynn Barker, 34, of Holiday, Florida, 2002 Honda Accord. - Jan. 1, 2018: Unidentified driver in central Selangor state, Malaysia, 2004 Honda City. -May 27, 2018: Unidentified driver in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2004 Honda City. Sources: Associated Press archives, Center for Auto Safety, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Honda Motor Co., legal documents and police reports INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) - A Missouri man has been found guilty of stabbing his wife to death as their three children hid in the house. A Jackson County jury on Thursday convicted Vincente Roldan-Marron of first-degree murder in the January death of Yadira Gomez at their home in Independence, a suburb of Kansas City. The Kansas City Star reports the couple's oldest son testified that he hid his two siblings in the basement when his parents were fighting and he then hid behind a couch. From there, he said he saw his father retrieve a knife to kill Gomez. Prosecutors say the knife was among four that Roldan-Marron used to stab his wife 13 times. Roldan-Marron was arrested after his son told his teacher the next day. Gomez's grandparents are now caring for the children. ___ Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com WASHINGTON (AP) - The Trump administration's decision to slap tariffs on its top allies could weaken Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross' hand as he travels to Beijing to try to fend off a trade war with China. That, at least, is the view of many longtime trade analysts and China watchers. "This is really the U.S. going it alone," said Philip Levy, senior fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs who was a trade adviser in the George W. Bush administration. "By assaulting all our allies, we leave ourselves standing unprotected and by ourselves in a way we really never have been." In this May 19, 2018, photo, a worker positions a roll of steel plate at a dockyard in Qidong in eastern China's Jiangsu province. China appealed Friday, June 1, 2018, to its trading partners to reject "trade and investment protectionism" after Washington raised tariffs on steel imports and said it will impose curbs on Chinese investment. (Chinatopix via AP) "We are alienating all of our friends and partners at a time when we could really use their support," added Wendy Cutler, a former U.S. trade negotiator who is now vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute. After briefing reporters on the administration's decision to slap tariffs on imported steel from Canada, Mexico and the European Union, Ross is leaving Friday for Beijing for negotiations aimed at resolving a dispute over China's aggressive attempts to challenge U.S. technological supremacy. Trade analysts say the Trump team should be enlisting its allies to present a united front to China. After all, U.S. friends like Japan and the European Union share many of the same gripes about China. They decry rampant theft of intellectual property and Chinese overproduction, which has flooded world markets with cheap steel and aluminum. And in fact, U.S. Trade Rep. Robert Lighthizer, Japan's economics minister, Hiroshige Seko, and EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom did issue a vague statement from Paris on Thursday urging unidentified countries to do more to protect intellectual property and to reduce overcapacity. But the U.S. undermined the alliance on Thursday by slapping key allies and trading partners - Canada, Mexico and the EU - with tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum. All vowed to retaliate by penalizing American products. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, noting that Canadians and Americans have been allies for 150 years and fought and died together in World War II and in Afghanistan, took a shot at the Trump team: "Americans remain our partners, friends, and allies," Trudeau said. "This is not about the American people. We have to believe that at some point their common sense will prevail. But we see no sign of that in this action today by the U.S. administration." Now, the U.S. is turning to Beijing and to a standoff that has taken some confusing turns. Last month, the administration proposed tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese imports to punish China for forcing U.S. companies to hand over technology in exchange for access to its market. President Donald Trump later ordered his top trade negotiator to seek up to an additional $100 billion in Chinese products to tax. China responded by targeting $50 billion in U.S. products, including soybeans - a shot at Trump supporters in America's heartland. Rising tensions between the world's two biggest economies alarmed investors and business leaders. But they breathed a sigh of relief earlier this month when the U.S. and China declared a cease-fire after talks in Washington. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said then that the trade war was "on hold." And the tariffs were suspended after China agreed to "substantially reduce" its trade surplus with America by buying more U.S. products. The truce didn't last long. Trump, facing criticism from some in Congress for cozying up to Beijing, on Tuesday renewed his threat to impose the tariffs on China. His hardline trade adviser, Peter Navarro, charged Wednesday that Mnuchin's conciliatory comments about China were "an unfortunate sound bite." Critics say the administration should be picking its trade fights far more judiciously. "This is dumb," said Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska. "Europe, Canada and Mexico are not China, and you don't treat allies the same way you treat opponents." "There's still a risk that this escalates into a trade war," Levy said. "Our allies and partners are going to be pressured by China to take their side. In this environment, it's hard for them for to be very pro-U.S." ____ AP writer Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report. JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - The Latest on the resignation of Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens (all times local): 6:40 p.m. Top Missouri Republicans are welcoming new Gov. Mike Parson to office. Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens leaves the podium after announcing his resignation in the governor's office, Tuesday, May 29, 2018, in Jefferson City, Mo. Greitens resigned amid a widening investigation that arose from an affair with his former hairdresser. He said his resignation would take effect Friday.(Robert Cohen/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP) Parson took office Friday, shortly after former Gov. Eric Greitens stepped down amid allegations of both personal and political misconduct. Both are Republicans. Greitens often clashed with Republican lawmakers and other members of his own party as a self-proclaimed political outsider. Parson assumes office with more than a decade of state government experience and relationships in politics. Parson earned praised from former Republican Missouri governors John Ashcroft and Matt Blunt, along with a number of sitting members of Congress. U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner touted him as a "seasoned statesman." U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt said the two became friends in Parson's hometown of Bolivar more than two decades ago. Blunt says Parson's past experience as a county sheriff and legislator help him understand the state in ways few people do. ___ 6:10 p.m. A staffer who handled open-records requests for former Gov. Eric Greitens downloaded a secret message-deleting app on her phone. Greitens' office on Friday provided a judge with a list of 20 staffers who downloaded or used the Confide app as part of proceedings in a lawsuit over alleged records-retention law violations. The plaintiff's attorney, Mark Pedroli, says former records coordinator Sarah Madden, as well as Greitens, downloaded or used the Confide app. The app automatically deletes messages after they are read and prevents recipients from saving, forwarding, printing or taking screenshots of messages. Other top staffers who used or downloaded Confide include the office's top attorney and Greitens' chief of staff. ___ 5:35 p.m. Lt. Gov. Mike Parson has been sworn in as Missouri's new governor after the state's previous leader resigned amid scandal. Parson replaces fellow Republican Gov. Eric Greitens, who had been facing possible impeachment in the Missouri House. The 62-year-old Parson is a cattle farmer who spent 12 years as a county sheriff and another dozen years in the Missouri Legislature before winning election as lieutenant governor in 2016. The Missouri Constitution automatically elevates the lieutenant governor when the governor leaves office. Parson will serve the remainder of Greitens' term, which runs until 2021. Greitens had been facing allegations of sexual misconduct related to a 2015 affair and accusations of campaign finance violations. He denied criminal wrongdoing but cited growing financial and personal strains from the investigations. ___ 5 p.m. Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens has officially resigned from office. Greitens' resignation Friday will turn the reins of government over to Lt. Gov. Mike Parson, who was to take the oath as governor later Friday evening. Greitens announced Tuesday that he would resign after months of fighting allegations of sexual and political misconduct. The Republican who had campaigned as a political outsider ended up serving less than a year-and-a-half in office. He had been facing possible impeachment in the Missouri House and a felony charge in St. Louis for using a charity donor list for political fundraising. A prosecutor agreed to drop the donor-list charge in exchange for Greitens' resignation. A separate prosecutor still is considering whether to refile a felony invasion-of-privacy charge stemming from an extramarital affair in 2015. __ 4:50 p.m. About 70 people and roughly a dozen reporters gathered for a prayer service for Mike Parson, Missouri's incoming governor. Parson is currently the lieutenant governor and is set to assume leadership after Gov. Eric Greitens resigns at 5 p.m. Both are Republicans. Parson's pastor from his hometown in rural Bolivar, Missouri, opened the service with a prayer that the new leader can be a healing peacemaker. Parson's brother, pastor Kent Parson, also lead the gathering in prayer. He quoted scripture, country singer Tim McGraw and former President Harry Truman and preached about moving beyond the past and focusing on today. Parson is to be sworn in shortly after Greitens officially steps down during a low-key ceremony in the governor's office. ___ 4:45 p.m. Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is exiting office amid scandal while touting a long list of things he has accomplished. In his final moments in office, Greitens posted a nearly 1,500-word message on Facebook proclaiming that "we can look back with pride and forward with confidence." The post asserts that he accomplished "more than anyone ever thought possible." It touts economic growth, reduced government regulations, tax cuts and measures benefiting law enforcement officers and veterans. The long list also includes efforts to improve the foster care system. Greitens did not mention the reason he is resigning in the Facebook post. The Republican governor struck a deal to resign in exchange for a St. Louis prosecutor dropping a charge of misusing a charity donor list for his political campaign. ___ 4:20 p.m. Outgoing Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens has granted five pardons and commuted four criminal sentences on his final day in office before his planned resignation. Some of the people pardoned or commuted Friday were woman Greitens says were victims of rape or abuse. Pardons restore rights but don't expunge criminal records. Those pardoned include Stacey Lannert. Greitens in a statement said Lannert served 18 years in prison for killing her father, who Greitens said raped her and her sister. Former Gov. Matt Blunt commuted her sentence in 2009. Greitens also commuted the sentences to time served for two men he says were wrongly convicted of murder: Jessie McKim and Rodney Lincoln. Another Greitens' commutation will free Alvis Williams, who was sentenced for 80 years behind bars for stealing electronics. ___ 3:45 p.m. A judge has granted a reprieve from an order requiring groups supporting Gov. Eric Greitens to turn over records to the Missouri House. An attorney for Greitens' campaign committee and a pro-Greitens nonprofit called A New Missouri had faced a Friday deadline from the judge to comply with subpoenas for documents. But Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem granted the lawyer's request to suspend the order until he can hold a hearing on whether to reverse it. Attorney Catherine Hanaway argued that the House panel created to investigate the governor no longer has authority to demand the documents because Greitens has said he will resign Friday. A hearing isn't expected before next week. The subpoenas seek records related to any coordination between Greitens, his campaign committee and the nonprofit. ___ 3:30 p.m. Missouri's incoming first lady says her new role hasn't fully sunk in yet. Teresa Parson will assume the honorary title when her husband, Lt. Gov. Mike Parson, takes the oath of office Friday as governor. Parson is replacing Gov. Eric Greitens, who has said he will resign at 5 p.m. Friday. Teresa Parson says she needs more time to plan what her focus will be in the new administration. But she says her current role with an organization that helps high school students at risk of dropping out would continue to be important. Teresa Parson is a bank loan officer. The Parsons have two children and five grandchildren and currently live on a farm near Bolivar. Teresa Parson said she plans to move with her husband to Jefferson City. ___ 1:25 p.m. Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens has signed 77 measures into law, just hours before his resignation, including one creating a specific crime related to the allegations he faces. Greitens signed a bill Friday creating a felony of threatening the nonconsensual dissemination of a private sexual image by attempting to coerce another person to refrain from action. Greitens has been accused of taking a nonconsensual photo of a partially nude woman with whom he had an affair and warning her that he would distribute it if she spoke of their encounter. The new law can't be applied to Greitens because his alleged actions occurred in 2015. A special prosecutor is considering whether to refile an invasion-of-privacy charge against Grietens under a different law in place at the time. Greitens has denied criminal wrongdoing. ___ Noon Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is signing various bills into law in the final hours before he resigns from office. First lady Sheena Greitens tweeted a message Friday saying her husband had signed two bills containing provisions "to help Missouri's vulnerable kids." Her tweet includes a photo of Greitens signing the legislation. One measure increases the age at which teenagers are automatically charged as adults from 17 to 18. The other repeals a deadline to file charges for sex crimes against children. The bills also contain provisions on foster care and adoption proceedings. Greitens has said he will resign by 5 p.m. Friday. He had faced potential impeachment proceedings over allegations of sexual misconduct and campaign finance violations. ___ 11:20 p.m. An attorney for groups supporting Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens wants a judge to reverse his order to turn over documents to a House investigatory committee. Attorney Catherine Hanaway filed a court motion Friday asserting that the House panel created to look into allegations against the Republican governor no longer has authority to demand documents because Greitens is resigning at 5 p.m. Friday. Earlier this week, Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem ordered Greitens' campaign committee and a pro-Greitens nonprofit called A New Missouri to comply with a legislative subpoena by Friday. The House still wants to enforce the subpoena for records of potential coordination between Greitens, his campaign and the nonprofit organization. ___ 10:50 a.m. Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Parson says he wants to assure people "that everything's fine" as he takes over for a governor who is resigning amid scandal. Republican Gov. Eric Greitens has said he will resign at 5 p.m. Friday. Parson, who is also a Republican, is to be sworn in as governor shortly thereafter. In an interview Friday with KMOX radio, Parson said he has developed the experience and wisdom to handle tough situations from a career as a sheriff, lawmaker, farmer and business owner. Parson is planning to attend a prayer service later Friday. He's inviting only a limited number of family and friends to his inauguration because he says the state is in "a healing process." Greitens had faced potential impeachment over sexual misconduct and campaign finance violations. ___ 10:30 a.m. Missouri first lady Sheena Greitens is thanking the state's residents ahead of her husband's resignation as governor. Sheena Greitens, who is married to Gov. Eric Greitens, tweeted Friday morning that, "it has been an honor & privilege to serve as First Lady of my adopted state." During her husband's tenure she pushed for reforms to the state foster care system, and the Legislature passed several changes in May, including extending the amount of time agencies have to keep abuse records. She is an assistant political science professor at the University of Missouri. Gov. Eric Greitens will resign at 5 p.m. Friday amid mounting investigations into his personal and private life. Mike Parson, the state's lieutenant governor, is set to take the oath of office soon after. ___ 10 a.m. A Missouri judge has ordered outgoing Gov. Eric Greitens to direct his staff to preserve evidence on their phones for a lawsuit over the use of a secretive messaging app. Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem also ordered Greitens' office to compile a list of staffers who downloaded the Confide app, their phone numbers and usernames. The deadline is Friday at 1 p.m. At issue is a lawsuit filed by an attorney who argues that top governor's office staff violated the state's records-retention laws by using the app. The app automatically deletes messages after they are read and prevents recipients from saving, forwarding, printing or taking screenshots of messages. Beetem issued the order late Thursday, a day before Greitens is set to resign. The judge says the goal is to help in gathering evidence for later use in the lawsuit. ___ 12 a.m. Missouri is getting a new leader as its scandal-plagued governor steps down, elevating the lieutenant governor to the top job. Republican Gov. Eric Greitens has said he will resign at 5 p.m. Friday. Republican Lt. Gov. Mike Parson is to be sworn in shortly thereafter during a low-key ceremony in the governor's office. Greitens' resignation is part of a deal with the St. Louis prosecutor to drop a felony charge alleging misuse of a charity donor list to raise money for his gubernatorial campaign. Greitens also had faced the prospect of legislative impeachment. And he still faces the potential for a special prosecutor to refile a charge alleging sexual misconduct in an extramarital affair. Parson will serve the remainder of Greitens' term, which runs until 2021. Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens leaves the podium after announcing his resignation at a news conference, Tuesday, May 29, 2018, at the state Capitol, in Jefferson City, Mo. Greitens resigned amid a widening investigation that arose from an affair with his former hairdresser. Greitens said his resignation would take effect Friday. (Julie Smith/The Jefferson City News-Tribune via AP) Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens reads from a prepared statement as he announces his resignation during a news conference, Tuesday, May 29, 2018, at the state Capitol, in Jefferson City, Mo. Greitens resigned amid a widening investigation that arose from an affair with his former hairdresser. Greitens said his resignation would take effect Friday. (Julie Smith/The Jefferson City News-Tribune via AP) Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens reads from a prepared statement as he announces his resignation during a news conference, Tuesday, May 29, 2018, at the state Capitol, in Jefferson City, Mo. Greitens resigned amid a widening investigation that arose from an affair with his former hairdresser. Greitens said his resignation would take effect Friday. (Julie Smith/The Jefferson City News-Tribune via AP) Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens reads from a prepared statement as he announces his resignation during a news conference, Tuesday, May 29, 2018, at the state Capitol, in Jefferson City, Mo. Greitens resigned amid a widening investigation that arose from an affair with his former hairdresser. Greitens said his resignation would take effect Friday. (Julie Smith/The Jefferson City News-Tribune via AP) FILE - In this Aug. 17, 2017, file photo, Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, left, talks to Lt. Gov. Mike Parson during the Governor's Ham Breakfast at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia, Mo. Greitens abruptly announced his resignation Tuesday, May 29, 2018, after a scandal involving an affair with his former hairdresser led to a broader investigation by prosecutors and state legislators. The resignation takes effect Friday. His departure elevates fellow Republican Parson to the governor's office. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File) SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The Rev. Franklin Graham says he is coming to Berkeley in peace and in a longshot attempt to sway voters to support evangelical Christian candidates. The outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump is in the middle of a 10-stop campaign-style tour of California that is designed to get out the evangelical Christian vote in the June 5 primary election and defeat progressive politicians and insert more religion into government. Berkeley, though, as one of the most liberal cities in the country, seems an unlikely stop. FILE - In this Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, file photo, evangelical preacher Franklin Graham speaks in Hanoi, Vietnam. Graham says he is coming to Berkeley, Calif., Friday, June 1, 2018, in peace and in a longshot attempt to sway some voters to support evangelic Christian candidates. The outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump said he is in the middle of a 10-stop campaign-style tour of California ahead of the June 5 election that is designed to get out the evangelic Christian vote to defeat progressive politicians and insert more religion into government. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh, File) Graham insists he means no mischief when he gives his message Friday night, though he concedes he may be the first evangelical preacher in recent memory to take on the Berkeley electorate. He said he's confident he will be received well in a city that experienced violent and chaotic political protests over other politically conservative events in recent months. "I'm not going there to judge Berkeley or fuss at it," Graham said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I want them to know that God loves them." The 65-year-old preacher is the son of the Rev. Billy Graham, the famed spiritual adviser to 16 presidents who died in March. Unlike his father, the son is taking on a more political role that aims generally to get more evangelical Christian candidates elected to office. He said he doesn't endorse individual candidates and said he couldn't name any California officeholders when asked if any state politician fit his mold. "I want to see people come to faith in God and his son Jesus Christ and the church to get involved in the political world," Graham said. "I want them to vote and I want Christians to run for political office at every level." Graham has already held rallies in some of the state's biggest conservative strongholds in California's Central Valley, urging evangelical Christians to vote. But the Rev. David Vasquez-Levy, president of Berkeley's Pacific School of Religion, said Graham "missed an opportunity" to grow his movement by failing to target Latinos during his Central Valley rallies. Vasquez-Levy said the rallies appeared to be attended overwhelmingly by white crowds in a region with a large Latino population. "His perspective is to reclaim the evangelic America of the 1950s," said Vasquez-Levy, noting that it ironic Graham will hold his rally Friday in Berkeley's Cesar Chavez Park. Graham finishes his tour in the politically conservative far north of the state next week, holding a rally in Redding on election day. In Berkeley, a small protest is planned in the city on Friday evening, organized on Facebook by a group called Refuse Fascism. During a rally to protest San Francisco Police shootings of minority suspects last week, the Rev. Amos Brown, an influential San Francisco preacher, called for demonstrators to turn up in Berkeley on Friday night. "Graham is one of the leading evangelical preachers who has supported Trump and who is rallying his flock around politics that is extremely dangerous," Refuse Fascism spokesman Barry Thornton said. "We are not trying to stop him. We are voicing our political opinion." Erin Steffen, a spokeswoman for the city of Berkeley, said police and other officials expect Graham's event to remain uneventful, though more officers will be on duty Friday night. Unlike several other rallies that devolved into riots, Graham's event has received a city permit and his organization is working with police on security and traffic issues, she said. On Friday, he will deliver his sermon and hold his rally in downtown Berkeley. He concedes with a chuckle that he can't name the last evangelical Christian preacher to appear in Berkeley. But he insists he will be well received in the birthplace of the free speech movement. "This isn't a political event other than to encourage people to vote," Graham said. WASHINGTON (AP) - The unemployment rates for black Americans and Asian-Americans hit record lows in May, aided by solid hiring that is benefiting a wider range of demographic groups. The jobless rate for black Americans tumbled to 5.9 percent from 6.6 percent in April. May's figure marks the second straight month that the rate has hit a record low in government records dating to 1972. The unemployment rate for Asian Americans fell to 2.1 percent, the lowest level since record-keeping began in 2003. With the jobless rate so low, employers have complained for months about the difficulty of finding workers to fill jobs. That's helping those with lower education levels. The jobless rate for those with only a high school diploma fell to 3.9 percent, a 17-year-low. All told, employers added 223,000 jobs in May. The unemployment rate fell to an 18-year low of 3.8 percent. The data for demographic groups came from a survey of households that is part of the Labor Department's monthly jobs report. LONDON (AP) - Visa users in several European countries reported being unable to make payments with their credit and debit cards on Friday, and the company said it was experiencing a "service disruption." The credit card firm said the incident was "preventing some Visa transactions in Europe from being processed." "We are investigating the cause and working as quickly as possible to resolve the situation," Visa said in a statement. Consumers in Britain, Ireland and other European countries reported having card payments declined. The bank HSBC said the "industry-wide issue" was affecting Visa payments, though ATM machines were still working. It later said on Twitter that "there are still intermittent issues but services are slowly recovering." Payment processing company Paymentsense said late Friday afternoon that transactions were starting to go through after a period of disruption but "there is still some intermittency" because of a backlog. WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump and North Korea (all times local): 3:15 p.m. President Donald Trump says he won't impose any additional sanctions on North Korea for the time being. President Donald Trump talks with Kim Yong Chol, former North Korean military intelligence chief and one of leader Kim Jong Un's closest aides, after their meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Friday, June 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Trump says "we had hundreds of new sanctions ready to go." But he says he won't impose them "until the talks break down." The president is referencing ongoing discussions with North Korea in preparation for a June 12 summit in Singapore with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump announced Friday after meeting with a top aide to Kim that the summit is back on. He had announced just last week that he was canceling the meeting. Speaking after the Oval Office meeting, the president said he looks forward to the day when he can "take the sanctions off" North Korea. ___ 3 p.m. President Donald Trump says his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (kim jawng oon) is back on for June 12. Trump says after an Oval Office meeting Friday with North Korea's Kim Yong Chol that he'd be making a mistake not to go forward with the on-again, off-again nuclear summit in Singapore. Trump says his meeting with the most senior North Korean to visit the White House in 18 years lasted longer than expected. He said it "went very well." Trump says his June 12 meeting will be "a beginning." He says, "The process will begin on June 12 in Singapore." __ 2:47 p.m. President Donald Trump says he has yet to read the letter brought to the White House by a top aide to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (kim jawng oon). Trump says he didn't open the letter. He says Kim Yong Chol - the North Korean official - said Trump could read the letter later. Trump and Kim spent more than an hour in the Oval Office on Friday discussing issues in the run-up to a June 12 summit in Singapore between Trump and Kim Jong Un. Trump also says he may at some point make public an earlier letter he received from Kim Jong Un. __ 2:40 p.m. A top North Korean official has departed the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump amid negotiations over a high-stakes summit. Kim Yong Chol spent more than an hour in the Oval Office where he was spotted shaking hands with the president. He was expected to deliver a letter from Kim Jong Un (kim jawng oon), the North Korean dictator, to Trump. After the meeting, Trump and Kim Yong Chol posed for photos on the White House lawn. Kim is the most senior North Korean visitor to the United States since Vice Marshal Jo Myong Rok visited Washington in 2000 to meet President Bill Clinton. __ 1:14 p.m. An aide to Kim Jong Un has arrived at the White House, becoming the highest-ranking North Korean official to visit in 18 years. Kim Yong Chol was greeted Friday by White House chief of staff John Kelly, who brought him inside the White House to meet President Donald Trump. Kim is expected to president a letter from Kim Jong Un (kim jawng oon), the North Korean dictator, to Trump. The letter comes as the two countries work to revive a Trump-Kim summit on June 12 in Singapore. Kim Yong Chol is the most senior North Korean visitor to the United States since Vice Marshal Jo Myong Rok visited Washington in 2000 to meet President Bill Clinton. __ 12:28 a.m. A top aide to Kim Jong Un will make a rare visit to Washington Friday to hand a letter from the North Korean leader to President Donald Trump. That from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. He reported "good progress" is being made in talks between the two sides to revive an on-again, off-again nuclear summit. Pompeo spoke to reporters at a news conference in New York after meeting Thursday with former North Korean military intelligence chief Kim Yong Chol. He would not say that the summit is a definite go for Singapore on June 12, and could not say if that decision would be made after Trump reads Kim Jong Un's letter. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Across televisions in Orange County, a flashy ad slams GOP congressional candidate Rocky Chavez for supporting a California climate change program and a massive state budget. But it's not one of Chavez's Republican rivals who's criticizing him for siding on issues with Democrats such as Gov. Jerry Brown. It's Democrats themselves. Welcome to Tuesday's "jungle primary," where the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, advance to the general election. That means neither Democrats nor Republicans are guaranteed a spot on the November ballot. Candidates and parties are scrambling to avoid potential shutouts. FILE - In this Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016 file photo, Assemblyman Rocky Chavez, R-Oceanside speaks at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif. Across televisions in Orange County, a flashy ad slams Chavez for supporting a California climate change program and a massive state budget. But it's not one of Chavez's Republican rivals excoriating him for siding with Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown, it's Democrats. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli,File) Democrats worry two Republicans could make the runoff in several U.S. House contests, which explains why a national Democratic campaign organization is airing ads aimed at undermining Chavez with the GOP base. Republicans are all but guaranteed to be locked out of the U.S. Senate contest and are fighting tooth and nail to win a slot in the governor's race. "It's definitely been a disruptive force in California politics, and we're just learning about some of the pros and cons," said Mark Baldasarre, president of the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California. Californians voted to create the top-two primary system in 2010 at the urging of supporters such as then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who said it would encourage candidates to adopt more moderate positions rather than appeal to their party's most extreme voters. But there's little evidence that's happening, according to PPIC researcher Eric McGhee, who found GOP candidates aren't becoming more moderate. Democrats are in some cases, he said, but that could be due to factors such as redistricting. Only Washington state uses a similar system, which some call the "jungle primary" because of the free-for-all nature of having all candidates running against each other on one ballot. In the governor's race, San Diego businessman John Cox is courting hardcore conservatives. He is promoting his endorsement from President Donald Trump and promising to scale back protections for immigrants living in the country illegally, though such stands don't appeal to a broad segment of California voters. Cox is fighting for the second slot against former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a Democrat whose backers are portraying Cox as a secret Democrat in order to depress his support among Republicans. At the same time, front-runner Gavin Newsom is running ads aimed at boosting Cox, presuming he'll be an easier general election rival. This type of cross-party tangling isn't new. Candidates long have tried to boost their weakest potential general election opponent. But the top-two system has elevated the stakes and added a more chaotic, less predictable element to the contests. "With a closed primary, it's a little bit of chess. With a jungle primary, it's more like three- or four-dimensional chess," said Jim Brulte, chairman of the California Republican Party. In the Senate contest, 26-year incumbent Dianne Feinstein is shifting to the left in the face of a challenge from state Sen. Kevin de Leon, who argues she hasn't done enough to stand up to Trump. In recent weeks, she reversed her long-held support for the death penalty and softened her opposition to legal marijuana. In the past, a strong incumbent such as Feinstein could have largely ignored a lesser-known foe from the left, knowing she would make it through the primary and face a Republican. But with the top-two primary system and no serious Republican challengers, de Leon is likely to be a thorn in her side all the way into November. With Republicans' clout rapidly fading in California, failing to have general election candidates for the Senate and governor's races could prove disastrous for the party's hopes of keeping control of House seats and winning state legislative contests. Democrats need to pick up about two dozen seats to flip the majority in the House, and three to have a majority in the Senate. In 2016, when no Republican was in the Senate race, about 2 million Californians who voted for president took a pass on the Senate race, Baldasarre said. "You've got a much larger group of people who feel alienated because they're not represented," he said. But Garry South, a longtime adviser to former Democratic Gov. Gray Davis and a staunch advocate of the top-two primary system, said general elections with candidates from only one party can actually benefit voters. The state leans so heavily Democratic that, in statewide races, forcing two candidates within that party to debate each other can be more productive than letting one Democrat cruise unscathed to victory, he said. "In a one-party state, which we have basically become, having same-party runoffs is kind of what you have to do to protect the voters' right to make a decision," he said. While such a system benefits Democrats at the statewide level, it has its perks for Republicans, too. Take Orange County, where polling indicates Republicans could see two candidates in the November election in three House seats that Democrats badly need to win if they want to take back the House. That's led a scramble to take down candidates such as Chavez, even with messages that are seemingly anathema to the party's priorities. "Human nature is very inventive," South said. "And particularly when it comes to politics, there will always be people gaming the system." FILE - In this May 16, 2018 file photo Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif asks questions during a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. In the U.S. Senate, contest the 26-year incumbent Feinstein is shifting to the left in the face of a challenge from state Sen. Kevin de Leon, who argues she's not done enough to stand up to Trump. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana,File) CUCUTA, Colombia (AP) - Legislators from six South American countries met on Friday to discuss Venezuela's humanitarian crisis and reject the contested May 20 election of President Nicolas Maduro to a second six-year term. The group of more than 130 parliamentarians from Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay and Argentina issued a four-page statement that said Maduro is leading a "repressive government" that "systematically violates human rights." They called on their countries to impose financial sanctions on top Venezuelan officials who are suspected of money laundering and said they would ease entry requirements for the thousands of Venezuelans who are fleeing the country. At a hotel located just a ten-minute drive away from Colombia's border with Venezuela, the legislators delivered passionate speeches in which they dismissed Maduro as a dictator and a tyrant who has become a threat to the region. The joint statement called on Latin American countries to bar Maduro and his closest aides from entering their territories and to treat the opposition-dominated National Assembly as Venezuela's only legitimate branch of government. "Let this be the last dictatorship our continent has to experience," said Delly Fernandez, a Venezuelan legislator who attended the meeting. Colombia's migration authorities estimate there are some 700,000 Venezuelans now living in the country, almost twice as many as last year. Many Venezuelans have also moved to Ecuador, Peru, Argentina and Chile. On Friday, parliamentarians promised to advance legislation that will make it easier for refugees to live and work in the region. One proposal suggested allowing Venezuelans to enter neighboring countries on expired passports because the government has been slow - and some say reluctant - to grant new passports to its citizens. Efrain Cepeda, the president of Colombia's senate, said that Venezuela received thousands of Colombian emigrants who once fled conflict and poverty. Now, he said, it was time for Colombia to return the favor and help Venezuela to make a transition to democracy. "Democracy is alive and well in the Americas," Cepeda said. "And we will not rest until it is restored in Venezuela." MIAMI (AP) - A Honduran man who pleaded guilty to plotting to detonate a bomb in a Florida mall food court in support of the Islamic State extremist group was sentenced to more than 17 years in prison. A judge imposed the sentence for Vicente Solano on Friday in federal court in Miami. Federal prosecutors had asked for 20 years in prison. The FBI says the 53-year-old Solano wanted to detonate a bomb last October at the Dolphin Mall near Miami but was actually working with undercover FBI operatives who gave him a fake bomb before his arrest. Despite Solano's claims of Islamic State sympathies, the FBI says no links to terrorist groups were found. Solano never had real explosives. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - A statewide candidate censured over "egregious" public comments said Friday that he is appealing the state GOP's decision to disregard any votes he receives in next week's primary, but it may not matter. Jim Bonner, who is running for Alabama's utility-regulating Public Service Commission, said Republican officials could face a backlash if they don't treat his case seriously. "They risk alienating 1 million voters with this," he said. This undated photo provided by the Alabama Republican Party shows state GOP chair Terry Lathan. Lathan released a statement on Wednesday, May 30, 2018, asking people not to vote for Jim Bonner, a Republican candidate for the Alabama Public Service Commission. The statement cited "egregious" comments made by the candidate on radio and social media. (AP Photo/Alabama Republican Party) But party chair Terry Lathan said Bonner's request for an appeal hearing won't be considered until Aug. 25, weeks after Tuesday's election, and the full state executive committee would have to agree to hear it. Bonner, 65, is a former community college teacher and two-time delegate to the Republican National Convention. Party officials this week censured the Phil Campbell man over comments he made on social media and radio that could be offensive to groups including women, blacks, Jews and Muslims. The party took the added step Thursday of saying it wouldn't certify Bonner's votes against Public Service Commissioner Jeremy Oden. "When our state party chooses to take these steps, it is a serious and rare occurrence. We strongly believe that this is one of those solemn moments. This vote was carefully considered and was not taken lightly," Lathan said in a statement. The decision came during a telephone conference call in which Bonner said he told a party committee he was being outrageous partly to attract free publicity since he has raised little money and can't afford advertising. "I can't get on the radio and do a lot of advertising about me or my opponent," Bonner said in an interview. Bonner said Republican leaders are against him because he's campaigning for tighter regulation of the politically powerful Alabama Power Co. While Bonner hasn't held elected office, he may be benefiting from his last name. The Montgomery-based political consulting firm Cyngal said a recent survey showed Bonner in a tight race with Oden among decided voters, although nearly 70 percent of voters are undecided. The firm said voters may be picking Bonner because former U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner used to represent southwest Alabama in Congress, and Jo Bonner's sister Judy Bonner was president of the University of Alabama. Jim Bonner said he is a distant relative of the brother and sister but has no relationship with either. In a bid to clear up any confusion, Jo Bonner held a news conference in Mobile on Friday to say he's not running for office. He said he doesn't know that he's ever met Jim Bonner and doesn't believe they are related. Jo Bonner told reporters he has received calls "from all over the state" recently from people who mistakenly thought he was re-entering politics. ___ AP writer Kim Chandler contributed from Montgomery. LISBON, Maine (AP) - An escape artist emu known as "The Bird" that got loose has been returned to its animal sanctuary in Maine. Lisbon police, an animal control officer and much of the town searched throughout the day Thursday for the 5-foot-4-inch emu that escaped from its sanctuary. A spokeswoman for the sanctuary says the 19-year-old bird was captured near a neighbor's house. The Bangor Daily News reports someone caring for The Bird was moving it to its summer residence when the flightless, ostrich-like animal bolted. Police had said the 100-pound emu was somewhere in the woods. Animal officials say it previously attempted another escape a decade ago, but was caught. ___ Information from: Bangor Daily News, http://www.bangordailynews.com NEW YORK (AP) - The Latest on a U.N. Security Council meeting on the escalation of violence in Gaza (all times local): 4:45 p.m. The U.N. Security Council has voted down a U.S.-written resolution condemning Hamas over the recent escalation of violence in Gaza. British Ambassador to the United Nations Karen Pierce, top left, abstains from voting a resolution introduced by Kuwait during a Security Council meeting on the situation between the Israelis and the Palestinians, Friday, June 1, 2018 at United Nations headquarters. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) The U.S. was the only yes vote for the measure Friday. The vote came after the U.S. vetoed a Kuwaiti proposal to ask the secretary-general to propose ways to ensure "international protection" for Palestinian civilians. The Kuwaiti resolution also demanded a halt to the "the use of any excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate force" by the Israeli military. The U.S. said it was one-sided for not mentioning Hamas. The U.S. resolution deleted the references to Israeli force and protecting Palestinians. Instead, it demanded that Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups stop "all violent activity and provocative actions" in Gaza. ___ 4:15 p.m. The United States has vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution that asked the secretary-general to propose ways to ensure "international protection" for Palestinian civilians. The council hasn't voted yet on a competing U.S. proposal to condemn Hamas over the recent escalation of violence in Gaza. Friday's votes come after weeks of urgent discussions about Gaza. U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley had vowed to veto the Arab-backed resolution, drafted by Kuwait. She called it "grossly one-sided" for demanding a halt to what "excessive" Israeli force while not mentioning Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza. The U.S. resolution deletes the reference to Israeli force and protecting Palestinians. Instead, it demands that Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups stop "all violent activity and provocative actions" in Gaza. ___ 3:30 p.m. The U.N. Security Council has gone into a closed-door discussion about a proposed resolution on seeking ways to ensure "international protection" for Palestinian civilians - and an alternative proposal to condemn Hamas over recent violence in Gaza. The private discussion came before an expected meeting and vote Friday afternoon. A draft resolution proposed by Kuwait asks the secretary-general to propose ideas for "international protection" for Palestinian civilians. It also demands that the Israeli military halt "the use of any excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate force." U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley vowed Thursday to veto the resolution. She called it "grossly one-sided" for not mentioning Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza. A council diplomat tells The Associated Press the U.S. instead has proposed extensive amendments that would condemn Hamas. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions were private. ___ 12 p.m. The U.N. Security Council is headed toward a vote - and a likely U.S. veto - on a resolution that asks the secretary-general to propose ways to ensure "international protection" for Palestinian civilians. The council is expected to vote on the Arab-backed resolution Friday afternoon after weeks of urgent discussions about the escalation of violence in Gaza. U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley vowed Thursday to veto the resolution drafted by Kuwait. She called it "grossly one-sided" for not mentioning Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza. A council diplomat tells The Associated Press the U.S. also has proposed extensive amendments that would condemn Hamas for its role in the recent violence. It's not clear whether the amendments would pass. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions were private. Advertisement A wildfire raced across a swath of tinder-dry forest in northeastern New Mexico on Friday, sending up a thick plume of smoke that forced residents to flee their homes as heat and wind threatened to drive the flames. The blaze destroyed about a dozen empty buildings on the Boy Scouts' storied Philmont Ranch and threatened nearly 300 homes, officials say. The flames were first reported Thursday and ballooned quickly in a part of New Mexico hardest hit by a severe drought gripping the American Southwest. The blaze destroyed about a dozen empty buildings on the Boy Scouts' storied Philmont Ranch and threatened nearly 300 homes, officials say Evacuation centers have been set up in northeastern New Mexico as heavy smoke from a wildfire has forced residents from Cimarron and the surrounding areas to leave their homes Smoke being reported in Trinidad and surrounding areas is from Ute Park fire in northern New Mexico More than 60 per cent of the U.S. West is experiencing some level of drought, the latest federal drought maps show, forcing national forests and other public lands to close because of escalating fire danger. The area where Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado meet is at the center of a large patch of exceptional drought. Dry, windy and warm weather was expected to make conditions worse as the New Mexico fire burned on state and private land, including part of the Boy Scouts' ranch, state forestry spokeswoman Wendy Mason said. Estimates put the blaze at more than 25 square miles (66 square kilometers). Its cause isn't known. Officials say no scouts were at the ranch and all staff members were accounted for. Employees who live in the nearby community of Cimarron were allowed to leave to care for their families. Authorities ordered residents in Cimarron and surrounding areas to evacuate Friday as the smoke drifted east. Plumes of smoke from a wildfire near Cimarron, N.M., rise in the background Friday, June 1, 2018 The flames were first reported Thursday and ballooned quickly in a part of New Mexico At the historic St. James Hotel in Cimarron, the phone went unanswered after the popular tourist destination had emptied out along with the rest of the town. The U.S. Postal Service also evacuated post offices in Cimarron and the smaller community of Ute Park, telling residents they would have to travel about 25 miles (40 kilometers) away to get their mail. Officials were concerned about air quality. Evacuation centers were set up in nearby towns as residents shared information on social media about where to take refuge and where animals and livestock could be left. Forecasters said the towering plume of smoke had reached about 20,000 feet (6,100 meters). A top-tier incident management team was being assigned to the Ute Park Fire, which had crossed a highway and forced its closure. Other roads also were closed. Crews used several air tankers and a few helicopters to fight the flames from above. In western New Mexico, gusty winds fanned a wildfire that has burned 38 square miles of forest, blowing embers past containment lines and starting spot fires. Officials said about one-third of the fire was contained as of Friday, but firefighters faced the challenge of having to both stop the growth of the main fire while patrolling for spot fires. That human-caused fire started May 22 and is east of Reserve on the Gila National Forest. More than 60 per cent of the U.S. West is experiencing some level of drought, the latest federal drought maps show Smoke from a wildfire in New Mexico permeates the air around Fishers Peak in Trinidad, Colorado Dry, windy and warm weather was expected to make conditions worse as the New Mexico fire burned on state and private land NEW YORK (AP) - MSNBC's Joy Reid is apologizing again for past blog posts, including one that had an image of Sen. John McCain superimposed on the body of a campus killer and another where she urged people to watch a conspiracy film tied to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Reid said Friday there are things for which she is embarrassed and regretful about a blog she began writing in 2005. News organizations have been combing through some of those deleted blog posts to examine her writings. Buzzfeed uncovered a doctored image of McCain's head atop the gun-toting body of the Virginia Tech campus shooter, in a post from 2007. In a separate post a year earlier, she urged people to see a film partly funded by Alex Jones of "Infowars" that falsely alleged the U.S. government planned the 2001 attacks. FILE - In this April 20, 2018 file photo, Joy Reid attends the Tribeca TV screening of "Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story" during the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival in New York. MSNBC's Joy Reid is apologizing again for past blog posts, including one that had an image of Sen. John McCain superimposed on the body of a campus killer and another where she urged people to watch a conspiracy film tied to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Reid said Friday, June 1, 2018 there are things for which she is embarrassed and regretful about a blog she began writing in 2005. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File) "I've ... spoken openly about my evolution on many issues and know that I'm a better person today than I was over a decade ago," Reid said. Reid apologized earlier this spring for anti-gay language found in some other old writings, and suggested she'd been a victim of a hacker that inserted offensive language. But after hiring a computer expert, she later acknowledged that she could not prove that a hacker had any hand in what happened. Her employer has not publicly addressed whether Reid faced any disciplinary action. But in a statement on Friday, MSNBC said some of the things Reid had written in the past "are obviously hateful and hurtful. "They are not reflective of the colleague and friend we have known at MSNBC for the past seven years," the network said. "Joy has apologized publicly and privately and said she has grown and evolved in the many years since, and we know this to be true." Reid, who hosts weekend shows on the news network, said she has reached out to McCain's daughter Meghan about the blog post. "I have the highest respect for Sen. McCain as a public servant and patriot and wish him and his family the best," she said. She also said there is no question in her mind that al-Qaida was behind the 2001 attacks. WASHINGTON (AP) - If a trade war is coming, the cheesemakers of Wisconsin are standing in the line of fire. So are the farmers of the Great Plains and the distillers of Kentucky. And the employees of iconic American brands like Harley-Davidson and Levi Strauss. The likelihood of a trade conflagration leapt closer to reality this week after the United States imposed tariff on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, Mexico and the European Union. Infuriated, the jilted U.S. allies vowed to retaliate with tariffs of their own. And in a separate dispute, China is poised to penalize $50 billion in U.S. goods - many of them produced by supporters of President Donald Trump in the America's agricultural heartland. "They're going to hit the farmers," said Bryan Klabunde, a farmer in northwestern Minnesota. "We want things fair for all industries, but we're going to take the brunt of the punishment if other countries retaliate.'" Jeff Colombini looks over bing cherries in one of his orchards in Friday, June 1, 2018, in Stockton, Calif. Colombini is worried about the financial impact of retaliatory tariffs on his 1,800 acre farm, which grows and exports apples, cherries and walnuts. Mexico, Canada and the EU are threatening tariffs on a variety of US products in response to the Trump administration's tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. (AP Photo/Terry Chea) President Donald Trump, who entered office promising to rip up trade deals and crack down on unfair trading practices, is clashing with trading partners on all sides. To the north, he's battling Canada; to the south, Mexico; to the east, Europe; across the Pacific Ocean to the west, China and Japan. "The president seems to be creating trade (and other) disputes with everyone - allies and adversaries alike -- and it's difficult to discern any coherent strategy," said Rod Hunter, a former National Security Council staffer under President George W. Bush. "The impacts of the disputes have been limited so far, but the economic and political costs will go up as retaliation by trading partners begins in earnest." Mexico, for instance, plans to retaliate against the steel and aluminum tariffs by targeting U.S. cheese, among other products. "It's our second-largest market," Jeff Schwager, president of Sartori, a cheese company in Plymouth, Wisconsin, said of Mexico. Retaliatory tariffs "will reduce sales - there's no question." "The hard-earned sales we've secured in Mexico could be at risk given the potential for retaliation," the National Milk Producers Federation warned in a statement. The EU is threatening to penalize Kentucky bourbon and the motorcycles of Wisconsin-based Harley-Davidson. The potential tariffs pack a political punch: They'd hurt constituents of House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican. On Friday, reporters in Louisville, Kentucky, asked McConnell if he thought the Europeans were trying to get his attention. "Well," the Senate leader said, "they got my attention. They didn't need to do that. These are our friends. These are not enemies. Canada and Mexico, Europe - these are our allies, and we need to work this out in a way that's comforting to everyone." Harley-Davidson has already absorbed higher steel and aluminum costs since Trump first announced the metals tariffs three months ago. Now, the threats of retaliatory tariffs from abroad raise the fear of higher prices for Harley motorcycles sold outside the U.S. In a statement, Harley-Davidson said retaliatory tariffs "would have a significant impact on our sales" in those countries. The Milwaukee-based company said it was evaluating options for controlling higher materials costs. In April, its chief financial officer warned that cost increases could be worse than the company forecast in January and might last for several quarters. The jeans maker Levi Strauss is also on the EU's target list. "American brands, workers and consumers will ultimately suffer," the San Francisco-based company said in a statement. Ben Steffen, a dairy farmer who also grows corn, soybeans, and wheat on 1,900 acres southeastern Nebraska near Humboldt, is angry about the U.S. tariffs being imposed on America's closest trade partners and allies. "I'm upset because it hits me in my pocketbook from multiple angles," he said. "I sell beef, I sell corn, I sell soybeans and I sell milk. All of those products are vulnerable because we export significant amounts in those markets." The milk market has been depressed for about three years, and farmers have struggled to break even. About 14 percent of U.S. milk production is exported; the largest customer is Mexico. "This is the worst possible thing to have for our milk market, and it's the same for every other commodity," Steffen said. " These are important relationships." In Stockton, California, Jeff Colombini is worried about the financial damage a trade war would bring to his 1,800-acre farm. His company, Lodi Farming, exports walnuts, cherries and apples to Mexico, Canada, the European Union and other countries. "With these tariffs, it's going to make the product too expensive for the consumers in Mexico and in Canada and in the EU," Colombini said. "We're not going to be able to sell all of our crop. And so some of it is probably going to go unharvested or just dumped ... I have 200 employees, and they depend on the success of this operation for their jobs to feed and clothe their families." A trade fight with the Europe would also cause collateral damage across the Atlantic. Steelworkers in Port Talbot, Wales, who have struggled to protect their factory and 4,000 jobs, now face another threat. Union leader Mark Turner said workers are trying to sort out what the tariffs will mean for Port Talbot. But they feel "everything is against us," particularly given Britain's economic uncertainty as the country prepares to leave the European Union. "We will keep fighting," Turner said. "If we can't go into the American market, then there's other markets out there we will try and get into. An even higher-stakes trade dispute is playing out on the Pacific Rim. The United States and China are poised to impose tariffs on up to $200 billion worth of each other's goods in a battle over Beijing's strong-arm efforts to overtake U.S. technological supremacy. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is traveling to Beijing this weekend for talks aimed at preventing an all-out trade war between the world's two biggest economies. On the Chinese target list are American soybean farmers, who send about 60 percent of their exports to China. On Friday, Klabunde, who grows corn and soybeans on 3,000 acres near Waubun, Minnesota, spent two nerve-wracking hours with a hired hand, pulling a stuck tractor out of a drainage ditch. They finally got the machine free. "I think the tariffs and trade war scare me more than a stuck planter," Klabunde said. "I can lose only so much money on a stuck planter. I can lose a lot more money in a trade war." ___ Karnowski reported from Minneapolis ___ AP staffers Terry Chea in Stockton, California; Carrie Antlfinger in Plymouth, Wisconsin; Bruce Schreiner in Louisville, Kentucky; David Pitt in Des Moines, Iowa; Anne D'Innocenzio and Candice Choi in New York; David Koenig in Dallas; and Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report. BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - Yellowstone National Park's superintendent said Friday that he plans to retire next year from a job he called "the best in the National Park Service" and dismissed speculation that the Trump administration pushed him out for political reasons. Superintendent Dan Wenk told The Associated Press that he decided last fall he would retire in early 2019 after more than four decades with the National Park Service. His seven years leading one of the premier national parks have been marked by an explosion in visitor numbers; tension with neighboring states over wild bison slaughters, wolf hunting and grizzly bears; and a sexual harassment scandal involving Yellowstone's maintenance division that echoed allegations at other national parks. This August 17, 2017 file photo shows Yellowstone Superintendent Dan Wenk speaking at an event marking a conservation agreement for a former mining site just north of the park in Jardine, Mont. Wenk on Friday, June 1, 2018, announced he plans to retire next March. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File) Wenk, 66, said he had not planned to announce his decision to leave so far in advance but went public following recent news reports that said he faced possible transfer to a job in Washington, D.C. He confirmed that a transfer had been proposed - a possibility that had stoked concerns among conservation groups that Interior Department Secretary Ryan Zinke was reassigning senior park service staff for punitive or political purposes. But Wenk said he always understood that as a member of the U.S. government's senior executive service, he could be moved to another job, adding, "I'm not aware of any politics in that decision." "Coming to Yellowstone National Park was the pinnacle of my career," Wenk said. "I personally believe it's the best job in the National Park Service, so taking any other job wouldn't feel good." Despite Wenk's statements, former National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis, an Obama appointee, said he thought politics were behind the move. Jarvis said Trump appointees likely were driving out Wenk because he was an advocate for protecting wildlife that crosses back and forth over the park's border with Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. Installing someone more loyal to the Trump administration, Jarvis said, would fit with its agenda of removing protections for wildlife such as grizzly bears and lowering resistance to industries such as mining. Zinke spokeswoman Heather Swift said she could not comment on personnel matters. In response to Jarvis' claims, she said an Obama appointee was not a credible source. An investigation into 35 reassignments proposed in the Interior Department since Zinke took office revealed that 16 senior employees viewed their moves as political retribution or punishment for their work on climate change, energy or conservation. Investigators were not able to determine if anything illegal occurred because agency leaders did not document their rationale for the reassignments, according to results of the investigation released by the Interior Department inspector general in April. Wenk said he was "absolutely concerned" about the impact that reassignments within the park service could have in the short term but compared the disruption to shuffling personnel at major corporations. "That's no different at the National Park Service than it is at General Motors or Toyota," he said. In a letter to his superiors, Wenk said he intended to stay on through March 30 to finish his work on several projects. Those include relocating park bison not exposed to disease to Montana's Fort Peck Indian Reservation, working on a long-term visitor use management plan and negotiating several concessions contracts. Yellowstone, established in the 1872 as the first national park in the U.S., covers 3,400 square miles (8,900 square kilometers). Its spouting geysers and abundant wildlife attract tourists from around the world, putting an increasing strain on its natural resources. More than 4 million people visited in each of the past three years. Montana Gov. Steve Bullock said in a statement that Wenk had been "a thoughtful partner to the state of Montana and the gateway communities surrounding Yellowstone National Park." Park advocates described Wenk as an effective leader who took a strong stand for wildlife in disputes with neighboring states but was willing to collaborate. "It's our hope that whoever (replaces Wenk) understands the importance of protecting the park and its wildlife, not only the 2 million acres in the park but in the context of the 18 million acres of the greater Yellowstone ecosystem," said Bart Melton with the National Parks Conservation Association. Wenk began his career with the park service as a landscape architect in 1975. He was superintendent of Mount Rushmore National Monument for 16 years and served as the agency's acting director for nine months in 2009. ___ Follow Matthew Brown on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MatthewBrownAP . TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - The local district attorney says seven more rides are opening at a Kansas water park where a 10-year-old boy died in 2016 but another four remain closed. The Schlitterbahn park in Kansas City, Kansas, started its season on May 25 with only six attractions open following a state audit. The local district attorney's office said Friday that another seven rides substantially comply with state regulations. A state notice listed 11 alleged violations covering dozens of audit findings, mostly record-keeping and safety-sign issues. FILE - In this July 9, 2014, file photo, riders go down the water slide called "Verruckt" at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kan. The local district attorney says seven more rides are opening at a Kansas water park where a 10-year-old boy died in 2016 but another four remain closed. The Schlitterbahn park in Kansas City, Kansas, started its season on May 25, 2018 with only six attractions open following a state audit. The local district attorney's office said another seven rides substantially comply with state regulations. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File) Schlitterbahn spokeswoman Winter Prosapio said the park has yet to ask the state to re-examine the remaining four rides. They include two waterslides, a surfing ride and a chair-lift ride. In August 2016, Caleb Schwab died while riding a 17-story waterslide that has been closed since his death. Former Attorney General Eric Holder suggested Friday that President Donald Trump has used his pardon power to try to send a message about the investigation into Russian election meddling without fully considering the ramifications. 'If you pardon someone, that means they don't have much to worry about with regard to whatever the pardon covers,' Holder said. 'But if (special counsel Robert) Mueller, for instance, wants to take that pardoned person and put that person in front of a grand jury, that person no longer has the ability to say, 'I'm going to invoke my Fifth Amendment right'' against self-incrimination. Former AG Eric Holder (Pictured) spoke in New Hampshire on Friday and criticized his recent decision to pardon a controversial Republican figure 'That person then becomes a perfect witness for the special counsel,' Holder said. 'And so it might have a positive impact on the person who received the pardon, but it will not ultimately thwart the Mueller investigation.' Holder spoke in New Hampshire the day after Trump pardoned conservative author and filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza, who was sentenced in 2014 to five years' probation for illegal campaign contributions. Trump said he's also thinking about commuting the sentence of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who is serving a 14-year sentence for corruption, including trying to sell the U.S. Senate seat that was vacated by former President Barack Obama. Holder said Blagojevich's sentence was too harsh and he wouldn't object to a shorter sentence. But in the case of D'Souza and others, he said, Trump is not following the usual metrics to identify good candidates for pardons, such as signs of contrition. Holder spoke at the 'Politics and Eggs' forum at Saint Anselm College, which has traditionally attracted presidential candidates in the state that holds the first primaries. Trump said after pardoning conservative political operative Dinesh D'Souza (L) that he's also thinking about commuting the sentence of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (R) Holder said that Trump has used his pardon power to try to send a message about the investigation into Russian election meddling without fully considering the ramifications He said he will decide sometime next year whether to run, but in the meantime he is focused on his work as head of a group promoting fair election redistricting through support for like-minded candidates, lawsuits and other efforts. In too many places, politicians are picking their voters instead of the other way around, Holder said. Such partisan gerrymandering - redrawing districts to give one party an edge - creates dysfunction in Washington, he said, because members of Congress who don't have to worry about re-election see no need to listen to constituents or compromise with the other side. Though he predicted a 'blue wave' of Democratic wins in the upcoming midterm elections, Holder said, 'That wave is going straight into gerrymandered systems in a lot of places, and the question is whether or not the wave will be strong enough to overcome the blocking.' DNA from a tissue left in a trash can led authorities in April to arrest former police officer Joseph DeAngelo on suspicion of being California's notorious, elusive Golden State Killer, according to warrants released on Friday DNA from a tissue left in a trash can led authorities in April to arrest a former police officer suspected of being California's notorious, elusive Golden State Killer, according to warrants released on Friday. Documents released by a judge at the request of news outlets detail the case Sacramento County sheriff's investigators pieced together to obtain arrest and search warrants for 72-year-old Joseph DeAngelo, Jr, who is now facing murder charges in multiple counties. DNA collected from the door handle of a car DeAngelo was seen exiting in Sacramento on April 18, and voluntary submission of DNA to private genetics testing and analysis companies also played a role in DeAngelo's arrest. DeAngelo is suspected of terrorizing California by committing at least a dozen killings, roughly 50 rapes and over 100 burglaries throughout the 1970s and '80s, across the state. In total, 123 pages of documents were released by Judge Michael Sweet, over the objection of DeAngelo's defense team. DeAngelo appears here in Sacramento Superior Court on Friday in Sacramento, California To crack the investigation that's been ongoing for 40 years, police zeroed in on DeAngelo by using genealogical websites to identify potential relatives of the killer based on DNA collected at a crime scene. Investigators used DNA from a semen sample collected at the double murder of Lyman and Charlene Smith in 1980 in Ventura County to find one of DeAngelo's relatives and eventually the suspect himself, according to the warrants. The crime scene DNA was entered into private DNA testing and analysis databases that are intended, in part, to find relatives and assess ancestry. Once a distance relative was matched to that DNA, detectives told The Los Angeles Times that they were able to close in on DeAngelo based on his age, employment and close proximity to the location of many of the Golden State Killer's crimes. DeAngelo stands with his attorney Joe Cress (left) in a Sacramento, California jail court on Tuesday, locked in a cell Cress stands next to his client DeAngelo appears in Sacramento Superior Court on Friday After identifying DeAngelo as a suspect, investigators followed him to a Hobby Lobby located just outside of Sacramento in Roseville, and took a swab from the door handle of a car he exited on April 18. The door handle sample matched DNA from semen found at a Golden State Killer crime scene, but didn't immediately lead to an arrest. The reliability of so-called 'touch DNA,' which is how the industry refers to DNA collected when only a few human cells are left behind when someone touches an object, has been an issue of controversy among forensic experts. Five days after the 'touch DNA' was gathered into evidence, investigators collected trash from cans left outside DeAngelo's home in Citrus Heights, California. A piece of tissue plucked from the trash on April 23 proved to be the piece of evidence they needed to obtain an arrest warrant, according to the documents. Sacramento County Sheriff officers take evidence bags out of the home of DeAngelo, in Citrus Heights, California on April 25 Authorities dig in the backyard of DeAngelo's home in Citrus Heights, California on April 26 DeAngelo was arrested on April 24 and has since been charged with 12 counts of murder in Sacramento, Ventura, Santa Barbara and Orange counties. Prosecutors haven't yet decided where he'll be tried. Following his arrest, investigators began searching DeAngelo's house, vehicles and storage locker, as well as his computer and cellphone for anything else that may tie him to the dozens of murders and rapes he's suspected of committing. Authorities said the Golden State Killer stole dozens of rings, watches, cufflinks and tie pins from his targets over the years that detectives hoped to find, along with an odd assortment of items that included women's purses, cameras, jewelry made from coins, china, a clock radio and a wooden bowl. He also took drivers' licenses, photographs and other identification from his victims, according to the documents. Detectives also hoped the killer might have kept three blunt objects containing blood, tissue and hair from four victims who were beaten to death. One of the weapons is described as 'possibly a metal sprinkler head.' It's not clear what was recovered from the searches because a judge ruled that those records should remain sealed. Law enforcement authorities process evidence at the home of suspected 'Golden State Killer' Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, in Citrus Heights, California on April 25 Sheriffs deputies are seen in front of the home of DeAngelo in Citrus Heights on April 25 These ski masks were collected from the home of DeAngelo and are believed to have been worn during many crimes perpetrated by the man suspected of being the Golden State Killer The documents that were released said that through matching DNA, detectives were able to tie rapes in Northern California to several murders in Southern California, that had otherwise seemed unrelated and had kept authorities guessing for years. The heavily redacted affidavits recounted chilling behavior by the Golden State Killer. The Sacramento County district attorneys office noted that the overwhelming majority of the material redacted was blacked out at the request of DeAngelos public defenders. The documents told the story of how neighbors of Brian and Katie Maggiore reported numerous silent or lewd phone calls before the double murder of the Maggiores in Sacramento in 1978. A 25-year-old woman in the community reported finding shoe prints outside her bedroom window and drawings in what appeared to be bodily fluids, according to the affidavit. The Maggiores were shot while on a walk one evening. The attacker then fled, running through multiple neighbors' yards. To one, he said, 'Excuse me, I'm trespassing,' the documents state. Authorities said the Golden State Killer stole dozens of rings, watches, cufflinks and tie pins from his targets over the years that detectives hoped to find Suspected 'Golden State Killer' Joseph James DeAngelo, is seen at right while he was a police officer in 1979 A file photo of DeAngelo while working for the Simi Valley Police Department is seen here The documents details how another couple was found beaten to death with a fireplace log in Ventura, and another was shot to death while tied up in Santa Barbara County. The killer was known to be prone to 'explosive violence' when cornered, and once confronted by police or neighbors, he tended to never again attack within that same jurisdiction, the documents said. Descriptions provided by those neighbors helped investigators draw their first composite sketch of the killer. DeAngelo was a member of the police force for small towns in California until 1979, at which time he was fired for shoplifting a hammer and dog repellent in the city of Auburn. After that he spent decades working as a truck mechanic, living just north of Sacramento in a suburb, amidst the communities that had been rocked by sexual assaults and killings that are now attributed to the Golden State Killer. DeAngelo has already been charged with the fatal shootings of the Maggiores in Sacramento and 10 more counts of murder in three other counties. Detectives also accuse DeAngelo of a 13th killing, the fatal shooting of Claude Snelling in 1975 in Visalia, in the documents. NEW YORK (AP) - A New York City agency that oversees construction said Friday that Jared Kushner's father is wrong in telling reporters that a probe of false construction permits filed by his company is over. Department of Buildings spokesman Andrew Rudansky said the agency's investigation is ongoing. That contradicts a statement by Charlie Kushner in a story posted Friday in the real estate publication The Real Deal that the agency told him the probe is "done, it's over." Later in the story, the head of Kushner Cos. is quoted about the investigation differently, saying officials at the agency and those involved in a separate probe by federal prosecutors into the company's use of a federal program to raise money overseas "have indicated that they're shutting it down." Asked about whether federal investigation was being dropped, Eastern District of New York spokesman John Marzulli said he couldn't confirm or deny the existence of the probe. A spokeswoman for the Kushner Cos. did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Separately, Vornado Realty Trust announced Friday that it is selling its half-interest stake in the office portion of the Kushner Cos.' struggling flagship property at 666 Fifth Avenue back to the family company for $120 million. The building has been losing money ever since the Kushners bought it for a record $1.8 billion in 2007. The Kushners originally wanted to raze the 1950s skyscraper and replace it with a tower twice as tall that would feature luxury apartments, but their talks with a Chinese insurer with ties to ruling Communist Party and other foreign investors fell apart last year amid criticism that foreign governments may use their investments to curry favor with the Trump administration. Jared Kushner, former CEO of Kushner Cos., sold his stake in the building last year when he became an adviser to his father-in-law, President Donald Trump. The Kushner Cos. went on a buying spree in New York City when Jared Kushner was CEO, and there have been numerous complaints by tenants in its buildings of noise and dust and harassment that housing advocates say appear designed to chase out low-rent-paying tenants protected by city regulations. The Associated Press reported in March that Kushner Cos. submitted dozens of false applications for construction permits over several years that allowed it avoid tougher oversight in its buildings. Charlie Kushner dismissed the tenant complaints in The Real Deal story, saying "How do you fix a broken building if you don't create dirt and noise? I don't know how to do it." He said permit applications were filled out wrongly by a third party. The elder Kushner also took aim at government ethics watchdogs for criticizing his family's efforts at conferences in China and in marketing material in the country that appeared to trade on its status as close to the president. The Kushners last year were trying to raise money through a federal program that grants foreign investors permanent residency in exchange for investment in construction projects, but they called off the campaign after a firestorm of criticism. In the story, Charlie Kushner called the ethics watchdogs "jerks," adding that they are "guys who can't get a real job." The parents of a three-month-old boy who died after being shaken and submerged in water will be sentenced in connection with his death. Alistair Walker, 27, blamed paramedics for the fatal injuries he inflicted on his son, AhKiell Walker, at home in Gloucester in July 2016. He was convicted of manslaughter while AhKiells mother, Hannah Henry, 22, was found guilty of causing or allowing the death. They were also convicted of child cruelty, relating to four broken ribs and a fractured shoulder AhKiell suffered in his short life. A police custody image of Alistair Henry (Gloucestershire Police/PA) Both parents denied ever harming AhKiell but were found guilty by a jury following a five-week trial at Bristol Crown Court. The couple will be sentenced by trial judge Sir John Royce, who previously described the case as harrowing, at 10.30am on Friday. Emergency services attended their home in Archdeacon Street after Henry called 999 just after 10am on July 30, reporting that AhKiell was not breathing. AhKiell was naked, cold and so wet that paramedics had to tip water out of his mouth and dry him with a towel before using a defibrillator. A police custody image of Ah'Kiell Walker's mother, Hannah Henry (Gloucestershire Police/PA) Medics were unable to record his temperature as it was so low, with a scan later revealing that he had suffered a catastrophic brain injury. The baby, who was 17 weeks old, died at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children at 1.44pm on July 31. A post-mortem examination revealed that he suffered four broken ribs and a fractured shoulder in the weeks before his death. The babys death was caused by a lack of oxygen to his brain through Walker shaking him and submerging him in water, potentially in the couples bath. Water may also have been poured down AhKiells throat through bottles that Walker had altered to increase the flow. The room where paramedics worked to save the life of Ah'Kiell Walker (Gloucestershire Police/PA) Police found that Walker had searched for shaken baby syndrome, can I squeeze my baby, internal bleeding due to trauma and baby broken ribs on his phone in June and July. One search, on June 14, asked: Can babies feel pain?, followed by baby burst liver. Henry told friends she wanted to end her relationship with Walker by the time AhKiell was nine or 10 weeks old. In a text message to her mother, she wrote: Hes so horrible to AhKiell, adding that he couldnt handle AhKiell crying. Neighbours told the court they heard terrible screaming coming from the family home on July 24, 28 and 29. Neither parent showed any emotion when the jury returned their unanimous verdict on May 10, with Walker yawning as he was led to the cells. A new blood test which scientists say is able to detect certain types of cancer several years before a person falls ill has been hailed as a breakthrough. A trial of around 1,600 people found the non-invasive procedure to identify DNA markers works with up to 90% accuracy, the authors said. The test was used to detect genetic traces of multiple cancers, including pancreatic and ovarian diseases, according to the study. Blood test The findings will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago this weekend. Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, said such advances in medicine could dramatically transform care. Dr Eric Klein, lead author, from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, told the Daily Telegraph: This is potentially the holy grail of cancer research, to find cancers that are currently hard to cure at an earlier stage when they are easier to cure, and we hope this test could save many lives. Most cancers are detected at a late stage, but this liquid biopsy gives us the opportunity to find them months or years before someone would develop symptoms and be diagnosed. Mr Stevens said: Our 100,000 genome project already makes England a world leader in applying the medical technologies of the future. Now, as the NHS marks its 70th anniversary, we stand on the cusp of a new era of personalised medicine that will dramatically transform care for cancer and for inherited and rare diseases. In particular, new techniques for precision early diagnosis would unlock enormous survival gains, as well as dramatic productivity benefits in the practice of medicine. The study examined 749 people without cancer and 878 who had been newly diagnosed with the disease, but not yet been treated. The test detected 90% of ovarian, 80% of pancreatic and two thirds of bowel cancer cases (66%), according to the research. It was 77% accurate in diagnosing lymphoma, 73% accurate for myeloma, and 80% accurate for liver and gallbladder cancers. Triple-negative breast, lung, oesophagus, head and neck cancers were also picked up with more than 50% accuracy. However, it was less effective at detecting stomach, uterine and early-stage prostate cancer, the authors said. This approach is promising as a multi-cancer screening test, they concluded. US president Donald Trumps decision to impose massive tariffs on EU steel imports leads many of the papers on Friday. The Guardian and the i report that America and its traditional allies are on the brink of a full-scale trade war, with European and Canadian leaders reacting angrily to Mr Trumps decision. Guardian front page, Friday 1 June 2018: US pushes allies to brink of trade war pic.twitter.com/BOq9Mu1Ne0 The Guardian (@guardian) May 31, 2018 The Financial Times reports that a round of tit-for-tat retaliation is likely, while the Metro questions what happened to the supposed special relationship between Britain and the US. What the papers say Just published: front page of the Financial Times, London edition, Friday 1 June https://t.co/LonrnpOkWN pic.twitter.com/k087AXdTxS Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) May 31, 2018 Britain is urging Brussels to step back from a trade war with the US, The Times reports. International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said the UK had not ruled out countermeasures, but urged calm on all sides, the paper adds. Tomorrow's front page: Fox urges Brussels to avoid US trade war #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/kW8ZwPx8WU The Times (@thetimes) May 31, 2018 Thousands of jobs are are at risk by the move, the Independent reports. Meanwhile, the Daily Mail leads on an upcoming speech by the head of Ofsted, who will warn that some children are starting school unable to communicate properly or use the toilet. And the Daily Telegraph says scientists claim a new blood test could detect 10 types of cancer years before a person falls ill. The front page of tomorrow's Daily Telegraph: Cancer blood test hailed as 'holy grail' #tomorrowspapertoday pic.twitter.com/u9KO6TSoFu The Telegraph (@Telegraph) May 31, 2018 The Sun reports that Roman Abramovich has scrapped Chelseas 1 billion stadium revamp and ditched his UK visa application. Tomorrow's front page: Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich turned his back on Britain last night - scrapping the club's 1billion stadium revamp and ditching his UK visa application pic.twitter.com/CoVAtdY1RV The Sun (@TheSun) May 31, 2018 And the Daily Mirror claims the Tories accepted a Russian donors cash on the day she blamed the Skripal attack on Moscow. A former mayor of Ipswich has successfully appealed against a Home Office decision to deny her British citizenship. Inga Lockington, a Danish national who has lived in the UK since marrying her husband Tim in 1979, said she was pleased the issue was being resolved. She decided to apply for UK citizenship after the Brexit vote in 2016 but was initially refused as a permanent residence card did not accompany her application. Inga Lockington UK citizenship application But on review the Home Office found her settled status since 1979 had not been correctly evaluated. A Home Office spokesman said: We have contacted Mrs Lockington to advise her that, following reconsideration of her case, her citizenship application will be granted. We have also taken the opportunity to apologise to her for the initial decision. It said guidance has been reissued to reinforce the importance of consideration of wider immigration status in all cases for citizenship. German police have warned residents of the western town of Luenebach to stay inside their homes after a number of lions and pumas broke out of a local zoo. Police confirmed a report from the regional SWR broadcaster that the big cats had escaped from the facility in the hilly Eifel area. Police say they are responding the situation. SWR reported that local authorities were warning all residents in the area, near the border with Luxembourg and Belgium, to remain indoors as they search for the animals. A police officer seriously injured fighting off the London Bridge attackers hopes to return to work next month as he revealed he is able to walk by himself again. One year on from the atrocity, which left eight innocent people dead and saw the terror trio killed by police on a busy Saturday night in central London, Wayne Marques thanked the public for their inspiring support. The British Transport Police (BTP) officer, 39, told last year how he thought in the moments after being injured that he would die, having been stabbed multiple times, including in the head, leg and hand. In the year since the June 3 attack he said he had made significant progress and expressed his eagerness to get back to work in July, but admitted he still has a way to go in his recovery. Pc Marques was hailed a hero after fighting off terrorists Khuram Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba with just his baton, having been temporarily blinded in one eye as they lunged at him with their knives. Armed police on London Bridge The officer, who is still undergoing rehab, said: Ive made significant progress obviously since that night. Im much more independent, much more able, Im standing, Im walking, Im talking, Im able to socialise again, see family and friends. He conceded that his family still have concerns about his return to work but said: Its a job that I enjoy. Its who I am, to be honest. He had to undergo a series of operations and spent almost three weeks in hospital following the attack, and said at times when he was bedbound it was messages of support from the public, oftentimes complete strangers, that encouraged him. You go through these stages where youre stuck in a bed and youve got this time to keep thinking about things, he said in a video interview released by BTP. Then you get these messages from people who have just heard about you. Youve never met them and you never will, in most cases. But just genuine, heartfelt, caring messages. It wasnt just written for the sake of writing, people felt the need to send me something or write me something. Wayne Marques It makes a difference. To me anyway. I think that it showed what it meant to a lot of people. Joking that he had not had to buy a pint since telling his remarkable story last year, he added: The messages have just been awesome. I can only say thank you very much. It was both needed and appreciated. The long winter posed an unexpected challenge for the officer, he said, reminding him of his limits. Things like cold weather like that never really affected me before but now obviously since that night, things do affect me but you dont know they affect you until it happens. So, Im still learning and Im still working hard. So I have my plans, I have my intentions but I sort of have to be realistic about it. Pc Marques, who was born in Birmingham but lives in south London, said he had read as many of the publics messages to him as possible, describing the response as overwhelming. He said: The public have, theyve been inspiring, you cant deny the response the public had towards me and towards the job, to police officers since that tragedy last year. (It was) inspiring, it was overwhelming, it was encouraging. A High Court judge has dismissed a challenge by Independent News and Media (INM) against a legal bid to appoint inspectors at the company. Irelands corporate watchdog wants the High Court to appoint inspectors to investigate governance arrangements at Irelands largest newspaper group, including allegations of a major data breach. In an attempt to halt the case before it was fully aired, INM challenged how the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE) launched its legal bid with the High Court, insisting the watchdog should have consulted it first. Murdoch MacLennan Handout Photo But on Friday, Mr Justice Seamus Noonan dismissed the groups judicial review and said: Such a proposition cannot be sustained. He said the idea that the company should be consulted first is novel and without precedent. A lawyer for the ODCE has previously said there was a compelling public interest in the appointment of inspectors. INM chairman Murdoch MacLennan said it was not in the interests of INM for an inspector to be appointed. Mr MacLennan previously said: Let me tell you this: if there was any wrongdoing in the past it was done without the knowledge or approval of the board, and the board is prepared to take such steps as are necessary to protect INMs interests and to obtain redress from third parties if advised that it is appropriate to do so. In March INM received information from the ODCE about the danger of personal data having been put at risk of inappropriate disclosure. Journalists information may have been involved. INM, which owns the Irish Independent and Belfast Telegraph, appointed Deloitte to conduct a full investigation. The corporate investigation began in 2016 after concerns were raised over the details of a possible acquisition by INM of radio station Newstalk. The case will be heard again before the High Court next Wednesday in order to set a date for the ODCE application, which will be heard before the president of the High Court, Mr Justice Peter Kelly. After Friday mornings decision, INM reiterated that it would be urging the High Court not to appoint inspectors. The Board will consider the terms of todays decision and the further action that the Company might take in the interests of the Company and its stakeholders, a statement said. The parents of baby Charlie Gard, who died after being at the centre of a High Court treatment battle, have launched a foundation to provide a brighter future for other sick children. Connie Yates and Chris Gard say the Charlie Gard Foundation aims to invest in research and provide support to families. The couple launched the foundation on Friday and said they were keen to fund research projects. Charlie died in July last year, a week before his first birthday. Mr Gard and Ms Yates, who are in their 30s and come from Bedfont, west London, had asked the High Court to rule that Charlie should be allowed to undergo a therapy trial in New York. Doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London said the therapy would not help and said life-support treatment should stop. Mr Justice Francis ruled in favour of Great Ormond Street after analysing the case at hearings in the Family Division of the High Court in London. Charlies parents failed to overturn the ruling in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. They also failed to persuade European Court of Human Rights judges to intervene. Chris Gard and Connie Yates with their son Charlie The couple raised more than 1.3 million to pay for therapy in America and said they wanted to establish a foundation with the donations. Charlie suffered from a rare genetic condition, called mitochondrial depletion syndrome, which causes progressive muscle weakness and brain damage. His parents say they want to raise awareness of the condition. Our vision is to enhance the quality of life for mitochondrial sufferers through innovative research, family support, and raise much-needed awareness for this devastating condition, they said in a statement on the Charlie Gard Foundation website. Mitochondrial-related diseases kill more children than childhood cancers, and its our vision to change this statistic. Our aims are to deliver hope for a brighter future and one day find that all-elusive cure and ensure we provide mito sufferers with every opportunity to get the very best out of life. The European Union is set to strike back against Donald Trumps illegal and dangerous steel tariffs. Cecilia Malmstrom, the EU trade commissioner, announced the EU would be seeking to implement a number of retaliatory tariffs on American products by June 20. The move comes after Mr Trumps decision to impose a 25% duty on European steel and a 10% duty on European aluminium. Ms Malmstrom accused Mr Trump of playing a dangerous game as she confirmed the EU would be taking proportionate and measured action against the US. She said: This is further weakening the transatlantic relations and it also increases the risk of severe turbulences in the markets globally. Ms Malmstrom said a final decision on what products would be hit with tariffs had not yet been made, but added that they would be from an already published list which includes the likes of Levis jeans, bourbon whiskey, cranberries and peanut butter. She said: We are not seeking to escalate any situation but we need to respond and well do so in a measured manner, but not responding would be the same as accepting these tariffs which we consider are illegal. The commissioner refused to say Mr Trump had started a trade war, but said he had created a very worrying situation. She said: It could escalate and also the economic recovery that we have seen lately, notably in the European Union but globally, risks to be diminished by this. Mr Trump originally imposed the tariffs in March, saying a reliance on imported metals threatened national security. But he exempted Canada, Mexico and the European Union to buy time for negotiations a reprieve that expired at midnight on Thursday. The director of trade body UK Steel, Gareth Stace, said he was very, very worried about the potential impact of a double whammy on British producers from the Trump administrations decision. UK steel producers could be shut out of an American market where they sold around 350 million of exports last year, while also facing increased competition from a tsunami of cheap steel diverted away from the US, he said. Mr Stace told BBC Radio 4s World At One that it was too early to speculate on the likely impact on jobs, but said: At worst, we could fall straight back into the crisis we suffered in 2015/16, which was the worst steel crisis in a generation. We are heading for a trade war, which is going to be all losers there will be no winners. The US economy will suffer as much as any other economy. UK exports in 2017 by commodity Mr Stace said the EU should activate safeguard measures to prevent European markets being disrupted by a surge of as much as 25 million tonnes of steel diverted from the US. Labours shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner earlier warned the UK Government to strongly respond to the move. Mr Gardiner, speaking to Radio 4s Today programme, said: The president has said that he believes he could win a trade war, we think that a trade war is in nobodys interests. He added: We believe in a rules-based system, a multilateral system, President Trump doesnt and we must understand that. He wants to break up that system. We have to respond strongly to it and make it clear to him that were not susceptible to the intimidation and the threats and the bullying that hes putting in place. International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said in a statement that the UK would support any EU appeal to the WTO. Dr Fox said: I have been very clear these tariffs are not justified. We have not ruled out counter measures and will support any EU appeal to the WTO. But as the CBI have said, we do not want a trade war which does more to harm UK industries and consumers. Former White House press secretary Anthony Scaramucci, also speaking to Radio 4, said that with Mr Trump there was always room for negotiation. He said: I am sure that there are chips on both sides that can get traded to make the problem go away. Mr Trump had campaigned for president on a promise to crack down on trading partners who he said exploited poorly negotiated trade agreements to run up big trade surpluses with the US. The remains of a British man who went missing in Switzerland almost four years ago have been found. Fergus McInnes, 51, travelled to Switzerland from Edinburgh in September 2014 but went missing shortly after arriving in the country. The University of Edinburgh researcher was due to attend a computer science conference in Martigny but never turned up. His death was confirmed by his family on a website set up to aid the search for him. The post read: Its with great sadness that we, Ferguss family, are able to confirm his death in Switzerland. Fergus McInnes Remains were recently found on a wooded hillside outside Martigny, by someone out walking in the area. Were grateful to the police and related authorities, both here and in Switzerland, for their assistance and support. Mr McInnes family said it is thought he died on September 9 2014, the day he went missing. There are no suspicious circumstances. Inspector Graeme Nisbet of Police Scotland said: Specially trained officers are providing support to Mr McInnes family following this sad news. We are continuing to liaise with Swiss police to ensure that any further updates are passed to his loved ones and they have any assistance they require at this difficult time. A fraudster who claimed his father died in the Grenfell Tower tragedy to get his hands on emergency money and a free stay at a hotel which was meant for victims of the deadly fire has been jailed. Just two days after the tragedy Mohammad Gamoota, 31, had told council officials that he had been living with his father on the 24th floor when the fire ripped through the building last June. Gamoota pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud which had aimed to net him a total of 6,784.36 when he appeared at Londons Isleworth Crown Court. He was jailed for 18 months on each count and the sentences are to run concurrently. Judge Robin Johnson told him: Looking at your case I am satisfied that any right-minded person would look on your behaviour with utter revulsion. In the wake of a national disaster you decided to enrich yourself while you masqueraded as a true victim. This was not a moment of madness. You spent days in accommodation that was set aside for those who were grief-stricken, homeless and no doubt in a state of shock and bewilderment. That did not stop you tapping into the funds that had rightly been made available for those people. The flat in Grenfell Tower he claimed to have lived in never existed but Gamoota used the name of a man who died in the fire and had been named in the press as the backdrop for his fraud. Gamoota claimed that his father Abdel Salam died in the fire. The name was taken from an incorrect spelling from a newspaper report on genuine fire victim Abdeslam Sebbar, who had two sons, and died in the blaze. INQUIRY Grenfell Gamoota had no connection with Mr Sebbar. He posed as a resident of the gutted tower block between June 14 and July 29 and made representations to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to dishonestly gain money and accommodation, according to the charges. He received 500 emergency money and asked for another 5,000 that was due to survivors. It was only because of a technical hitch on Gamootas bank account that 4,500 was returned. Gamoota was given a room at the Holiday Inn from June 16 to 23 at a cost of 910 and he also enjoyed 374.35 in room service. Prosecutor Benjamin Holt pointed out that the pain and injury caused by the fraud hit the wider community, including survivors and grieving relatives. This included Mr Sebbars grieving son who had to answer police questions for a witness statement as they investigated the fraud. Grenfell Tower residents also condemned the fraud as disgusting and distasteful and stated it has totally ripped the heart and faith of the Grenfell Tower community. Resident Manuel Alves said in a victim impact statement: Words cannot express how disgusted I am that the fraudsters have had the audacity to pull such a stunt. They have violated the real victims/survivors by abusing the system that has been put in place to help us. The action of these fraudsters have totally ripped the heart and faith of the Grenfell Tower community. Corinne Simone Jones, who lived on the 17th floor with her young family, said fraudsters like Gamoota made her frustrated, stressed and angry. In a statement, she said: It makes me feel like I had to prove that I lived at that property that is the last thing I feel that I want or need to do. She said fraudsters have caused harm to the community and the survivors, adding: I find people lying about living in the building is disrespectful and distasteful. The judge added: Bearing in mind what she and her family suffered, I consider this remark to be commendably restrained. The court was told that Gamoota had seen the tragedy as a way to get things for his pregnant partner, but accepts his actions were foolish and reprehensible. After sentencing, Kate Mulholland, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: This was a premeditated fraud in which Mohammad Gamoota pretended he had lived in Grenfell Tower, when he really lived with his mother in Croydon. He searched online news articles to discover the name of an elderly man who died in the fire and then claimed that man was his father who he had lived with. When suspicions were aroused, Gamoota disappeared but the prosecution was able to link him back to the fraud. Kim Taylor-Smith, deputy leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council, said: Fraud is an issue the council takes very seriously, not just because taxpayers money is being used to support people, but because genuine survivors and bereaved families have raised concerns with us, and we share those concerns. Our absolute priority has always been to assist and help first it is only right that we do so when families are faced with such extreme trauma and tragedy. Where officers had doubts, they reported it, and then investigations would take place. Investigating and proving any type of fraud always takes time, and we work closely with the police. It is hugely important to me that the public perception of survivors and bereaved is not tarnished by the acts of what is a small minority. Novak Djokovic dropped his first set, and smashed his first racket, at this years French Open but still battled through to the fourth round. The former world number one cut a frustrated figure for long periods of his clash with Spains Roberto Bautista Agut, the 13th seed. When he missed a simple forehand during the second-set tie-break, Djokovic pounded his racket against the ground before stomping off to unwrap a new one. Novak Djokovic The Serbian is seeded 20th following his recent absence through injury, which necessitated a minor operation to ease an elbow problem earlier this year. Yet the elbow certainly did not seem to be troubling Djokovic as his racket bore the brunt of his irritation. Nevertheless, the 2016 Paris winner eventually found a way past Bautista Agut, winning 6-4 6-7 (6/8) 7-6 (7/4) 6-2. It was a big point, Djokovic explained, And I managed to come back from being down in the tie-break, and 6-6. If the ball went over it would be a winner, and I hit the top of the net. In these kind of circumstances, sometimes emotions get the worst out of you or the best out of you, whatever you want to call it. Im not proud of doing that, to be honest. I dont like doing that. But at times, it happens. Djokovics route deeper in the tournament may have been made a little easier, too, after fourth seed Grigor Dimitrov bowed out. The 12-time grand slam winner will instead meet another Spaniard, Fernando Verdasco, in the last 16. Bulgarian Dimitrov won the ATP Tour Finals in London last year, but his wait for a grand slam title will go on after a 7-6 (7/4) 6-2 6-4 loss to the 30th seed. Verdasco has now reached the fourth round at Roland Garros seven times, but he has yet to progress any further. Second seed Alexander Zverev, who along with Djokovic is seen as one of the few genuine challengers to 10-time champion Rafael Nadal this year, was taken to five sets for the second time. Fernando Verdasco wins in straight sets 7/6 6/2 6/4 against Grigor Dimitrov. Watch the highlights of the match : More videos on https://t.co/L0wmcUhyym#RG18 pic.twitter.com/mZ8lzHVZu6 Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 1, 2018 In the match of the tournament so far, the 21-year-old German was up against it trailing 2-1 to Damir Dzumhur. Amid some spectacular rallies Dzumhur was playing shots far above his ranking of 26, and he also colliding with a ball boy as both went to collect a high loose ball. The Bosnian forced two match points in the deciding set but he put the second, a simple forehand winner, into the net and Zverev survived before going on to register a 6-2 3-6 4-6 7-6 (7/3) 7-5 victory in just under four hours. Donald Trumps decision to hit EU steel and aluminium imports to the US with tariffs is unjustified, Theresa May has said. The Prime Minister said she was disappointed at the decision to impose a 25% duty on European steel and a 10% duty on European aluminium, which both came into effect on Friday. She added her voice to calls for British and European products to be exempt from the charges, saying they contributed to US national security projects. It came after the EU said it would introduce retaliatory tariffs after Mr Trumps illegal and dangerous decision. Its a bad day for world trade. US leaves us no choice but to proceed with a WTO dispute settlement case and the imposition of additional duties on a number of US imports. We will defend the EUs interests, in full compliance with international trade law. https://t.co/J3wPW5Ew7K pic.twitter.com/aDlOWcSgRv Jean-Claude Juncker (@JunckerEU) May 31, 2018 Mrs May said: I am deeply disappointed at the unjustified decision by the US to apply tariffs to EU steel and aluminium imports. The US, EU and UK are close allies and have always promoted values of open and fair trade across the world. Our steel and aluminium industries are hugely important to the UK, but they also contribute to US industry including in defence projects which bolster US national security. The EU and UK should be permanently exempted from tariffs and we will continue to work together to protect and safeguard our workers and industries. Mr Trump originally imposed the tariffs in March, saying a reliance on imported metals threatened national security. But he exempted Canada, Mexico and the European Union to buy time for negotiations a reprieve that expired at midnight on Thursday. Cecilia Malmstrom, the EU trade commissioner, announced the EU would be seeking to implement a number of retaliatory tariffs on American products by June 20. Ms Malmstrom accused Mr Trump of playing a dangerous game as she confirmed the EU would be taking proportionate and measured action against the US. "We will now trigger a dispute settlement case at the WTO, since the US measures on steel and aluminium clearly go against agreed international rules" @MalmstromEU #EUTrade https://t.co/P7xb6seTxj European Commission (@EU_Commission) June 1, 2018 The commissioner refused to say Mr Trump had started a trade war, but said he had created a very worrying situation. She added: This is further weakening the transatlantic relations and it also increases the risk of severe turbulences in the markets globally. Ms Malmstrom said a final decision on what products would be hit with tariffs had not yet been made, but added that they would be from an already published list which includes the likes of Levis jeans, bourbon whiskey, cranberries and peanut butter. She said: We are not seeking to escalate any situation but we need to respond and well do so in a measured manner, but not responding would be the same as accepting these tariffs which we consider are illegal. International Trade Secretary Liam Fox previously said in a statement that the UK would support any EU appeal to the WTO. UK exports in 2017 by commodity Gareth Stace, director of trade body UK Steel, said he was very, very worried about the potential impact of a double whammy on British producers from the Trump administrations decision. UK steel producers could be shut out of an American market where they sold around 350 million of exports last year, while also facing increased competition from a tsunami of as much as 25 million tonnes of cheap steel diverted away from the US, he told BBC Radio 4s World At One. He added that it was too early to speculate on the likely impact on jobs, but said: At worst, we could fall straight back into the crisis we suffered in 2015/16, which was the worst steel crisis in a generation. We are heading for a trade war, which is going to be all losers there will be no winners. The US economy will suffer as much as any other economy. INDUSTRY Steel Labours shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner earlier warned the UK Government to strongly respond to the move. He told Radio 4s Today programme: The president has said that he believes he could win a trade war, we think that a trade war is in nobodys interests. He added: We believe in a rules-based system, a multilateral system, President Trump doesnt and we must understand that. He wants to break up that system. We have to respond strongly to it and make it clear to him that were not susceptible to the intimidation and the threats and the bullying that hes putting in place. Former White House press secretary Anthony Scaramucci, also speaking to Radio 4, said that with Mr Trump there was always room for negotiation. He said: I am sure that there are chips on both sides that can get traded to make the problem go away. Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Arlene Foster will say there is no place for sectarianism against the community when she attends an Orange Order parade in Scotland. The Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland has confirmed the politician had accepted an invite to the parade in Cowdenbeath, Fife, later this month. A spokesman for the DUP said on Friday that she will stress the need to build a shared society. She is also planning to hold other meetings while in Scotland. The spokesman said: Mrs Foster has accepted an invitation from the Scottish Orange Order to speak at an event later this month. She will deliver the same message in Scotland as in Northern Ireland. Peter Robinson At the event, Mrs Foster will say: We need a United Kingdom where people feel at home and where they feel comfortable living and working regardless of their background. There is no place in 2018 for sectarianism or prejudice against any section of our community that includes the Orange Order. She will also promote the idea of a United Kingdom where people feel valued will endure. People will be reluctant to leave the Union in such a circumstance. Mrs Foster is planning to have other meetings when in Scotland a DUP spokesman added. The Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland executive officer Robert McLean said he believed it is the first time she has attended one of the Boyne celebration parades in Scotland. He said: Shes been invited to be the guest speaker. The main speech would be by Arlene Foster. He added that attendance by Northern Ireland politicians at Scottish parades was not unusual and former First Minister and DUP leader Peter Robinson had done so in the past. Ms Foster was Northern Irelands First Minister until the collapse of the powersharing agreement at Stormont last year. The parade on June 30 is one of the biggest in Scotland and involves lodges from Fife, Edinburgh, the Lothians and elsewhere in the central belt. Labour and the Liberal Democrats in Scotland said Ms Fosters time would be better spent in Northern Ireland, where there is no devolved government in place following its collapse more than a year ago. Labour MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath Lesley Laird said: My advice to her would be to channel her energy into getting Stormont back up and running. Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie said: With the Northern Ireland Assembly suspended, I would have thought that Arlene Fosters time would be better spent reaching across the political divide at home rather than marching on the streets of a small town in Fife. Patrick Harvie, Scottish Greens co-convener, said: If Arlene Foster does come across the Irish Sea shed be better off discussing how to avoid a hard Brexit or learning about the importance of equal marriage or womens access to free, safe and legal abortion, rather than taking part in yet another sectarian march. A top aide to Kim Jong Un has met US president Donald Trump in the Oval Office to deliver a letter from the North Korean leader as the two sides try to revive an axed summit. Kim Yong Chol was greeted at the White House by chief of staff John Kelly and then whisked into the Oval Office. He is the most senior North Korean to visit the White House in 18 years, a highly symbolic sign of easing tensions after fears of war escalated amid North Korean nuclear and missile tests last year. Donald Trump Kim Yong Chols arrival in Washington in a small caravan of vehicles from New York came a day after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared that he was confident negotiations with Pyongyang were moving in the right direction. Our two countries face a pivotal moment in our relationship, and it would be nothing short of tragic to let this opportunity go to waste, Mr Pompeo said in New York after meeting with the envoy. Mr Pompeo would not say that the summit is a definite go for Singapore on June 12 and could not say if that decision would be made after Mr Trump reads Kim Jong Uns letter. However, his comments were the most positive from any US official since the meeting was axed last week after belligerent statements from the North. Good progress today during our meetings with Kim Yong Chol and his team. #NorthKorea and the world would benefit greatly from the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. pic.twitter.com/QfeALSsxGA Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) May 31, 2018 The two countries, eyeing the first summit between the US and the North after six decades of hostility, have also been holding negotiations in Singapore and the demilitarised zone between the two Koreas. Early on Thursday, Mr Trump told reporters we are doing very well with North Korea. He added there may even need to be a second or third summit meeting to reach a deal on North Korean denuclearisation but still hedged, saying maybe well have none. Kim Yong Chol left his hotel in New York City early on Friday for the trip to Washington in a convoy of vehicles. Mr Pompeo, who has travelled to North Korea and met Kim Jong Un twice in the past two months, said he believed the countrys leaders are contemplating a path forward where they can make a strategic shift, one that their country has not been prepared to make before. John Kelly with Kim Yong Chol Yet he also said difficult work remains including hurdles that may appear to be insurmountable as negotiations progress on the US demand for North Koreas complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation. We will push forward to test the proposition that we can achieve that outcome, he said. Kim Jong Un, in a meeting with Russias foreign minister on Thursday, complained about the US trying to spread its influence in the region, a comment that may complicate the summit plans. As we move to adjust to the political situation in the face of US hegemonism, I am willing to exchange detailed and in-depth opinions with your leadership and hope to do so moving forward, Mr Kim told Sergey Lavrov. Kim Jong Un and Sergei Lavrov North Koreas flurry of diplomatic activity following an increase in nuclear weapons and missile tests in 2017 suggests that Mr Kim is eager for sanctions relief to build his economy and for the international legitimacy a summit with Mr Trump would provide. But there are lingering doubts on whether he will ever fully relinquish his nuclear arsenal, which he may see as his only guarantee of survival in a region surrounded by enemies. Mr Trump views a summit as a legacy-defining opportunity to make a nuclear deal, but he has left the world guessing since cancelling the meeting last week in an open letter to Mr Kim that complained of the Norths tremendous anger and open hostility. North Koreas conciliatory response to that letter appears to have put the summit back on track. US President Donald Trump has said his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is back on for June 12. Speaking after an Oval Office meeting with North Koreas Kim Yong Chol, Mr Trump said he would be making a mistake not to go forward with the on-again, off-again nuclear summit in Singapore. The president said his meeting with the most senior North Korean to visit the White House in 18 years lasted longer than expected and went very well. Donald Trump talks with North Korea's Kim Yong Chol Mr Trump said his June 12 meeting will be a beginning. He added: The process will begin on June 12 in Singapore. US President Donald Trump has announced that his historic summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un is back on for June 12 in Singapore. Mr Trump made the announcement, just a week after he cancelled the summit, after an hour-long meeting with a top North Korean official who delivered a letter from the North Korean leader. Were going to deal, Mr Trump told reporters moments after the meeting ended. He also said it was likely that more than one meeting would be necessary. The president concluded: I think youre going to have a very positive result in the end. We will see what we will see. Mr Trump told reporters he had not read the letter yet, and added with a smile: I may be in for a big surprise, folks. Donald Trump with Kim Yong Chol (Andrew Harnik/AP) Plans for the high-stakes sit-down have been cast in doubt ever since Mr Trump withdrew from the meeting last week, only to announce a day later that it could still get back on track. White House officials cast the roller-coaster public statements as reflective of the hard-nosed negotiation by the two nations. Three teams of officials in the US, Singapore and the Korean demilitarised zone have been meeting this week on preparations for the summit. Mr Trumps announcement comes after top North Korean official Kim Yong Chol visited the White House on Friday to deliver the letter. The president had withdrawn from the summit on May 24 with a strongly worded letter of his own, citing tremendous anger and open hostility by Pyongyang but also urged Mr Kim to call him. By the next day, he was signalling the event could be back on after a conciliatory response from North Korea. Kim Yong Chol was greeted at the White House by chief of staff John Kelly and then whisked into the Oval Office. He is the most senior North Korean to visit the White House in 18 years, a highly symbolic sign of easing tensions after fears of war escalated amid North Korean nuclear and missile tests last year. US chief of staff John Kelly walks towards the Oval Office with Kim Yong Chol Questions remain about what a deal on the Norths nuclear weapons would look like though Mr Trump said on Friday he believed that Mr Kim would agree to denuclearisation. Despite Mr Kims apparent eagerness for a summit with Mr Trump, there are lingering doubts about whether he will fully relinquish his nuclear weapons, which he may see as his only guarantee of survival. US defence and intelligence officials have repeatedly assessed the North to be on the threshold of having the capability to strike anywhere in the continental US with a nuclear-tipped missile a capacity that Mr Trump and other US officials have said they would not tolerate. North Koreas flurry of diplomatic activity following an increase in nuclear weapons and missile tests in 2017 suggests that Mr Kim is eager for sanctions relief to build his economy and for the international legitimacy a summit with Mr Trump would provide. Mr Trump views a summit as a legacy-defining opportunity to make a nuclear deal, but he has left the world guessing since cancelling the meeting last week in an open letter to Mr Kim that complained of the Norths tremendous anger and open hostility. North Koreas conciliatory response to that letter appears to have put the summit back on track. Kim Yong Chol is the most senior North Korean visitor to the United States since Vice Marshal Jo Myong Rok visited Washington in 2000 to meet President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. That was the last time the two sides, which are technically at war, attempted to arrange a leadership summit. It was an effort that ultimately failed as Mr Clintons time in office ran out, and relations turned sour again after George W Bush took office in early 2001 with a tough policy on the North. Kim Yong Chol, vice chairman of the North Korean ruling partys central committee, was allowed into the United States despite being on a US sanctions list, and North Korean officials are not normally allowed to travel outside the New York area. By Pedro Fonseca and Gram Slattery RIO DE JANEIRO/SAO PAULO, May 31 (Reuters) - Brazil showed signs of returning to normal on Thursday as an oil workers union ended a strike ahead of schedule and an 11-day trucker protest wound down, a welcome breather for a government suffering from rock-bottom approval levels. Oil workers union FUP unexpectedly recommended on Thursday that members suspend a 72-hour strike they began on Wednesday after a court said the organization would be fined if it continued. Meanwhile, the truckers protest, which has strangled much of Brazil's economy for 11 days, petered out. Brazil's minister of institutional security, Sergio Etchegoyen, said all roadblocks had been removed, though isolated groups of truckers were still causing problems. The end of the strike is some rare good news for President Michel Temer, Brazil's least popular president since its return to democracy in the 1980s. The protests - which were widely supported by Brazilians - had seen calls among some strikers and fringe groups for a military coup. Temer said this week that there was "zero chance" of such an intervention. It also provides some relief for state-led oil firm Petroleo Brasileiro SA, or Petrobras, as it is commonly known. Petrobras has been caught between workers and some politicians that want the company to roll back recent market-focused policies, and investors, who are fleeing on fears that it may undo those changes. Its shares have tumbled around 30 percent in the past two weeks. Petrobras chief executive Pedro Parente, who workers want to resign, is set to meet Temer on Friday morning. Petrobras said on Thursday that there was no impact on production due to the strike as its contingency plans were successful. Laborers were back on the job at 95 percent of the company's units, the company added. SLOW RETURN TO NORMAL Gasoline supplies, which had become short in recent weeks as transport routes were blocked, returned to normal at 70 percent of locations, Aurelio Amaral, a director of Brazil's ANP oil regulator, told Reuters. Santos, Latin America's largest port, was now functioning, Admiral Ademir Sobrinho said in broadcast comments. But a representative from shipping firm Maersk Line Ltd said the port was still far from operating normally. "We have seen some critical imports being released from terminals in the Santos complex. Still, we expect Brazilian export volumes will continue to be seriously impacted for the next few weeks," said Antonio Dominguez, managing director for the company's East Coast South America cluster. At gas stations in Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city, lines remained long. Produce at supermarkets cost more than usual in some locations, even as supplies were returning to normal. Companies in the machinery industry were crafting plans with workers for collective vacations, while others were planning layoffs, the head of the industry's trade group, Jose Velloso, told Reuters late on Wednesday, as an inability to obtain supplies or deliver products hit virtually all firms in the sector. To win over the blockading truckers, who were primarily protesting high fuel prices, the government agreed to lower the average cost of fuel by 46 centavos ($0.12) per liter. To pay for the cuts, the government announced on Wednesday that it would slash a subsidy for exporters and reduce benefits for beverage makers operating in the Zona Franca low tax zone, which will hit companies such as Coca-Cola Femsa SAB de CV and Ambev SA. Beverage industry group ABIR criticized the move, although the rival Afrebras group, which tends to represent smaller-scale producers - many of them outside the Zona Franca - called the change long overdue. Those measures, along with other cost saving moves, will boost government coffers by 2.27 billion reais, authorities said. ($1 = 3.73 reais) (Reporting by Pedro Fonseca and Gram Slattery; Editing by Grant McCool and Rosalba O'Brien) ABUJA, May 31 (Reuters) - Nigeria lowered the minimum ages for political offices on Thursday, when President Muhammadu Buhari signed a new bill into law in a victory for a campaign that has sought a greater voice for young people. Nigeria's median age is just 18, according to the United Nations, and many youth see Nigeria's ageing leaders as out of touch. Buhari, 75, is the oldest person to helm Nigeria since the transition to civilian government in 1999. The law reduces the minimum age of the president to 35 from 40. For members of the House of Representatives and states' houses of assembly, the minimum was lowered to 25 from 30. The change comes as Nigeria is gearing up for elections in February 2019. The effort to lower age restrictions was backed by a campaign with the slogan "Not Too Young to Run". "This is just the beginning, now we focus on getting credible and competent young people into government!" wrote Cynthia Mbamalu, one of the campaign's members, on Twitter. Nigerian politics is dominated by older politicians, in a culture where age is often venerated. Former vice president Atiku Abubakar, 71, also plans to run for president next year, campaigning in part on a platform of youth empowerment. "You, the young people of Nigeria, are now set to leave your mark on the political space," Buhari told campaign organisers at the signing ceremony, adding that he was confident they would make their mark as politicians or even president. "But please, can I ask you to postpone your campaigns till after the 2019 elections!" he joked. Yet the bill is not a total victory for campaigners - the original version had aimed to lower the presidential candidacy age even further, to 30, and also reduce Senate and state governor age requirements from to 30 from 35. "Surprisingly, the age limits for senators and governors was not reduced, as originally proposed by the sponsors of this bill," Buhari said. "This is an issue that may need to be addressed going forward." (Reporting by Paul Carsten, Felix Onuah and Camillus Eboh Editing by Peter Graff) By Serena Chaudhry LONDON, May 31 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Robots deployed on the streets of Belfast to deliver abortion pills in an awareness-raising exercise were impounded by police on Thursday, as pressure mounts for Northern Ireland's strict pregnancy termination laws to be liberalised. Rights groups Rosa and Women on Waves used two robots to deliver the pills to women outside a court in the city, as they press their demands for reform after neighbouring Ireland voted last week to liberalise its laws. Women on Waves founder Rebecca Gomperts said police had removed the robots, which were controlled from the Netherlands to show that the pills could be delivered to women in Northern Ireland seeking abortion without breaking the law. "The momentum is now there for Northern Ireland to make a change," Gomperts told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "The fact that abortion is not allowed here in Northern Ireland is violating women's rights." Belfast police confirmed they had seized two small robots and were investigating the incident to see if any offences had been committed. Gomperts said three women had swallowed abortion pills but it was unclear if they were pregnant. Abortion is permitted in Northern Ireland only if a woman's life is at risk or there is a risk to her mental or physical health that is long-term or permanent. It is not permitted in cases of rape, incest or fatal foetal abnormality. The penalty for undergoing or performing an unlawful abortion is life imprisonment. Pressure to relax the law has intensified since voters in Ireland on Friday backed the removal of a constitutional abortion ban by two-to-one. Both Northern Ireland's mainly unionist Protestants and its mainly nationalist Catholics tend to be more socially conservative than elsewhere in Ireland or Britain. The elected assembly has the right to bring its abortion laws in line with the rest of the United Kingdom, but voted against doing so in February 2016. The assembly has not sat since the devolved government collapsed in January 2017. (Reporting by Serena Chaudhry, Editing by Claire Cozens. Please credit Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights, climate change and resilience. Visit news.trust.org) By Amanda Ferguson BELFAST, May 31 (Reuters) - Northern Ireland's police will ask the British government for more officers to help secure the province's border with Ireland after Britain leaves the European Union, the head of the police service said on Thursday. Authorities on both sides of the now-open frontier fear a return to a hard border, complete with customs and other checks, could be a target for militant groups behind the violence that afflicted Northern Ireland until a peace deal in the late 1990s. "A business case is being prepared which will develop a number of scenarios that will present to government the need for some form of uplift in police numbers and other investments to enable us to fulfill our responsibilities post-Brexit," Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Chief Constable George Hamilton said in a statement. "At this time we are not prepare to get into specific numbers, and I don't want to second-guess the business case, but it will certainly need to be a significant uplift." Mark Lindsay, chairman of the Northern Ireland Police Federation (PFNI) group that represents officers, told a conference earlier on Thursday that hundreds more officers would be needed "to deal with whatever emerges from negotiations about the border in a post-Brexit era". He said the PSNI would have to "provide protection for all government agencies working along the 300-mile border and, as such, additional resources will need to be redeployed." The PSNI declined to specify the number of new officers it hoped to recruit, where they would be based, or in what capacity but said the plan was being prepared for presentation to British Prime Minister Theresa May's government. Britons voted by a 52 to 48 percent margin in June 2016 to leave the EU, although a majority in Northern Ireland voted in favour of remaining in the bloc, seeing open borders as a guarantee of peace and prosperity on the island of Ireland. (Reporting by Amanda Ferguson Editing by Mark Heinrich) By Allison Martell May 31 (Reuters) - Canada will impose retaliatory tariffs on C$16.6 billion ($12.8 billion) worth of U.S. exports and challenge U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs under the North American Free Trade Agreement and the World Trade Organization (WTO), Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Thursday. The Canadian tariffs are set to go into effect on July 1 and stay in place until the United States lifts its own measures, Freeland said, hours after the United States said it would impose tariffs on aluminum and steel imports from Canada, Mexico and the European Union. "The American administration has made a decision today that we deplore, and obviously is going to lead to retaliatory measures, as it must," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a news conference in Ottawa with Freeland. "We regret that. We would much rather move together in partnership," he said. The Canadian government released two lists of U.S. products, proposing a 25 percent tariff on the first list and 10 percent on the second. Freeland said a 15-day consultation period would give Canadians a chance to comment on the tariffs and the products covered. The list included steel and aluminum in various forms, but also orange juice, maple syrup, whiskey, toilet paper and a wide variety of other products. It largely spares U.S. farmers. Among the few proposed agricultural targets are farm chemicals and cucumbers. (For the lists of U.S. products, see: http://bit.ly/2xtZlkz) Freeland said Canada would challenge the U.S. tariffs under both NAFTA's Chapter 20 and the WTO's dispute settlement process, and would work with other WTO members. Canadian Steel Producers Association President Joseph Galimberti said his organization was consulting with members and studying the products covered. "I think the key going forward is to take this time to make sure that it works for the parties most directly affected and to get those measures in place as soon as we can," he said. Shares in StelCo Holdings Inc fell 3.5 percent, while the broader Canadian stock index ended up 0.1 percent. Trudeau also discussed NAFTA talks, saying Canada, the United States and Mexico had come so close to a deal that he had offered to meet personally with President Donald Trump in Washington. Trudeau said Vice President Mike Pence told him on Tuesday that as a precondition for that meeting, Trudeau would have to agree to a five-year sunset clause. He refused. A sunset clause would allow one of the three NAFTA members to quit the pact after five years. "There was the broad lines of a decent win-win-win deal on the table," said Trudeau. ($1 = C$1.2957 Canadian) (Reporting by Allison Martell; additional reporting by Rod Nickel in Winnipeg; editing by Leslie Adler, Sandra Maler and Jonathan Oatis) BEIJING, June 1 (Reuters) - London nickel prices and Chinese nickel futures both rose for a fourth day on Friday, supported by strengthening Chinese steel futures and plunging global nickel inventories. Nickel is a key component of stainless steel and demand for the metal for electric vehicle batteries in China has also pushed prices higher. FUNDAMENTALS * SHFE NICKEL: The most-traded nickel contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange, for July delivery, rose by as much as 5.5 percent to 120,000 yuan ($18,703) a tonne and was at 116,820 at 0309 GMT. The contract is set for a weekly gain of 6.1 percent, its biggest weekly jump since the week ending Jan. 26. * LME NICKEL: Three-month nickel on the London Metal Exchange rose by as much as 3.1 percent to $15,690 a tonne, its highest since April 19 and was trading at $15,365. It is set to gain 4 percent this week. Open interest in LME nickel was at its highest since January 2015. * ALUMINIUM: Canada and Mexico retaliated against the United States' decision on Thursday to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports and the European Union had its own reprisals ready to go, reigniting investor fears of a global trade war. * ALUMINIUM: Aluminium prices were steady in early Friday trade, with London aluminium edging up 0.04 percent to $2,293 a tonne and the most-traded Shanghai aluminium contract falling 0.3 percent to 14,615 yuan a tonne. * COPPER: London copper was down 0.2 percent to $6,842 a tonne, while the most-traded Shanghai copper contract edged up 0.3 percent to 51,380 yuan a tonne. * For the top stories in metals and other news, click or MARKETS NEWS * Asian equities sagged on Friday as worries about U.S. trade policy hit global financial markets, which were already shaken this week by political turmoil in Italy. DATA AHEAD (GMT) 0750 France Markit manufacturing PMI May 0755 Germany Markit/BME manufacturing PMI May 0800 Euro zone Markit manufacturing PMI final May 1230 U.S. Nonfarm payrolls May 1230 U.S. Unemployment rate May 1400 U.S. ISM manufacturing PMI May 1400 U.S. Construction spending Apr PRICES BASE METALS PRICES 0239 GMT Three month LME copper 6852 Most active ShFE copper 51440 Three month LME aluminium 2293.5 Most active ShFE aluminium 14605 Three month LME zinc 3113.5 Most active ShFE zinc 24295 Three month LME lead 2457 Most active ShFE lead 19965 Three month LME nickel 15460 Most active ShFE nickel 117350 Three month LME tin 20690 Most active ShFE tin 155100 BASE METALS ARBITRAGE LME/SHFE COPPER LMESHFCUc3 218.97 LME/SHFE ALUMINIUM LMESHFALc3 -2478.39 LME/SHFE ZINC LMESHFZNc3 502.86 LME/SHFE LEAD LMESHFPBc3 501.38 LME/SHFE NICKEL LMESHFNIc3 -580.33 ($1 = 6.4124 Chinese yuan renminbi) ($1 = 6.4161 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Tom Daly; Editing by Christian Schmollinger) By Arathy S Nair June 1 (Reuters) - Britain threatened to introduce tougher regulation for pre-paid funerals on Friday, saying it believed some providers were not treating grieving families fairly, an announcement that sent shares in funeral services company Dignity Plc down sharply. The government said the $2.65 billion industry's self-regulatory framework may not be adequate, adding that it was "appalled" by some sales practices. It would consider asking the Financial Conduct Authority to oversee the sector. Dignity and Co-op Funeralcare - part of mutually-owned Co-Operative Group - dominate the market in Britain. Their offers include pre-paid funeral plans that let customers pay for a funeral at the market price at the time of agreement. Britain's Competition and Markets Authority, conducting a separate investigation into the sector, said the average cost of a funeral was nearly 3,800 pounds ($5,051) in 2017, with those on the lowest incomes potentially spending up to one third of their annual income on a funeral. Extra costs pile up to another 2,000 pounds, leaving many people concerned about taking on debt. The CMA said it would investigate whether the information provided by funeral directors on prices and services was clear enough for people to be able to choose the best option. It will also look at how prices have changed. (http://bit.ly/2HbySaP) The rising level of cremation fees will be considered as part of the review, with cremations now estimated to account for around 75 percent of all funerals, the regulator added. Shares of Dignity, Britain's largest listed funeral service provider, fell as much as 14 percent, setting them on course for their worst day since the company said in January it would cut prices for some of its services. Both Dignity and The Co-operative Group welcomed the news and said they had both previously called for more transparency. "As part of our support for these reviews, we expect to share the work we have already collated to support the calls for regulation we have been making for some time," Dignity's CEO Mike McCollum said. Brokerage Peel Hunt, however, said the review came at a bad time for Dignity, as it trials new price models. "The outcome may just be greater visibility on pricing, but this will be unhelpful for Dignity given its current premium pricing," it said, keeping a "hold" rating on the stock. The Co-operative group said it has introduced new products and initiatives to help tackle funeral affordability. Demand for funeral plans has grown significantly in recent years, with annual sales more than tripling between 2006 and 2017, the government said. "I'm appalled by the lengths that some dishonest salesmen have gone to in order to sell a funeral plan," said John Glen, economic secretary to the Treasury. "There are thousands of pre-paid funeral plans bought each year, and most providers are fair and legitimate. But tougher regulation will ensure robust standards are enforced for all plan providers, and protect individuals and their families if things go wrong." The announcement echoes moves by the government to clamp down on anti-competitive pricing in the domestic energy market and also in the provision of high-cost loans, in a bid to protect consumers at a time of low wage growth and rising costs. ($1 = 0.7523 pounds) (Reporting by Arathy S Nair in Bengaluru Editing by Kate Holton, Georgina Prodhan and Peter Graff) Stockholm (dpa),May 31 2018-Lawmakers in Denmark on Thursday approved a ban on the use of full-face veils in public spaces in what is being called a burqa ban. The ban - carried by a 75-30 vote in the Danish parliament - is due to enter into force on August 1. Justice Minister Soren Pape Poulsen welcomed the outcome, and said he was confident the ban would be respected, he told public broadcaster DR. It would include full-face veils like the niqab, balaclavas, face-covering ski masks, face masks and fake beards, but not protective masks. Other exceptions include winter clothing, such as scarves, and costumes and masks worn for carnival or Halloween. A first-time offender could risk a fine of 1,000 kroner. Repeat offences would result in a higher fine. A fourth offence and any further violations would be met with a fine of 10,000 kroner, the bill said. A French-Algerian businessman, Rachid Nekkaz, has recently said he would offer to pay for fines issued in Denmark as he has done in other countries with similar bans. Eileen Dissanayake was my English Literature teacher and later my class teacher in the HSC1 class at Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya. She was born on September 29, 1922. Eileen had her primary and secondary education at Holy Family Convent. She had a brilliant academic record. She won the Senior Cambridge Scholarship Exam, coming first in the island and was the Head Girl at Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya from 1938 - 1941. Eileen was a member of the editorial team that produced the school magazine Refreshing Breezes. Eileen also loved music, drama and singing. She was a proud member of a unique Sri Lankan choir which sang at many venues in Sydney including at the Sydney Opera House During an era when women werent encouraged to study beyond Year 10, one would imagine there was very little support or assistance for women to enter University. Eileen had to compete against students from prestigious boys schools that had more resources and also some of the best teachers. But this didnt deter Eileen. She was determined and focussed. Eileen was the first woman in her family to have a university education and so started her life-long passion for learning, education and teaching. After graduating from the University of Colombo with a BA (English Hons), she joined her beloved Alma Mater as a teacher. We were indeed privileged to have her as our teacher at that time. Apart from being our teacher, Eileen was also a friend and confidante and I remember the great times we all had at school. In 1955, Eileen left the staff of the school after marrying Aloysius de Silva (Aloy), a lawyer from Kurunegala. She lived in Kurunegala with Aloy and raised three daughters: Marie-lyse, Diane & Sandra. Eileen later returned to teaching, this time at Holy Family Kurunegala until she retired at the age of 60! Eileen qualified as a Speech & Drama teacher obtaining a Licentiate and Fellow of the Trinity College of London. Later she set up her own business as a teacher of Speech & Drama in Kurunegala. Eileen moved to Australia in 1998 and quickly adapted to the Australian lifestyle. Eileen loved writing, specially poetry. In 2002, Eileen published a collection of poems called Ripples on a Lake. These poems showed how she loved lifes experiences. Eileen also loved music, drama and singing. She was a proud member of a unique Sri Lankan choir which sang at many venues in Sydney including at the Sydney Opera House. Eileen was a teacher who instilled in us a thirst for knowledge and deep passion for learning. Eileen touched many hearts and minds. I will always remember Eileen with great fondness and as an exceptional teacher and a dear friend; as a woman of great value.She passed away on April 6, 2018. May she Rest in Peace. Mohini Gunasekera (Australia) By Quentin Aries, James McAuley (c) 2018, The Washington Post Jun 01, 2018 - BRUSSELS - The European Union moved ahead Friday with a slew of retaliatory countermeasures in response to the Trump administrations steel and aluminum import tariffs. A day after the United States announced the tariffs would not exempt the E.U., Canada or Mexico, the Brussels-based bloc announced that it would file a complaint with the World Trade Organization. And before the end of June, the E.U. will also impose tariffs targeting certain American imports. Cecilia Malmstrom, the E.U.s trade chief, lamented the failure of last-minute negotiations with her American counterparts but insisted that Europes response would be firm. We have been very clear about the consequences, she said. After President Donald Trump first announced the tariffs in March, the E.U. threatened retaliatory actions. In mid-May, the bloc published a 10-page list of American products facing potential E.U. tariffs, many of them with symbolic meaning, including bourbon, a mainstay of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells home state of Kentucky, and cranberries, which are grown in House Speaker Paul D. Ryans native Wisconsin. Malmstrom said that specific retaliatory measures would be submitted to the World Trade Organization by June 20. The European Union measures will be reasonable, proportionate and in full compliance with WTO rules and obligations, Frederic Mogherini, the E.U.s foreign policy chief, told reporters Friday morning. President Barack Obama was not a war criminal despite US involvement in wars in Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan and against ISIS. His predecessor George W. Bush was. Apart from anything else, his administration tortured captives. Was the former British minister, Tony Blair, the closest ally of Bush also a war criminal? And should he now be prosecuted and tried for war crimes? Did Blair lie over the reason for going to war with Iraq -- the supposed stockpile of weapons of mass destruction that he alleged Iraq possessed? It depends on how you define lie. If you define lie as saying this cat is white when in fact it is black he didnt on the big issues. But what he did do was give the impression the cat was assuredly white when it was in fact a sort of dark greyish-white. As far as the public could tell from what he told them the intelligence services did seem to have the goods on Saddam Husseins weapons of mass destruction. But as a later independent report made by a distinguished judge appointed by the government made clear, the caveats presented to Blair by the intelligence services were left out and the presentation was polished by Blairs office. Parliament and the public were never given the pre-polished version. That he was not prepared to persuade Bush to wait a few more weeks until the evidence of Hans Blix, the chief UN arms inspector, was in the midst of collecting on the ground inside Iraq, was gravely irresponsible. Moreover, sanctions had Saddam boxed in. He was, as was obvious to many outside the White House and Downing Street, able to harm no one outside his country. The UN policing and inspecting, imposed after the first Gulf War, had led to ridding Iraq of all its weapons of mass destruction. The war itself had effectively wiped out Saddams air force, navy and broken the back of his army. Evidence has come to light that Bush, with Blairs knowledge, had given the green light for going to war long before Blix got to work. Blair denied this and covered it up. Blair also lied about the suicide of the governments weapons expert, David Kelly, who shortly after he was ousted in the press as the source claiming the governments public dossier on Iraqs weapons had been sexed up, killed himself. Although an inquiry exonerated Blair for any blame for precipitating the suicide, a BBC interview much later caught Blair lying in a way we could all understand. He told the interviewer: I dont believe we had any option, however, to disclose his name (to the press). Tony Blair must worry day and night that he might be prosecuted. After all it took the Serbian war criminal, Radovan Karadzic, 20 years before he was brought to trial and convicted. He is now serving a 40-year sentence Until that day Blair had always maintained that it was completely untrue that his government had done this. In an article in the Financial Times, Rodric Braithwaite, former UK ambassador to Moscow and later chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee that prepares intelligence for the Prime Minister, wrote Stiff in his opinions, but often in the wrong, Blair has manipulated public opinion, sent our soldiers into distant lands for ill-conceived purposes, misused the intelligence agencies to serve his ends and reduced the Foreign Office to a demoralized cipher because it keeps reminding him of inconvenient facts. Can Blair be prosecuted for war crimes? Iryna Marchuk, an associate professor of law at the University of Copenhagen, who has studied in detail this question, told me that the government-appointed Chilcot inquiry that lasted from 2009 to 2015 did blame the government for the war. However, it did not point a finger at individuals responsible. She, however, adds to the Chilcot conclusion: It was an unnecessary war, thousands were killed and a country almost destroyed and fingers can be pointed. There is enough information, she argues, available for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to start an investigation to see if the court could build a case sufficient to send Blair to trial because of his responsibility for war crimes. Its not going to happen overnight. The ICC is still looking at the evidence. The ICC prosecutor examined the Blair case before but his successor, Ms. Fatou Benouda, in 2014 re-opened the case. Tony Blair must worry day and night that he might be prosecuted. After all it took the Serbian war criminal, Radovan Karadzic, 20 years before he was brought to trial and convicted. He is now serving a 40-year sentence. There are human rights organisations like the European Centre of Human Rights working to collect evidence and to push the ICC prosecutor forward in a case that has great ramifications. It is time overdue and the evidence is compelling that Blair be sent for trial. It was not necessary to launch a war that killed tens of thousands of children, either directly or for want of the previously available medicines and hospitals. The ICC must get on with it. Copyright - Jonathan Power Note: For 17 years, Jonathan Power was a foreign affairs columnist and commentator for the International Herald Tribune/New York Times Mahinda Rajapaksa, therefore, cannot afford to play between Parliamentary and the Presidential Elections Political fact that abolition would make them nonentities in a Parliamentary Election The 20th Amendment to the Constitution is basically a correction to the 19A for Mahinda to gamble with an undecided Parliamentary Election does pose the already fixed 2020 Presidential Election as a hassle They should all fall in line in voting for the 20A Posters adorned city walls last week, saying the 20th Amendment to the Constitution would, Divide the Country. The JVP-initiated the 20th Amendment to the Constitution is basically a correction to the 19A this hybrid Yahapalana Government adopted with JVP also voting for it. A correction in terms of the main and the major pledge made during the 2015 January Presidential Election campaign. Abolishing of the Executive Presidency was the social pledge on which Maduluwave Sobitha Theras Movement for Social Justice originated. It became the rallying point for the vocal activists in Colombo, who wanted a single-issue Common Candidate. Thus the 19A became the consensus on which Maithripala Sirisena was ushered in as the Common Candidate to defeat President Rajapaksa, the UNP hierarchy and the Colombo middle-class believed, was not possible, otherwise. It was evident from day one that the Yahapalana leadership was in no mood to abolish the Executive Presidency as promised, even though President Sirisena, yet again told the nation a few days after his swearing in, that the Presidential Election he contested would be the first and the last Presidential Election he would contest. The 19A made certain the Executive Presidency remained with a few trappings, while Wickremesinghe as the Prime Minister wrote clauses into it, to allow him control over the Government. This has proved a complete flop, with President Sirisena encroaching into everything he believed would make him a full-time President. Yet today, those same urban groups and political leaders seem reluctant to abolish the Executive Presidency. All of them have instead taken over the burden of naming their own choice as the next President in 2020. It is within this mad rush in naming and grooming Presidential Candidates for 2020 that the JVP leadership brought the 20A, expecting all, who backed the Yahapalana Rule to stand by their three and a half-year-old promise. Theoretically yes, they should all fall in line with the JVP in voting for the 20A. In practical Sri Lankan politics, no they will not stand by an old promise, they believe would spoil their scheming to gain power the next time. The new unofficial and undeclared alliance that has therefore emerged in opposing the 20A is more vocal and conspicuous than that which would back it. The curry leaf groups in the Joint Opposition like Wimal Weerawansas and Gammanpilas were initial voices that opposed the 20A when the JVP first announced it would move the 20A to abolish the Executive Presidency. These two claim the abolition of the Executive Presidency would lead to division of the country. It is too old a canard to gulp whole. Starting from Ceylon, Sri Lanka lived without an Executive Presidency for 30 years after Independence but never had this issue of separation due to the absence of an Executive Presidency. It is not the Executive Presidency that would divide Sri Lanka. It is the refusal to respect Tamils and Muslims as equal in citizenry to Sinhala Buddhists and continued denial of their right to equal opportunities within a secular State that would lead to division. These political flunkies have other reasons to oppose the abolition of the Executive Presidency not openly and directly articulated. It is the political fact that abolition of the Presidency would make them nonentities in a Parliamentary Election. In a parliamentary election that comes without an executive presidency, they will not be considered of any worth, in any alliance. Gotabhaya was the Glyphosate that wiped out all minority votes from Mahinda. Can Mahinda, therefore, allow Gotabhaya to supersede his political career as the all-powerful president? In the absence of a Presidency, the Parliamentary Election in the Sinhala South would be dominated by Mahinda Rajapaksa, the UNP and if the SLFP does not get morphed into Mahindas SLPP, then a fractured and limping SLFP led by President Sirisena, with the JVP tagging behind. Unprincipled political loners like Champika Ranawaka would decide at the last minute where they should land themselves, depending on who is likely to form the next Government. In such political context, Mahinda Rajapaksa has now proved he can spearhead a campaign on his own and is confident his SLPP on its own would romp home victorious in the next Parliamentary Election. His show of peoples faith in him at the Galle Face May Day rally and again at the launch of the SLPP in Anuradhapura last year, made him go it alone at the LG elections in February. That LG election campaign had no actual role for these curry leaf politicians. Not even for the JO, which is basically a Parliamentary voice and not one that commands votes outside Parliament? Therefore, for Gammanpila, who now stands accused as a financial rogue in a court case that is being heard and for Weerawansa to be politically valid, they need another Sinhala Buddhist Common Candidate they could campaign for. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, therefore, becomes their choice for the 2020 Presidential Election. It is thus obvious, they have to oppose the 20A. If the 20A goes through Parliament with the necessary 2/3 majority, they would not have a Presidential candidate to keep them politically alive. So will it be for the likes of Champika and even for Gotabhaya and his filthy rich Sinhala Buddhist professionals and businessmen. All these individuals who have no proven vote base, need the Presidency to rake in curry leaves and onions around them and therefore have to oppose the 20A. For the UNP and its leadership, having the Executive Presidency is necessary, but is saddled with the never answered question, can we face it? Present UNP leadership avoided two consecutive Presidential Elections, opting to support Common candidates, purely because they were afraid to contest on their own. It is not the Executive Presidency that would divide Sri Lanka. It is the refusal to respect Tamils and Muslims as equal in citizenry to Sinhala Buddhists and continued denial of their right to equal opportunities within a secular State that would lead to division The National list UNP Samasamajist MP Wickramaratnes argument that the 20A is nothing to be afraid of and that it poses no separatist threat is yet to be officially accepted by the UNP. So, is the dilemma within the Maithripala Sirisena camp. It is for this reason the JVP keeps demanding the President and the PM to publicly say where they stand on the 20A and abolition of the Presidency. For Mahinda too, it is too early to say where he actually stands on the 20A. A month ago, he told media he would consider the 20A if Parliament elections are also tied to the 20A. This meant, if abolishing of the Presidency provides for an early Parliament Election, he could consider supporting it. What makes him hesitant is the fact, he and his family have tasted the power of the Executive Presidency and knows what a delicacy it is, to let go. For Mahinda, therefore, to be PM that would make him sit in Parliament answering questions raised by the Opposition is too much of a responsibility. For that reason, he was pushing for a Parliamentary Election, in a scenario that did not question the role of Presidency. He perhaps was calculating a Parliamentary Election victory with a two-thirds majority could provide him with the opportunity to elevate himself to Presidency with a simple amendment to the Constitution, if the Presidency remains unchallenged. Yet, for Mahinda to gamble with an undecided Parliamentary Election does pose the already fixed 2020 Presidential Election as a hassle. There can be men around him, who would want to know, if they should endorse Gotabhaya for 2020 Presidency, now that Mangala Samaraweera too had conceded Gotabhaya to be a Presidential candidate. For Mahinda during his tenure as all-powerful President, Gotabhaya as Secretary Ministry of Defence was a fatal toxic pollutant, which ran out of his control and authority. Gotabhaya was the Glyphosate that wiped out all minority votes from Mahinda. Can Mahinda, therefore, allow Gotabhaya to supersede his political career as the all-powerful president? As one who for nine years sat as almighty President, Mahinda for sure knows none can be trusted to play proxy for him. Even President Sirisena proves this Executive Presidency does pollute any character once he or she sits on that chair. Except for J.R. Jayewardene and Ranasinghe Premadasa, all others had their closest family members playing with the Presidency, with heavy corruption seeping into the political and State establishments. That makes Vasudevas choice of Chamal Rajapaksa, his classmate at Richmond as the SLPP Presidential Candidate an invalid alternative. Mahinda Rajapaksa, therefore, cannot afford to play between the Parliamentary and the Presidential Elections. He would have to charter his path in forcing a Parliamentary election well ahead of the Presidential Election and before other Presidential candidates overtake him in establishing their candidacies. That also would compel Mahinda Rajapaksa to plan for a two-thirds majority in Parliament if he could win the election to be the next PM. And he would not come empty-handed to just sit as PM for sure. He would come like PM J.R. Jayewardene who came prepared to sit as the all-powerful President, with a quick amendment to the Constitution. Therefore whatever fate befalls Anuras 20A in Parliament, one would have to expect Mahinda Rajapaksa to press his demand for a Parliamentary Election, with the 21A up his sleeves. That would fit in well with the Rajapaksa family too, for no Presidential candidate of whatever the colour, is about the country. Chairman of Lanka Sugar Progressive Workers Union Lalith Sripal joined by workers of Lanka Sugar Ltd expresses views at the Industry and Commerce Ministry Workers of State-owned Lanka Sugar (Private) Limited flocked to Presidents office on 31 on Thursday complaining that after the operation has been swapped to a different Ministry from its parent, it now risks falling back to a loss-making venture that it used to be. Under the Commerce and Industry Ministry, Lanka Sugar turned around with Rs. 1 billion profits in less than a year, noted Chairman of Lanka Sugar Progressive Workers Union (LSPWU) Lalith Sripal. LSPWUs Sripal was from Sevanagala Factory, and was leading a Lanka Sugar worker delegation to the Presidents office that afternoon and was speaking of the demands they submitted to the President. Lanka Sugar (Private) Limited has been removed from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce during the recent Cabinet reshuffle and now placed under a different ministry. We believe this move would ruin Lanka Sugars progress. We believe that later on, Lanka Sugar would be re-transferred to someone else on the pretext of it is a loss-making venture. Lanka Sugar (Private) Limited, a fully government-owned entity has Sevanagala and Pelwatte production units under it. Lanka Sugar was brought under the Ministry of Industry and Commerce in December 2015 from the Plantations Ministry. At the time of this transfer, Lanka Sugar was operating at a huge loss of Rs. 1 billion. LTTE bogey came to a head when the Rajapaksa loyalists accused Sarath Fonseka, being an LTTE agent when challenged Rajapaksa Sri Lankan politicians have a habit to look for a nexus between the ethnic issue and anything under the sun, in order to convince their community The constitutional issues such as the mode of governance are the ones having far-reaching effects on the future of the country as well as its people It is interesting and in a way puzzling to note that the political parties and leaders who agitated to scrap the Executive Presidential system of Governance during the height of the separatist war, are now expressing fear to do so, on the grounds that the country would be divided. The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) group functioning under former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP) led by Dinesh Gunawardane, Wimal Weerawansa and his party men, who were then members of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the group of 16 of the SLFP and many others who are now aligned with the former President were agitating to abolish the Executive Presidency some time back. At the 2005 Presidential Election, these groups supported the candidacy of Mahinda Rajapaksa, whose main pledge was to do away with the Executive Presidential form of governance. It was a time when the entire Vanni, a part of the Jaffna Peninsula and many parts of the Eastern Province were under the control of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the United National Front (UNF) Government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was begging the Tamil rebel group to return to the negotiating table. Even Rajapaksa, who went back on his words to abrogate the previous UNP Governments Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) and the peace process resumed talks with the LTTE, despite the organisation having attempted on the life of his Army Commander the then Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka. Yet, his Government stood for the scrapping of the Executive Presidency, without seeing any danger in doing so. For them, the ethnic issue had then nothing to do with the form of Governance. Soon after Rajapaksa assumed power for the second time in 2010, when there was no longer a separatist war nor a separatist armed group, they tied up the two issues and even now, they remain the same. Most Sri Lankan politicians have made it a habit to look for a nexus between the ethnic issue and anything under the sun, in order to convince especially their community whatever the point they make and to justify any crime they have committed or alleged to have committed. Thus, those soldiers who are accused of harming leading journalists such as Lasantha Wickramatunga, Keith Noyahr and Upali Tennakoon, are war heroes as they had fought against the LTTE, whereas the Army Commander who spearheaded a successful war against the separatists is not. The northern politicians usually do not touch upon an issue that has nothing to do with the ethnic problem. Thus they see everything through the ethnic prism. They criticize their rivals in the region largely for betraying the Tamil and their interests to the Sinhalese and rarely for corruption or something unrelated to ethnicity. Their southern counterparts too, especially those in the Opposition, despite they taking up national issues, always attempt to tie them up with the ethnic issue and accuse their rivals of betraying the Sinhalese and their interests to the Tamils and to the LTTE. Thus, the constitution-making process of the Chandrika Kumaratunga Government between 1994 and 2000 was seen by the United National Party (UNP) as a sellout of the country to the LTTE and the UNP members burnt copies of a draft Constitution within the chamber of the Parliament in 2000. And the same people who were the members of Kumaratungas party then and under Mahinda Rajapaksa now, want to scuttle the Constitution making process of the incumbent UNP-led Government, ridiculously on the same grounds. Their contention is further preposterous in the light of them having participated in the various committees appointed to look into various aspects of the proposed new constitution. This LTTE bogey came to a head when the Rajapaksa loyalists accused Sarath Fonseka, the war-winning Army Commander, who was acclaimed by leaders of the very Rajapaksa regime as the Best Army Commander of the world for being an LTTE agent, when he unsuccessfully challenged Rajapaksa at the 2010 Presidential Election. Soon after Rajapaksa assumed power for the second time in 2010, when there was no longer a separatist war nor a separatist armed group, they tied up the two issues and even now, they remain the same They also branded Maithripala Sirisena as an LTTE agent, when he announced on November 21, 2014, his decision to contest the Presidential Election in 2015 as the Common Candidate of the Opposition parties. The then General Secretary of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Susil Premajayantha in a hurriedly convened media briefing the following day said that the candidacy of Maithripala Sirisena was a result of a conspiracy by foreign powers and separatist forces. One has to understand the stand taken by the Joint Opposition and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) on the 20th Amendment to the Constitution that has been handed over to the Secretary-General of the Parliament by the JVP last week for the abolition of Executive Presidency, against this backdrop. Their argument is that so long as the 13th Amendment to the Constitution that provided for the devolution of power and the institution of Provincial Councils is in force, the scrapping of the Executive Presidency would lead to the division of the country. Apart from their above-mentioned history, where they had taken a diametrically different position, the experience of several other countries stands against their current view. India has successfully crushed secessionist insurgencies in several of her ethnically created States such as Kashmir, Punjab, Assam, Tripura and Mizoram while having a Westminster Style Government in the Centre. The argument can be applied to the United Kingdom as well, where the Government had defeated a long drawn separatist rebellion in Northern Ireland. Malaysia and Australia are two more countries that have had devolved power to the periphery, while not having a Presidential rule in the Centre. Some of those countries have effectively waged wars as well against other countries. (India against Pakistan and Britain against Argentina). On the other hand, it must be recalled that the Opposition parties during the first Executive President J.R. Jayewardenes tenure - the SLFP, LSSP, Communist Party, MEP and JVP - accused him for muddling the ethnic rebellion by way of sending his nephew Brigadier Tissa Weeratunga to the north, mishandling the first major attack by the LTTE at Thirunelveli in Jaffna in July 23, 1983, which triggered countrywide anti-Tamil riots, passage of the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution and mishandling the Thimpu talks. The constitutional issues such as the mode of governance, are the ones having far-reaching effects on the future of the country as well as its people. In some countries, the Governments conduct their affairs on a Constitution brought in hundreds of years ago. But in Sri Lanka, these issues are viewed as tools to grab power or to sustain the already grabbed power. If the Rajapaksa loyalists are to argue that their stance in 2005 or in 2010 on Executive Presidency was taken in the light of the political situation prevailed then, they had then been able to see only about few years into the future. One cannot assure that complete democracy would be heralded once the executive presidency is done away with. But the experience has it that it is not an indispensable tool to handle separatist forces. None of the members of the Joint Opposition had taken cash from the Perpetual Treasuries Limited [PTL], Joint Opposition member and MP Shehan Semasinghe said. Addressing a news conference, he said although several MPs were accused of obtaining from PTL money, no JO member was involved in it. Those who appear to be silent these days are the ones who had obtained money from PTL. We can guarantee that none of the JO members are involved in it. We have no reason to get money from a person who is alleged with series a of allegations Semasinghe said. When the government is not being able to apprehend the mastermind of the bond scam, how they become so brave to reveal the names of those 118 individuals, among whom there are some powerful ministers, Semasinghe added. Meanwhile, MP Indika Anurudda said the country is heading towards anarchy, the government should call for a General Elections immediately. President Maithripala Sirisena himself admitted that he is not satisfied with the government's way forward. He was criticising his own government at the commemoration of Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera's 76th birth anniversary. The government cannot go on in this manner. Therefore, it should call for General Election and hand over the country to a better group of administrators, MP Anurudda said. (Sheain Fernandopulle) U .S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and high-ranking North Korean official Kim Yong Chol enter a second day of meetings in New York on Thursday as they try to settle nuclear weapons disagreements and set the stage for an historic summit between their leaders. The two men left a 90-minute private dinner at a New York apartment on Wednesday night without providing details about their conversation. Another round of talks is due on Thursday. The United States has been demanding that North Korea abandon its nuclear weapons programme amid reports that it is close to being able to launch a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the United States. Pyongyang has long argued that it needed nuclear weapons for its security. There were reports earlier on Wednesday that South Korean officials were noting quite significant differences between the United States and North Korea over denuclearization. The New York meetings follow high-level conversations Pompeo held in North Korea in April and earlier in May and are intended to get negotiations between the two long-time adversaries back on track. U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jung Un had been scheduled to hold an unprecedented summit in Singapore on June 12. Disputes between Washington and Pyongyang led Trump to cancel the meeting, only to see a renewal of diplomatic efforts in recent days. NEW YORK REUTERS May 31 Skilling and improved human resources are crucial in governments economic vision, but Sri Lanka is facing a supply crunch in such skilled personnel. Reports show a low number of students entering into our higher education system and more skilled personnel are essential to move forward governments economic development plans, said Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen addressing a graduation ceremony of private education institution, Amazon College, at BMICH. As the Minister for Industries I have observed that we lack trained professionals and talented youth with high quality education. In a background of the unity government of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe attempting to move Sri Lanka to higher middle income levels by accessing competitive global markets, productivity levels of the country and various economic sectors have gained greater importance. It is well known that improved skills lead to higher productivity and therefore more and more skilled graduates can play a leading role in taking Sri Lanka to higher income levels. Reports show that the number of students entering into our higher education system at 20 percent, and the net higher education enrolment rate, even lower at only 6.6 percent. Therefore a large number of students miss out on higher educational opportunities. One reason for this is the lack of a parallel higher education system and private educational institutions have come to the fore fulfilling this need. Even international agencies call for more skilled human resources to support Sri Lankas way forward. Idah Z. Pswarayi-Riddihough, World Bank County Director for Sri Lanka and Maldives said last year that Sri Lankas aspiration to rise to an Upper Middle Income Country status depends on how skilled and versatile its people are. Sri Lanka wants agreement to be reviewed in 10 years Beijing does not want deal review - Sri Lanka negotiator Colombo rejects Beijings plan for rapid tariff cuts on most trade Ministerial talks over deal havent taken place since March 2017 Lower-level talks make little progress - Sri Lanka negotiator Talks between China and Sri Lanka for a free trade agreement have hit major hurdles, mainly because Beijing doesnt agree to Colombos demand for a review of the deal after 10 years, Sri Lankas top negotiator said. China has invested billions of dollars building ports and roads and power stations in the Indian Ocean island nation just off the southern toe of India as part of its Belt and Road Initiative to increase its trade and other connections across Asia and beyond. But concerns have grown in recent months that such investments can drive the country of 21 million people deeper into debt and undermine its sovereignty, prompting greater scrutiny of deals with China. Chinas exports to Sri Lanka dwarf the trade that goes in the other direction, leaving Colombo with a big deficit with Beijing. Sri Lankas chief trade negotiator K.J. Weerasinghe said this week that Colombo was insisting on a right to review the free trade pact after ten years, but China was not ready to agree to that. Ministerial level discussions about an agreement have not been held since March last year. Lower-level discussions between officials have made little progress, according to Weerasinghe. The talks have come to a standstill. China wants to remove the review clause, Weerasinghe told Reuters. Beijing was opposed to such an option because it wanted longer-term stability, he said. Chinas Commerce Ministry did not respond to Reuters requests for comment. The review clause that Sri Lanka wants would allow it to change some of the deal terms if they were hurting the island nations local businesses. Weerasinghe said another point of contention was that China wanted zero tariffs on 90 percent of the goods the two countries sold to each other as soon as an agreement is signed while Colombo would rather it started with zero tariffs on only half of the products concerned and expanded gradually over 20 years. China has been pushing for free trade pacts with countries in the region and last year sealed an agreement with the Maldives that drew criticism from opposition political groups in the tropical islands nation. They said it had been rushed through parliament with less than an hour of debate. Sri Lanka has previously said it wanted more time to negotiate the free trade deal with China as it is concerned about the economic impact of a rushed deal on its economy. Sri Lanka imported US $4.2 billion worth of Chinese goods in 2016, mostly raw materials for garments, machines and electronics, metals, transport equipment and chemicals. Its exports to the worlds second largest economy were just US $211 million the same year, which included textiles, tea and vegetables, footwear and rubber. The 2017 figures for Chinas trade have still not been released by the Sri Lankan authorities. The trade deficit with China accounted for nearly half of the nations total deficit in 2016, adding pressure on the countrys current account deficit, central bank data showed. Sri Lankas foreign debt rose nearly 17 percent to Rs.4.72 trillion US $30 billion) last year, a fifth of that coming from loans from China to finance the massive construction programme across the island. Colombo is separately negotiating a trade pact with India, but that is also moving slowly because Sri Lankan businesses fear they will face competition from a flood of cheap goods made by Indian firms. (REUTERS) Sri Lanka was showcased in all its splendour at the Shanghai World Travel Fair held at Shanghai Exhibition Centre in China last week. This was the main highlight of a series of promotional events and meetings that were conducted across major cities in China during the course of the past week. Minister of Tourism Development John Amaratunga led the successful promotional drive that covered the key cities of Shanghai, Nanjing & Chengdu in China. Minister Amaratunga held many important meetings with tourism stakeholders in each city. One such meeting was with Chairperson, Shanghai Tourism Administration, Xu Weiwan where important discussions took place with a view to increase outbound traffic to Sri Lanka and improving connectivity from Shanghai to Colombo. Minister Amaratunga invited Chairman Weiwan to visit Sri Lanka along with a delegation of tourism officials and industry experts on a fact finding tour. Minister Amaratunga also visited the largest Online Travel Agency (OTA) in China, C-Trip and had a fruitful discussion with the CEO and top management of the company. The Minister was assured that every effort will be made to encourageindividual travellers to visit Sri Lanka through the C-Trip platform.ted across major cities in China during the course of the past week. Minister of Tourism Development John Amaratunga led the successful promotional drive that covered the key cities of Shanghai, Nanjing & Chengdu in China. Minister Amaratunga held many important meetings with tourism stakeholders in each city. One such meeting was with Chairperson, Shanghai Tourism Administration, Xu Weiwan where important discussions took place with a view to increase outbound traffic to Sri Lanka and improving connectivity from Shanghai to Colombo. Minister Amaratunga invited Chairman Weiwan to visit Sri Lanka along with a delegation of tourism officials and industry experts on a fact finding tour. Minister Amaratunga also visited the largest Online Travel Agency (OTA) in China, C-Trip and had a fruitful discussion with the CEO and top management of the company. The Minister was assured that every effort will be made to encourageindividual travellers to visit Sri Lanka through the C-Trip platform. In Nanjing the Minister had an opportunity to visit the second biggest OTA in China, Tuniu and engaged in discussions with the top management to enhance the volume of individual travellersto Sri Lanka. In Chengdu the Minister and his delegation participated at the Sri Lanka Tourism Product Promotion Forum which was organized by a leading DMC in association with the SichuanTourismAdministration. Following the event Minister Amaratunga was interview by a leading media institution on the tourism potential in Sri Lanka. The Minister also visited Sichuan Airlinesheadquarters andengaged in discussions with the CEO and top management.Sichuan Airlines is currently in the process of commencing direct flight operations between Chongqing and Colombo. The airline management requested the Minister to facilitate ground handling and other arrangements. The Sri Lanka delegation consisted of Minister John Amaratunga, Senior Advisor to the Minister, Felix Rodrigo, Director SLTPB, Chinthaka Liyanarachchi, and Sri Lanka Consul General in Shanghai, Lakshitha Ratnayake. When you see some evil you proceed to immediate action, you make an immediate attack to cure the symptom. ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe In the Third World people go into government to enrich themselves. When patriotism and service have been sacrificed for bottomless appetite for personal avarice and indulgences, loyalty within the power bubble counts immeasurably. The Rajapaksa government managed to elevate that loyalty to a new level; a level that was beyond the average wage earner and self-employed vendor, the gram seller or coconut plucker. They attracted to their political abode partners, who were equal not only in that society-gutting greed and natural magnetism towards self-enrichment, who were hell-bent on destroying accepted norms and traditional human values. For them human life is of no greater value than the quick buck they could make by circumventing the so-called Administrative and Financial regulations (AR & FR) of public service. When AR and FR began its downward ride, Presidential decrees became the rule of law in the country. The Governor of the Central Bank became a mere pawn in the grand chessboard of a nasty political dynamic. Secretaries to President and the Ministry of Finance were executioners of devious acts of financial fraud. The siblings of the President became more powerful than senior ministers. There is no more evidence necessary than the current President who was a senior minister in that Cabinet until he said enough is enough, just before the presidential elections in 2015. Those senior minsters had to be satisfied with the bare bones while the meat, flesh and blood, including the marrow was sucked out by the First Family. It was against such a backdrop that the presidential election was held in January, 2015. The UNP, whose economic policies and principles are based on capitalism and the SLFP which advocates at every corner of the country a society that has to share its poverty instead of wealth were bound to clash when the time came. That time has come But a more profound tragedy occurred after the presidential elections. The platform that was so strongly built as a counter to the many misdeeds and criminal activities such as the slaying of Lasantha Wickramatunga, the then editor of the Sunday Leader newspaper and disappearance of another journalist, Prageeth Eknaligoda, could not withstand the stormy waves of the vicious propaganda of the joint opposition (JO). Not holding parliamentary elections immediately after the presidential elections in 2015 came to haunt the current Administration, as is seen today. That blame is held against Maithripala Sirisena, the new President. His ambition to salvage the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) instead of looking after those who elected him, the Northern and Estate Tamils, Muslims all over the country and the United National Party (UNP), the traditional rival of the SLFP, overshadowed the real purpose of the election. Two strategic blunders were committed not only by Mahinda Rajapaksa opting out of the leadership of the SLFP, and Maithripala Sirisena too, by betraying his voters and embracing the SLFP which he left to become the Common Candidate against the Rajapaksas. Had Mahinda Rajapaksa chosen not to withdraw from the leadership of the SLFP, he would not have had to grapple with the current impasse the SLFP is in. He would have been the undisputed King of his party and would have been a much more formidable threat to the current government. Had Sirisena chosen to stick with the common platform (Northern and Estate Tamils, Muslim conglomeration and the UNP), instead of choosing to salvage his former SLFP, he would not have had this disunited Unity Government and maybe, just maybe, the UNP would have had to choose him again as the next Candidate for the forthcoming presidential election. This double-jeopardy committed by the double - Ms, Mahinda and Maithripala, took its unkind toll. The wisdom of this inept and disparate double-move will be the subject talked about by many a social scientist and historian yet to come. But we, as contemporaneous writers, can indulge in the analysis of such a foolhardy strategy hugged by our leaders. The people at large are paying a very high price for a commodity that is rotten and soiled to the core. The momentum of defeating the spoiled brats of power, the Rajapaksas, is lost. The loss of momentum has in turn engendered a lackadaisical approach to the countrys financial woes created by the Rajapaksas. Instead of a UNP cabinet led by a UNP Prime Minister and a common President, Sri Lanka is being led by a UNP cum SLFP Cabinet headed by a clumsy duo of party leaders whose primary goal is safeguarding their own self-interests. The UNP, whose economic policies and principles are based on capitalism and the SLFP which advocates at every corner of the country a society that has to share its poverty instead of wealth were bound to clash when the time came. That time has come. The basic clash between the two philosophies which are diametrically opposed to each other has produced the current gridlock. The birth of crony capitalism which occurred somewhere in the mid nineteen-nineties (1990s) has come of age from its pangs. That vicious subtext of capitalism has continued its meandering journey triggering unforgiving circumstances turning the politically pious into a venomous creed of political scavengers. Their prey is the national coffers and an ill-fated people whose susceptibilities are beyond repair. This session of predator-prey game has been in play for the last twenty five years. Thats a long time for any cultural pattern to set in. The prey gets used to its being used by the predator to unimaginable extents, until the prey gets intensely enveloped in the web, hardly noticing that its very survival becomes dependent upon lengths to which the prey gets consumed by its own blood. This morbid survival game has been continuing unhindered, without the knowledge either of the predator or the prey. We have reached the depths of that existence. The cynical politician has realized that stark truth. His willful participation in the deception of the voter is exponentially expanding. The politician and the voter, one feeding on the other, have bonded together, forming a bizarre relationship to sustain a self-destructive dynamic whose irreversible passage doesnt look all that unrealistic. People at large dont seem to have either the time or the willingness to sort this curious collection of social energies out by themselves. So they look to the politicians whose wicked activities have clouded the whole issue of corruption, nepotism and wanton killings and disappearances of political opponents. In the Third World people go into government to enrich themselves. When patriotism and service have been sacrificed for bottomless appetite for personal avarice and indulgences, loyalty within the power bubble counts immeasurably The deliberate attempts and carefully crafted propaganda gimmicks engineered by the Rajapaksas and his henchmen have taken a full toll of Sri Lankan mindset. As an unintended and collateral damage of these shocking schemes are our culture and traditions. These traditions and values have taken a blast from the Rajapaksa-led regime. A society that was being gradually swallowed by the jaws of Capitalisms ill-effects strode more vigorously during the Rajapaksa-rule. They calculated that the war-victory against Prabhakaran and other Tamil militants gave them an open licence to kill and rape the country they thought they saved. But this writers grievance is this: when elected to power on an unambiguous platform of undoing the Rajapaksa-rule, instead of undoing those society-destroying acts immediately, they adopted a more slow process of systematic handling. Systematic handling is another phrase for not handling. Period. Ranil Wickremesinghe, if he still frits with the idea of winning at a presidential election, has one chance and one chance only. He has to go after the corrupt Rajapaksas and bring them before justice. Not tomorrow or day after, but yesterday! He doesnt have time, maybe six months. With the dawn of the next year, the country will be on a campaign-roll. At the beginning of 2019, the people will be beginning to form their opinions on the forthcoming presidential election due within 12 to 13 months thereon. His covert attempt at driving a telling wedge in the SLFP has fallen flat. President Sirisenas share in the SLFP seems to be less than a pathetic 5%! The rest is with Mahinda Rajapaksa and his gang and that was well articulated in the 2015 Presidential Election itself, which was later reconfirmed at the recently concluded local government elections. Therefore, in the context of the failure of this master strategy to divide the SLFP in the middle, Ranil Wickremesinghes space for further manoeuvrering has shrunk. If he wishes to nominate himself as the next UNP candidate for President in 2020, Ranil has to move fast. The recent Band-Aid solutions introduced into the UNP structure do not mean anything unless and until the fundamental issue of prosecuting the Rajapaksas for their alleged felonies is settled. If, however, Ranil Wickremesinghe decides to introduce another candidate other than himself for the 2020 presidential elections, either Navin Dissanayake or Sajith Premadasa, the prognosis will be certainly different. A new face, for that matter, a much younger one than anyone else in the field now, would attract a lot of attention provided a correct branding and campaign plan is executed. The writer can be contacted at vishwamithra1984@gmail.com Oops....! We couldn't find that... 404 error Unfortunately the page you were looking for could not be found. It may be temporarily unavailable, moved or no longer exist. Check the URL you entered for any mistakes and try again. Alternatively, search for whatever is missing or take a look around the rest of our site. This item is available in full to subscribers. Attention subscribers We have recently launched a new and improved website. To continue reading, you will need to either log into your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription. If you are a digital subscriber with an active subscription, then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you've not yet logged in to your account on this new site. If you are a current print subscriber, you can set up a free website account by clicking here. Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing. By Michelle Horton 23 May 2018 (Stanford University) Failing to meet climate mitigation goals laid out in the U.N. Paris Agreement could cost the global economy tens of trillions of dollars over the next century, according to new Stanford research. The study, published 23 May 2018 in Nature, is one of the first to quantify the economic benefits of limiting global warming to levels set in the accord.The agreement commits 195 countries to the goal of holding this centurys average temperature to 2 degrees Celsius above levels in the pre-industrial era. It also includes an aspirational goal of pursuing an even more stringent target of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees. To date, the economic benefits of achieving these temperature targets have not been well understood.Over the past century we have already experienced a 1-degree increase in global temperature, so achieving the ambitious targets laid out in the Paris Agreement will not be easy or cheap. We need a clear understanding of how much economic benefit were going to get from meeting these different targets, said Marshall Burke, assistant professor of Earth system science in the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences and lead author of the study.To develop this understanding, a team of Stanford researchers studied how economic performance over the past half-century correlated with changes in temperature around the world. Then, using climate model projections of how temperatures could change in the future, they calculated how overall economic output is likely to change as temperatures warm to different levels.The researchers found a large majority of countries containing close to 90 percent of the worlds population benefit economically from limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees instead of 2 degrees. This includes the United States, China, and Japan the three largest economies in the world. It is also true in some of the worlds poorest regions, where even small reductions in future warming generate a notable increase in per capita gross domestic product.The countries likely to benefit the most are already relatively hot today, said Burke. The historical record tells us that additional warming will be very harmful to these countries economies, and so even small reductions in future warming could have large benefits for most countries.The projected costs from higher temperatures come from factors such as increases in spending to deal with extreme events, lower agricultural productivity and worse health, the scientists said.Previous research has shown that the actual climate commitments each country has made as part of the Paris Agreement add up to close to 3 degrees of global warming, instead of the 1.52 degrees warming goals.Given this discrepancy, the researchers also calculated the economic consequences of countries meeting their individual Paris commitments, but failing to meet the overall global warming goals of 1.52 degrees. They found that failing to achieve the 1.52 degrees goals is likely to substantially reduce global economic growth.It is clear from our analysis that achieving the more ambitious Paris goals is highly likely to benefit most countries and the global economy overall by avoiding more severe economic damages, said Noah Diffenbaugh, professor of Earth system science and paper co-author.The authors note the study may underestimate the total costs of higher levels of global warming. Thats especially true if catastrophic changes such as rapid melting of the ice on Greenland or Antarctica come to pass, or if extreme weather events such as heatwaves and floods intensify well beyond the range seen in historical observations. A recent study by Diffenbaugh and his colleagues showed that even with reduced levels of global warming, unprecedented extreme events are likely to become more prevalent.The new research helps shed light on the overall economic value of the Paris Agreement, as well as on the Trump administrations decision to withdraw the U.S. from the accord because of concerns that it is too costly to the U.S. economy. The researchers calculated that the overall global benefits of keeping future temperature increases to 1.5 degrees are likely in the tens of trillions of dollars, with substantial likely benefits in the U.S. as well. They note that these benefits are more than 30 times greater than the most recent estimates of what it will cost to achieve the more ambitious 1.5 degrees goal.For most countries in the world, including the U.S., we find strong evidence that the benefits of achieving the ambitious Paris targets are likely to vastly outweigh the costs, said Burke. Contact Save my User ID and Password Some subscribers prefer to save their log-in information so they do not have to enter their User ID and Password each time they visit the site. To activate this function, check the 'Save my User ID and Password' box in the log-in section. This will save the password on the computer you're using to access the site. Note: If you choose to use the log-out feature, you will lose your saved information. This means you will be required to log-in the next time you visit our site. Subscriber content preview NEW YORK (AP) U.S. stocks skidded Thursday after the Trump administration said it is imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum imported from Europe, Canada and Mexico. Canada and Mexico responded with tariffs of their own, and the European Union is expected to follow suit. American steel makers mostly rose, while industrial companies fell as they face the prospect of paying more for metals they use to make aircraft and machinery. Companies that make household items took some of the worst losses, as products including orange juice and peanut butter might be hit with European tariffs. . . . ?? Comunicado sobre la situacion en Nicaragua https://t.co/iNtCWtq37b pic.twitter.com/3LJFUfG9db "This award recognizes the efforts undertaken by Peru to attract Chinese visitors ," Mincetur noted. Deemed as the most important tourism fair in Shanghai, the SWTF gathered representatives of travel agencies, airlines, hotels, and other tourist enterprises from over 53 nations. "Peru can be a multi-destination option for Asian travelers, mainly for those from China," OCEX Shanghai Trade Advisor Vladimir Kocerha pointed out. Chinese visitors China has become Asia's second-largest source of tourists to Peru , after Japan (over 50,000 people a year). 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Agriculture ministry spokesman Abdel Dayim said the wheat shipment, sold to state grain buyer GASC, contained 0.06% ergot, which is above the 0.05% limit permitted under Egypt's state tender rules. The exporter of the concerned shipment had petitioned to re-test the cargo, but Egypt's agriculture quarantine authority rejected the request, Dayim said, according to Reuters. A company source cited by the news agency said it was still pushing the quarantine authority to re-test the cargo, at the same time insisting that their wheat was clean and "fully corresponds to tender specifications". The source added that the wheat shipment was confirmed by all official entities and the inspection company at loading. With this turn of events, the North African nation is expected to turn to the US for wheat supplies. On 1 June Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan sent a congratulatory address in connection with the 30th anniversary of the Artsakh TV. June 1, 2018, 09:56 Artsakh President congratulates Artsakh TV in connection with its 30th anniversary STEPANAKERT, JUNE 1, ARTSAKHPRESS:The address runs as follows: Dear officers of the Artsakh TV, I extend my most heartfelt congratulations to all of you on the 30th anniversary of the Artsakh TV. This is an important event in the life of our republic. The Artsakh TV is the coeval of our national-liberation movement. It was founded in 1988, the awakening period of the Armenian national spirit, our struggle to lead a free and independent life in the native land, master our own destiny for the sake of patriotic upbringing of the generations to come, their bright and secure future. The Artsakh TV played a unique role in this process. 327 | October 8, 2021 17:13 About 100 people killed by explosion in mosque in northern Afghanistan 326 | October 8, 2021 17:16 Lavrov points to seven years of lost opportunities in Russia-EU relations 306 | October 9, 2021 11:19 Reconstruction of houses damaged due to the war continues in the communities of Martuni region 288 | October 8, 2021 16:25 Servants, followers of Armenian Church must have unrestricted access to Shushis Ghazanchetsots Church MFA 278 | October 9, 2021 11:02 Hadrut and Shushi Art Schools Held Concert for the Staff of Armenian Relief Society Trump wants to ban German luxury cars Donald Trump has threatened to pursue German carmakers until there are no Mercedes-Benz rolling down New Yorks Fifth Avenue dented shares in the luxury car manufacturers on Thursday. President Trump had told French President Emmanuel Macron last month he would block German luxury carmakers from the US market. Citing several unnamed European and US diplomats, the magazine reported that Trump told Macron in April he would stick to his trade policy so with the aim of preventing Mercedes-Benz models from rolling down Fifth Avenue in New York. "VEHICLE IMPORTS HAD DAMAGED US AUTO INDUSTRY" Earlier this month, the Trump administration opened a trade investigation into whether vehicle imports had damaged the US auto industry. That could lead to tariffs of up to 25 percent on the same national security grounds used to impose U.S. steel and aluminum duties in March. Imposing such a tariff would destroy the business case for German carmakers to import into the United States, and cause a burden of 4.5 billion euros for German premium manufacturers, analysts at Evercore ISI said in a note last week. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has appeared on German state broadcaster Deutsche Welle for a combative interview in English, giving European viewers a taste of a political narrative, Ahval reports. June 1, 2018, 11:51 Turkish FM battles interviewer on German TV STEPANAKERT, JUNE 1, ARTSAKHPRESS:Conflict Zone, The DW programme that Cavusoglu appeared on, is known for putting hard-hitting and uncompromising questions to guests; this time, however, it was the Turkish foreign minister who set the tone of the interview, interrupting veteran journalist Tim Sebastians questions, hectoring the host and deflecting difficult questions by appealing to a victim narrative. You think that whatever the European Union says is right and whatever we say is wrong, said Cavusoglu towards the start of the interview as Sebastian attempted to quiz him on Turkeys deteriorating relations with its European neighbours. This is your problem: You think that you are the boss, you are the first-class nations, Turkey is the second-class country. It is not hypocrisy, it is your hypocrisy, said Cavusoglu in an angry response to Sebastians accusation of double standards after the Turkish foreign minister complained that European countries had violated democratic standards. As the pair continued to discuss the worsening relations between Turkey and many of its European neighbours, a careless phrase from Sebastian allowed space for one of Cavusoglus barbs to hit home. Of course, we question the European side but you dont represent Europe, said Sebastian. I dont represent Europe? I am a founding member of the Council of Europe, my friend We are not outsiders, we are part of Europe if you like it or not, Cavusoglu responded. Hi, I have Lupus since 13 years ago. I am moving to Canada and will be living in Quebec, i was told that the temperature drops to -25 for about 6 months.the lupus i have flares up in winter only, the coldest i have been is about -3 in Madrid and i managed it by wearing thick gloves and scarves. But i have never been at -25.could someone with same illness give me your feedback living there? have you noticed if it gets worst with those extreme temperatures? Marcus Ericsson believes Sauber must approach each race with the mindset of a true mid-field contender and the ambition to score points. The Swiss outfit's level of performance has undeniably improved this season following the team's financial and management restructuring which took place last year, and the strengthening of its technical ties with Ferrari. Ericsson scored a top-ten finish in Bahrain for the first time since 2015 while rookie Charles Leclerc delivered a strong sixth-place finish to the team in Baku and another point in Spain. The Swedish driver says the team's progress and results have boosted his mental approach, and insists Sauber's own mindset must follow suit. "In Barcelona everyone was saying oh this track shouldnt suit us and within the team everyone was thinking yeah its going to be tough," said Ericsson. "And I said look guys we cannot go into the weekend thinking that, I think we can be here and mix it up, that was my feeling going to Barcelona. "Then coming [to Monaco] before the weekend started, we knew this track could be difficult for us but I said we should be in the mix, were in the midfield now, we score points on a quite regular basis. "We need to have that mindset as well as if we have the mindset of oh this will be a difficult track for us, it doesnt work like that." Confidence and motivation are a team's allies contends the Swede, and should permeate throughout the squad. "We need to go into the weekend with confidence that we can be in the fight and thats how we should go forwards into every weekend. "I will go into every weekend now and have the aim to score points and get to Q2 and thats how we need to work as a team I think." Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter Renault will travel to Montreal with an ungraded engine in its bags but the manufacturer has yet to decide who among its works drivers and customer teams gets the new unit. Both Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo and McLaren's Stoffel Vandoorne are on the penalty bubble following engine element failures earlier this year, while Fernando Alonso and Renault works drivers Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg still have a one-element margin before a grid drop kicks in. "We have a new spec engine," Renault Sport F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul told Motorsport.com. "We have yet to confirm the introduction, because the mileage is not the same across all cars, so we will see where and when exactly we will introduce that new spec. "I think we have six engines available, subject to the last event on procurement in the supply chain. "That's the plan, but not sure it's actually the best to introduce it in all six cars, in particular Red Bull. "We need to look into that. We always work in partnership with teams, trying to do the best for the overall season result." Abiteboul said the new-spec unit's gains will be marginal, slightly boosted by an updated internal combustion engine. "It's a small gain in power, although we know we won't be the only one," said the Renault Sport F1 boss. "It's mainly in the ICE that we can expect more power. This has to be the focus, and it will be the focus for all of this year, and maybe next year." Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter Farmers and agricultural stakeholders can find out more about opportunities to generate energy from farm business waste to provide a new income stream or reduce running costs, and help regional communities to solve waste issues. Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development research officer Kim Brooksbank will deliver a presentation on the future of bioenergy at the Critical Horizons energy futures conference to be held in Collie on 7-8 June. The conference will focus on the future of energy production and storage plus global trends that could be relevant for regional areas of Western Australia. Dr Brooksbank said there was burgeoning interest in the use of agricultural biomass, or secondary agricultural products such as straw, animal manure and vegetable waste, to make biofuel or biogas. While secondary agricultural products may have a higher value when used to improve soil to help regenerate farmland, where that isnt feasible, bioenergy could represent the best value use of the products, Dr Brooksbank said. Bioenergy provides a market for agricultural products that are already grown, is a carbon neutral energy source, and is a baseload power source that provides stable and renewable energy systems. Farmers currently produce about 10 million tonnes of straw, which is considered waste, across the Grainbelt each year. Thats enough to provide a third of the electricity used in WA or, if it was made into ethanol, more than enough fuel to replace all the unleaded petrol used in WA. If we seize bioenergy opportunities now, there could soon be an explosion of new industries being created out of materials that we recently considered to be waste. Dr Brooksbank has mapped the biomass available for use in WA as part of a national mapping project funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. Industry pre-feasibility work on WA locations where bioenergy makes the most sense is underway, based on the knowledge gained from this mapping exercise, he said. The work will lead to a prospectus of opportunities that will be presented to industry. Bioenergy installations already up and running as a result of the work include changing steam generation from gas powered to biomass powered at two abattoirs, and the building of a biodigester at a piggery near Kojonup that will provide all the businesss power needs from pig waste, he said. The Critical Horizons Powering the Future of WA conference, which is organised by the South West Development Commission, will be held in Collie on 7-8 June. There will be a full day conference on Friday June 8, following a welcome function on Thursday June 7. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to the website at criticalhorizons.com.au The Port Access Code applies to access to ports operated by GrainCorp, Viterra and CBH, the nations big three in terms of grain bulk handling and the owners of the vast majority of the countrys grain exporting ports. The ACCC has made some strong recommendations to the department, including widening the code to apply to all grain exports and the implementation of baseline regulatory requirements for access to upcountry networks. The ACCC response is in line with grower views. Grain Producers Australia chairman Andrew Weidemann said it was good to see the ACCC involved in issues such as port access. You would have to say it is a reflection of the decision of the government to appoint a specialist agricultural commission to the ACCC, Mr Weidemann said. Reading through their submission it appears they get a lot of the issues surrounding port access and what we are looking to achieve. ACCC agricultural commissioner Mick Keogh said his organisation felt the advent of significant on-farm storage capacity was not enough to be deemed a substitute to the bulk handlers upcountry networks. Mr Keogh said the changing landscape of the Australian grains industry meant more grain types needed to be covered under the port access code. Weve seen the explosion of pulse exports in recent years, canola and barley are also massive export crops, he said. Mr Keogh said the ACCC felt the grain industry needed a separate code. There has been talk that port access could be governed under Section 46, the broader competition and consumer act, but to deal with the specifics of the grains industry in a timely manner we feel the port access code is required, he said. The bulk handlers have also weighed into the debate with GrainCorp slamming the ACCCs view. It would be a significant backward step if the ACCCs recommendations were adopted, said GrainCorp corporate affairs director Angus Trigg. There has been hundreds of millions of dollars of investment in port facilities but further regulation would effectively freeze further investment, he said. Mr Trigg also said on the east coast, where GrainCorp operated, there was significant competition, both upcountry and at port. Viterra said it wanted the code to be applied to all port terminal operators equally. ONE of the European premier consumers of Merino fibre is leading the way for greater transparency along the wool supply chain with its soon-to-be launched integrity code Authentico. And the news is good for Australian growers, particularly in relation to mulesing. Wool buyer, exporter and topmaker, family-owned G Schneider Group (GSG), which annually processes about 20 million kilograms of wool, has taken the initiative to leverage off its 96 years in the industry to create a simple and standardised code of practice. Company co-principal Giovanni Schneider said the move was prompted by greater demand from GSGs clients about where and how the wool they were buying was produced and handled, including traceability, sustainability, animal welfare and environmental factors. There are so many different protocols and processes in place, it is very complicated to give them accurate feedback, Mr Schneider said. Authentico seeks to standardise this into one system and from a grower point of view we believe much of it is what growers are already doing. With regard to mulesing we accept this is something many farmers have to do and that it cant be stopped overnight. So we are requiring that if you have to mules then do it in the best possible way and that is by using at a minimum pre-operative anaesthetic as pain relief, which you will declare as part of your registration. But this is also about changing industry mindset and it should be understood more and more clients are demanding unmulesed wool. We are asking growers to exhibit best practice at their end of the chain but we will also engage in best practise and greater transparency for our part on things such as transportation, carbon dioxide emissions, water and energy usage and chemical inputs. The Authentico code of practice addresses six main pillars; p national wool declaration the AWEX national wool declaration to be completed for all clips including mulesing status and use of pain relief; p animal welfare compliance to the five freedoms relating to animal welfare as outlined by the RSPCA; p human resources and employee rights compliance to Australian government Fair Work Commission guidelines; p workplace health and safety abidance with Australian State and Territory laws; p quality assurance use of AWEX registered woolclasser and AWEX code of practice for clip preparation; p environmental care opportunity to list any environmental schemes such as landcare, conservation, soil or vegetation the property is associated with. Mr Schneider said growers could continue to sell their wool through their normal channels, either by auction or direct treaty. The benefits of being registered with Authentico included being connected directly to the wool supply chain with the ability to build partnerships and promote individual or branded wool growing stories, exposure to more clients for increased competition and potentially better returns and greater access to information. For instance we have been collecting information on every bale sold for the past 20 years which gives some valuable historical data, Mr Schneider said. Authentico is being trialled with a group of growers in Australia and will be rolled out across the board, including to other countries such as New Zealand, Argentina and Mongolia and incorporating other natural fibres throughout the year. North east New South Wales woolgrower and co-principal of the family owned Nerstane stud, which runs about 10,000 stud and commercial Merinos, Hamish McLaren, Woolbrook, was one of the first to join the pilot scheme. Mr McLaren said signing off on animal welfare and other on-farm practices was valuable in being able to show those along the wool chain like topmakers, spinners and retailers they were doing everything to run their sheep and their enterprise in the best possible manner. We are in this for the long term, we care for our sheep so this just makes good sense and much of it we were already doing anyway, Mr McLaren said. He said they trialled both pre-operative anaesthetic options, gum paste and injection last year. We preferred the injection but Ive heard people needling for OJD are keener on the gum paste so as to only have one needle at the lambmarking cradle, he said. When we cut ourselves or require an operation our doctors and dentists use anaesthetic on us so why wouldnt we do the same for our sheep? I commend Schneider on taking the initiative on this and hope others follow suit. Anything that gives a point of difference has to be of benefit to us as woolgrowers in the long-term. Mr McLaren said wool had a great story, being such a unique fibre and totally biodegradable, not like inferior man-made products. Mirani Pty Ltd co-principal Hugh Nivison, whose family runs 6500 Merino sheep at Walcha in northern NSW, was another applauding GSGs initiative. This creates buy-in and partnerships along the chain and recognises that we as growers are doing the best by our animals, our people and our land, Mr Nivison said. Wool is ethical, sustainable, renewable and green and this allows us to tell our story right through the process and hopefully builds greater cohesiveness between the various sectors. I am a fifth-generation woolgrower and I would hope initiatives such as this will help ensure we have another five generations of wool growing at Mirani. 2020 was a year marked by hardships and challenges, but the Fauquier community has proven resilient. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you for your continued support, wed like to offer all our subscribers -- new or returning -- 4 WEEKS FREE DIGITAL AND PRINT ACCESS. We understand the importance of working to keep our community strong and connected. As we move forward together into 2021, it will take commitment, communication, creativity, and a strong connection with those who are most affected by the stories we cover. We are dedicated to providing the reliable, local journalism you have come to expect. We are committed to serving you with renewed energy and growing resources. Let the Fauquier Times be your community companion throughout 2021, and for many years to come. On the sidewalk outside our Airbnb at Prinz Eugen Strasse 18, theres a bronze plaque. It says, Here lived Maria von Newlinski (born May 13, 1869) until April 28, 1944 when she was deported to Theresienstadt and died on January 21, 1945. The bronze plaque is one of 67,000 stolpersteine or stumbling stones in Europe. Its part of a memorial project started in 1992 by German artist Gunter Demnig, and is still ongoing. The stolpersteine commemorate Jewish and sometimes other victims of the Holocaust. The plaques are usually embedded in the sidewalks in front of a victims last known home, before their arrest by the Nazis. In Vienna, about 1,000 stolpersteine have been laid so far. The Nazis deported 65,000 Jews from the city between 1938 and 1945. Most died in the concentration camps. According to the stolperstein outside our Airbnb, Maria von Newlinski was 74 when the Nazis arrested her and sent her to Theresienstadt. She survived eight months. Maria was one of the 15,000 Austrian Jews the Nazis deported to Theresienstadt, in German-occupied Czechoslovakia. It was a deadly place hunger and disease, and a typhus epidemic that started in 1944. Most of the six million victims of the Holocaust disappeared without a trace. There are no cemeteries for them, or headstones. The stolpersteine now serve as grave markers for some. A type of homecoming, the organizers say. When new stolpersteine are laid, family members sometimes come. Some are themselves Holocaust survivors. At a stolperstein installation ceremony for his parents in Vienna last month, Paul Spielmann was there. He said he was born in Vienna and is now 86 years old. He was an only child. His grandparents and mother were killed in Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1943. His father died in 1945 at the Buchenwald concentration camp. Spielmann himself, barely a teenager, was alone in Gunskirchen, a subcamp of Mauthausen in Austria. Basically, it was the last death station, he said. I was malnourished, apathetic to my fate, and near the end of my days. On May 5th [1945], the miracle happened, he said. We saw SS people guarding the camp panicking, and we heard canons and firearms coming closer. We thought they had come to kill all of us. To our astonishment, an American armored unit appeared, which tore down the fences of the camp. Spielmann said, Today I am the proud father of seven children, 18 grandchildren and four great grandchildren. In them I see my personal victory over the Nazi monster. Theres more about the stolpersteine project here. _____ Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog. The Prime Ministers of the CIS states have signed a package of documents based on the results of the Dushanbe session of the heads of government. June 1, 2018, 14:08 PMs of CIS states sign package of documents in Dushanbe, Tajikistan STEPANAKERT, JUNE 1, ARTSAKHPRESS:The package of documents relates to expanding the mutual cooperation in economy, innovation activity, nature protection and medical fields, TASS reports. Armenia is represented by First Deputy Prime Minister Ararat Mirozyan at the session. During the session the cooperation concept in the fields of energy innovation, leading energy technologies development and the action plan of its implementation were approved. A number of other decisions were also adopted at the session. The next session of the Council of heads of CIS government will be held in Astana, Kazakhstan in November. Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category Cast, a New Yorkbased provider of software intelligence solutions, raised $12m in funding. Backers included DevFactory, CM-CIC Investment, Keren Finance and the Boston Consulting Group. The company intends to use the funds to invest in partnerships with global leaders in technology consulting and services while accelerating its recruitment of top-level talent in North America, India, Germany and China. Founded in 1990, Cast provides CAST Highlight, a SaaS-based application portfolio analysis solution and an Application Intelligence Platform (AIP), a software intelligence platform. Customers include Wells Fargo, J. Hancock, Bank Sabadell, Findomestic Banca, General Electric, Fiserv and Microsoft for Saint-Gobain while partners include major consulting firms like the Boston Consulting Group and McKinsey, global systems integrators like Cognizant, IBM and Accenture, and OEM partners such as MEGA International and high-energy, highly-skilled consulting firms specializing in system architecture, cloud migration and application security. The company operates globally with offices in North America, Europe, India and China. FinSMEs 01/06/2018 Zaaz, a US manufacturer of an oscillation vibration exercise machine, secured a seven-figure funding commitment from Decathlon Capital Partners. The amount of the deal was not disclosed. The company intends to use the capital to support growth plans, including market expansion and lining up new international distribution partnerships. Led by founder and CEO Ian Cruickshank, Zaaz designs and manufactures exercise equipment utilizing motion therapy technology. Currently, the companys companys patented, FDA-listed exercise machines are sold exclusively at Costco locations in the United States. FinSMEs 01/06/2018 Several projects are planned, including the reopening of a church on the outskirts of the French capital and the restoration of an abbey near Lourdes. In his meeting with Macron, the prelate discussed current political issues, ranging from the Syrian refugee crisis to the preservation of the Christian presence in the Middle East. Paris (AsiaNews) Under the impulse of love and truth, the official three-day visit to France of the Maronite Patriarch, Card Beshara al-Rahi, represented a real "spring" for French Christians. This renewed vitality in pastoral care and evangelisation in an increasingly secularised West was marked by the reopening of a long disused church and the start of new cultural and social projects. Amid the official events, including the first face to face meeting with French President Emmanuel Marcon, and the visit to the Maronite communities, the cardinal inaugurated some of the most important projects that will animate the future of the local Maronite Church. This included the reopening of the Church of the Most Holy Saviour in Issy-les-Moulineaux, on the outskirts of Paris, and the establishment of a Maronite community near Lourdes. After years of neglect, the church of the Most Holy Saviour is now used once a week for Mass and is at the centre of a broader initiative aimed at setting up a trilingual school under the direction of the College of Our Lady of Jamhour (Beirut). This reflects the image of civilisations encounter envisaged by John Paul II in his encyclical "Orientale lumen", which stressed the meeting between the Churches of the East and the West. The two are distant for historical reasons but are driven more than ever to join forces against the growing challenges of secularism and fundamentalism in the Middle East and the world. The second project involves the renovation of an old abbey, the Saint-Pe-de-Bigorre, about 15 minutes from Lourdes. The historic building will serve as a home for spiritual retreats and a reception centre for pilgrims to Lourdes or Santiago del Compostela. The venue will boost the Maronite presence in the Pyrenees region and host religious educational seminars. Local agricultural products will also be grown inside it. In addition to its religious aspect, the patriarchs visit to France had a political component, which took the form of meetings between Al-Rahi and French officials, including President Macron. The prelate spent an hour with the French leader focusing on four main issues: the three international conferences on Lebanon promoted by France (CEDRE), Syrian refugees in Lebanon and the disastrous and no longer sustainable consequences for the country, the Lebanese model of coexistence between religions and cultures, and the need to preserve the Christian presence in Lebanon and the region. In particular, Patriarch al-Rahi insisted on the need for "an immediate return" of Syrian refugees "to the safe areas of their country". Lebanon, he warns, "will not be able to endure the presence on its territory of 1.5 million Syrians (in a country of 4 million people), to which must be added the Palestinian refugees" who have lived in Lebanon for so long. For this reason, the support of France and all the member states of the European Union is increasingly important to overcome the crisis. Finally, the patriarch reminded Israel that "peace is built with peace" and that Lebanon "has already paid enough" for a policy based on violence. 1875 . . , 16 17 . , " " . 1896 . ... Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Alibaba Group's Cainiao Network and RoboSense, jointly launched G Plus, the worlds first solid-state LiDAR-equipped unmanned logistics vehicle at the 2018 Global Smart Logistics Summit (GSLS) on May 31. This is the first time that solid-state LiDAR has been applied in unmanned vehicles. The G plus carries three units of RS-LiDAR-M1Pre, developed by RoboSense, the Chinese leading environmental perception solutions provider of autonomous driving LiDAR, to ensure powerful 3D perception for driving. This enables the driving system to identify and clearly see the shape, distance, azimuth, driving speed and direction of such obstacles as pedestrians, cars, trucks, etc. on its running way. Meanwhile, solid-state LiDAR allows a vehicle to know the right areas for driving, thus ensuring smooth vehicle current in complicated traffic environment. At the GSLS, Cainiao Network announced the unmanned logistics plan, dubbed Hump (Tuofeng, in Chinese), to promote the mass production of unmanned vehicles with partners such as RoboSense, FAW Jiefang, Beihang University, etc. RoboSense has currently formed partnership with Cainiao Network to offer solid-state LiDAR to unmanned logistics vehicles of Alibaba's subsidiary. Reportedly, the use of LiDAR will slash production cost of unmanned logistics vehicle so as to guarantee the vehicle large-scale production. Update: OnePlus said that it is investigating the issue and it would need time for a final resolution for the issue. In the meanwhile, it is asking users to use password/PIN/fingerprint for security purposes. Here is the official response. We designed Face Unlock around convenience, and while we took corresponding measures to optimise its security we always recommended you use a password/PIN/fingerprint for security. For this reason Face Unlock is not enabled for any secure apps such as banking or payments. Were constantly working to improve all of our technology, including Face Unlock. Earlier: Since Apple introduced Face ID with the iPhone X, the feature has become a rage among Android phones. In fact, OnePlus 5T was among the initial adopters of the feature. Continuing the legacy, OnePlus included the feature with its latest offering; the OnePlus 6 as well. I printed my face to unlock my OnePlus 6 for the lulz it worked \_()_/ pic.twitter.com/rAVMq8JKBr rik (@rikvduijn) May 29, 2018 However, the face unlock on Android phones is not as secure as the Apples Face ID and today an owner of the OnePlus 6 proved it again by printing a photo of him and succeeded in unlocking the phone within few seconds. It also works with a black and white photo which raises serious security doubts about the feature. Google to strengthen the Face unlock feature which it introduced in Android 4.0. Google added the liveness test later that requires you to blink, though can also be fooled easily it at least added an extra security layer. Cut to the chase, OnePlus didnt implement the liveness test because that slows down unlocking. The actual problem is that the front-facing camera cannot differentiate a flat surface and a real face. Apple has a workaround for this by using IR dot projector to map faces in 3D. OnePlus at least should have included a disclaimer while registering the face data saying that it is less secure than other options. OnePlus is yet to comment on the issue. Vivo introduced APEX as the worlds first bezel-less smartphone with in-display fingerprint scanner and over 90% screen-to-body ratio at the MWC 2018 back in February. Last month the company released an image that said that the phone will be introduced at an event in Shanghai, China on June 12th. Today the company has confirmed that the phone will be called NEX. It has also teased some of the features of the smartphones such as bezel-less display, AI, powerful SoC and more. Earlier rumors said that the phone will come in two models, one with a pop-up front camera as seen in the image below, and Snapdragon 845 SoC. The other version called NEX S is said to be powered by Snapdragon 710 and the front camera on the bottom right corner on the bezel, similar to the Mi MIX 2. The Vivo NEX with Snapdragon 845 is rumored to be priced at 6998 yuan (US$ 1090 / Rs. 73,270 approx.) , while the Snapdragon 710-powered NEX S is rumored to cost 4998 yuan (US$ 780 / Rs. 52,330 approx.). We should know all the details of the smartphone when it goes official in less than a couple of weeks. Source Vodafone today launched one-day unlimited calling pack for its pre-paid users in Uttar Pradesh at just Rs. 9. It also offers 100 SMS and 100MB of 2G/3G/4G data, which will also expire over the midnight. The pack will be useful for more than 60000 towns and villages in the circle believes Vodafone. The company launched a similar pack for Rs. 19 last year. It is not clear if the pack will have FUP limit for calls or it is truly unlimited without any cap. Airtel already offers a similar pack. Vodafone recently launch Ramzan se Eid ul Zuha tak Rs. 509 pack with 1.4GB data per day, unlimited calling and 90 days validity. Vodafone-Idea merger which was announced last year is expected to complete in the next few weeks. Nipun Sharma, Business Head UP East, Vodafone India, said: 74% of Vodafone customers reside in rural parts of the state, and a large number of families dwelling in these towns and villages of UP East have loved ones living in other states of India. They tend to use mobile phones primarily for calling, SMS and may log on to the internet for basic requirements. As the network of choice, we want our customers to get the value for money at a price point that fits their budget. Hence Vodafone Rs 9 pack allows our customers to make unlimited calls, send 100 SMS, and enjoy 100MB of mobile internet surfing, for one day. Now, enjoy maximum conversations at a pocket-friendly price with Vodafone The Data Strong Network. Image: Shutterstock The CBI's FIR the NSE co-location is outing skeletons in the cupboard, perhaps more than what the authorities at OPG Securities would have imagined. CBI's glare notwithstanding, the Enforcement Directorate is likely to register a case against the broking firm for alleged illegal trading in overseas markets such as Dubai and Singapore.ED officials are perusing the FIR which mentions that OPG Securities has been illegally trading in Dubai, Ghana, Singapore, Hong Kong, and China. While it states that owner Sanjay Gupta controls several entities in Dubai, a source privy to the developments told Moneycontrol, Gupta is running a franchise of a Mumbai-based school in Dubai.Gupta trades in equity and has business interests in commodities in overseas markets as well, another source said, alleging that it is likely that Gupta and his brother-in-law Aman Kokrady have misused RBI's Liberalised Remittance Scheme. LRS norms do not allow remittances for trading on the foreign exchange markets.As per CBI FIR, Gupta and Kokrady raised money from overseas. A source close to the development told Moneycontrol Enforcement Directorate is likely to scrutinise the books of OPG Securities before taking a call whether to register a case. Due to such trades, a Bangalore-based broking firm and the main beneficiaries of co-location case and a major player in securities and commodities are under the scanner.Meanwhile, the CBI is expected to soon quiz Gupta in next few days. CBI will start questioning of those named in the FIR, including Sanjay Gupta in next few days. Thereafter, the agency will call NSE and the Securities and Exchanges Board of India officials.The Income Tax Department has already conducted searches at the premises of OPG Securities, NSE's employee Suprabhat Lala, one Ajay Shah and former NSE managing director Chitra Ramakrishnan.Original Source: Its a miracle - GCM senior near death in April to walk with class at graduation Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne called reports that the company would kill the Chrysler brand nonsense as he rolled out a five-year plan at the automaker's capital markets day event that made little mention of the namesake brand. Marchionne said the presentation was instead focused on brands with more of a global reach, like Jeep and Alfa Romeo, while Chrysler would remain relevant in the United States, and that FCA has made a commitment to it as a people carrier brand. No new upcoming products were revealed for Chrysler, however, which currently sells only the 300 sedan and Pacifica minivan. Dodge was also left out of the presentation. Marchionne said he didn't mean to be disrespectful to the two American brands, but pointed out that the others, including Ram and Maserati, will account for a combined 80 percent of worldwide sales in the coming years, so Dodge and Chrysler's contribution would be largely insignificant to the company's overall financial forecast. The automaker separately announced on Thursday a deal to supply Waymo with up to 62,000 self-driving Pacifica Hybrids equipped with the Google-owned brands technology for a ride hailing service scheduled to launch later this year. Fixer Upper stars Chip and Joanna Gaines took time Thursday to mark their 15th wedding anniversary on social media. Chip Gaines shared a message directed at his sweet girl on Twitter. 15 years.. whered they go 15 years.. Id like to know 15 more, to God I pray 15 more just to make her day, the 43-year-old wrote. At the bottom of the tweet were the words, Happy anniversary sweet girl! A photo of the twosome was posted on Joanna Gaines' Instagram account. It's been a good fifteen years @chipgaines Here's to fifty more the 40-year-old captioned the post. She also tweeted the same sentiment. The couple reportedly met in 2001. Joanna is currently pregnant with their fifth child. BELLA HADID SHUTS DOWN PLASTIC SURGERY, LIP INJECTION RUMORS: 'DO A SCAN OF MY FACE' I have forgotten almost everything, so it feels brand new, she previously told PEOPLE. I tell Chip that I feel 25, and in my mind theres something about it that gives me an extra kick in my step, she added. Forty and pregnant who would have ever thought that was going to happen? But Ill take it! Their other children include Drake, Duke, Ella and Emmie. Fox News' Kathleen Joyce contributed to this report. 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 A new lawsuit filed against Harvey Weinstein on Friday reportedly details allegations from three women, one of whom claims the disgraced Hollywood producer raped her. Melissa Thompson, one of the women in Fridays lawsuit, claimed she met with Weinstein in 2011 to make a business pitch when the movie mogul out-muscled her as she tried to rebuke his physical advances, the lawsuit said, according to The Associated Press. She alleged that he held her down and raped her. The alleged incident wasnt reported to authorities, the lawsuit said, because Thompson knew that Weinstein could and would destroy her if she complained about his sexual misconduct. HARVEY WEINSTEIN INDICTED BY NY GRAND JURY ON RAPE, CRIMINAL SEXUAL ACT CHARGES, DA SAYS Thompson said she was referred to Ben Brafman's law firm amid allegations from dozens of women that surfaced in the fall, according to a release obtained by The Associated Press. Brafman is an attorney for Weinstein. In a statement to Fox News, Brafman said, This firm has never represented Melissa Thompson and I personally never met with her or any of the other women named in the lawsuit. A second woman, Caitlin Dulany, claimed that while attending the Cannes Film Festival in 1996, she was sexually assaulted, battered, threatened and held in Weinstein's hotel room, according to the lawsuit. HARVEY WEINSTEIN WONT TESTIFY IN FRONT OF GRAND JURY Larissa Gomes, the third woman, alleged in the lawsuit that she went to a meeting to talk about career opportunities in the film industry but was held in Weinstein's hotel room, as well as threatened, battered and assaulted. The lawsuit reportedly seeks to have class-action status in order to represent other women that it claims were victimized by Weinstein and what it described as his enablers. Among the allegations are racketeering, witness tampering, mail and wire fraud, assault, civil battery, negligent supervision and retention and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The allegations come after Weinstein was indicted by a grand jury earlier this week on charges of rape in the first and third degrees and criminal sexual act in the first degree, according to a statement from Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance on Wednesday. "Harvey Weinstein may have been put in handcuffs for his assault on two women, but we are working to see a day of justice for the hundreds of women who were exploited for Weinstein's sexual gratification and silenced by this ring of conspirators," Elizabeth Fegan, an attorney who worked on Friday's lawsuit, said, according to The Associated Press. Weinstein has been accused by more than a dozen women of sexual misconduct. The allegations gained widespread public attention following two bombshell reports in October 2017, ultimately leading to Weinsteins downfall. He has consistently denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex. Fox News Marta Dhanis and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Fox News can confirm that Emmy and Gloden Globe Award winner Kelsey Grammer will join Foxs new legal drama Proven Innocent" in the series scheduled for a midseason launch. The Frasier alum and openly outspoken conservative Hollywood powerhouse will take over Brian DArcys character, Gore Bellows. The character is a hard-as-nails and tough-on-crime states attorney, who goes up against an underdog legal team committed to reopening investigations to exonerate the innocent who were proven guilty. The subject matter is very timely and worth exploring; I am excited to be a part of that, said Grammer. The announcement of Grammer's involvement in the show comes on the heels of President Trump invoking his pardoning power in a spree of exonerations for Dinesh DSouza, as well as a potential pardons for former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and DIY expert Martha Stewart. The well-rounded actor joins a cast that also includes Vincent Kartheiser, Nikki M. James and Russell Hornsby. Grammer is known for his role as Dr. Frasier Crane on comedy series Cheers and Frasier, however his most recent projects include Boss, The Last Tycoon and American animated series Trollhunters on Netflix. Grammer's recognitions are vast and include six Primetime Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards as well as a SAG Award. He holds an unmatched 18 Emmy nominations, eight Golden Globe nominations, 16 SAG nominations and a Tony nomination for his theater performances. Kim Kardashian West has revealed details about her Oval Office sit-down with President Trump on Wednesday, in which she lobbied him to grant clemency to Alice Marie Johnson, a 63-year-old great-grandmother who is serving a life sentence in a federal pen for a first-time, nonviolent drug offense. I think that he really spent the time to listen to our case that we were making for Alice, Kardashian West told Mic. He really understood, and I am very hopeful that this will turn out really positively. Johnson, who has been imprisoned for over 21 years in Aliceville, Alabama, for a drug-trafficking charge, and Kardashian West has been trying for months to secure Johnsons release. Kardashian West has also paid Johnsons legal fees and discussed the case with Trumps son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, who is leading the administrations prison reform initiative. I went in to really talk to the president about Alice Johnson and really explain to him why she would be such a good person to grant clemency to, Kardashian West told the website. The president seems to have a passion for what everything that Jared has been trying to do, and that just makes me happy that that conversation is just moving forward. Trump tweeted a photograph of the pair following the meeting. Great meeting with @KimKardashian today, talked about prison reform and sentencing, he wrote. Kardashian West has said that Johnson would lead a productive life outside of prison if granted clemency. She has a job waiting for her. She has a home to go to, and she has such a great supportive family, she said. I just really strongly believe that she is someone that has completely rehabilitated herself and will continue to do so outside of prison. This article originally appeared in the New York Post's Page Six Montel Williams was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance on Wednesday after he overdid it at the gym, according to his spokesperson. Anyone who knows Montel knows that he is an exercise enthusiast, his rep said in a statement on Thursday. Yesterday, he overdid it, and has been admitted to the hospital out of an abundance of caution. He is doing well and anticipates being discharged soon. The 61-year-old former talk show host who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999 is expected to be discharged from the hospital in the coming days, his rep said. Williams Instagram feed reflects his active lifestyle and buff bod. In the coming days, as he always has, Montel will tell his story himself. Until then, we respectfully ask that his familys privacy be respected, the statement continued. The Williams family will be forever grateful for the quick response from [New York City Fire Department] and the excellent care he has received. Williams recently posted about his line of cannabidiol capsules that have helped him with his MS struggle. Ive been on a wellness journey since my diagnosis and @LenitivLabs is the culmination of everything Ive learned about cannaboids along the way, he wrote. It is unclear at which New York hospital Williams was admitted. This article originally appeared in the New York Post's Page Six. MSNBC is remaining stone silent as old blog posts that seem to fly in the face of star Joy Reids alleged progressive values continue to pile up, one after another. Two more damaging entries were unearthed Wednesday, as BuzzFeed and Fox News Tucker Carlson Tonight each revealed content that contradicts Reid's emergence as a hero of the liberal #Resistance movement. BuzzFeed reported that Reid once encouraged her readers to check out Loose Change, a documentary on a conspiracy theory that alleges the tragic attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, were planned by the United States government. The widely debunked film was co-produced by Info Wars Alex Jones. Even if you're agnostic, or you tend to believe that al-Qaida attacked the World Trade Center and Pentagon and that the government had no warning such a thing could happen, it's worth taking a second look, Reids blog said of the documentary. Shortly after the BuzzFeed bombshell was published, Tucker Carlson Tonight revealed that Reid used to tout American First immigration policies. Carlson revealed that Reids blog argued that, among other things, native-born Americans, not low-paid Mexican workers should rebuild New Orleans, agreed with Lou Dobbs on immigration, and even criticized flying the Mexican flag on U.S. soil. BuzzFeed and Tucker Carlson Tonight both noted that MSNBC didnt bother to respond to a request for comment. MSNBC also did not respond to a request for comment for this report and has not responded to numerous emails regarding Reid. BuzzFeed followed up on Thursday by unearthing another old post, this time of an image on Reids blog of Senator John McCains head photoshopped onto the body of the Virginia Tech shooter. The senators daughter, The View co-host Megan McCain, quickly noticed the report of Reids old blog and called it beyond disgusting and disgraceful. NBCUniversal and parent company Comcast did not immediately respond to a series of questions, including whether or not the company investigated Reids hacker claims and why MSNBC is ignoring reporters who ask about the blog. BuzzFeeds Joe Bernstein tweeted, Neither @MSNBC nor @JoyAnnReid responded to requests for comment, so we don't know whether Reid would attribute these old posts about 9/11 being an inside job to her hacker. Bernstein followed up, noting that its crazy and downright irresponsible that MSNBC wont address Reids old blog. Since MSNBC and Joy Reid wont address this, we dont know if it may be the work of a hacker, Bernstein wrote when tweeting Thursdays scoop. In the past, Reid has blamed homophobic slurs and other blog posts that dont coincide with her current image on hackers, even going so far as to report a hacking crime to the FBI. Last month, she admitted the old slurs did not appear to be the result of hacking and apologized for comments she claimed not to remember making, as MSNBC stayed mum. Silence is nothing new for NBC News, as its chairman Andy Lack is reportedly in hot water with Comcast honchos over the negative attention he has brought to the once-proud unit. Lack has not commented publicly on a variety of scandals, including why he refused to hire an outside investigator to determine who knew about disgraced anchor Matt Lauers sexual misconduct. Lack insisted on keeping the review in-house, and his NBCUniversal peers eventually deemed NBC News management completely oblivious to Lauers behavior. NBC News has also stayed mostly quiet regarding why its didnt publish Ronan Farrows reporting on Harvey Weinstein that went on to win a Pulitzer Prize at The New Yorker and help launch the #MeToo movement. TV news blogger Scott Jones asked on Wednesday if its finally time for MSNBC to pull the plug on Reid. Maybe, it's time [for] MSNBC to wake up and realize that Joy Reid is not the person she is playing on TV, Jones added. Fox News senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano said the MSNBC host could be in very serious trouble if she made up the story about hackers planting the anti-gay blog posts resulting in an FBI investigation. Reid could even be charged with obstruction of justice for diverting the FBIs attention from real crimefighting to fighting a phantom crime, Napolitano said. MSNBC has not punished Reid and even allowed her to co-host a primetime town hall event on racism earlier this week. The network was scolded for being tone deaf when it brought Reid in to discuss a racist tweet that Roseanne Barr recently sent about former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett. Seemingly unaware of the irony, Andrea Mitchell asked, "What do you have to do on social media to get fired from a top rated show on an American broadcast network?" Its been a rough six months for Reid, as comments dug up by a Twitter user and published by Mediaite in December showed that she wrote numerous offensive jokes and comments several years ago about gay people on her old blog, The Reid Report. When a new raft of offensive comments surfaced about some lesbians' short haircuts and her objections to seeing men kiss men, among other homophobic remarks Reid originally claimed shed been hacked, and MSNBC circulated a much-panned statement from a computer hacking expert which sought to make that case. Reids old blog also took shots at her current colleague Rachel Maddow, who is MSNBCs biggest star and cash cow. In April, Reid got emotional on the air when her hacking claim fell apart and admitted it seemed unlikely she was hacked, but claimed that she didnt recall making the offensive remarks, for which she apologized anyway. I genuinely do not believe I wrote those hateful things, Reid told her viewers, adding, "The person I am now is not the person I was then." The left has started to turn on Reid, as several mainstream reporters have criticized MSNBC over the situation and questioned the networks silence. Outspoken liberal actress Susan Sarandon recently tweeted a HuffPost article headlined, Joy Reids Defenders Praise Her Apology But Ignore Her Apparent Cover-Up." The bizarre allegations have raised questions about Reids honesty and integrity, Washington Post media reporter Paul Farhi wrote on Wednesday. Reids personal attorney did not respond to a request for comment. Tucker Carlson Tonight producer Alex Pfeiffer contributed to this report. Nikki Bella and John Cena have decided to give their love another go after calling off their May 5 nuptials. On Thursday, the famous WWE couple announced that after some time apart, they have decided to give their relationship another chance. A rep for E! News confirmed the couple's decision in a statement which said, "Nikki Bella and John Cena are working on their relationship and taking it day by day. They appreciate all of their fans and their continued support." Nikki called off the wedding earlier this month so she could have more time to make a decision with what she wanted in life, a source close to both Cena and Bella told Us Weekly. Calling off the wedding was the right decision at the moment and their relationship only grew from it. It didnt mean that any love was lost, or that they lost any feelings for one another, but they both have realized that they love each other and want to be with one another. As of now, there are said to be no official plans to pick up the wedding planning, but the couple, who were recently spotted out together in San Diego where they shared a home, appears to be focused on moving their relationship forward. The news of the couple's reconciliation comes just a few days after the most recent episode of "Total Bellas" aired on Sunday night. In the episode, while in the middle of planning their vineyard wedding, Bella and Cena made the hard decision to call off the engagement while the cameras were rolling. The 34-year-old reality star was captured crying as she explained to Cena that she wanted to be a mother. "I'll never force you not to be a mom, Cena told Bella. I thought I could really sacrifice that but I just cant, she responded. Im not sure we should go through with this, he answered. The official announcement of the breakup after six years of relationship had already come in April, just a month before their planned wedding ceremony. Though they did not state the reason for their sudden split, Bella said that after spending time with her sister Brie's newborn baby she had realized her strong desire to become a mother, while Cena had expressed that he did not want children. Since the couple's initial split, Cena said in an interview with Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford, "I love [Bella], I want to be with her, I want to make her my wife, I want to be the father of her children. I just want us to work." Fox News' Kathleen Joyce contributed to this report. With all the attention surrounding Meghan Markle and Prince Harrys nuptials last month, its easy to forget there is another royal wedding happening this year. Dont put your fascinator away just yet Princess Eugenie, 28, is set to marry her fiance Jack Brooksbank on October 12. The couple, who have been dating for seven years, became engaged during a holiday to Nicaragua in late 2017 and announced their engagement in January. WHERE WILL THE COUPLE MARRY? Like Harry and Meghan, Eugenie and Jack will marry at St Georges Chapel in Windsor Castle. The wedding will likely more low-key, with their nuptials held on a Friday and not expected to be televised. But its likely the couple will follow Meghan and Harrys lead by bedecking the church in flowers and going on a carriage procession through Windsor town following the ceremony. WHO WILL ATTEND? Eugenie and Jack are expected to have a smaller guest list than the 600 invited by Harry and Meghan thanks to their weekday wedding date. Key members of the royal family such as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth will likely all attend. Harry and Meghan will also probably be there, the newlyweds narrowly avoiding a date clash with the Invictus Games starting in Sydney a week later. Eugenies older sister Princess Beatrice, 29, and their parents Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, will attend, although its sure to be an awkward reunion with the rest of the royal family given Sarahs controversial past. While the guest list probably wont include the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Serena Williams, George Clooney and Amal, there should be some celebrity spotting on the day. Growing up on the English social scene, Eugenie is friends with Ellie Goulding, Cara Delevingne, Sienna Miller, Margot Robbie, Ed Sheeran and James Blunt. One of her best friends is also Prince Harrys ex-girlfriend Cressida Bonas, who attended his wedding to Meghan last month. WHO WILL BE IN THE BRIDAL PARTY? Eugenie has the choice of having an all children bridal party like Meghan, but its likely she will follow Kate Middletons suit and have her sister Princess Beatrice as maid of honor. The bride to be is incredibly close to her older sibling, with the two royals less than two years apart in age. Alongside Beatrice as bridesmaid, Prince George and Princess Charlotte will probably serve as page boys and flower girls. WHAT WILL EUGENIE WEAR? Unlike Meghan and Kate, Eugenies dress is expected to be more fashion forward, with the princess favouring floral prints and fitted outfits. Bridal expert Clare Szabo told OK! that Eugenie will probably wear something from her favorite label Erdem. The labels strikingly bold feminine style very much suits Eugenie and what we are used to seeing her wear, she said. She most often looks fabulous in a full skirt with cinched waist, so I expect a definite contrast to Meghans slim, tailored look. Given Eugenie and her sister Beatrices fashion sense has been hit and miss over the years (who could forget those hats at William and Kates wedding!), her choice of dress is certain to be a highlight of the wedding. As for her crown, Eugenie will probably wear the York tiara which was specially made and gifted to her mother Sarah for her wedding to Andrew in 1986. WILL SHE GET A NEW TITLE? Unlike Harry and William, Eugenie and Beatrice are not working royals and therefore wont be given a new title upon marriage. According to royal historian Marlene Eilers Koenig, Jack will not be given royal status when he marries Eugenie due to the precedent set by other princesses marrying commoners. She will be styled either as HRH Princess Eugenie, Mrs. Brooksbank or she could choose not to use her husbands surname, Marlene told Hello! magazine. This story originally appeared on news.com.au. Samantha Bee may have apologized for her vulgar insult about Ivanka Trump in her Wednesday monologue on Full Frontal, but many of her like-minded celebrity friends are standing by her side. As previously reported, Bee opened her show with a monologue that capped off by showing a photo of Ivanka that had been lambasted by many critics last week showing her hugging her son. People felt the image was controversial given reports of the Office of Refugee Resettlement losing track of 1,500 immigrant children in the last three months of 2017. Bee capped off her monologue by pleading with Ivanka to talk to her father about the situation and calling her a feckless c---. The use of the expletive upset many fans, prompting an apology from Bee and TBS on social media the next day. However, the extreme backlash to the comments in the wake of ABCs decision to cancel Roseanne, over Roseanne Barr's racist tweet, prompted many of Bees celebrity colleagues to double down on her remarks. Kathy Griffin was among the first to back Bee, first urging her not to apologize and then commenting on the situation after she did. Please do not be hard on @iamsambee for apologizing. While I was hoping she wouldnt, I know first hand what its like being put through the Trump wood chipper..what shes going through right now is crazy. All for a bleeped word. Comics held to higher standards than the president, Griffin wrote. Sally Field took to Twitter -- and slammed Ivanka Trump herself. I like Samantha Bee a lot, but she is flat wrong to call Ivanka a c---, she said. C---s are powerful, beautiful, nurturing and honest. Field's tweet generated plenty of reaction on its own. Even CNN political analyst and Playboy Magazine correspondent Brian J. Karem called it the best tweet of the day. CNN did not respond to Fox News' request for comment. Comedian Billy Eichner chimed in as well. Honestly I think Samantha Bee was being generous, he wrote. Filmmaker Michael Moore also gave his thoughts on the matter, comparing the outrage to what Roseanne Barr experienced, even going as far as to post a video of the monologue, which TBS removed from its official channel. Ha! The White House today, still not denouncing Roseannes racism, tries to confuse the issue by going after Samantha Bees brilliant rant against Ivanka last night, he wrote, calling her a truth-teller. Love Simon star Natasha Rothwell shared similar thoughts on the two comments as well. Equating expletives to racism suggests an ideology used to systematically subjugate people of color for hundreds of years is the same as a four letter word that the FCC finds indecent. If you dont see why that is dangerous you, too, are a feckless c---. Feminist attorney Lisa Bloom shared her thoughts on the difference between the use of the word and Barrs racist comment. OK, but a white woman (Roseanne) invoking slavery-era racism about a black woman is miles away from a woman using the "c" word to insult another woman. Neither comic was 'kidding,' really. Sam's point was true: Ivanka has not helped immigrant kids. Roseanne's was a flat out lie. Actress Alyssa Milano noted that Barr previously used the same word to refer to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She later retweeted a previously deleted tweet from Barr as proof with the caption, "Ah yes, here it is." And Amber Tamblyn spoke out in Bee's defense as well. Barr, however, tweeted a message about the comparisons in which she expressed regret for her remarks once again. please don't compare me2 other people who have said horrible things. I only care about apologizing 4 the hurt I have unwittingly & stupidly caused. I humbly confess contrition & remorse. I failed2 correctly express myself, & caused pain2 ppl, she wrote. In 1952, Peter Mark Richman left a $35 a week job as a pharmacist in Pennsylvania to follow the bright lights of Hollywood and now hes telling all. 'TWILIGHT ZONE' REBOOT WITH JORDAN PEELE IS COMING TO CBS ALL ACCESS The actor, 91, has over 500 TV appearances under his belt for numerous hit shows, including Twilight Zone, Hawaii Five-O and Star Trek, just to name a few. As a notorious villain on screen, hes managed to die in every possible way on camera. And Richman also found success appearing in numerous films and theatrical productions. Richmans gamble in life paid off and hes sharing his star-studded life story in a new memoir, titled I Saw a Molten White Light. Fox News spoke with the star about his countless leading ladies and lasting marriage. Fox News: How did a pharmacist from Pennsylvania get discovered as a Hollywood actor? Peter Mark Richman: I always wanted to be an actor. I snuck into the theater once when I was a child and ever since then, Ive always been fascinated by actors. Im still licensed in New York and Pennsylvania, but I havent been in a pharmacy for a while. I was making prescriptions when I got out of college in Rosemont, Pennsylvania. But I went away to summer theater where I met my wife. She was the leading lady there when I was hired. So I quit my job as a pharmacist managing a drugstore just to pursue acting. So I guess you can say I have a backup career *laughs*. Fox News: Your first film, 1956s Friendly Persuasion, featured Hollywood legend Gary Cooper. What was it like working with him? Richman: He was an absolute gentleman. I loved him. I would find myself stopping to just watch him in awe. It took some getting used to, seeing that image from the screen in real life. He went from being 20 feet to me sitting here opposite him, face-to-face. He taught me simplicity in making your mark as an actor. Fox News: Fast forward to 1971, you were working alongside Bruce Lee. How was he? Richman: Oh, he was tough steel wire! I thought he was going to break any minute. He taught me Kung Fu, but I boxed in the old-fashioned way. I was honestly shocked when he passed away. He was just such a tough wire. But he was wonderful to work with. Fox News: Out of all the leading ladies youve worked with, who surprised you the most? Richman: Ive worked with tons. Throw me some names. Fox News: Lets start with Sophia Loren. Richman: Oh my God, she was the sexiest female I ever came across! I was on the steps of a building and she passed me wearing a tight sweater, a skirt and high heels. She was going to a rehearsal. My first impression was she's beautiful. And so sexy. We later chatted and she was so warm and friendly. I love her. You can never forget that image. Fox News: What about Eva Marie Saint? Richman: Lovely. Absolutely lovely. Shes a dear friend of mine. We did a show together, The Rainmaker. I was so grateful to work with such a gracious talent. Fox News: And Audrey Hepburn? Richman: I first met her when she visited the set of Friendly Persuasion. She had done a William Wyler movie before mine. She was so attractive and feminine. She was as nice and kind in person as she was in her films. She was gentle and just what you saw. Audrey was the real deal. I never forgot that. Fox News: So no divas? You never had to deal with a diva on set? Richman: I cant say *laughs*. Fox News: Youve managed to die in every possible way. Which was your most memorable way to go and why? Richman: In one scene, I was shot in the stomach and slid down a board against a building. I added a line, I never knew it hurts so much. And then I died. And [filmmaker] John Frankenheimer said, "Keep it!" That wasnt in the script. That was me! Fox News: How did you get the role of Threes Company? Richman: That was easy. I had a manager and she brought me in to meet the producers. I was hired just like that! I was hired for a guest star role. I was Suzanne Somers father in the show. But she was contemplating the contract at the time. She wanted $150,000 per show. That finished me off and that finished her off. But I wasnt too surprised she was fired. But she seemed surprised. Fox News: And then you found yourself in Star Trek. Richman: It was certainly different from anything Ive done up to that point. I was encased in a tomb preserved and they woke me up. I said, I want to see my lawyer. *laugh* I had fun on that set, thats for sure. Im always happy to hear when people remember me from my time there. Fox News: You and your wife are celebrating 65 years of marriage. Whats the secret, especially in Hollywood? Richman: Simply? I love her. We have a good, solid marriage. We have five children and six grandchildren. Theyre all talented in the arts. My son Lucas is the conductor of Bangor Symphony in Maine. Hes traveled all over the world. My daughter is also doing a musical in Bangor. My other son Orien just produced a movie titled So B. It. My firstborn Howard recently celebrated his 60th birthday. Hes a piano teacher. I attended a party for him the other night and all his students were there. My wife and I have plenty of reasons to be proud and happy. Fox News: Whats your life like these days? Richman: I paint! Ive been painting since I was 9 years old. Im 91 now. Gosh, I cant believe Im 91. But Im still doing it! *laughs*. An investigation has found Georgias most fragile population the ill and ailing may be in imminent danger due to a culture of secrecy and questionable tactics employed by the states regulatory board for nurses, which stands accused of acting to keep drug-addled health workers employed while keeping the public in the dark. A report published by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution alleges instances of still-employed, drug-abusing nurses botching patients medications, administering unauthorized opioids and tampering with medical supplies to achieve a fix. The news outlets investigation alludes to the secrecy surrounding the way the Board of Nursing handles its disciplinary cases and its lack of record keeping. According to AJC.com, many opioid-addicted nurses are offered second and third chances despite having relapsed, with the public shielded from information pertaining to a nurses drug history. ONE-THIRD OF NEW HEROIN USERS BECOME DEPENDENT ON IT We have boards to protect the public, not to be soft touches, state Rep. Sharon Cooper, chairwoman of the House Health and Human Services committee and a registered nurse, told AJC.com. I know how bad the drug problem is. And so I really think that the first priority should be to the patients protection. Cooper alleges that the board is acting to uphold the reputation of the profession, rather than protect the public. But Janice Izlar, president of the 13-member board, counters that the secrecy surrounding the panels disciplinary actions actually assists the investigative process and allows for the monitoring of accused nurses, rather than getting tied up in public legal battles while trying to revoke licenses. Instead, the board says it offers offending nurses private disciplinary orders. In 2017, 54 percent of the 333 disciplinary orders issued were private. Izlar did not reveal how many orders were opioid-related. FATAL ACCIDENTS INVOLVING DRUGS SURPASES ALCOHOL-RELATED CRASHES: REPORT Many times, the nurse does not want their name on a public Board of Nursing website that there has been discipline, Izlar told AJC.com. And so they will accept the order and actually get under monitoring and under appropriate care that has been determined by their physician. And they will actually sign this order much quicker, and they will go ahead and get into the programs and into monitoring much quicker. But once the private orders -- which include submitting to drug screens, notifying employers and avoiding jobs with access to drugs -- expire, the offending nurses records are concealed. And while Izlar insists that nurses who are caught working while impaired or diverting drugs cant get private orders, AJC.com reported there is no way to verify that policy. Im sorry if some nurse gets her license suspended and thats her livelihood, Cooper told AJC.com. But if shes in the position of putting patients at risk, then so be it. A newlywed in Pennsylvania is probably wishing she wasnt so quick to bet against the Eagles. Jennifer Sullivan, of Conshohocken, was forced to let soon-to-be husband Patrick Hanks wear an Eagles jersey to their wedding over Memorial Day weekend after betting in October that his beloved team would lose Super Bowl LII. COUPLES' DOUBLE MARRIAGE PROPOSAL AT THE ZOO GOES VIRAL Sullivan had reportedly made the wager with the couples friend Keith, who made the bet on his buddys behalf, according to the New York Post. If she won, Keith would watch every episode of every iteration of The Real Housewives (one of Sullivans favorite shows), but if she lost, Hanks would get to wear a Carson Wentz jersey to their nuptials. Sullivan, an Eagles fan herself, was pretty certain they wouldnt be able to defeat the returning champs the New England Patriots. She ended up being wrong and at their May 26 wedding, she had to hold up her end of the bet. PICS: DELTA-OBSESSED COUPLE CELEBRATE WITH AIRLINE-THEMED WEDDING During the ceremony at Bear Creek Mountain Resort in Macungie, the officiant even explained the terms of the bet while Sullivan, looking slightly exasperated, stood at the altar. Patrick, I think you have an obligation to fulfill, the officiant stated, prompting Hanks to strip off his jacket, reach into a bush for his jersey, and slip it over his head before saying I do. FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS Despite her loud sigh after Hanks dons his jersey, Sullivan later said she wasnt completely upset about how the bet played out. It was just an absolutely amazing experience, she told the Post. We wouldnt have done something like this if it wasnt going to be well-received by everyone. A brave model from London managed to save herself from a life-threatening hostage situation after secretly sending a selfie of her bruised, battered face to a friend. Martha Dolak, 31, has decided to speak out about the harrowing ordeal in order to raise awareness for those suffering from domestic abuse, as the man holding her hostage was her abusive boyfriend of 18 months, The Sun reports. 'TOBLERONE TUNNEL' IS DANGEROUS NEW TREND ON SOCIAL MEDIA According to Dolak, her 30-year-old boyfriend, Michael Goodwin, became angry with her after seeing a text from a friend urging her to dump him, and subsequently locked her in his South London apartment for 21 hours back in October of 2017, the Mirror reported. When he saw the text message he was livid. I was terrified so I tried to get my things and go, Dolak told The Sun. "He told me I couldn't leave and locked both the doors. Dolak said she made a break for the window at one point, only to fall unconscious when Goodwin caught up from behind and kicked her in the head, causing excruciating pain. Goodwin's two small children were also just one room over when the beating occurred, according to The Mirror. Dolak later woke up in bed, barely able to move and with a throbbing headache. It was later determined she had suffered a skull fracture, brain hemorrhaging, and permanent damage to an optical nerve, The Sun reported. "I couldn't lift my head up at all. My eye wouldn't open and my face felt thick with dry blood." MINNESOTA WOMAN GRADUATES 21 HOURS AFTER GIVING BIRTH Dolak said she felt for her phone to snap a selfie and assess the damage, and was shocked at what she saw. She secretly sent the photo to a friend, who contacted Dolaks parents. The models father then went straight to police with it. Goodwin fled the apartment shortly afterward, only to return and bring Dolak to a hospital. He told her to tell the doctors she had fallen down a staircase, but once the police caught up to her, she was able to tell the truth. The selfie she covertly snapped in Goodwins apartment helped convict him of abuse, and he was subsequently sentenced to four years and three months in prison. FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS Now, Dolak is speaking out to warn others that domestic violence can happen to anyone. "I thought because I'm smart, have a degree, am independent and see myself as a feminist, that I would be able to see it happening. "But domestic violence does not chose someone based on those things." One thoughtful Florida teen rocked a one-of-a-kind look on prom night, as she sold ad space on her prom dress to raise funds for Hurricane Irma victims. I saw the devastation and people not having homes anymore, Aubrey Garcia told Naples News, speaking of the September 2017 storm that caused catastrophic damage in the northeastern Caribbean and the Florida Keys. I felt really helpless and I wanted to do something, the teen said. The 17-year-old junior from Naples, who runs cross-country at Golden Gate High School, found inspiration for her prom dress campaign from the sport itself, as she often sees fellow runners in T-shirts emblazoned with advertisements. DAD TAKES LATE SON'S GIRLFRIEND TO PROM AFTER TEEN DIES IN CAR CRASH I would see a lot of people who would advertise things on the back of their shirts and stuff like that and I thought, 'What if I did that on my prom dress?' Garcia recalled. After getting approval for her mission from her parents and high school, Garcia contacted around 200 companies, both big and small, for support. If they were interested in sponsoring her, she promised to feature a 4" by 4" ad for $100 or a 6" by 6" ad for $200 on her gown, with donations raised going straight toward those struggling after Irma, Fox 4 reports. I sent a lot of letters, emails and even went knocking on doors for donations, she said. I sent like 200 letters it was a lot. Though Garcia reported that she failed to hear back from the larger corporations, $1,550 in donations soon poured in from local businesses and groups, including Fox 4, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Goodyear, Barron Collier Companies, Remnant Construction, the Maurizi family, S&J Renovations and Asset Management Solutions. She decided to donate the funds raised to the Guadalupe Center, a nonprofit in Immokalee, Fla., aimed at breaking the cycle of poverty through education. "Being able to succeed with this idea and to get the money to fundraise, like, I feel beautiful on the inside and I feel like I could show that on the outside," the teen said. COUPLES DOUBLE MARRIAGE PROPOSAL GOES VIRAL Ahead of the big dance on April 28, Garcia got to work on her gown. Purchasing a long, full black skirt and white lace tank-style top from Amazon, the high schooler used fabric paper to print the eight company logos, which she pinned on her skirt near the hem. It was kind of crafty. I added glitter to make it look nice, she told Naples News. Stepping out in her masterpiece at the Hilton Naples, Garcia said her classmates lauded her look. They all wondered, Why are you wearing logos? After they found out, though, most of them thought it was a cool idea, she said. Everybody is so stuck on graduation and prom, and what they want to wear. For their part, the Guadalupe Center championed Garcias kind gesture. On prom night, most students are focused on their hair, makeup and transportation, Dawn Montecalvo, president of Guadalupe Center, said in a release obtained by Naples News. She was more concerned with using that special night to create an opportunity to help others in the community. She wanted to send a strong message that we need to look beyond ourselves. The nonprofit selected Barbara St. Fleur, a 2018 graduate of Immokalee High School, to receive the funds for a new college laptop, as hers was damaged in the hurricane. She is set to attend Arcadia University in Pennsylvania on a full scholarship this fall. FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS Garcia further told the Naples News that the rest of the money is going toward new homes under construction for people who lost theirs in the storm. She also had the honor of presenting St. Fleur with her new HP laptop last week. You usually dont hear about a dress or fashion unless a person is wearing something inappropriate, so for her to use her prom dress for a good cause is amazing, St. Fleur said. Looks like you can do good while looking good after all. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Talks continued Thursday between North Korean and U.S. officials to revive a summit between President Trump and dictator Kim Jong Un, as the president announced he would meet with a North Korean delegation Friday to receive a letter from Kim. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said a summit is now expected. One thing is clear: Presidents Trumps decision last week to cancel the summit, which had been scheduled for June 12 in Singapore, played a crucial role in getting the North to scramble and change its behavior to try to get the summit back on track for the original date or later. The presidents decisive action calling off the summit was a skillful exercise in diplomacy. The cancellation showed the North that President Trump would not beg Kim the leader of a small and impoverished communist state to meet. Kim appears to realize now that he is dealing with a different kind of opponent. President Trump wants North Korea denuclearized on American terms, verifiably and irreversibly. Whether this is possible remains to be seen, but the president knows how to play the diplomatic game. The presidents decisive action calling off the summit was a skillful exercise in diplomacy. The cancellation showed the North that President Trump would not beg Kim the leader of a small and impoverished communist state to meet. President Trump is projecting strength and because of that hes giving the U.S., our allies, and indeed the whole world a real chance to stop North Korea from becoming a greater international nuclear threat. Its been apparent for some time that President Trump has two objectives. His ultimate goal is to remove North Koreas nuclear threat. His interim goal is to force North Korea into negotiations over denuclearization. To achieve the interim goal, President Trump substantially increased the downsides of Kims nuclear provocations to both North Korea and its patron China. That was the point of the presidents maximum pressure policy against the North. President Trumps tough-talking personal exchanges with Kim before the summit was first announced showed that he is prepared to risk destabilizing the Korean Peninsula rather than cave in to whatever the North Koreans demand. At the same time, the president toughened sanctions against North Korea, surged aircraft carriers to the Western Pacific, forged an even closer relationship with Japan, raised the visibility of military exercises with South Korea, and strengthened his personal interactions with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. President Trump calculated that these moves would force China and the North Koreans away from a policy of provocation. For all Kims bluster, he doesnt want conflict on the peninsula. Neither do the Chinese. Sanctions are a real threat to Kims regime, and a stronger American and allied presence in the region runs directly counter to the interests of both China and North Korea. The world was shocked in March when Kim offered and President Trump accepted an invitation to meet to negotiate denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. This showed that the maximum pressure policy was working. Some experts wanted the president to refuse the invitation, conveyed by South Korea, to meet with Kim. But President Trump couldnt do that it would have embarrassed our South Korean ally. Besides, the president wanted the negotiations. So he accepted the invitation, while insisting that the talks would go nowhere unless the North Koreans agreed to denuclearization. The first step in negotiation is always getting the other side to the table. But thats hardly the end of the story, particularly when your opponent is practiced at taking advantage of his opposition. In this respect, it was certainly foreseeable that Kim would test President Trumps mettle. North Korea first attempted to posture itself as a cooperating negotiation partner, meeting with then-CIA chief Mike Pompeo, suspending nuclear and long-range missile tests, and releasing three Americans unjustly imprisoned. President Trump countered by holding out the prospect of easing economic sanctions, softening our military pressure, and saying he would protect the North Korean dictator from being ousted and assassinated. All of this was intended to signal good faith without making any real concessions. Not surprisingly, as the date for the summit drew closer, the North quickly switched negotiating postures. North Korean officials snubbed a White House advance team in Singapore, labeled Vice President Mike Pence (notably, not President Trump) a political dummy and boasted of a nuclear-to-nuclear showdown between the two nations. All these insults, boasts and threats by the North were a test. The North Koreans were gambling that President Trump had overinvested in the idea of negotiations and would do whatever needed to preserve the June 12 summit in Singapore. Just as President Trumps book The Art of the Deal says, the No. 1 rule of negotiation is that you have to be able to walk away from the table. If you cant if you show that you want an agreement more than the other side wants it youre doomed to a bad deal. So last week, President Trump walked away. He cancelled the scheduled summit, turning the tables on the North Koreans and tested them to see how badly they wanted to get to the table. President Trump was not the first president to walk away from a high-risk negotiation. President Reagan did it during negotiations on nuclear disarmament with the Soviet Union at the 1986 Reykjavik summit in Iceland, when the Soviets dug in their heels on the issue of missile defense. It was a courageous move by President Reagan, who was more concerned with long-term results than immediate political benefits. The Soviets came back to the table and Reagan got what he wanted. Conversely, when negotiating with Iran over its nuclear programs, the Obama administration was unwilling to walk away. It repeatedly set forth non-negotiable positions that it then proceeded to negotiate away. The result was a bad agreement. President Trump had to drive home the message to the North Koreans that President Obama is not his role model. He had to make the point that under his leadership, the United States would not move from its most important demands. That clarity was necessary to set the right negotiating framework for the longer term. While the political left was busy ridiculing President Trumps decision to cancel the summit, North Korea immediately backtracked like a bully who retreats when his target stands up to him. Last Friday, Kim announced that he was still willing to meet with President Trump at any time. North Korean foreign ministry official Kim Kye Gwan expressed North Koreas appreciation for President Trump having made the bold decision, which any other U.S. presidents dared not, and made efforts for such a crucial event as the summit." Later that day, South Korean President Moon had a surprise meeting with Kim Jong Un in the Demilitarized Zone dividing the two Koreas, and on Sunday officials from North Korea and the United States began meetings to discuss the summit. This dance will continue. We can expect further attempts to get the United States to reduce its pressure without receiving any real concession in return. That strategy has worked for North Korea in the past. Its not likely to work with the leader America now has in the Oval Office. Former Senator Jim Talent served twelve years on the House and Senate Armed Services committees. He is a Visiting Senior Fellow with the American Enterprise Institute and was Director of AEIs National Security 2020 Project. He writes and speaks extensively on the U.S - China relationship NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! On Wednesday I was working in my office when the phone rang and the operator announced: Please hold for the president of the United States. I resisted the impulse to make a joke: Im in the middle of something. Can you let him know Ill call him right back? President Trump came on, and told me he was sitting in the Oval Office with White House Chief of Staff John Kelly. You know John, dont you? the president said. I sheepishly said I didnt, but of course I knew who he was. President Trump said I was a great voice for freedom and for America. Then he added: Dinesh, I got to tell you, man to man, that you got screwed. President Trump said I did something that would normally get a slap on the wrist and a fine, but instead the previous administration went after me with the full force of its powers. President Trump termed my case as an injustice, one that he was in a position to correct. And then came the words that I had to repeat to myself to fully grasp their significance. Ive decided to give you a full pardon. The president said this would clear my record and now you can be an even bigger champion of freedom than before. I could do little more than mutter my grateful astonishment. Later, the president told the media that he thought I was having a heart attack. Actually, I was just tongue-tied with joy. And the conversation ended with President Trump saying he would make his decision public the following morning, not with a news release but with a tweet. For me, the pardon was the exhilarating conclusion to a five-year ordeal. In 2012, in an attempt to help my longtime college friend Wendy Long, who was running as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in New York, I asked two of my associates to donate $10,000 apiece to her campaign. Then I reimbursed them. In doing so, I broke the law by exceeding the campaign finance limit. Now it is an open secret that campaign finance limits are regularly transgressed just about every election season. Yet such cases are rarely prosecuted. In general, the government only goes after chronic or repeat offenders, or after those who break the law with corrupt intent, seeking to buy favors or obtain some sort of quid pro quo. Consider the recent case of liberal comedian Rosie ODonnell, who has acknowledged exceeding the campaign finance limits on five separate occasions, in five separate jurisdictions. While ODonnells motives were not corrupt, she certainly is a repeat offender. Consequently, there are five times more reasons to prosecute ODonnell than there were to prosecute me. No corruption or quid pro quo was even alleged in my case. In fact, candidate Wendy Long didnt even know that I had contributed $30,000 instead of the allowable limit of $10,000. How, then, did the decision to prosecute me come about? Some clues are contained in my FBI file. A congressional oversight committee tried for well over a year to get this file. The FBI, then under since-fired Director James Comey, refused on familiar pretexts: claims that my file would reveal confidential sources, contained information that would jeopardize the bureaus work, blah, blah, blah. Finally, the FBI relented and provided a redacted version of the file. The file reveals that as soon as the FBI learned about my situation how it found out is still unclear the agency allocated $100,000 to investigate case involving $20,000 of political contributions. This by itself is odd. The oddity, however, disappears with another revelation in the file. The FBI from the outset red-flagged me as a prominent conservative critic of the Obama administration. Why is this information about my political views even in my file? How is it relevant? The obvious answer is that the FBI was signaling to the Obama Justice Department in other words, to Attorney General Eric Holder that here was a political adversary that the Obama team might want to go after. And thats why the FBI was so reluctant to give up the file. It didnt want the Republicans in Congress to discover the bureaus corrupt modus operandi. The stage was set for my prosecution, carried out by the Department of Justice and directed by Preet Bharara, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. Bharara tweeted Thursday that while President Trump has the right to pardon anyone he wants to, the fact is that I voluntarily pleaded guilty to a felony violation. Bhararas logic is clear: why would someone who did not intentionally break the law publicly confess that he broke the law? Heres why: Bhararas prosecutors charged me with exceeding campaign finance limits. But when they learned that I might plead not guilty, they threatened to add a second charge. What, you might wonder, was this second violation? What else did I do wrong? Turns out, nothing. The second charge I was threatened with was called filing a false document. Evidently, I did this by not revealing that I was the source of the contributions made in the name of my associates. In other words, this charge was just another way of describing the first charge. The difference, however, is that the first charge carried a maximum of two years in federal prison, while the second charge carried up to five years. The bottom line was that the federal government was threatening me with a sentence so severe it would ruin my life. Then members of Bhararas team said that if I pleaded guilty to the first charge, they would drop the second. They bludgeoned me into submitting to a lesser sentence rather than risk complete professional and personal destruction. While this is a standard tactic used by prosecutors it is the single factor that explains why federal criminal cases have a conviction rate approaching 100 percent its important to realize that the government is pressuring not only the guilty, but also the innocent to plead guilty. I find it almost comical to see Bharara put on a straight face and present the outcome of strong-arm bullying as voluntary confession. One has to be utterly naive to fall for such deceit. My only consolation is that Bhararas whole scheme has collapsed. He tried to destroy a fellow Indian-Americans life out of naked political ambition. Then President Trump fired him and pardoned me! Bharara is discovering the ancient Indian wisdom contained in the modern American saying that karma is a bitch. My case, alas, represents a grotesque miniature of what American politics has become. It wasnt always this way. President Jimmy Carter or even President Bill Clinton would no more dream of locking up opponents like me than the Bushes would dream of locking up leftist filmmaker Michael Moore or Rosie ODonnell. But with President Obama and Hillary Clinton, weve see a gangsterization of politics in which the organs of the state the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service, the Justice Department and so on are deployed against ideological adversaries. Im glad to be out of the clutches of these nefarious characters, including the judge appointed by President Clinton who included in my sentence mandatory psychiatric counseling. This is a man who thought he could supervise my re-education, which I guess would be confirmed in his mind if I went to work for the Clinton Foundation or started making regular appearances on MSNBC. Eventually, to his dismay, the judge gave up on his little Stalinist project and confessed that I could not, by his standards, be rehabilitated. Now Im free. No longer does the ominous phrase, United States of America versus Dinesh DSouza ring in this immigrants head. My American Dream and my faith in America are now fully restored. Thank you, President Trump, for making this happen. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! One year ago, on June 1, 2017, President Trump boldly and courageously announced that the United States would withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. This was a historic moment that upheld the presidents campaign promise and demonstrated to the world that he puts the American people first. The presidents decision, together with his decisive actions through regulatory reforms and tax relief, is unleashing the American economy. The unemployment rate has fallen to 3.9 percent a low not seen since 2000. Since Election Day, the economy has added 3.3 million new jobs and wages are rising. The presidents actions rejected the misguided narrative that we must choose between protecting the environment and growing the economy. That is a false choice. And it is inconsistent with Americas environmental track record. We can do both, and we have done both better than any other nation, in fact. The presidents actions rejected the misguided narrative that we must choose between protecting the environment and growing the economy. That is a false choice. And it is inconsistent with Americas environmental track record. From 2000 to 2014, we reduced our carbon dioxide footprint by more than 7 percent. More recently, the Energy Information Administration projects that from 2010 to 2018 total U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide emissions are falling by nearly 7 percent. In contrast, global emissions are increasing by 10 percent. We have also made incredible strides improving air quality throughout the nation over the past several decades. Since 1970, total emissions of the six criteria air pollutants regulated under the National Ambient Air Quality Standards established through the Clean Air Act have dropped 73 percent. These achievements are attributed largely to American innovation, such as highly effective pollution-control equipment, advanced production technologies, and increasingly efficient practices across all sectors of our economy. It is the genius of the free market, not burdensome government mandates, that has delivered this unrivaled accomplishment. The previous administration threatened to derail this progress through regulatory overreach. But President Trumps actions ensure that we will continue to promote Americas energy independence and economic growth, while also protecting the environment. Under the commitments made by the prior administration, the Paris Agreement was estimated to put at risk as many as 2.7 million American jobs by 2025, according to NERA Economic Consulting. At the same time, the Paris Agreement imposed no serious emissions reduction obligations on China or India for many years. On top of this, the Paris Agreement would also require the United States to contribute billions of American taxpayer dollars in the coming years, with no clear benefit to hardworking Americans. President Trump understood that this was a bad deal for the American people. The presidents actions declared to the world that this administration will put the American people first. The days of Washington prioritizing the interests of other countries over the interests of the American people are over. Thanks to President Trumps leadership, the Environmental Protection Agency has refocused on its core responsibilities of protecting human health and the environment. We are making tremendous progress on these fronts, including working cooperatively with states to improve air quality throughout the country, accelerating the cleanup of contaminated lands in the Superfund program, and incentivizing repairs to the nations water infrastructure. Our booming economy and improved environment are a uniquely American success story that should be recognized, celebrated, and replicated around the world. We owe no apologies to other nations for our environmental stewardship. President Trumps decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement was one of the earliest indications of his commitment to put America first. From regulatory reforms to tax relief, the president continues to take decisive action on behalf of hardworking Americans. America is stronger today because of President Trumps actions. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! How evil is MS-13? Last year, two gang members in Texas reportedly murdered a teenage girl as an offering to Satan. According to prosecutors, the gang leader (known as "Diabolico") told the young girl that "the Beast" wanted "a soul" before having his partner shoot her in the head and dump her body on a street corner. As charges were read against the two, the Houston Chronicle reported, they "laughed, smiled and waved for the media cameras." MS-13 gang members, police have said, also stabbed a Maryland man more than 100 times before decapitating him and cutting out his heart ... lured a 34-year-old man to his already dug grave ... and stoned an 18-year-old boy to death and dumped his body under a bridge. MS-13 is a demonic death cult. And President Trump has Nancy Pelosi defending its members' humanity. When Trump declared at a White House roundtable "You wouldn't believe how bad these people are. These aren't people. These are animals," he was clearly referring to MS-13. But the media and Democrats took the president's quote out of context and declared that he had referred to all illegal immigrants as animals. MS-13 is a demonic death cult. And President Trump has Nancy Pelosi defending its members' humanity. The Associated Press tweeted that "Trump referred to those crossing US border illegally as 'animals.'" The New York Times tweeted, "Trump lashed out at undocumented immigrants during a White House meeting, calling those trying to breach the country's borders 'animals.'" Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., declared, "When all of our great-great-grandparents came to America they weren't 'animals,' and these people aren't either." By the next morning, news organizations were walking back their stories. The Associated Press announced it had "deleted a tweet from late Wednesday on Trump's 'animals' comment about immigrants because it wasn't made clear that he was speaking after a comment about gang members." But not Pelosi, the House minority leader. Even after it was clear that Trump was referring to gang members, the California Democrat still claimed the president had called "undocumented immigrants" animals, declaring at a news conference that his remarks were "inhumane" and that "we're all God's children ... Does he not believe in the spark of divinity, the dignity and worth of every person?" Of course, we are all created in the image and likeness of God. That is true of MS-13 members. It was also true of Usama bin Laden, Pol Pot and Adolf Hitler. But can you imagine Pelosi standing up in outrage to defend their humanity? Referring to evil men as "animals" is a common colloquial expression. The Oxford Dictionary's definition of the word "animal" includes "a person without human attributes or civilizing influences, especially someone who is very cruel, violent, or repulsive." It offers, as an example of its proper use: "those men have to be animals -- what they did to that boy was savage." Which is exactly how Trump used the word. To this day, Pelosi has neither retracted her remarks nor admitted she was wrong. So now Trump is giving as good as he got. "I noticed recently where Democrats, Nancy Pelosi as an example, are trying to defend MS-13 gang members," Trump declared at a Long Island event last week. "I called them animals the other day and I was met with rebuke. They said, 'they are people.' They are not people. These are animals." At a rally in Nashville this week, he announced to a cheering crowd that Pelosi "loves MS-13," pointing out that "I said they're animals, and she said 'how dare you say that?'" He then asked the crowd, "What was the name?" The crowd responded, "animals!" Expect to hear that refrain at many Trump rallies in the months ahead. Through their dishonesty, Democrats such as Pelosi have handed the president a winning issue. A Harvard/Harris poll finds that 56 percent of Americans agree with Trump that it is fair to call MS-13 "animals" (including 47 percent of Hispanics, and 41 percent of Democrats). Millions of Americans can't understand why Democrats seem more hostile toward Trump than a vicious gang that carries out savage killings. Is Trump wrong to say Pelosi "loves MS-13"? Sure. But with her deceitful attack, she gave him the pretext to make that claim. There is a lesson here for Democrats: Trump says enough outrageous things that Democrats shouldn't have to make them up. When the president has you defending the "dignity and worth" of MS-13 members, you're doing something wrong. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Now that his summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un is back on for June 12 in Singapore, President Trump will benefit from some important lessons he appears to have learned by studying the success of President Reagan in dealing with the Soviet Unions final leader, Mikhail Gorbachev. This should give all Americans comfort. Few predicted Ronald Reagan would win the Cold War without firing a shot. In the same way, few imagined that Donald Trump who, like Reagan, entered the White House with little foreign affairs experience would bring North Korea to the negotiating table to discuss the elimination of its nuclear arsenal and future nuclear capabilities. We know President Reagan succeeded. We hope President Trump will as well. As he prepares for his summit with Kim Jong Un, President Trump should heed the Russian proverb that President Reagan embraced in his nuclear disarmament negotiations with Gorbachev: Doveryai, no proveryai, which means trust, but verify. Just as promises made by the Soviet leader were meaningless without verification, the same is true with North Korea. Kim Jong Un, along with his father and grandfather who ruled North Korea before him, has a long record of broken promises. President Trump knows from his extensive career in business that without binding agreements, clear penalties for violations and established methods for verification, the words of the North Korean leader are worthless. President Trump is also wisely continuing President Reagans belief in peace through strength both in military capability and in economic capacity. President Trump knows the sanctions have been working to apply pressure to a fragile and failing North Korean economy, which puts him in a position of strength at the negotiating table. In fact, the seal of the president of the United States has an eagle in the center clutching the olive branch of peace in one talon and the arrows of war in the other. President Reagan in the 1980s and President Trump now extends an olive branch of peace first, with the hope that the arrows of war will not be needed. Yet both presidents have been unafraid to make their counterparts aware that America has the capacity, and the will, to defend itself if provoked. At the Reykjavick, Iceland summit on nuclear disarmament, President Reagan eventually walked away from the negotiating table because Gorbachev wanted America to put an end to its Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) the missile defense program some dubbed as Star Wars. Stating that SDI was non-negotiable for the U.S., President Reagan refused further discussion and got up and walked out. While the summit was deemed a failure by many in the media because no agreement was reached on that day, President Reagans strong stance moved talks forward to a point where they could be resumed a short time later. The groundwork was laid at the summit for much of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty signed in 1987 by Reagan and Gorbachev, eliminating an entire class of nuclear weapons. President Reagan was committed to putting America's interests first and would rather have no deal than a bad deal that weakened the United States. With his America First foreign policy, President Trump clearly is taking a similar position. President Reagan knew the importance and effectiveness of face-to-face diplomacy and believed there was nothing that couldn't be resolved if two leaders sat down across the table from each other to discuss their differences, as well as their shared goals. President Trump is committed to having a face-to-face conversation with Kim Jong Un, which will be a diplomatic milestone with global importance. History is judging Ronald Reagan as one of our greatest presidents, while Donald Trump is still writing the record of his presidency by which history will ultimately judge him. But by looking to the diplomatic and negotiating success of President Reagan and following in his footsteps, President Trump has wisely chosen an outstanding leader to emulate. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Samantha Bee made it clear Wednesday that neither end of the political spectrum has a monopoly on indecency. In the middle of a tirade against President Trumps immigration policy, which has cruelly separated migrant children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border, Bee went off on a photo the presidents daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump posted on Twitter earlier in the week hugging her 2-year-old son. Opponents of the president have criticized the photo because it makes Ivanka Trump seem oblivious to the pain of immigrant parents no longer able to hug their own children. "You know, Ivanka, that's a beautiful photo of you and your child, but let me just say, one mother to another, do something about your dad's immigration practices, you feckless c----, Bee said on her TBS show, Full Frontal, using a vulgar slur against women. Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton tweeted her criticism of Bees disgusting comment: Its grossly inappropriate and just flat-out wrong to describe or talk about @IvankaTrump or any woman that way. As of this writing, TBS has not fired Bee from her show in sharp contrast to the action by ABC, which pulled the plug on the show Roseanne Tuesday, hours after star Roseanne Barr posted a racist tweet. Barr described President Obamas former White House adviser Valerie Jarrett, who is African-American, as the offspring of the muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes. I dont know whether Barrs or Bees comment was worse. Both are totally indefensible. In a competition for vilest public utterance of the month both would be strong contenders. President Trump, like any father, was understandably outraged at the obscene attack on his daughter. He tweeted Friday morning: Why arent they firing no talent Samantha Bee for the horrible language used on her low ratings show? A total double standard but thats O.K., we are Winning, and will be doing so for a long time to come! TBS and Time Warner, its parent company, should now pull the plug on Full Frontal not because ABC pulled the plug on Roseanne, but because its the right thing to do. In some ways, Bees vicious utterance was even worse than Barrs because Barrs was spontaneous. Bees was scripted, approved, taped in the afternoon and not aired until 10:30 p.m. EDT. There were hours to edit out Bees vile comment. Anybody with a basic sense of decency and, frankly, simple common sense would have done so. Similar offenses should result in similar punishments regardless of whether the vile racist or sexist attacks are directed against conservatives or liberals. Otherwise, the claim that the liberal media are biased against conservatives is validated. In a tweet following the cancellation of Roseanne, Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney, the parent company of ABC, wrote: There was only one thing to do here, and that was the right thing. I agree. And the same comment applies to Samantha Bee. Im hard-pressed to think of a cogent moral argument that canceling Roseanne was the right thing while canceling Full Frontal would not be, especially given the crisis of growing incivility in U.S. society. Incivility is just as offensive, harmful and inexcusable whether it comes from the left or the right, and whether it is based on racism or sexism. The stars of both shows made comments so far over the line that you could not look back from where they went with high-powered binoculars and still see where the line even is. They both said the right things in their respective apologies, but both deserve to be held accountable for their horribly offensive comments. Bee has already lost sponsors for her show. On Thursday both State Farm and Autotrader announced they were suspending advertising on Full Frontal. State Farm said in a statement: We constantly review programs to ensure alignment to our programming guidelines and brand values. Time Warner and TBS should do more to ensure alignment between their program content and their own professed values. In his message at the front of the Time Warner Standards of Conduct, Chairman and CEO Jeff Bewkes says: Each one of us is responsible for protecting the companys reputation. It means little to say each employee is responsible for preserving the companys reputation if there are no serious consequences for harming that reputation. Time Warner admits its Standards of Conduct are not a substitute for good judgment and suggests when in doubt to ask questions including: does it feel right? and how would the person I respect the most view this decision? It is hard to imagine a decent person asking such questions and then deciding that broadcasting one of the vilest words possible to describe any woman was still a good idea. The Time Warner 2016 corporate social responsibility report includes the aspiration that the companys original content helps to deepen the conversation on issues that matter in society. Bee had the opportunity to do that with respect to the pressing immigration issue. Criticizing President Trump or Ivanka Trump is fine, if Bee believes such criticism is needed, but why do it with a sexist slur? Instead of helping to shed light on an important social issue in an informative and entertaining way, Bee made her own crude comment the focus of attention. And that is a story that deepens the concern, but not the conversation, about the issue of growing incivility in America. Yet TBS has indicated it will do nothing beyond accepting Bees apology. In a statement Thursday, the company said: Samantha Bee has taken the right action in apologizing for the vile and inappropriate language she used about Ivanka Trump last night. Those words should not have been aired. It was our mistake too, and we regret it. Those words of apology will mean little unless a full frontal assault on decency receives the full punishment it deserves. Samantha Bee needs to be held accountable for her vile attack on Ivanka Trump and slur on all women. Former FBI Director James Comey was recently questioned by the D.C. U.S. Attorneys office as part of a probe into whether Andrew McCabe, his former deputy, committed a crime by lying to federal agents, a Thursday report claimed. The Washington Post report indicated that McCabe, whom Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired earlier this year just days before he would have been eligible for a lifetime pension, could be charged criminally, according to a person familiar with the matter. McCabe was fired after the Justice Department's watchdog said he lied to investigators reviewing the bureaus probe of Hillary Clintons email server. Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz said McCabe had not been forthcoming in regard to the handling of the FBIs probe. Horowitz said McCabe misled both investigators and Comey, multiple times, about a media disclosure authorization. Horowitz then passed those findings to the U.S. attorneys office to decide if a criminal charge was necessary, although a referral doesnt mean charges will be filed. A five-year prison sentence could accompany a charge of lying to federal investigators. McCabe has said he didnt intentionally mislead anyone. "This attack on my credibility is one part of a larger effort not just to slander me personally, but to taint the FBI, law enforcement, and intelligence professionals more generally," McCabe said in a statement after he was fired. "I like [McCabe] very much as a person, but sometimes even good people do things they shouldnt do," Comey told "The Lead with Jake Tapper" on CNN in April. "I think it is accountability mechanisms working and they should work because its not acceptable in the FBI or the Justice Department for people to lack candor. Its something we take really seriously." Thursday's report followed a revelation earlier this week that McCabe had written a private memo detailing the circumstances leading to Comey's firing. A detailed report from the IG on the handling of the Clinton investigation, meantime, is expected within days. Top Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham is pressing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein on whether the Justice Department official should recuse himself from the Robert Mueller investigation due to his own connections to the case. In a letter obtained by Fox News, Graham, R-S.C., asked Rosenstein whether he considers himself a potential witness in the Mueller probe in connection with the firing of FBI Director James Comey. If so, should you recuse yourself from further interactions with and oversight of the Mueller investigation? Graham asked. Graham, in the May 31-dated letter, cited reports that Muellers investigation is looking at whether President Trump obstructed justice by firing Comey and the fact that Trump relied on a Rosenstein-authored memo to justify the firing. Rosensteins role was further detailed in a New York Times report earlier this week on a memo written by ousted FBI official Andrew McCabe. Fox News has confirmed that the memo described a meeting where Rosenstein claimed Trump had asked him to reference Russia in his recommendation to fire Comey. Rosenstein declined, and instead focused on Comey's handling of the Hillary Clinton email probe. Trump pushed back on the account Thursday. Not that it matters but I never fired James Comey because of Russia! The Corrupt Mainstream media loves to keep pushing that narrative, but they know it is not true! Trump tweeted. A source with knowledge of the investigation told Fox News that Trump just wanted Rosenstein to mention that Comey told him he was not under investigation in the Russia case. Trump himself, though, has cited the Russia probe in explaining his decision to fire Comey. Any indications that the president was in fact motivated by the Russia investigation to act against Comey could fuel the obstruction of justice component of Muellers probe. McCabe's memo reportedly has been turned over to Mueller. Asked for comment Friday on Graham's letter, a DOJ official said the letter has been received. The new pressure on Rosenstein, meanwhile, comes as Trump continues to hammer Attorney General Jeff Sessions over his original decision to recuse himself from the Russia probe which handed the reins to Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller after Comeys firing. Trump earlier this week said he wishes he had picked another nominee for attorney general. Fox News John Roberts and Jake Gibson contributed to this report. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was quick to slam Google on Thursday after reports surfaced that an error in the Internet search giant's Knowledge Panel listed "Nazism" as a tenet of the California Republican Party. "Sadly, this is just the latest incident in a disturbing trend to slander conservatives," McCarthy wrote. "These damaging actions must be held to account. #StopTheBias" Earlier in the week, McCarthy tweeted out a video of his speech to the Council for National Policy, in which he also criticized what he described as efforts to thwart conservative ideas. "Social media is being rigged to censor conservative voices," McCarthy tweeted. "We will not be silenced. #StopTheBias" The Google error, first spotted by political strategist Eric Wilson, listed "Nazism" among other GOP ideologies, such as Conservatism, "Market liberalism, Fiscal conservatism, and Green conservatism. The news was first reported by Vice News. Google's Knowledge Panel pulls information from various sources from across the web, including Wikipedia. FACEBOOK AND GOOGLE SLAMMED, ACCUSED OF BREAKING NEW GDPR PRIVACY LAW "Google should apologize for labeling Republicans nazis," Wilson tweeted. Wilson is the founder of LearnTestOptimize, which describes itself as "a community platform for professionals working at the intersection of marketing, technology, and politics." The error has since been fixed. When reached for comment, a Google spokesperson told Fox News the error was likely the result of vandalism on one of its sources. "This was not the result of any manual change by anyone at Google. We don't bias our search results toward any political party. Sometimes people vandalize public information sources, like Wikipedia, which can impact the information that appears in search," the spokesperson said via email. The spokesperson continued: "We have systems in place that catch vandalism before it impacts search results, but occasionally errors get through, and that's what happened here. This would have been fixed systematically once we processed the removal from Wikipedia, but when we noticed the vandalism we worked quickly to accelerate this process to remove the erroneous information. PAYPAL NOW FULLY INTEGRATES WITH GOOGLE ACCOUNTS Nevertheless, Donald Trump Jr. was among other conservative voices joining McCarthy in condemning the error. This one from @google is even more disgusting than @instagram putting up a note that those searching a # of my name could cause harm and even lead to death, Trump Jr. tweeted Thursday. So much for free thought or speech! Silicon Valley has come under fire in recent months for being seen as suppressing conservative voices, including from some senior members of the Republican Party. During recent testimony before Congress, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was grilled by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, about the company's perceived "pervasive pattern of bias and political censorship." Cruz pointed to a recent in which Fox News Channel contributors Diamond and Silk who were temporarily banned from the platform. In response to Cruz's question, Zuckerberg said that Diamond and Silk's ban was an error. In that specific case, our team made an enforcement error and we have already gotten in touch with them to reverse it, Zuckerberg said. GOOGLE SEARCH BUG IDENTIFIES RAPE VICTIMS IN PROMINENT CASES The tech exec also noted that he was concerned about political bias in the tech industry, and he has tried to root that out at Facebook. A source familiar with Google's thinking noted that its systems are designed to detect if their information services have been vandalized. "These generally work well, but aren't perfect," the source said, and when the company is alerted of an error, it is fixed. Fox News Chris Ciaccia contributed to this story. U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., remained mute about her 2020 ambitions Thursday during a town hall meeting in her home state, but attacked the Trump administrations immigration policies as immoral and said she supports a ban on weapons of war. This administration, as far as Im concerned, has put a target on Californias back and were going to need to fight this, Harris told a crowd of more than 1,000 people in the San Fernando Valley, many of whom were young students, the Los Angeles Daily News reported. This administration, as far as Im concerned, has put a target on Californias back and were going to need to fight this. U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif. She criticized the administration's zero-tolerance policy on illegal immigration, which has led to at least 1,300 children being separated from parents who attempted to cross the border illegally. Its immoral, she said. And lets be clear, government should be in the business of keeping families together, not tearing them apart. Harris received praise from progressives after her heated confrontation with Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen last month, in which she took the Trump administration official to task over the issue. But Nielsen denied the administration is intentionally splitting the families, explaining to Harris that parents who attempted to enter the country illegally may lose their children if they face charges or jail time, as according to the existing U.S. laws that precede the election of Trump. Harris, California's junior U.S. senator, isnt facing re-election this year, but her town hall was held just days before Tuesdays primary election in the state -- which Democrats hope will help solidify their domination in California and eventually flip seats in the U.S. Congress. But holding a town hall while not facing an election merely fueled speculation that Harris may run for president in 2020. Rather than dismiss the rumors about it, Harris told reporters that she had no announcements to make. During the event, Harris outlined some of her policy wishes, including banning weapons of war and introducing mandatory background checks. Its a false choice to suggest you either support the Second Amendment or you want to take everyones guns away, she told the audience. That is ridiculous. Its a false choice to suggest you either support the Second Amendment or you want to take everyones guns away. That is ridiculous. U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif. She also spoke about a bipartisan bill shes working on with U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., that would reform the courts bail system. Harris wrapped up her appearance by saying that although Trump poses challenges to people, she doesnt believe the country is divided. I reject that premise. I do not believe we are divided. I believe that the vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us, and I know that to be true, she said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. For better or worse, through sickness and health, a Kansas gubernatorial candidate has picked his wife as his mate -- for life and for lieutenant governor. Republican Jim Barnett has selected his wife, Rosie Hansen, as his running mate as he runs for governor. The pair married in September, according to The Wichita Eagle. Ive met and talked with people from all walks of life, from all over the state, Barnett, a former state senator, said in a statement. Many were qualified in some areas. Only a few were qualified in all three areas. It became clear that the one person who was best qualified in all areas was also the person who had spent the past 22 months traveling 70,000 miles with me: Rosemary Hansen, my wife. Barnett credited his wife with being instrumental in the creation of his #OneKansas agenda, which includes adding jobs, improving health care options and fixing education in the state. Rosies extensive experience and knowledge of organization and management will help me improve the functioning of a state government that has gone off the rails in the past eight years, he said. Hansen has a Masters degree in public administration from Harvard University and a law degree from the University of Minnesota. Shes served overseas with as a foreign service officer with the State Department, holding positions in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Thailand, according to Barnetts campaign website. Barnett, who was the 2006 GOP nominee for Kansas governor, is one of four major Republican candidates for governor in a crowded field with a sizable part of the Republican electorate undecided. Primary elections are in August. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Gavin Newsom had an inappropriate affair with his employee. Antonio Villaraigosa cheated on his wife with a reporter assigned to cover him. Yet the #MeToo movement, which has urged women to speak up about sexual misconduct allegations, has remained visibly silent about the sexual conduct of two prominent Democrats running for governor in California. Some are calling it outright hypocrisy. Critics say the two abused their power and took advantage of vulnerable women not unlike the allegations taking down powerful men all across the country. Amanda Renteria, a Democrat also running for governor, is calling on Newsom, the clear frontrunner of the race, to step aside. I think elected officials need to be held to higher standard, Renteria said. And no matter who it is or where it is, we need to make sure we elect people who do not abuse their power in any way. FOX NEWS MIDTERMS 2018 AMERICA'S ELECTION HQ Some supporters of the #MeToo movement, however, are giving Newsom a pass. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., who has said sexual harassment is inappropriate in every circumstance in every way, endorsed Newsom. Comedian Chelsea Handler, a vocal supporter of the movement, helped him raise $17 million from Silicon Valley and Hollywood donors. Democrats, instead, are blasting Renteria for calling out Newsom saying shes degrading the movement to score political points. #MeToo is about ownership of our experiences because we all have stories that are ours alone to tell, Shawnda Westly, the California Democratic Partys former executive director, told BuzzFeed News. Instead, Amanda has chosen to degrade the movement for her own political purposes by manipulating someone elses story for her gain. In 2007, when Newsom was in his first term as San Francisco mayor, he admitted to having an affair with his appointment secretary, who was the wife of his campaign adviser and friend. "I want to make it clear that everything you've heard and read is true, and I'm deeply sorry about that," Newsom said at the time. "I've hurt someone I care deeply about Alex Tourk, and his friends and family. And that is something I have to live with." Yet, the affair has barely been mentioned in the race. BACKED BY TRUMP, REPUBLICAN JOHN COX IS A FORCE IN CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR RACE The woman with whom he had an affair, Ruby Rippey Gibney, has defended Newsom, saying his behavior does not rise to the level of discussion in the movement. "I fully support the #metoo movement. In this particular instance, however, I am doubtful that it applies," she wrote on her Facebook page, according to the Los Angeles Times. "Yes, I was a subordinate, but I was also a free-thinking, 33-yr old adult married woman & mother. (I also happened to have an unfortunate inclination towards drinking-to-excess & self-destruction.)" In 2007, Villaraigosa admitted to having an affair with a TV reporter who covered him while he was the mayor of Los Angeles. Soon afterward, he announced he and his wife of 20 years were splitting up. Yet, he too enjoys broad Democratic support. Veteran columnist Dan Walters said because both affairs were consensual, the media, liberal donors and many Democrats are looking the other way. It is just not that big a deal anymore, Walters said. This isn't Kansas, this isnt Georgia or Alabama this is California, and we take a pretty tolerant view of people's foibles. Renteria, however, sees a double standard, especially among progressives who call out sexual misconduct in others. This pattern of misconduct is completely unacceptable, she said of Newsom, according to the Medium. From Washington to California, citizens have begun calling out misuse of power wherever and whenever it happens. Thats why its time for Newsom to step down. Many, apparently, don't share her opinion. Recent polls shows Newsom with 33 percent of the likely vote, Villaraigosa at 13 percent and Republican John Cox with 20 percent. The top candidates on Tuesday will face off in November. President Trump said Friday that a high-stakes summit between him and Kim Jong Un is back on for June 12, following a lengthy meeting with a top North Korean official in the Oval Office. We'll be meeting on June 12 in Singapore," the president told reporters after the North Korean emissary left the White House. He called Friday's meeting with North Korea's Kim Yong Chol a "great start." Trump confirmed that the visiting official gave him a personal letter from dictator Kim Jong Un, though he hadn't yet read it. "We're going to deal," Trump said. Trump spoke to reporters after an extraordinary scene played out on White House grounds, with Trump hosting the North Korean official for over an hour in the Oval Office -- the latest gesture in an effort by both sides to get talks back on track after North Korea's belligerent rhetoric prompted Trump to nix the summit last week. Trump said the meeting was supposed to just be about "the delivery of a letter" but ended up being a lengthy conversation with the "second most powerful man in North Korea." We talked about a lot of things," Trump said. "We really did. But the big deal will be on June 12. After the meeting, Trump and Secretary of State Pompeo were seen taking photos with the visitors. Kim Yong Chol is the most senior North Korean visitor to the United States since Vice Marshal Jo Myong Rok visited Washington in 2000 to meet President Bill Clinton. He is North Korea's former military intelligence chief and is one of the North Korean leader's closest aides. Trump said they also discussed ending the Korean War between North and South Korea. Can you believe that we're talking about the ending of the Korean War? Trump told reporters. We're talking about 70 years. TRUMP-KIM SUMMIT, FROM THE INVITATION TO THE CANCELLATION: A TIMELINE The official's arrival in Washington came a day after Pompeo declared that he was confident negotiations with Pyongyang over holding a nuclear summit were "moving in the right direction." "Our two countries face a pivotal moment in our relationship, and it would be nothing short of tragic to let this opportunity go to waste," Pompeo said in New York after meeting with Kim. The two countries, eyeing the first summit between the U.S. and the North after six decades of hostility, have also been holding negotiations in Singapore and the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas. Kim Yong Chol left his hotel in New York City early Friday for the trip to Washington in a convoy of SUVs. Pompeo, the former CIA chief who has traveled to North Korea and met with Kim Jong Un twice in the past two months, said he believed the country's leaders are "contemplating a path forward where they can make a strategic shift, one that their country has not been prepared to make before." Fox News John Roberts and Serafin Gomez and The Associated Press contributed to this report. An admitted pedophile and convicted felon who spent more than a year in prison for threatening to kill President George W. Bush is legally able to run for state offices in Virginia because of a 2016 decision by then-Gov. Terry McAuliffe to restore voting rights to thousands of felons. Nathan Larson, 37, of Catlett is running as an independent candidate in Virginias 10th Congressional District. He has expressed pro-pedophilia and incest views, and, in an interview with HuffPo this week, called it normal for men to be attracted to underage women. Larson was barred from running in future elections after pleading guilty to sending the Secret Service a 2008 letter threatening to kill Bush, who was president at the time. But, though a convicted felon, Larson is now able to run in Virginia because McAuliffe, the former Democratic governor, restored voting rights to 13,000 felons in 2016, including Larson's. McAuliffe left the governorship this year after being term-limited. Larson ran in 2017 for Virginias House of Delegates -- something he would not have been able to do without McAuliffe restoring his voting rights. After this story was published, though, a spokeswoman for McAuliffe, Crystal Carson, said that when it comes to this year's U.S. House race, Larson is constitutionally eligible anyway because the U.S. Constitution doesn't prevent felons from serving in federal offices. McAuliffe restored his right to vote, but he could always run, Carson said in an email to Fox News. According to the Virginia Department of Elections, candidates must be qualified to vote in the race for the office they are seeking. A spokeswoman for Virginia Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam did not immediately return a request for comment. As for Larson, he hasn't backed away from his extreme, even repugnant views. Larson has written frequently on so-called incels -- people who have struggled with being involuntary celibate. HuffPo said Larson confirmed writing online posts they've since been taken down -- titled Advantages of Father-Daughter Incest and The Justifiability of an Incels Kidnapping a Girl and Keeping Her as His Rape-Slave for Sex and Babymaking. In its story, the news organization said Larson was open about his pedophilia, but claimed he has never committed any crimes. It also uncovered an online post in which Larson expressed a desire to have sex with his daughter, though he doubted it would happen because he doesnt have custody. He told the outlet he has a 3-year-old daughter who lives with relatives. According to Larsons campaign platform, he is for the legalization of child pornography and restoring benevolent white supremacy and patriarchy. He also refers to Adolf Hitler as a white supremacist hero. HuffPo said Larson seemed unfazed during a phone interview. A lot of people are tired of political correctness and being constrained by it, Larson said. People prefer when theres an outsider who doesnt have anything to lose and is willing to say whats on a lot of peoples minds. Four candidates are vying for the Republican nomination to take on Montana Sen. Jon Tester, an endangered incumbent Democrat, in the fall -- and President Trumps effect on the Republican Party is showing among them. Combat veteran Troy Downing, Judge Russ Fagg, state Sen. Albert Olszewski and state auditor Matt Rosendale have all thrown their hats into the ring for the Republican nomination for Senate. And although Tester, the incumbent, has already raised a lot of money for the election, whoever emerges from this group of men stands a good chance in the general election, Dr. Robert Saldin, a University of Montana political science professor told Fox News. Fox News considers the Montana Senate race to be one of eight toss ups in the 2018 midterm elections. A look at the Republican candidates While there hasnt been much polling ahead of the June 5 primary election, Rosendale, 57, has emerged as a potential frontrunner, Dr. David C.W. Parker, a Montana State University political science professor, told Fox News. Rosendale has the endorsement of Republican Sens. Rand Paul, Mike Lee and Ted Cruz. Like Paul, Rosendale bills himself as a libertarian-leaning candidate. Rosendale, former majority leader in the state Senate, was elected as Montanas state auditor in 2016. Fagg is a fourth-generation Montanan with some name recognition, as his father was involved with local politics as well, Parker said. Fagg is genteel and someone who would be difficult to attack during debates, Parker said, but he has demonstrated some aggressiveness in this primary. But Fagg has a long judicial record, and opponents could point to a case to fit an argument that he isnt tough on crime. Olszewski is somebody who could be a very attractive candidate, Parker said. An Air Force veteran and father to six, Olszewski was first elected to the state legislature in 2014 as a state representative. Now, hes a state senator. Hes well-regarded among Republicans in the know and in the party, but hes had limited exposure to the electorate, Parker said, noting that Olszewski hasnt run television or radio ads like his GOP opponents. A businessman, Downing founded a tech company that eventually merged with Yahoo. After 9/11, Downing joined the Air Force and served in Afghanistan. His work with veterans, too, has made him a potential dark horse candidate, Parker said. TRUMP CALLS ON TESTER TO RESIGN OVER RONNY JACKSON ALLEGATIONS But Downing isnt originally from Montana, Parker pointed out. And his home in Big Sky, Montana, where the private Yellowstone Club ski resort is, stands in stark contrast to the more rural Montanans. Downing has the support of former national security adviser Michael Flynn and Trumps children. Hes also the one who looks most Trumpian with his business credentials. If theres a Trump guy, its him, Parker said of Downing. Its all been a competition to see who can be the most aligned with Trump, Saldin said. Its a reflection of where these candidates think the Republican Party is in Montana. Even Fagg, who is considered a favorite among the more establishment Republicans in Montana, has tacked a little more in the direction of Trump, Saldin said, pointing to ads that have been deemed aggressive." Trump won Montana by about 56 percent in 2016. In comparison, 2008 Republican nominee John McCain took the state with about 50 percent. Its all been a competition to see who can be the most aligned with Trump, Saldin said. Its a reflection of where these candidates think the Republican Party is in Montana. Dr. Robert Saldin, a University of Montana political science professor Its no secret that the four Republican candidates lack some of the perks that come with name recognition. In fact, the best two candidates for beating Tester arent even running in this election, several political scientists in the state have said. Ryan Zinke, a former U.S. congressman, joined Trumps Cabinet when he was appointed secretary of the Interior Department last year. And the states attorney general, Tim Fox, decided to forgo the race, presumably to run for governor, Saldin said. But even without that star power, the four candidates still stand a chance because of something next to their name: Republican. Anytime youre running as a Republican in Montana statewide, youve got a shot, Saldin said. I dont think its a foregone conclusion that Tester wins this. A look at Tester Tester, 61, is a more conservative Democrat who has already emphasized his record of voting for more than a dozen bills signed into law by Trump in his first television ad. In an age of increasingly polarizing politics, Testers 30-second spot didnt critique the president. Whoever wins the Republican primary needs to tap into what made Trump so successful in rural areas during the 2016 election, such as appealing to voters who believe politicians arent speaking to me, Parker said. The Republican candidate can embrace the idea of the perception of left behind rural voters and speak to that. TESTER FEELING HEAT FROM TRUMP IN MONTANA SENATE RACE For Republicans to win the general, they need somebody who can kind of stem the flow of rural voters [siding with Democrats or not voting at all] and keep them in the Republicans column, Parker said. Candidates need to be making inroads in suburban areas -- pick off suburban voters and be attractive to rural voters as well. Trump went after Tester earlier this year during the kerfuffle over his pick to lead the Veterans Affairs Department. Adm. Ronny Jackson, who was the presidents physician, withdrew his name from consideration for the Cabinet post following allegations about his prescription-drug practices and use of alcohol. Jackson was also accused of wrecking a government vehicle while intoxicated. Candidates need to be making inroads in suburban areas -- pick off suburban voters and be attractive to rural voters as well. Dr. David C.W. Parker, a Montana State University political science professor The allegations were collected by Testers office; he is the top Democrat on the Senate Veteran Affairs Committee. The White House disputed the accusations, and Trump called for Testers resignation in April. The great people of Montana will not stand for this kind of slander when talking of a great human being, Trump said in a series of tweets. Admiral Jackson is the kind of man that those in Montana would respect and admire, and now, for no reason whatsoever, his reputation has been shattered. Not fair, Tester! Trumps attack on Tester could hurt his chances in the fall. I think thats the one thing thats gone wrong for Tester, Saldin said of Trumps criticisms. So much has gone right for Tester. The thing with Jackson, it does threaten to hurt him, especially if Trump follows up and comes out here to campaign directly against him. Saldin said the Tester campaign needed to keep Trump at arms length and just emphasis the areas in which Tester and Trump have been able to work together, especially on veterans issues. About 87,000 veterans live in Montana, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Along with Alaska and Maine, Montana is considered to have the most veterans per capita living in the state. On the other hand, Parker has argued Trumps attacks might actually help Testers campaign. Tester is considered a strong advocate for veterans in Montana, Parker wrote for The Washington Post, and his fight with Trump over a beleaguered pick to lead the already embattled veterans agency could further prove his dedication to those who served the country. The way Democrats win in Montana, Parker said, is by having candidates who are personable and well-liked and are pretty solid on things like guns and social issues. They peel off enough rural voters who like that person individually more than the Republican alternative. Fox News' Joseph Weber contributed to this report. French President Emmanuel Macron said he wants to strengthen his countrys economic relationship with Russia. "We have to give a clear support to the Franco-Russia strategic project and renew our cooperation in support of the diversification of the Russian economy, by developing it in new sectors, which will be the engines for tomorrow's economic growth," he said last week in St. Petersburg. President Trumps critics charge his tariffs on European steel and aluminum needlessly antagonize valuable allies. The United States and Europe also disagree on climate change policy, the Iran nuclear deal and defense spending. "Whenever Im thinking about Trump, Im lost," said Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission. Diplomats and analysts have complained about the deterioration of the U.S. alliance with Europe, warned of a diminished counterweight to Russia and said tension with the U.S. may provide cover for European firms to increase their trade with the Kremlin. "We're seeing, I think France especially, but also Germany trying to play both sides, trying to play the United States and Russia at the same time," said Alina Polyakova of the Brookings Institution. "That realization that Russia is not a reliable economic partner, that it is a security threat to Europe, much more than to the United States, has not quite sunk in, unfortunately." Russia mostly sells Europe natural resources and energy. Work is beginning on a massive, controversial gas pipeline between Russia and Germany. Nord Stream 2 would double Russias gas export capacity across the Baltic Sea. The United States ambassador to Germany told Fox News that the administration has pushed European firms and governments to pass on business with Russia. "The strategy for the United States, here in Germany and throughout Europe, is really to remind European businesses just what they're dealing (with) when they deal with Russia," said Ambassador Richard Grenell. He pointed to European Union figures showing Russian trade with the EU is down since Russia invaded Ukraine and seized Crimea in 2014. "The Russian offense and activities speak for themselves," said Grenell. "Many businesses throughout Europe are very uncomfortable with that." A booming jobs report and signs the economy is expanding at a healthy pace despite global trade disputes proved too much for President Trump to keep quiet about Friday. Looking forward to seeing the employment numbers at 8:30 this morning, the president tweeted he tweeted ahead of the official report. Trump was foreshadowing a glowing unemployment report that showed the jobless rate dipped to an 18-year low of 3.8 percent. Although he and other key administration officials had been briefed a day earlier on the report, protocol calls for even the president to wait for the report's official release from the Labor Department. Employers added 223,000 jobs, way up from the expected 188,000. Deep inside the report were other strong indicators that the nation's economy is on the upswing. Black and Hispanic unemployment, declining figures Trump regularly touts, plummeted to record lows. Average hourly pay rose 2.7 percent from a year earlier. "President Trumps policies are having a tremendous positive impact on the lives of Americans of all classes and backgrounds." Andy Puzder The unemployment and underemployment rates both ticked down, and reflect the continued tightening in the labor market," Sameer Samana, global quantitative and technical strategist with Wells Fargo Investment Institute told FOX Business. The news comes even as Trump has announced new tariffs as high as 25 percent on imported steel and aluminum from the European Union, Canada and Mexico, triggering retaliation from U.S. allies and protests from American industry. "The United States has been taken advantage of for many decades on trade," Trump said in a statement. "Those days are over. Earlier today, this message was conveyed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada: The United State will agree to a fair deal, or there will be no deal at all." Trump supporters say the president's economic plan and hard-bargaining with other countries is paying dividends for U.S. workers. "President Trumps policies are having a tremendous positive impact on the lives of Americans of all classes and backgrounds," wrote Andy Puzder, the former CEO of CKE Restaurants who Trump nominated as U.S. labor secretary, in a recent column for FOX Business. "More people are working, there are more job openings, and fewer people are dependent on government. While much of the business media wrung its hands over Trump's stealing the Labor Department's thunder, National Economic Council director Larry Kudlow said his boss didn't "give anything away." President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are in Singapore where they will meet one-on-one for a historic summit Tuesday. After some back-and-forth on whether the meeting would actually happen, the two leaders arrived in Singapore on Sunday. They are scheduled to meet at 9 a.m. local time (9 p.m. ET Monday) with only translators present, according to the White House. The meeting will later expand to include other officials, such as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, chief of staff John Kelly and national security adviser John Bolton. SEE KIM JONG UN'S BIZARRE NORTH KOREA PROPAGANDA PHOTOS The summit will be the first-ever meeting between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader. Its important because of the potential opening it has; there is potential diplomatic progress, former Vice Adm. Robert B. Murrett, a professor of practice, public administration and international affairs at Syracuse University, told Fox News. This is something we havent been able to do for many years, said Murrett, who also serves as deputy director of the Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism at the college, specializes in national security, international relations, military and defense strategy. Why is this meeting significant? Aside from the potential diplomatic benefits between the U.S. and North Korea, the summit could benefit other countries. It not just about the United States, he said, explaining that the meeting could have also been a win for our partners in the east, such as South Korea and Japan, but also areas in the South Pacific region such as Australia. He added, "These talks have the ability to reduce security tensions in East Asia and present an opportunity for the U.S. to reinforce the strong links with South Korea, Japan and even China." TRUMP CANCELING NORTH KOREA SUMMIT DECRIED BY SOME LAWMAKERS, PRAISED AS 'RIGHT CALL' BY OTHERS What topics are Kim and Trump expected to discuss? Denuclearization will be at the fore, Murrett said. North Koreas nuclear weapons and ability to deliver them at long distances should be central, said Murrett, who added that recent talks between North and South Korea would suggest that it would remain a core issue. But Murrett also expected discussion of the Hermit Kingdom's role in the global economy. Despite various sanctions placed on the country, North Koreas economy grew by 3.9 percent in 2016. But Murrett said diplomatic talks represent the prospect of North Korea rejoining the family of the Asians if only from an economic standpoint, potentially opening the door for the country to trade with more than just China. It would be in the interest of the people of North Korea, Murrett added. Does Trump deserve credit for the summit? In short: Yes, in part. While Trump deserves credit for agreeing to meet with Kim, his decision to do so was likely sparked by the window of opportunity that has existed because of ongoing pressure on North Korea to better its relations with surrounding countries and beyond, Murrett said. South Korean President Moon Jae-in also deserves a fair amount of credit, he said, citing the recent summit between the two Koreas and the display of unity at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang as one of several steps toward unification in some fashion or another. Trump is one of many important players, said Murrett, noting that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe were also key players. Abe met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in April, where the two affirmed their strong determination to strengthen our shared resolve on North Korea, and increase the capability of the U.S.-Japan Alliance to confront all emerging threats to peace, stability, and an international order based on the rule of law, the White House said at the time. And President Xi and Kim secretly met in May in China, Chinese state television announced after the North Korean leader had already left the country. "[The leaders] had an all-around and in-depth exchange of views on China-[North Korea] relations and major issues of common concern," the Chinese news agency reported, while Kim was quoted saying that he hopes to build mutual trust with the U.S. through dialogue. Fox News' Serafin Gomez, Kathleen Joyce, Katherine Lam, Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Zoe Szathmary, Elizabeth Zwirz and The Associated Press contributed to this report. To meet or not to meet -- that is the question everyone is asking about President Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un. The two leaders have gone back-and-forth on whether they will hold a historic summit this summer as a push for the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula continues. After initially accepting Kims invitation, Trump announced he was pulling out of the summit in a letter to the North Korean leader in May. But since then, as talks between officials have continued, Trump said the meeting is back on, according to plan. Read on for a look at how the meeting came about, fell apart and came back together. Trump accepts invitation Trump accepted Kims invitation to meet in early March, the White House said. President Trump has said for some time that he was open to talks and he would eventually meet with Kim when conditions were right, then-U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said. And I think in the presidents judgement that time has arrived now. Date, time and place is set It wasnt until May when the date for the summit was publicly set: June 12. Trump said in a tweet that he and Kim would both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace. The meeting was scheduled to take place in Singapore. Leaders waffle on meeting Later in May, Trump began to suggest a reverse in course on whether the meeting would take place as North Korean officials threatened to cancel talks. If it doesnt happen, maybe it will happen later. You never know about deals. Ive made a lot of deals, Trump said on May 22. You never really know. It may not work out for June 12. The comments came after a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the White House. Later, after Vice President Mike Pence told Fox News Kim had asked for the meeting, North Koreas vice foreign minister accused the U.S. of misleading the public opinion as if we have invited them to sit with us. We will neither beg the U.S. for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us, Choe Sun Hui reportedly said. Trump backs out Trump announced on May 24 that he decided to pull out of the summit in an open letter to Kim. I was very much looking forward to being there with you, Trump wrote. Sadly ... I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting. I felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me, and ultimately, it is only dialogue that matters, Trump continued. Some day, I look very much forward to meeting you. The White House also revealed that North Korean officials had stopped coming to recent meetings regarding the summit. North Korea reverses course After Trump pulled out of the summit, North Korea said it was still willing to come to the table. We express our willingness to sit down face-to-face with the U.S. and resolve issues anytime and in any format, North Korean Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan said on May 25, according to Korean Central News Agency. Trump offers hope for the meeting Trump suggested a summit could still take place in June in a May 25 tweet. We are having very productive talks with North Korea about reinstating the Summit, which, if it does happen, will likely remain in Singapore on the same date, June 12th, and, if necessary, will be extended beyond that date, Trump said. South and North Korea meet again Kim and Moon held a surprise meeting on May 26 on the North Korean side of the demilitarized zone reportedly to discuss a path forward for the summit with Trump. Aides travel to North Korea, Singapore Trump said U.S. officials arrived in North Korea for discussions about the summit on May 27. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said, We continue to prepare for a meeting between the President and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Our United States team has arrived in North Korea to make arrangements for the Summit between Kim Jong Un and myself, Trump tweeted. I truly believe North Korea has brilliant potential and will be a great economic and financial Nation one day. Kim Jong Un agrees with me on this. It will happen! U.S. officials also reportedly met with Kim Chang Son, the North Korean leaders chief of staff, in Singapore on May 28. We have put a great team together for our talks with North Korea, Trump said in a tweet the following day. Meetings are currently taking place concerning Summit, and more. New York City meetings Kim Yong Chol, one of Kims closest aides and North Koreas former military intelligence chief, met with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in New York City on May 30. The two are also expected to engage in a day full of meetings on May 31, according to the White House. Pompeo met with Kim in April, before he was sworn in as secretary of state, Trump has said. Meeting is back on After being delivered a personal letter from Kim by a North Korean official at the White House, Trump announced the June 12 summit was back on. We'll be meeting on June 12 in Singapore," the president told reporters after the meeting that lasted for more than an hour. What happened to the still unknown number of U.S. servicemen who disappeared during the Korean War and were never returned or accounted for? Families and experts are pressing for President Trump to bring up the heartbreaking question during a summit with Kim Jong Un that may now be back on again. The U.S. has secured the remains of hundreds of Americans from North Korea over the years, and President Trump was expected to push Kim to allow the U.S. to secure even more before he canceled the summit. However, for the families of American captives who reportedly survived, or whose fates are still unknown, that was never enough - and they hope that any potential summit will come with a demand for answers about their loved ones after all these years. Bob and Lois Moore are one such family. Bob's brother, Captain Harry C. Moore, was a fighter pilot with the U.S. Air Force who was shot down off the coast of Korea in 1951. It was the second time Moore had been shot down while serving the U.S., having survived more than 50 days in the wilderness after being shot down over China in 1944. He wasn't so lucky the second time around. Moore's wife, Lois, learned on New Year's Eve less than two years later that her husband was believed to have been killed in action. The shared grief between Lois and Harry's brother, Bob, would lead them to later marry. They say they still think about him every day. But Moore's story was far from over. In 2002, the Moores received word from government officials saying they now believed after some 50 years that it was possible Harry survived his ordeal. Unearthed testimonies from former Soviet officials revealed that Harry might have been captured and interrogated by the Soviets after being shot down, though his fate afterwards remained unknown. "Immediately we started trying to find out what actually happened," Bob said. Nearly two decades after receiving that memo, and more than 65 years after his brother's plane was shot down, Bob and Lois say they still haven't received any other information from the government though theyve learned plenty themselves. And that's why they're taking matters into their own hands. SUING THE GOVERNMENT FOR ANSWERS "We're the only ones I think that ever had the gall to sue the FBI and the CIA, but hell - we'd sue President Trump if we had to," Bob Moore told Fox News. "We do it on behalf of all the families," Moore said. "There are nearly 8,000 still missing from recent wars that haven't been accounted for." Statistics compiled by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) indicate some 7,702 Americans remain missing from the Korean War as of May 18, 2018. Families like the Moores receive regular updates on the government's efforts to learn more. "We're the only ones I think that ever had the gall to sue the FBI and the CIA, but hell - we'd sue President Trump if we had to... We do it on behalf of all the families [like ours]... There are nearly 8,000 still missing from recent wars that haven't been accounted for." Bob Moore, brother of Air Force Captain Harry Moore (MIA) Moore says those letters, called the "Family Update," tell the same story every time, and notes that his family has spent time chasing down leads themselves. Just this month, their daughter traveled to South Korea to meet with North Korean defectors, who unfortunately provided little in the way of new information on Harry. The Moores say the government is ignoring evidence uncovered in the past that indicates Harry was likely captured alive, and used as an instructor for pilots in the Soviet Air Force. That's according to an American analyst the Moores met with in Washington, and who apparently interviewed the Russian pilots who shot down Harry's plane. According to the Moores, that analyst told them that both pilots mentioned remembering a Gary or Harry Moore specifically by name, and without any prompting from him. It was the testimony of one of those same pilots, the Moores say, that inspired the government to update Harry's status in 2002. Since that time, Bob Moore says the government has thrown cold water on that testimony suggesting it is insufficient to prove anything. "What we're saying is we're never going to get the information from the government unless we can force them to open classified files they've had for 60 years," Moore says of the lawsuit he has filed. "It's unfair to let someone give their life and then be totally ignored," he added. EXPERTS SAY U.S. HAS PLENTY OF EVIDENCE, JUST NOT DIGGING Mark Sauter is a long-time North Korea watcher who is helping the Moores in their quest. He told Fox News that "just last year, we were able to have records from 1954 declassified; they revealed a secret U.S. intelligence mission to insert agents into North Korea to look for US POWs a year after all the POWs were supposed to have been returned. "What all the more recent, still classified records show we can only imagine," Sauter added. Sauter notes there have been plenty of documented cases of Americans known to be alive after their capture in North Korea, like the group known as the Ashley Five who were even the subject of failed rescue attempts by the U.S. government. "We believe that U.S. Korean War POWs were transferred to the Soviet Union and never repatriated. This transfer was a highly-secret MGB [KGB] program approved by the inner circle of the Stalinist dictatorship." 1993 Dept. of Defense report on "The Transfer of U.S. Korean War POWs To the Soviet Union" Sauter also points to the case of Major Sam Logan, who was filmed in North Korean custody in a piece of video footage circulated by the Soviet Union at the end of the Korean War. Logan hasnt been heard from since. Norm Kass spent 30 years at the DoD, and for 20 of those years he was working on the presidentially mandated U.S.-Russia Joint Commission on POW/MIAs. He says "there was a definite link between things [he] was involved in and various reports the U.S. government obtained alleging American servicemen had been held by the North Koreans." Kass points to a 1993 report, titled "The Transfer of U.S. Korean War POWs To the Soviet Union," as proof of just how much the U.S. government knows about this issue. The report was compiled by the Department of Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO), now known as the aforementioned DPAA. In it, U.S. government officials alleged "that US Korean War POWs were transferred to the Soviet Union and never repatriated as part of a highly-secret MGB [KGB] program approved by the inner circle of the Stalinist dictatorship The range of eyewitness testimony as to the presence of U.S. Korean War POWS in the GULAG is so broad and convincing that we cannot dismiss it, researchers concluded. Kass points out that there is no specific number of American captives outlined in that report, and to this day he devotes much of his time to tracking down tracking down missing Americans around the world with the POW Investigative Project. Still, he suggests there has been plenty of other evidence indicating U.S. POWs captured during the Korean War wound up being shipped to various parts of the world. During his time working with the DoD, which included deployments to remote parts of Russia for weeks at the time, Kass uncovered radio broadcasts from eastern European countries where American servicemen who had been captured alive were mentioned by name. Other reports he was privy to outlined instances of American servicemen seen being marched through the streets of the Soviet Union at the time of the Korean War. The problem is corroborating many of these reports, something Kass says Russian authorities have never been willing to do. However, he added that they're not the only ones to blame for the lack of answers more than half a century later. "This is a story, a phenomenon that has many dimensions to it," Kass says, "and the U.S. government, frankly, I don't think devoted the kind of due diligence needed to get to the bottom of it." HOPE IN THE TRUMP APPROACH That said, Kass believes there is still hope, and a summit between these two particular leaders could be the key to answering lingering questions from families like the Moores. He notes it would also send a strong message to those who are currently serving in uniform today. "This is a story, a phenomenon that has many dimensions to it, and the U.S. government, frankly, I don't think devoted the kind of due diligence needed to get to the bottom of it." Norm Kass, 30-year DoD official who specialized in Soviet Union & POW/MIA issues "For someone now in uniform, I think the morale boost that would come from the administration stepping in and saying that 'we are working seriously to try to resolve these questions' would be an enormously positive factor," Kass says. "It's showing that the government is not turning its back on anyone." The "Trump approach," as Kass calls it, could be "a true blessing here, because if this is going to be effective it has to be handled quietly. Still, he says President Trump should make it clear that "it's not just about bringing back body parts. It's finding out what happened to these people." And while Kass says he isn't sure what the U.S. could offer in return, he thinks "the idea that Kim and the president could speak out of earshot of all the microphones, and put something like this in place, that seems - just from the style of these two leaders - like something that is eminently doable." Throughout the first year of his presidency and even as he campaigned for the office President Trumps rhetoric regarding North Korea has been harsh. He warned earlier this year that Americas nuclear capabilities were much bigger [and] more powerful than that of the Asian nation. And at the end of 2017, Trump designated North Korea a state sponsor of terror again a classification that came with additional sanctions. On the heels of a planned, historic summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Trumps tone softened, saying great progress has been made. But Trump ultimately cancelled that meeting, citing "open hostility" from North Korea. From agreeing to meet with Kim to dubbing him Little Rocket Man, heres a look at what Trump has said about North Korea and its leader over time. Back together again After meeting with a North Korean official in the White House for more than an hour, Trump announced the June summit with North Korea is back on. We'll be meeting on June 12 in Singapore," the president told reporters after the meeting. Let's call the whole thing off Trump announced on May 24 that he has decided to pull out of the June summit with North Korea. "We were informed that the meeting was requested by North Korea, but that to us is totally irrelevant," Trump said in a letter to Kim. "I was very much looking forward to being there with you. Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting." "You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used," Trump said. "I felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me, and ultimately, it is only that dialogue that matters. Some day, I look very much forward to meeting you," he added. "In the meantime, I want to thank you for the release of the hostages who are now home with their families. That was a beautiful gesture and was very much appreciated." Deal or no deal? After speaking with the South Korean president amid threats from the rogue regime to cancel talks, Trump suggested the historic summit between him and Kim might not happen after all. If it doesnt happen, maybe it will happen later. You never know about deals. Ive made a lot of deals, Trump said on May 22. You never really know. It may not work out for June 12. Trump said he wants the Korean peninsula to be denuclearized in an all in one manner. I can guarantee Kims safety. He will be safe. He will be happy, Trump said. His country will be rich. Trump also said hes noticed a change in Kims attitude recently. I cant say that Im happy about it, he added. Save the date Trump officially announced that he would meet with Kim in Singapore on June 12. We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace! Trump said in a tweet. The announcement came hours after Trump and the first lady welcomed the three Americans freed from detention in North Korea at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland early on May 10. After Trump met with the three men, he publicly thanked Kim for releasing the prisoners. Were starting off on a new footing, Trump said. Positive gesture of goodwill In announcing that a date and place has been set for his much-anticipated meeting with Kim, Trump also confirmed three American prisoners have been released. The three Americans Kim Dong Chul, Tony Kim and Kim Hak Song are returning to the U.S. with newly-confirmed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Trump said in a tweet. The president confirmed the three men are also in good health. WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE HISTORIC SUMMIT BETWEEN TRUMP, KIM JONG UN White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement that Trump appreciates Kim Jong Uns action to release these American citizens, and views this as a positive gesture of goodwill. Another American detainee, Otto Warmbier, died in June 2017 after he was released back to the U.S. with severe brain damage. Good relationship formed Trump has confirmed that CIA Director Mike Pompeo his pick to lead the State Department secretly met with Kim in April and a good relationship was formed. He said the meeting went very smoothly. The president also disclosed that the U.S. and North Korea have held direct talks at extremely high levels in preparation for the summit. Kim will do what is right After Kims first reported visit to China, Trump said there is a good chance that Kim Jong Un will do what is right for his people and for humanity. For years and through many administrations, everyone said that peace and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula was not even a small possibility, Trump said in a March tweet, adding that he is looking forward to his upcoming meeting with the North Korean leader. He also gave North Korea the benefit of the doubt earlier that month, saying he believes the country will abide by its pledge to suspend missile tests. When Trump delivered a speech in Pennsylvania, the crowd booed the mention of Kim, but the president stopped them. No, it's very positive ... no, after the meeting you may do that, but now we have to be very nice because let's see what happens, let's see what happens, Trump said. Invitation accepted Trump accepted an invitation from Kim to meet, the White House said. While a time and place has yet to be determined, the two leaders are expected to meet by June. The invitation to convene was extended by Kim. Kim Jong Un talked about denuclearization with the South Korean Representatives, not just a freeze. Also, no missile testing by North Korea during this period of time. Great progress being made but sanctions will remain until an agreement is reached, Trump said on social media. Meeting being planned! The deal with North Korea is very much in the making and will be, if completed, a very good one for the World. Time and place to be determined, he later said. Possible progress As North Korea is reportedly willing to negotiate its nuclear weapons, Trump cautiously acknowledged possible progress. For the first time in many years, a serious effort is being made by all parties concerned, Trump said on Twitter. The World is watching and waiting! May be false hope, but the U.S. is ready to go hard in either direction! At a later White House news conference, Trump said he believed North Korea, which has a long history of deception and threats to target U.S. cities with nuclear missiles, is sincere. We have come certainly a long way, at least rhetorically, with North Korea, Trump said. Of the possibility for peacefully resolving the nations deep differences, he said: Itd be a great thing for the world, would be great for North Korea, it would be a great thing for the peninsula. But well see what happens, Trump said. Spirit of the Olympics At the conclusion of the 2018 Winter Olympics, North Korea sent the U.S. a message through South Korea, saying it has ample intentions of holding talks with America. During a meeting with the nations governors at the White House in February, Trump said those talks will only occur under the right conditions. The administrations position has been that North Korea must get rid of its nuclear and missile programs first before any talks can take place. Relationship status: Its complicated In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Trump reportedly said he probably has a very good relationship with North Korea. Trump also suggested that he is open to diplomacy with the country hes spent years criticizing, the newspaper reported. I have relationships with people. I think you people are surprised, Trump said. The Wall Street Journal released the audio and transcript of the interview after Trump denied making the comments. 'Success for the world' Trump told South Korea that he would be open to talks with its northern neighbor under the right circumstances, the White House said. Trump also took credit for the talks between North and South Korea ahead of next months Winter Olympics. At a January Cabinet meeting, Trump said it was his administrations pressure on North Korea that caused the rogue nation to negotiate with the South. "Without our attitude that would have never happened," Trump said of the inter-Korean dialogue. "Who knows where it leads. Hopefully it will lead to success for the world not just for our country but for the world, and we'll be seeing over the next number of weeks and months what happens." Whose button is bigger? After Kim warned Trump about North Koreas nuclear capabilities, Trump hit back on social media, arguing that his Nuclear Button is bigger [and] more powerful. North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the 'Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times,' the president tweeted. Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works! Kim previously warned the U.S. should know that the button for nuclear war is on my table. The entire area of the U.S. mainland is within our nuclear strike range, he said. The United States can never start a war against me and our country. Good news or bad news? Trump insinuated at the start of the new year that sanctions and additional pressures are having a big impact on North Korea. Soldiers are dangerously fleeing to South Korea, Trump said. Kim now wants to talk to South Korea for the first time. Perhaps that is good news, perhaps not we will see! In his tweet, Trump was seemingly referring to the recent, dramatic escape of at least two North Korean soldiers across the heavily militarized border into the southern country He also alluded to Kims recent comments indicating he would send a delegation to the Winter Olympics to be hosted in South Korea. Trump also took credit for the talks between North and South Korean leaders. With all of the failed experts weighing in, does anybody really believe that talks and dialogue would be going on between North and South Korea right now if I wasnt firm, strong and willing to commit our total might against the North, Trump said in a Jan. 4 tweet. Fools, but talks are a good thing! 'Sick puppy' While giving a speech on tax reform at a Missouri event in November, 2017, Trump digressed from the topic to call the North Korean leader a "sick puppy." His comments drew hoots from the crowd. State sponsor of terror Trump re-designated North Korea a state sponsor of terror on Nov. 20, 2017, citing its support of international terrorism, including assassinations on foreign soil. During a Cabinet meeting, Trump announced the designation came along with new sanctions on the murderous regime as part of the administrations maximum pressure campaign in dealing with North Korea. He said these sanctions will be the highest level of sanctions on the North. North Korea was on the list but was taken off by the Bush administration in 2008. Why can't we be friends? In a series of tweets while in Vietnam, Trump said he doesn't know why the North Korean dictator would "insult" him. Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me old, when I would NEVER call him short and fat? Trump said. Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend - and maybe someday that will happen! The comment came after Kim referred to Trump's speech in South Korea as reckless remarks by an old lunatic. 'Dont try us' In Asia, Trump issued a stern warning to North Korea, saying it would be a fatal miscalculation for the country to attack the U.S. or an ally. This is a very different administration than the United States has had in the past. Do not underestimate us. And do not try us, Trump said during an address at South Koreas National Assembly. North Korea has interpreted Americas past restraint as weakness, Trump said. 'Lets make a deal' While on his Asia trip, Trump implored North Korea to come to the table for talks on its nuclear weapons program. Trumps request for North Korea to make a deal was in stark contrast to his previous hardline rhetoric when it comes to the rogue nation. "It makes sense for North Korea to come to the table and make a deal that is good for the people of North Korea and for the world," Trump said during a news conference alongside South Korean president Moon Jae-in in November 2017. Trump also said hes seen a lot of progress in dealing with North Korea but still called the country a worldwide threat. In a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo the day before, Trump repeated his assertion that the era of strategic patience with North Korea was finished. Some people say my rhetoric is very strong but look what has happened with very weak rhetoric in the last 25 years, Trump said then. 'Rocket Man' is on a 'suicide mission' After dubbing him Rocket Man in a tweet, Trump eventually tried out the new nickname for Kim during his inaugural address to the U.N. General Assembly. During his speech, Trump vowed to totally destroy North Korea if the country so provokes him. He also said Kim was on a suicide mission. No more talking After North Korea said it successfully launched a missile over Japan, a U.S. ally, and into the Pacific Ocean, Trump initially had a subdued response. "Threatening and destabilizing actions only increase the North Korean regime's isolation in the region and among all nations of the world," Trump said in a written statement after North Koreas missile soared almost 1,700 miles into the Pacific Ocean, triggering alert warnings in northern Japan and shudders throughout Northeast Asia. "All options are on the table." The missile launch was said to be a precursor to North Koreas containment of the U.S. territory of Guam by Kim, according to state-run media. But in a tweet, the president suggested the U.S. is finished talking to North Korea. The U.S. has been talking to North Korea, and paying them extortion money, for 25 years. Talking is not the answer, Trump tweeted. The U.S. is 'locked and loaded' Trump took to social media in August 2017 to proclaim that the U.S. military is locked and loaded in case North Korea act[s] unwisely. 'Fire [and] fury' isn't 'tough enough' With the threat of nuclear violence growing, Trump warned North Korea on Aug. 8, 2017 that he would unleash fire, fury and frankly power, the likes of which this world has never seen before. But when tensions continued to rise and North Korea threatened to attack Guam, Trump said maybe that comment wasnt "tough enough." "Lets see what [Kim] does with Guam. He does something in Guam, it will be an event the likes of which nobody has seen before what will happen in North Korea," Trump said. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Trump was "sending a strong message to North Korea in language that Kim Jong Un can understand, because he doesnt seem to understand diplomatic language." Kim Jong Un is 'not getting away with it' Trump said Kim has disrespected our country greatly. He has said things that are horrific. And with me, hes not getting away with it, Trump said. He got away with it for a long time, between him and his family. Hes not getting away with it. Its a whole new ball game. 'Strategic patience is over' After meeting with the South Korean president in Washington, D.C., in June 2017, Trump said that the era of strategic patience with the North Korean regime has failed. Frankly, that patience is over, he said. As Trump made these comments, the U.S. was rocked with the death of Otto Warmbier, the 22-year-old American college student who suffered extensive brain damage while being held captive in North Korea for more than a year. There are 'worse things' than assassinating Kim Jong Un In an interview with CBS News during the presidential campaign, Trump said he could get China to make [Kim Jong Un] disappear in one form or another very quickly. When asked if he was talking about assassinating the North Korean dictator, Trump shrugged. Well, you know, Ive heard of worse things, frankly. I mean, this guys a bad dude and dont underestimate him, Trump said. Any young guy that can take over from his father with all those generals and everybody else that probably wants the position, this is not somebody to be underestimated. 'What the hell is wrong with speaking?' Trump told supporters at a campaign rally in Atlanta that should Kim want to come to the U.S., he would be accept[ed]. I wouldnt go there, that I can tell you. If he came here, Id accept him, but I wouldnt give him a state dinner like we do for China and all these other people that rip us off when we give them these big state dinners, Trump said in June 2016. What the hell is wrong with speaking? Trump said, referencing the criticism he received for being willing to talk with North Korea. Its called opening a dialogue. 'Maniac' During a GOP presidential debate in September 2015, Trump railed on the maniac in North Korea while answering a question about Planned Parenthood and womens health issues. Nobody ever mentions North Korea, where you have this maniac sitting there, and he actually has nuclear weapons and somebody better start thinking about North Korea and perhaps a couple of other places. But certainly North Korea, Trump said. You have somebody right now in North Korea who has got nuclear weapons and who is saying almost every other week, Im ready to use them, and we dont even mention it, he continued. China needs to solve the problem Even before he was president, Trump urged China to step in and help alleviate problems with North Korea. North Korea is reliant on China. China could solve this problem easily if they wanted to but they have no respect for our leaders, Trump tweeted in March 2013. In April 2013, Trump continued that line of thinking, adding that North Korea cant survive, or even eat, without the help of China. He then accused China of taunting the U.S. As president, Trump has said he is very disappointed in actions China has taken regarding North Korea, particularly allowing oil to go into the nation. He also said a Chinese envoy to North Korea had no impact on Kim. Additionally, Trump has said hes spoken to Chinas President Xi Jinping regarding the provocative actions of North Korea as well as the planned meeting between Trump and Kim. President Xi told me he appreciates that the U.S. is working to solve the problem diplomatically rather than going with the ominous alternative, Trump said in March 2018. China continues to be helpful! 'Wack job' In April 2013, Trump urged then-President Barack Obama to be very careful with the 28-year-old wack job in North Korea. At some point we may have to get very tough, he tweeted. 'Negotiate like crazy' Trump warned that the U.S. needed to do something to stop North Korea in 1999 during an interview with the late Tim Russert on Meet the Press. "Do you want to do it in five years when they have warheads all over the place, every one of them pointing to New York City, to Washington and every one of us, is that when you want to do it, or do you want to do something now? Trump said. You'd better do it now. And if they think you're serious they'll negotiate and it'll never come to that. He said then that if he ever became president, the first step he would take would be to negotiate like crazy to make sure that the country would get the best deal possible. Trump also predicted then that in three or four years, North Korea would have weapons aimed all over the world, including at the U.S. Fox News' Adam Shaw and The Associated Press contributed to this report. President Trump blasted no talent comedian Samantha Bee on Friday following her horrible comments about Ivanka Trump -- and asked why she hasn't been fired. The president called it a total double standard that TBS hasn't fired the Full Frontal host, after ABC ousted Roseanne Barr and cancelled her show over a racist tweet about an Obama official. Why arent they firing no talent Samantha Bee for the horrible language used on her low ratings show? A total double standard but thats O.K., we are Winning, and will be doing so for a long time to come! Trump tweeted on Friday. The presidents tweet followed Bees vulgar comments about his daughter this week. Bee apologized for using an expletive to describe her, calling it inappropriate and inexcusable. I crossed a line, and I deeply regret it, Bee said Thursday. TBS issued an apology as well, saying that Bee has taken the right action in apologizing for the vile and inappropriate language she used about Ivanka Trump, and that those words should not have been aired. It was our mistake too, and we regret it, TBS said in a statement. Bee made the comments about Ivanka Trump -- and a photo of her and her child -- while slamming the administration's policies toward immigrant families. You know Ivanka, thats a beautiful photo of you and your child, but let me just say, one mother to another, do something about your dads immigration practices you feckless c----! Bee said. He listens to you! Put on something tight and low cut and tell your father to f----ing stop it. Tell him it was an Obama thing and see how it goes. The clip of Bees monologue was uploaded to her YouTube channel where the words c--- and f--- were not censored. Bee received a special honor from the Television Academy on Thursday for advancing social change for her work on the show. Barr, meanwhile, was canned after tweeting that former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett was like the muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby. Barr apologized for her comments, blaming her tweets on the sleeping medication, Ambien. ABC immediately cancelled the reboot of her 1980s sitcom, Roseanne, and CEO of Disney Bob Iger called Jarrett to apologize. Trump has criticized Iger this week. Bob Iger of ABC called Valerie Jarrett to let her know that ABC does not tolerate comments like those made by Roseanne Barr. Gee, he never called President Donald J. Trump to apologize for the HORRIBLE statements made and said about me on ABC. Maybe I just didnt get the call? Trump tweeted Wednesday. Fox News Kathleen Joyce contributed to this report. The president is mounting so many Twitter attacks against the press that its a bit hard to keep up. Nevertheless, I shall endeavor to analyze them, knowing full well hell have some new ones up before you read this. There has of late been a melding of two of his favorite targets, the Mueller investigation and the fourth estate, which Donald Trump apparently views as reinforcing each other. And besides, he doesnt need much of an excuse to whack the press (or engage in counterpunching, as he likes to view it). So heres a snapshot, starting with the first of several Trump tweets from yesterday: Not that it matters but I never fired James Comey because of Russia! The Corrupt Mainstream Media loves to keep pushing that narrative, but they know it is not true! The context: The president was reacting to a New York Times story about a confidential memo by fired FBI deputy Andrew McCabe, saying Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein had told him that Trump asked him to mention Russia in his letter urging that Comey be canned. The scorecard: Russia was a factor, by the presidents own account. Trump told NBCs Lester Holt soon after the firing that he was going to dump Comey regardless of recommendation by Rosenstein. And in fact when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said you know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made up story, it's an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should have won. The tweet: The corrupt Mainstream Media is working overtime not to mention the infiltration of people, Spies (Informants), into my campaign! Surveillance much? The context: Theres a semantic debate in the press over whether the FBIs informant in 2016, an American professor in London, was a spy infiltrating the Trump camp or just doing his job against possible Russian intelligence-gathering. The scorecard: The existence of the FBI informant who spoke to three Trump campaign advisers was revealed by the failing New York Times, and sparked endless stories and segments. So its not true that the media arent mentioning itthey just arent doing it in the Spygate terms that the president would prefer. The tweet: Iger, where is my call of apology? You and ABC have offended millions of people, and they demand a response. How is Brian Ross doing? He tanked the market with an ABC lie, yet no apology. Double Standard! The context: This is a continuation of Trumps criticism of Disney CEO Bob Iger after he personally apologized to Valerie Jarrett for the racist Roseanne tweet and canceled her hit sitcom. ABCs Brian Ross reported in December that Trump had told his adviser Michael Flynn to make contact with Russian officials during the campaign, which would have fueled the collusion argument (and the stock market did drop several hundred points). The truth was the Flynn had been asked to do this after the election, when such contacts would be routine for an incoming administration. The scorecard: This was a very bad mistake. But despite Trumps assertion, ABC apologized for the story, issued a full retraction and suspended Brian Ross for a month without pay. Whats more, Ross was transferred to a lower-profile job where he doesnt deal with White House politics. The tweet: The Failing and Corrupt @nytimes estimated the crowd last night at 1000 people, when in fact it was many times that number - and the arena was rockin. This is the way they demean and disparage. They are very dishonest people who dont get me, and never did! The context: The Times did report from a Nashville rally this week that about a thousand folks had shown up. Trump often accuses the media of underestimating his crowd size, a dispute that famously dates back to Inauguration Day. The scorecard: The president is right on the facts, and the paper ran a correction. The author, Julie Hirschfeld Davis, tweeted: President @realDonaldTrump is correct about his crowd last night. My estimate was way off, and we have corrected our story to reflect the fire marshals estimate of 5,500 people. When we get it wrong, we say so. So: Some hits, some overstatements, some misses, another day at the virtual office in the continuing warfare with the media. And all of it is red meat for Trumps 52 million Twitter followers. A highly anticipated watchdog report on the FBIs handling of the Clinton email investigation was hit with a new delay Friday as the Senate Judiciary Committee pushed back a hearing with the inspector general. The committee originally had scheduled a hearing to discuss the report with Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz for Tuesday. But on Friday, Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, rescheduled for June 11. A committee source explained to Fox News that the original hearing date was scheduled based on the assumption that the report would be out by the end of May. But the source suggested the report's release is now not expected until at least next week, prompting the committee to reschedule. The panel has a rule requiring they provide notice for hearings one week in advance. The Judiciary Committee still does not have the report, though a draft version was submitted to the DOJ and FBI in mid-May so officials can identify any information that should be protected from disclosure. A source explained that the delay in the release could be tied to that process. For more than a year, Horowitz has been reviewing the FBI and Justice Departments actions related to its investigation into Clintons use of a private email server while she was secretary of state. Horowitzs investigation looked at a variety of allegations, including whether it was improper for former FBI Director James Comey to make a public announcement about not recommending prosecution over the Clinton email arrangement. It has been reported that the IG review also is expected to hit FBI leaders for moving too slowly to review a batch of Clinton emails discovered toward the end of the 2016 presidential campaign. Horowitzs review has already put former top FBI official Andrew McCabe in legal jeopardy. The Justice Departments internal watchdog send a criminal referral for McCabe in April to the U.S. Attorneys office in Washington in response to Horowitzs finding that McCabe leaked information to the press and later lied about it to Comey and federal investigators, prompting Attorney General Jeff Sessions to fire him in March. The Washington Post reported that Comey has since been questioned by the U.S. attorneys office as part of a McCabe investigation. In November, Horowitz said his team had interviewed dozens of people and reviewed thousands of records in the course of the investigation. He said his team was looking at whether certain underlying investigative decisions were based on improper considerations. Horowitz also is slated to testify before the House Oversight Committee this month. House Republicans also plan to interview three FBI officials linked to the agencys handling of the Clinton email probe, as part of an ongoing joint investigation by the House Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform committees. It's unclear whether any of those appearances might be postponed. Fox News Alex Pappas, Chad Pergram, Jake Gibson and Catherine Herridge contributed to this report. Lava bubbling to the surface on Hawaiis Big Island is the hottest and most fluid its been since Kilauea erupted four weeks ago measuring at least 1,652 degrees Fahrenheit with no upper limit in sight, a volcanologist with the USGS warned Thursday. Wendy Stovall with the U.S. Geological Survey told reporters that the actual temperature is likely even higher. Its hard to get to the center, which is the hottest portion of the fountain, Stovall said. Stovall said scientists haven't been measuring the center but instead measured the pieces that have broken off and were in the process of cooling. More people living on the Big Island have been advised to evacuate. So far, Kilauea has destroyed 82 homes and other structures. Earlier this week, a fast-moving lava flow burned down 12 homes while lava fountains shot up to 250 feet into the air. The lava quickly spread across parts the Big Island on Wednesday forcing officials to order more evacuations -- this time in two coastal neighborhoods over concerns that flows could cut off escape routes and trap residents. Hawaii County Civil Defense decided to evacuate all of lower Puna to ensure that people would be able to get out, Stovall said. Officials said the lava destroyed the electric utilitys equipment on the highway which led to power losses at the Vacationland and Kapoho Beach lots. You are at risk of being isolated due to possible lava inundation, the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency warned. Kilauea is one of the worlds most active volcanos. It has been erupting at its summit crater as well as in a string of fissures more than 25 miles long. U.S. Marine Corps helicopters have been on standby and ready to evacuate residents should Kilauea block the last escape route. Scientists say they have no idea when Kilauea will slow down. As molten lava continued spewing from Hawaiis Kilauea volcano Thursday, Hawaii County ordered all residents of a designated portion of the hard-hit Leilani Estates development to evacuate by Friday morning or face possible arrest. Big Island Mayor Harry Kim declared a roughly 17-block swath of the estates off limits indefinitely and gave residents 24 hours to get out by 12:06 p.m. local time Friday, Reuters reported. Those remaining in the mandatory evacuation area beyond the deadline do so at their own risk, with the knowledge that emergency responders may not respond, the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency said in a statement. The mandatory evacuation zone lies within a slightly larger area that was already under a voluntary evacuation order and curfew, Reuters reported. The county agency also said anyone in violation of the order will be liable for any costs associated with rescue operations. NEWEST HAWAII VOLCANIC ASH PLUME RISES TO ABOUT 10,000 FEET Meanwhile, Leilani Estates residents west of the mandatory zone were strongly encouraged to evacuate, the county said. You are at risk of being isolated due to possible lava inundation, the civil defense agency warned earlier this week. The mandatory evacuation order gives the county greater enforcement authority and relieves first responders of risk during rescues, a spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), who is assisting the county, told Fox News, echoing what the Hawaii county agency said. There are no plans to go into the restricted area after 12:06 p.m. Friday and search for anyone who might still be there, he said. But anyone found in the area after that time could be subject to arrest. Refusing to evacuate may put you, your family and first responders in danger, the county agency added. Heed warnings from Civil Defense officials and stay alert. The Kilauea Volcano, which erupted four weeks ago, has destroyed more than 80 homes and other structures, Fox News reported. On Thursday, lava bubbling to the surface was the hottest and most fluid it has been since the Hawaii volcano erupted, with the temperature estimated at more than 1,650 degrees -- with no upper limit in sight, warned Wendy Stovall, a volcanologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. Theres no sign were getting that anything is going to slow down at the moment, Stovall told reporters, according to Reuters. We dont see any changes occurring. Fox News' Daniel Gallo contributed to this story. Google will not seek another contract for Project Maven, a controversial military program that uses artificial intelligence to improve drone targeting, according to Gizmodo. Citing three sources with knowledge of the matter, Gizmodo reports that Google will not seek another contract when the current Project Maven contract expires in 2019. The decision was announced by Google Cloud CEO Diane Greene at a meeting with employees Friday morning, it said. Greene reportedly cited the backlash against Project Maven, adding that the firm plans to announce new ethical principles about AI next week. GOOGLE EMPLOYEES RESIGN IN PROTEST OVER CONTROVERSIAL PENTAGON AI PROJECT, REPORT SAYS The Mountain View, Calif.-based firm is said to have been using machine learning to help the Department of Defense classify images captured by drones. Project Maven has been a source of tension within Google. In April, over 3,100 Google workers signed a letter addressed to the companys CEO, Sundar Pichai, asking him to pull the tech giant out of the project. The project has even prompted the resignation of dozens of Google employees, according to Gizmodo. GOOGLE EMPLOYEES PLEAD WITH CEO TO DROP OUT OF PENTAGON AI PROJECT Project Maven has sparked an intense debate within the company about Googles corporate ethics. Google should not be in the business of war, according to the letter to Pichai that was signed by thousands of disgruntled employees. Therefore we ask that Project Maven be cancelled, and that Google draft, publicize and enforce a clear policy stating that neither Google nor its contractors will ever build warfare technology, the letter said, according to the New York Times. The Google workers also noted the company's well-known former motto, "Dont be evil," warning that Project Maven will irreparably damage Googles brand and its ability to compete for talent. The New York Times reported in April that the letter was circulating within Google. GOOGLE HITS HARD ON PRIVACY, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AT I/O 2018 The Department of Defense has said that its workforce is overwhelmed by incoming data, particularly video imagery. Although we have taken tentative steps to explore the potential of artificial intelligence, big data and deep learning, then-Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work wrote in an April 2017 memo discussing Project Maven, I remain convinced that we need to do much more and move much faster across DoD to take advantage of recent and future advances in these critical areas. Fox News has reached out to Google with a request for comment on this story. The Department of Defense declined to comment when contacted by Fox News. "It would not be appropriate for us to comment on the relationship between a prime and sub-prime contractor holder," explained a Department of Defense spokeswoman, in a statement emailed to Fox News. "We value all of our relationships with academic institutions and commercial companies involved with Project Maven. Partnering with the best universities and commercial companies in the world will help preserve the United States' critical lead in artificial intelligence." Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers Google came under fire on Thursday after an error in its Knowledge Panel listed "Nazism" as the ideology of the California Republican Party. The error, which was first spotted by political strategist Eric Wilson, showed "Nazism" alongside other ideologies such as Conservatism, "Market liberalism, Fiscal conservatism, and Green conservatism. The error showed up in Google's Knowledge Panel, which pulls information from various sources from across the web, including Wikipedia. FACEBOOK AND GOOGLE SLAMMED, ACCUSED OF BREAKING NEW GDPR PRIVACY LAW "Google should apologize for labeling Republicans nazis," Wilson tweeted. Wilson is the founder of LearnTestOptimize, which describes itself as "a community platform for professionals working at the intersection of marketing, technology, and politics." The error has since been fixed, but not before House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., slammed the company over the error. "Sadly, this is just the latest incident in a disturbing trend to slander conservatives," McCarthy wrote. "These damaging actions must be held to account. #StopTheBias" The news was first reported by Vice News. When reached for comment, a Google spokesperson told Fox News the error was likely the result of vandalism on one of its sources. "This was not the result of any manual change by anyone at Google. We don't bias our search results toward any political party. Sometimes people vandalize public information sources, like Wikipedia, which can impact the information that appears in search," the spokesperson said via email. The spokesperson continued: "We have systems in place that catch vandalism before it impacts search results, but occasionally errors get through, and that's what happened here. This would have been fixed systematically once we processed the removal from Wikipedia, but when we noticed the vandalism we worked quickly to accelerate this process to remove the erroneous information. A Wikimedia spokesperson confirmed to Fox News that the vandalism Google was pulling "was not visible to Wikipedia readers in the text of the article, and has been removed by volunteer editors." "The success of Wikipedia relies on everyone being able to contribute, and that includes correcting information," the spokesperson said via email. "Anyone can edit Wikipedia based on our core principles of neutrality and reliable sourcing, and hundreds of thousands of volunteers do this every month. This process is critical to Wikipedias constantly-evolving record of the worlds knowledge. Wikipedia editors, often using monitoring tools to support their work, catch and revert most vandalism made to Wikipedia within minutes." PAYPAL NOW FULLY INTEGRATES WITH GOOGLE ACCOUNTS Silicon Valley has come under fire in recent months for being seen as suppressing conservative voices, including from some senior members of the Republican party. During his testimony in front of Congress, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was grilled by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, about the company's "pervasive pattern of bias and political censorship," pointing to a recent incident with Fox News Channel contributors Diamond and Silk who were temporarily banned from the platform. In response to Cruz's question, Zuckerberg said that Diamond and Silk's ban was an error. In that specific case, our team made an enforcement error and we have already gotten in touch with them to reverse it, Zuckerberg said. GOOGLE SEARCH BUG IDENTIFIES RAPE VICTIMS IN PROMINENT CASES The tech exec also noted that he was concerned about political bias in the tech industry, and he has tried to root that out at Facebook. A source familiar with Google's thinking noted that its systems are designed to detect if their information services have been vandalized. "These generally work well, but aren't perfect," the source said, and when the company is alerted of an error, it is fixed. Follow Chris Ciaccia on Twitter @Chris_Ciaccia. This story has been updated on June 1 to include a response from Wikimedia, the nonprofit that supports Wikipedia. A man in Memphis thought he was getting a great deal when he spent $930 on two iPhones, only to get a surprise when he opened the boxes. Instead of finding the iPhone X and iPhone 8 he had paid for, the man found that one box contained rocks and the other contained a lock, according to Fox 13. The victim found the phones, which were on sale for $950, on the letgo app. The seller, who used the profile Quincy, agreed to sell the phones for $930. IPHONE X SUCCESSOR COULD COST $100 LESS Pricing for the iPhone X on the Apple website starts at $999. iPhone 8 pricing starts at $699. Quincy told the victim to meet his nephews at a school in Frayser, North Memphis, the report said. When the victim arrived at the school, he saw three juveniles and handed over $930. The iPhone boxes, which were wrapped in plastic, appeared brand new. However, when the victim returned to his car and opened the boxes he found the rocks and the lock. He was unable to find the boys who took his money. MORE THAN 300 IPHONE XS STOLEN FROM DELIVERY TRUCK, POLICE SAY As of Thursday evening, no arrests had been made in the case. Fox News has reached out to Memphis' police department for a comment on the incident. Last year, just before the release of the iPhone X, thieves in San Francisco stole over 300 of the devices from a delivery truck. The phones were worth about $375,000, according to CNET. Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers Imagine American soldiers in the mountains of Afghanistan, pinned down by enemy fire, the terrain too dangerous for a helicopter rescue mission. Those soldiers might have to be abandoned to their fate. But perhaps not in the near future, thanks to technology that is currently being tested in the remote deserts of Israel. And it promises to transform flight. In the words of Philip Werthman, a California-based adviser to the board of Urban Aeronautics: "It is real, it is flying, and we are going to have it here in the United States in the next few years." The it Werthman is talking about is called Cormorant, a flying vehicle that, unlike a helicopter, has no exposed rotors. It could not only save American lives on battlefields a world away, but also on highways right here at home, because it could be used in civil emergencies or horrific traffic accidents to get to victims when helicopters cant fly or cant land. Werthman said saving time means saving lives. "There's the concept of the golden hour, he said. In order to maximize survivability in an accident, you need to get to the victims and get that victim evacuated within an hour." The idea for a vehicle that can go where helicopters can't was born out of the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, where it took on average of five and half hours to evacuate wounded Israeli soldiers, because, according to Urban Aeronautics CEO Rafi Yoeli, it was so difficult and dangerous to get to those soldiers. One reason is the ground-to-air fire, Yoeli said. The other is because of the physical limitations of a helicopter's rotor, it cannot land in a mountainous or obstacle area. The Cormorant is currently being designed and tested in Israel, with keen interest and support from the Israeli military, but the long-term plan is for production to move to the United States, and for both pilotless and piloted models to be available. Yoeli said Cormorant could also save lives during terrorist attacks, including, nuclear, biological, chemical decontamination a dirty bomb in the city butting against a wall of a building and rescuing people. This vehicle can do all that because it doesn't have overhead rotors." Urban Aeronautics said it hopes to be producing the Cormorant here in the U.S. by 2022. The company calls it a win-win for everyone. Israel gets the technology, the U.S. gets the production. And countless lives, the company said, could be saved. An American Airlines employee driving a company van has reportedly suffered minor injuries after the vehicle plunged from the fourth floor of a parking garage at the Miami International Airport. Police say the driver, identified as an adult male in his 50s, was transported to a nearby hospital following the incident, which occurred on Friday morning, per WSVN. American Airlines has said it will be investigating the incident. At approximately 8:19 a.m. ET, an American Airlines team member was involved in a motor vehicle accident at Miami International Airport, a spokesperson for the airline confirmed in a statement. Our colleague sustained minor injuries, but out of an abundance of caution was transported to a local hospital for evaluation. We appreciate the assistance of the Miami-Dade Police Department, and the other first responders, who quickly took care of our team member. The details of how this accident occurred is still under investigation. No other injuries were reported as a result of the incident, according to local officials. A tow truck has since removed the overturned vehicle from the area, Fox 35 Orlando reported. The debate over what to do about children stopped at the U.S.-Mexico border who were attempting alone or with a parent to cross illegally has reached fever pitch in recent days. On Thursday, some 300 people attended a rally in Texas to protest the separation of children from parents who are arrested at the Southwestern border when they attempt to illegally enter the U.S. More rallies around the nation were planned for Friday. About a dozen immigrant rights groups were planning a protest in front of the Department of Justice to, as a press release put it, denounce the Trump administration's shockingly brutal and cruel treatment of immigrant families at the border and throughout the country as part of its racist agenda. The issue kicked into high gear last weekend, when a social media campaign with the hashtag #wherearethechildren trended on Twitter. The name of the campaign is a reference to the 1,475 children who, social media posts and some media stories asserted, the U.S. government had lost track of amid new stricter policies calling for the prosecuting illegal border crossers and placing the children who accompany them under the custody of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement. But some have pointed out the reports of the supposedly missing children were a mischaracterization - as was the description of detained minors as a new policy of the Trump administration. The children for whom the Department of Health and Human Services could not account had arrived alone from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador -- on the Southwest border, and were placed with sponsors, typically relatives already living in the U.S. The 1,475 children were among 7,635 minors the U.S. had placed with sponsors between October and December last year. HHS Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan on Monday evening issued a statement assailing the description of the unaccounted-for children as missing, calling it completely false. He said the sponsors had not responded to calls by the HHS which he said the agency makes to ensure the families do not need any further services and speculated that in many cases sponsors cannot be reached because they themselves are illegal aliens and do not want to be reached by federal authorities. Hargan blasted critics who pointed to the unaccounted-for children as an example of the lack of caring by the Trump administration for the minors. This is a classic example of the adage No good deed goes unpunished, Hargan said, referring to the agencys efforts of following up with the sponsors. Those on both sides of the immigration debate noted the Obama administration faced with a border surge of Central Americans, including thousands of unaccompanied minors -- had supported the detention of children, albeit with their mothers, in the hopes of deterring others from trying to cross into the United States. Between September 2013 and October 2014, nearly 70,000 people, most of them mothers with children from Central American, arrived at the border. At one point, the administration held more than 1,400 parents and children in three detention facilities in Texas and Pennsylvania. A federal judge in California ruled in 2015 that U.S. Department of Homeland Security violated a key 1997 settlement that governs the treatment of children who enter the United States illegally, or seek asylum in the country. The number of Central Americans attempting to cross the border had decreased after that, only to see an uptick again recently, prompting U.S. General Jeff Sessions earlier this month to announce the zero tolerance policy for anyone entering the country illegally along the Southwest border. Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which favors strict immigration enforcement, said the administration was justified in taking a no-nonsense approach to the new surge along the border. The point here is that this is something that is spinning out of control, and it has to become a priority, Krikorian told Fox News. This is an emergency response because its an emergency. Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, took aim at advocates for more lenient immigration policies for spreading misleading social media posts, and some media reports blaming family separation at the border for missing children. The advocates for illegal aliens are appealing to emotion, Mehlman told Fox News. Its so blatant, these kids are being placed in the custody of family members in the U.S. If HHS cant find them, its not because they dont have information about them, its because the people who have custody of these kids are hiding from authorities. President Trump lit up social media by saying there was a horrible law that separates children from their parents after they cross the border illegally. He had said previously that we have to break up families at the border because the Democrats gave us that law. But experts note theres no law mandating that parents must be separated from their children, and its not a policy Democrats have pushed or can change alone as the minority in Congress. Advocates for more flexible immigration policies, on the other hand, say the U.S. government must do more than respond punitively to the growing number of Central Americans approaching the border. Jacinta Ma, director of policy and advocacy for the National Immigration Forum, said the U.S. should implement alternatives to detention, especially in cases when parents come with children. Ma said children also should be provided legal counsel, adding it would lead to more of them appearing for scheduled court hearings. The HHS says only about three percent of minors who arrive at the border unaccompanied show up for hearings. Ma says 90 percent of children who have legal counsel show up at court. We need to minimize our policies that lead to the separation of children from their parents, Ma said to Fox News. Separation has a devastating impact on children. We need to help Central American countries address their problems, she added. Conditions in Central America are so dire, it makes people want to leave and make this [dangerous] journey. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A former high school dean known as an anti-violence advocate was convicted Thursday of shooting and nearly killing a student he had recruited to sell marijuana for him. Shaun Harrison, 58, was found guilty of all charges, including armed assault with intent to murder, by a Suffolk Superior Court jury in its second day of deliberations. "Shaun Harrison was really a fraud, he was living a lie, and it was clearly exposed in this case," District Attorney Dan Conley said. "Not only was he not a man of God or a role model for young people, he manipulated them in a way that was terribly offensive." Harrison, who had worked as a dean at Boston English High School for five years, recruited 17-year-old Luis Rodriguez to sell marijuana for him at the school and shot him on March 3, 2015, because he believed the student was not generating enough sales and withholding money. Rodriguez, now 20, testified that he came from a dysfunctional family and trusted Harrison, who students nicknamed "Rev." "He was my counselor. I went to him for everything," Rodriguez said during the two-week trial. On the day of the shooting, the pair arranged to meet at a gas station where Harrison was supposed to hand over some drugs. Harrison shot the student in the back of the head and fled on foot, prosecutors said. The bullet entered Rodriguez's head just under his right ear. It just missed his carotid artery, broke his jawbone and caused nerve damage and hearing loss. Rodriguez said he was saved by occupants of a passing car, who called 911. Bruce Carroll, Harrison's attorney, asked why Rodriguez did not immediately identify his client as the shooter even though he was conscious and alert. Rodriguez had told hospital staff he was shot by one of his marijuana customers during a botched drug deal, Carroll said. "It took me a while to get all my thoughts back together after being shot in the head, sir," Rodriguez said during cross-examination. "I was in such denial. I knew who did it. Of course I knew who did it." Sentencing is scheduled for Friday. A Mississippi man armed with a hatchet and apparently trying to break into a home died after a juvenile inside the house shot him, according to reports. The adolescent was alone in the house when Jerry Lee Robinson arrived with the weapon, Choctaw County Chief Deputy Lee Upchurch said, according to The Associated Press. After the adult made a threatening move, the juvenile fired at Robinson, Upchurch said. Authorities reportedly discovered that the man, who was non-responsive and later pronounced dead, had been shot in the chest. The juveniles mother, Rachel Cork, told WCBI that her 16-year-old son defended himself against Robinson. The teen was identified as a relative of Robinson's. Yeah, my son defended himself, Cork told the outlet. It could have been the other way around. It could have been my son, Im the one Im picking up and having to bury, but it wasnt. The juvenile was reportedly not charged following the incident but a grand jury will hear the case over the summer. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A Florida mother was reeling after her 9-month-old daughter was fatally mauled by a pit bull as she sat in a bouncy chair, saying shes numb after losing the best thing to ever happen to me. Brenda Villasin, 24, told the Miami Herald that she dropped off her baby daughter, Liana Valino, at her paternal grandmothers house early Wednesday, kissing the girls feet goodbye as she slept. But hours later, she got the call that every parent dreads telling her to return to the Miramar home outside of Fort Lauderdale as fast as she could, according to the newspaper. Upon arriving, police told Villasin that her daughter had died when a male pit bull about 3 or 4 years old one of three in the residence mauled her as she sat in a childs seat. I am numb right now, Villasin told the Herald. She was the best thing to ever happen to me. Click for more from The New York Post. Three bodies have been found at the home of a man charged with kidnapping, sexually assaulting and brutally torturing a woman with a hammer, a prosecutor said on Thursday. Two bodies were found in and around the Springfield home after police responded to the house on Wednesday night, Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said. Late Thursday, Gulluni confirmed a third body had been found on the property. Stewart Weldon was arrested Sunday after a car chase that ended when he crashed into a police cruiser and wrestled with officers. Stewart Weldon who was arrested on May 27 by the Springfield Police Department does, we believe, lives at this address, Gulluni said, according to WWLP. That is the extent of the connections we are willing to say at this point. A woman in Weldons car said he held her captive for a month, sexually assaulted her and beat her with a hammer and other objects, police said. Thank you for saving my life, the woman told officers, according to a police report. I never thought I would get away. The woman was taken to a hospital with what police called grotesque and violent injuries, including a possible fractured jaw, stab wounds to her abdomen, marks from being hit with a blunt object and a leg infection. She was still in the hospital on Thursday, Gulluni said. Weldon, whos 47 years old, pleaded not guilty to a variety of charges on Tuesday, and was held on $1 million bail. His bail in several unrelated cases was revoked. Weldon had not been charged in connection with the discovery of the bodies. Gulluni could not confirm if Weldon is the prime suspect of the three bodies found, WWLP reported. The DA did not disclose the names, ages or genders of the bodies. The public defender who represented Weldon at his arraignment did not immediately return a message to The Associated Press seeking comment on Thursday. A police department spokesman said there was no threat to the public. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Six women are suing a north Alabama rheumatologist, accusing him of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior while they were his patients. News outlets report that the lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Morgan County Circuit Court against Dr. Michael Dick of Decatur. Dick referred questions to his lawyer, who decline to comment. The plaintiffs are identified by pseudonyms, seeking to preserve privacy. In January, Dick was arrested on two counts of misdemeanor harassment after two women came forward with allegations. He's free on bail and continues to practice. Alabama State Board of Medical Examiners General Counsel Wilson Hunter says the regulatory agency "is actively engaged in monitoring his situation." The agency issues and regulates medical licenses. About two decades after the Lonaconing Silk Mill in Maryland closed its doors, a local resident decided to buy it. Herb Crawford, a Lonaconing resident, bought the mill 40 years ago, thinking he could save the mill and revive his small Maryland town. The town had been vibrant and bustling when the mill was open, but it fell on hard times years after it closed. "I was going to be a hometown hero and get some jobs in here," Crawford told Fox News. Despite his efforts, the mill, which closed in 1957, never returned to its industrial glory. Instead, Crawford kept it frozen in time, giving a few people who were able to enter a glimpse of what the ant-like activity was like in its heyday. He basically bought it in 1977 and kept all of its items intact. "When you step inside of the silk mill, you are really stepping back in time," said Margaret De Arcangelis, former director of preservation at Preservation Maryland. "The machines are frozen exactly how the workers left them on Friday evening, the calendar still hanging on the wall, the ashtrays are still sitting all around." But now, the building is falling apart, and a decades-long effort to restore what is arguably the last silk mill in America has failed. Crawford is now out of money and cannot afford the repairs it needs. Several portions of the roof have caved in and the floors have water damage. Hes down to his last attempt to get the funds to save the historic site. "Well, I could sit down and cry, to be honest with you," he said. "Im not going to, but I could." Preservation Maryland, an organization dedicated to saving historic sites, came out with a list of at-risk buildings in the state in 2007. De Arcangelis was helping Crawford when the silk mill was added to the list. "It had been an ongoing effort from that organization to help Mr. Crawford and move the project forward," she said, adding that the organization helped him in his applications for several grants. But being a private owner restricts Crawfords fundraising efforts. "If the building was owned by a non-profit instead of an individual, there are many more opportunities to find funding," she said. Crawford, in one of his final attempts to save the building, brought in a partner to do just that. Ray Beall is now working to create a non-profit that would take ownership of the building. "Were kind of on a short time frame," Beall said, referring to the roof thats caving in. "We need to move quickly." Under the non-profit, Beall hopes to get the financing needed to make the necessary repairs. The goal is to revamp the two-story mill and employ at least 200 residents, Beall said. They would preserve the second floor to look exactly as it did when the mill closed its doors almost 60 years ago. Beall then hopes to restore the main floor into an operating mill with employees dressed in the time period when the mill was originally operating. "We would make silk and other threads for some companies in the United States," he said. To finance the building in the long run, the basement would turn into a commercial Laundromat. "Our hope is the money from the laundry would keep the mill operating," Beall said. A California freshman was busted for allegedly trying to plan a Columbine 2.0 attack at his high school. San Ramon police said the student at California High School -- who told them that he hated three of his intended targets -- wanted to carry out the attack in on April 20, 2021, exactly 22 years after the Columbine massacre in Colorado. Authorities were tipped off to the plans after one of the students friends, whom he had tried to recruit to help him, went to a school resource officer, KTVU reported. Police said the student wanted to use the same guns and bombs used in the 1999 attack and that the teens friend allegedly believed that he would be targeted too if he didnt go along with it. The friend also said, according to police, that the student wanted to kill at least six people. The district considers this offense to be extremely serious and will take appropriate disciplinary consequences as per California Education Code, the school's principal, Sarah Cranford, wrote in an email sent to parents. I want to commend our student for doing the right thing and reporting the information to an adultThe safety of our students, staff and parent community is our highest priority, and we take all threats seriously, she added. The teen was arrested last month and investigators uncovered -- during a search of his home a tactical vest, a toy shotgun and handwritten notes, amongst other items, according to the East Bay Times. Police told KTVU that there will be additional security at a graduation ceremony at the high school Friday because of the incident. An Uber driver in Denver shot a passenger multiple times early Friday before the vehicle they were traveling in crashed, snarling traffic on one of the citys major roadways, police say. Denver police said the driver and passenger apparently got involved in a dispute before the driver opened fire, striking the adult male multiple times while traveling on Interstate 25 near University Boulevard around 3 a.m. The vehicle, a silver sedan, veered off the road and hit a wall on a highway ramp. Police were still investigating what led up to the shooting and whether or not the man killed was armed. Police spokesman Sonny Jackson said the driver worked for Uber, but they still need to confirm that he was working for the ride-hailing company at the time. It doesn't appear that the two knew each other, he said. The driver called 911 to report the shooting, The Denver Channel reported, citing emergency dispatch communications. Jackson said the victim was pronounced dead while the driver has been released after being evaluated at a local hospital. The driver has not been charged with a crime. In a statement, Uber said it was "deeply troubled" by the shooting. "Our thoughts are with the families of those involved. We will continue working closely with police," it said. The results of the investigation will be turned over to prosecutors, who will decide whether to file any charges, Jackson said. Neither the victim nor the driver have been publicly identified. Uber, on its website, also says guns are not allowed in its vehicles. "Our goal is to ensure that everyone has a safe and reliable ride," it says. "That's why Uber prohibits riders and drivers from carrying firearms of any kind in a vehicle while using our app." The Associated Press contributed to this report. A forensic psychiatrist who assisted in the investigations into the 1996 death of JonBenet Ramsey in Colorado and a string of killings in Phoenix more than a decade ago was fatally shot outside his Arizona office. Witnesses heard a loud argument and gunfire Thursday outside Dr. Steven Pitt's office in the Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale, police say. Phoenix police Sgt. Vince Lewis says he had no information on whether the killing was connected to the 59-year-old Pitt's work. Investigators released a sketch of the suspect who fled the scene. Pitt assisted in the investigation into the death of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey, a beauty pageant star who was found dead at her family's home in Boulder. A prosecutor cleared her parents and brother in 2008 based on DNA evidence. A decade later, Pitt helped Phoenix police as they tried to catch an attacker known as the "Baseline Killer," who terrorized the city in summer 2006. Police eventually arrested Mark Goudeau, and he was convicted of nine killings and 58 other charges, including kidnapping and rape. A jury sentenced Goudeau to death in 2011. Welcome to Fox News First. Not signed up yet? Click here. Developing now, Friday, June 1, 2018 Samantha Bee urges the media to move on from her vulgar insult of Ivanka Trump, as Bee accepts an award from the Television Academy Roseanne Barr says she 'begged' ABC not to yank her show and let her apologize as new details of ABC's cancellation of 'Roseanne' emerge President Trump is to receive a personal letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Friday as talks for a possible summit continue Fired FBI Director James Comey was recently questioned as part of criminal investigation of his former deputy, Andrew McCabe, a report says Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder heads to New Hampshire on Friday, fueling speculation about a 2020 presidential run A 14-year-old Texas boy wins this year's Scripps National Spelling Bee Championship by spelling the word 'koinonia' correctly TUNE IN: Conservative filmmaker Dinesh DSouza will appear on 'Fox & Friends' for an exclusive interview Friday morning, the day after President Trump gave him a full presidential pardon for a 2014 guilty plea to campaign finance fraud THE LEAD STORY - STINGS LIKE A BEE ... FLOATS LIKE A BUTTERFLY: Samantha Bee apologizes for a vulgar insult hurled at Ivanka Trump while her show, "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee," loses at least two corporate sponsors, including State Farm. But unlike Roseanne Barr, don't expect Bee to be fired and her show to be canceled. In fact, the Television Academy honored Bee and her show Thursday night, even after the Ivanka Trump uproar... Bee would prefer that the media move on from the controversy. She told the academy crowd in L.A. that the media focus should shift from the one bad word she uttered to describe Ivanka Trump to the nation's treatment of immigrant children and families. 'I BEGGED LIKE 40 MOTHERF-----S': Following heavy backlash for a string of controversial tweets, Roseanne Barr said she begged ABC to let her apologize before it canceled her hit show ... I told them I was willing to do anything & asked 4 help in making things right, Barr said. I'd worked doing publicity4 them 4free for weeks, traveling, thru bronchitis. I begged4 ppls jobs. She went on to apparently recall a conversation during which she claimed she begged 4 my crew jobs. He said: What were you thinking when you did this? I said: I thought she was white, she looks like my family! He scoffed & said: "what u have done is egregious, and unforgivable.' I begged 4 my crews jobs. Will I ever recover from this pain? Omg Barr may further explain the events that led to the cancellation of "Roseanne" during a scheduled appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast, "The Joe Rogan Experience," on Friday. RED LETTER DAY FOR TRUMP: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said North Korean official Kim Yong Chol will travel to Washington on Friday to deliver a personal letter from the rogue regimes leader Kim Jong Un, adding that talks for a potential summit were moving in the "right direction" ... Pompeo, after meeting with the visiting senior official in New York City, said the North Korean envoy will hand off the letter on Friday in D.C. It is presumably the formal response to President Trump's letter last week canceling the summit. But since then, planning discussions have resumed, including Pompeo's high-level meetings the past two days. Pompeo told reporters a summit in Singapore is "expected." Trump-Kim summit, from the invitation to the cancellation: A timeline MORE TROUBLE FOR MCCABE? - Former FBI Director James Comey was recently questioned by the D.C. U.S. Attorneys office as part of a probe into whether Andrew McCabe, his former deputy, committed a crime by lying to federal agents, according to a report ... The Washington Post report indicated that McCabe, whom Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired earlier this year just days before he would have been eligible for a lifetime pension, could be charged criminally, according to a person familiar with the matter. McCabe was fired after the Justice Department's watchdog said he lied to investigators reviewing the bureaus probe of Hillary Clintons email server. Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz said McCabe had not been forthcoming in regard to the handling of the FBIs probe. HOLDER 2020 BUZZ: Eric Holders visit Friday to New Hampshire is sparking further speculation that the former attorney general is seriously mulling a Democratic presidential bid in 2020 ... But in an interview on the eve of his trip, Holder appeared to downplay the significance of his visit, saying, At this point, Im just thinking about it. Holder, who ran the Justice Department from 2009 until 2015 under President Barack Obama, is slated speak and take questions at Politics and Eggs at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics. The gig is a must-stop for presidential candidates or potential White House contenders. SPELLING C-H-A-M-P-I-O-N: Karthik Nemmani, 14, of McKinney, Texas, won this years Scripps National Spelling Bee late Thursday ... Nemmani spelled the word "koinonia" correctly to become the 91st champion of the spelling competition. The word is defined as "Christian fellowship or communion, with God or, more commonly, with fellow Christians." "I had confidence, but I didn't really think it would happen," Karthik said, according to USA Today. "I'm just really happy. This has just been a dream come true." PROGRAMMING ALERT EXCLUSIVE: DINESH D'SOUZA ON 'FOX & FRIENDS' FRIDAY MORNING: Dinesh DSouza will appear on "Fox & Friends" Friday morning, the day after President Trump pardoned conservative filmmaker for an illegal campaign contribution conviction ... "Today, President Donald J. Trump issued an Executive Grant of Clemency (Full Pardon) to Dinesh DSouza, an accomplished author, lecturer, and scholar," said a statement from White House press secretary Sarah Sanders. "Mr. DSouza was, in the presidents opinion, a victim of selective prosecution for violations of campaign finance laws. Mr. DSouza accepted responsibility for his actions, and also completed community service by teaching English to citizens and immigrants seeking citizenship." D'Souza, 57, pleaded guilty to campaign finance fraud after donating $20,000 to New York politician Wendy Long, a Republican, during her Senate race in 2012. He was indicted two years later, in January 2014, for using a straw donor, a person who makes illegal contributions to a campaign in the names of others, to make the donation. As a result, D'Souza was sentenced to five years probation, eight months in a "community confinement center," weekly counseling sessions and ordered to pay a $30,000 fine. AS SEEN ON FOX NEWS DEMS TRYING TO 'OUT-TRUMP TRUMP': "The left says Trump is radical. Theyve responded by going completely off the edge. They say hes vulgar. So they now shout profanity on television and at campaign events. Donald Trump has somehow convinced the Democratic Party to completely destroy itself. Nobody ever mentions that, but it may be the biggest change Trump has brought to this country. " Tucker Carlson, in his opening monologue on "Tucker Carlson Tonight," pointing out that something "transformative" has happened to the Democratic Party since President Trump was elected. WATCH TOOLS OF THE HYPOCRITICAL LEFT: "Racism and sexism are tools for power in politics to [the left]. They want to use it as a hammer to get us to agree or acquiesce to their political claims." Fox News contributor Rachel Campos-Duffy, on "The Ingraham Angle," arguing that there is a double standard when it comes to obscene remarks from people on the right versus people on the left. WATCH THE SWAMP House Leader McCarthy slams Google over 'Nazism' error, claims bias against conservatives. DeVos awards Texas district $1M grant for recovery after Santa Fe High shooting. Georgia city sued by fed-up residents over 'ridiculous' fines for chipped paint, driveway cracks. ACROSS THE NATION Hawaii volcano prompts new warning -- heed evacuation order or face arrest. Tennessee deputy-killing suspect stole officer's gun, car before disappearing, report says. Toxins in Salem drinking water prompt Oregon governor's emergency declaration. MINDING YOUR BUSINESS May jobs report: What will it take to roil the markets? Trump tariffs are about national security: Peter Navarro. Your Harley could cost more thanks to U.S. tariff decision. These are Wall Street's highest-paid CEOs. Fiat Chrysler's future in focus as CEO presents strategy. FOX NEWS OPINION Lou Dobbs: Trump using tariffs to pursue fair trade. Marc Thiessen: Democrats' dishonesty about MS-13 hands Trump a winning issue. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt: Trump put America first when he withdrew from Paris Accord one year ago. Jeff and Jimmy Kemp: Instead of fighting about NFL kneeling, let's work together for national healing. HOLLYWOOD SQUARED 'West Virginia Wilder' slammed by Sen. Joe Manchin for portraying 'vicious stereotypes.' 'Fixer Upper' stars Chip, Joanna Gaines mark wedding anniversary on social media. Montel Williams hospitalized after workout at NYC gym. DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THIS? 'Treasure trove' discovered at ancient fort destroyed by Vikings. Michigan girls discover World War I practice bomb while diving for treasure. Plane makes emergency landing after passengers vomit, faint from 'unbearable' smell of 'unwashed' man. STAY TUNED On Fox News: Fox & Friends, 6 a.m. ET: Country duo Thompson Square perform in the next installment of Fox & Friends' All-American Summer Concert Series! Plus, an exclusive interview with conservative filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza the day after being pardoned by President Trump. Other guests include: "Life, Liberty & Levin" host Mark Levin, former White House press secretary Sean Spicer and the Daily Wire's Amanda Prestigiacomo. On Fox Business: Mornings with Maria, 6 a.m. ET: Guests include: Alan Dershowitz; former White House press secretary Sean Spicer; Stephanie Pomboy, president of MacroMavens. Varney & Co., 9 a.m. ET: Rep. Martha McSally, U.S. Senate candidate for Arizona; Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council. Cavuto: Coast to Coast, Noon ET: Alberto Gonzales, former U.S. attorney general; Bill Richardson, former governor of New Mexico. The Intelligence Report, 2 p.m. ET: Economist Glenn Hubbard; Rep. Peter King; Howard Kurtz, host of "MediaBuzz." On Fox News Radio: The Fox News Rundown podcast: Friday marks the start of the 2018 hurricane season. Fox News senior meteorologist Janice Dean and Dr. Dan Kaniewski, deputy administrator for National Preparedness at FEMA, discuss what to expect from this years hurricanes and how to prepare. Walmart has announced it will pay for the college tuition of its employees. Drew Holler, vice president of People Innovation for Walmart, explains how the new program will work. Fox News' Tonya J. Powers has the "good news of the day." Plus, commentary from "Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace. Want the Fox News Rundown sent straight to your mobile device? Subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Stitcher. The Brian Kilmeade Show, 9 a.m. ET: Geraldo Rivera, Ainsley Earhardt and David Bossie take on the Samantha Bee and Roseanne Barr controversies; Shannon Bream on the latest in the Robert Mueller investigation; other guests include: Mike Linnington and Andrew Coughlan of the Wounded Warrior Project. On Fox News Weekend: Cavuto Live, Saturday, 10 a.m. ET: Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on the U.S. nearing energy independence; Rep. Dave Brat on President Trump imposing steel and aluminum tariffs on the EU; Rasheda Ali, daughter of Muhammad Ali, on the "Roseanne" controversy. Fox News Sunday, Sunday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET: Don't miss Chris Wallace's interview with former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. Legends & Lies: The Civil War, Sunday, 8 p.m. ET: "John Wilkes Booth: The Killing of Lincoln" - Days after the fateful Battle of Appomattox Court House, John Wilkes Booth assassinates Lincoln, potentially reversing the Souths Civil War loss with a single bullet. Life, Liberty & Levin, Sunday, 10 p.m. ET: This week, host Mark Levin and special guests Andy McCarthy and David Limbaugh break down the Mueller investigation, James Comeys inconsistencies, spies in the campaign and the left's war on Trump and their desire to impeach him. #OnThisDay 1980: CNN (Cable News Network), the worlds first 24-hour television news network, makes its debut. 1967: The Beatles release "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band," often cited as the first concept album, and as the inspiration for other great pop stars of the19 60s, from the Rolling Stones and the Beach Boys to Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye 1934: The Nissan Motor Company is founded. Fox News First is compiled by Fox News' Bryan Robinson. Thank you for joining us! Enjoy your day and weekend! We'll see you in your inbox first thing Monday morning. A judge and prosecutor said Friday that a five-year sentence given to a Georgia teen who stole a pair of pricey shoes was appropriate because a gun was used during the robbery. Dayonn Davis, who was 18 when he was sentenced this week to five years in prison followed by 10 years of probation, was charged as an adult even though he was 15 when the crime was committed and his lawyer said he had no prior record. Prosecutors Sadhana Dailey said in court that Davis contacted the owner of the Nike Oreos so called because they're black and white after seeing them for sale on Facebook, according to the Ledger-Enquirer . They arranged to meet at a Columbus park on Jan. 17, 2016. Another male went with Davis to the meeting. When Davis tried the shoes on, he told the seller, "These shoes is took." The other male pulled out a gun and everyone fled, the newspaper reports. "This was an armed robbery. It's not a theft. There's a big difference between a theft and an armed robbery," Dailey told The Associated Press on Friday in a phone interview. "The teen victim was robbed at gunpoint." Columbus police quickly identified Davis, who had the shoes in his closet. Davis initially told police no one else was involved but eventually gave a name, but the seller of the shoes couldn't identify the person in a photo lineup as the gunman, the newspaper reported. Davis was charged with armed robbery and reached a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to robbery by force, which allowed him to avoid the mandatory 10-year sentence that comes with an armed robbery conviction, Dailey said. "He got a break," she said. Defense attorney Susan Henderson told Muscogee County Superior Court Judge Bobby Peters her client just wants to put the whole thing behind him and move on, the Ledger-Enquirer reported. "He's been extremely remorseful," she said. "He's got his life on track now." She insisted Davis didn't know the other person would pull a gun. But the judge says that makes little difference in the eyes of the law. "I was young at the time, so I wasn't in my right mind," Davis told the judge. Judge Peters called the case an unfortunate situation and told the AP he would rather it have been handled in juvenile court. Dailey said it was appropriate to charge Davis as an adult because of the seriousness of the crime. Peters told the AP that Davis will likely be released on parole before completing his five-year sentence. Because it's a first offense, Davis' record can be expunged if he successfully completes probation, Peters said. No one else has been charged in the case. It's not clear whether the person Davis identified as the gunman was actually the other person who was there, Dailey said. ___ Information from: Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, http://ledger-enquirer.com An Iowa sheriff who asked one of his deputies to write him a ticket for illegally riding his ATV on a highway pleaded guilty to the traffic violation Thursday. Webster County Sheriff Jim Stubbs was riding his ATV to look at some family property a few weeks ago when he turned onto U.S. Highway 169 for a short period of time and he realized he was breaking the law by being on that road, according to The Messenger. I did it and I hold myself responsible, Stubbs said. Stubbs found a deputy who was on the side of U.S. 169 and asked the deputy to write him a ticket for breaking the law. He said if he had not gotten a ticket it would have made him a hypocrite. If Im going to have people out giving citations, then I need to hold myself to that higher standard as well, he said. And nobodys above the law." Webster County had passed an ordinance on May 8 that allows ATV travel on county roads, but U.S. Highway 169 isnt under Webster County jurisdiction, according to The Messenger. Stubbs pleaded guilty to one count of operating an ATV on a roadway or highway. Webster County Court Magistrate William Thatcher commended him for his honesty and ordered Stubbs to pay a $132.50. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The family of a black man who was killed by a Florida deputy is baffled after a jury awarded them four cents as compensation for his death. Jurors in Fort Pierce determined last week that St. Lucie County Sheriffs deputy Christopher Newman had not used excessive force when he shot Gregory Hill three times during a confrontation in 2014, and that Sheriff Ken Mascara had been a bit negligent, according to The New York Times. The jurors determined that Hill was 99 percent responsible for his death because he was drunk when he was shot by Newman who was responding to a noise complaint. The estate was awarded $4, but the family would only get one percent of that. John Phillips, the familys lawyer, told The New York Times that a judge would reduce the award to nothing because of the jurys ruling. Its heartbreaking, Hills fiancee, Monique Davis, told the newspaper. There are a lot of questions I want to ask. The incident occurred in January 2014 after one of Hills neighbors heard loud music coming from his garage. Newman and Deputy Edward Lopez responded and when Hill opened the door, police said Hill was holding a gun and was ordered to drop it, according to The New York Times. At some point the door was closed and Newman fired his weapon four times, hitting Hill in the head once and in the abdomen twice. A SWAT team eventually opened the door to find Hill dead. A gun was found in Hills back pocket but it wasnt loaded. Jurors failed to reach a consensus in the hours before the verdict. Phillips told the newspaper that some jurors appeared incensed. It seems like jurors gave up, Phillips said. Mascara said in a statement posted on his departments Facebook page that he was pleased to see the incident come to an end. Deputy Newman was placed in a very difficult situation, and like so many fellow law enforcement officers must do every day, he made the best decision he could for the safety of his partner, himself, and the public given the circumstances he faced, Mascara said. We appreciate the jurys time and understanding and wish everyone involved in this case the best as they move forward. The Associated Pres contributed to this report. A man in Burke, Vt., was arrested last Friday, accused of complicity in the death of an associate whom he had hired to dig secret tunnels. Daniel Beckwitt, 27, had grown frightened at the prospect of a nuclear missile attack by North Korea, the New York Daily News reported. After months of North Korea conducting nuclear tests, Beckwitt decided to construct an underground bunker at his home in Bethesda, Md., about seven miles north of Washington, D.C. There was nothing nefarious about his building of the tunnels, Beckwitts attorney, Robert Bonsib, said. They were just a product of his world view. In September, Beckwitt had hired Askia Khafra, 21, to help him dig an underground tunnel network, spanning more than 200 feet. The project ignited a fire, trapping Khafra inside. By the time firefighters arrived, it was too late, court documents stated. Khafra died of smoke inhalation and burns. Beckwitts home was reportedly littered with rubbish and hoarded items, making it difficult to reach Khafras charred body. Authorities say Beckwitts negligence created unsafe conditions that ultimately led to Khafras death. Beckwitt was charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. My client is a very intelligent individual, Bonsib said. He just marches to the beat of his own drum. Thats one the wonderful things about this country. You can do that. On Thursday, Beckwitt appeared in Montgomery County Circuit Court and was held on a $100,000 cash bond, according to court records. The man accused of killing a Tennessee sheriffs deputy was captured Friday after a three-day dragnet, officials said. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation tweeted photos of Steven Joshua Wiggins, 31, appearing disheveled with ripped clothing and hanging out in the back of a cruiser. Authorities launched a manhunt Wednesday after Dickson County Sheriffs Sgt. Daniel Baker was killed after responding to a call about a suspicious car. The deputys vehicle was eventually tracked by GPS to a wooded area about 3 miles away, with Baker dead inside. A video recording enabled them to identify Wiggins as the suspect in the murder, TBI officials said. Wiggins was discovered by a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper near where the shooting occurred, the Tennessean reported, citing the Hickman County Sheriffs Office. Wiggins was already wanted on several charges after he allegedly assaulted a woman and made off with her car, the Kingston Springs Police Department said. The woman was in the car with Wiggins when he alleged killed Baker and she was arrested on a murder charge, officials said. Erika Castro-Miles told police Tuesday that Wiggins slapped her in the face and pulled out some of her hair, then put a gun to her head and threatened to kill her if she called the cops, authorities said. She said Wiggins then grabbed her keys and took the car without her permission. Castro-Miles alleged that Wiggins was doing meth all night and smoking marijuana when she talked to police, officials said. A press conference on Wiggins capture was set for 11:30 a.m. ET. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A highly-decorated Marine colonel who spent thirty years participating in operations around the world has left some parting words of wisdom in his obituary: Northern Virginians, learn to drive. The thoughts of Col. Robert F. Gibson, who died in Annandale last year the day after Christmas, were made clear this week ahead of his funeral. A native of Northern Virginia for the last 30 years of his life, he hated how all of you were incapable of driving competently, the obituary reads. The 77-year-old spent thirty proud years serving as a Marines officer, deploying twice to Vietnam during the war there and also wrote doctrine that became the foundation for the Marine Air Command and Control System, it adds. Gibson, nicknamed Falcon, served in Honduras, Beirut, Norway, the Philippines, Kuwait and Operations Desert Storm. From his service, he went on to win awards such as the Legion of Merit with Gold Star and the Bronze Star with Combat Distinguishing Device. But one of his biggest pet peeves was something going on at home the drivers clogging the busy roads heading in and out of the nations capital. "Its a general sentiment a lot of folks have," his widow, Barbara, told NBC Washington. "He traveled on the Beltway, and traffic is horrendous." A Nebraska mom was "highly intoxicated" when she suffocated her 3-week-old who was sleeping in the same bed, deputies said this week. Police arrested Ashley Bean, 35, for felony child abuse Wednesday in the death of her infant son, Axel. Bean turned herself into authorities following a 5-month investigation. Sheriffs deputies, Waverly Rural Fire and Lincoln Fire and Rescue responded to a 911 call from Bean's Waverly residence around 8 a.m. on Dec. 17. When they arrived, the baby was allegedly unresponsive. "Deputies and medical personnel determined that the infant, Beans son, was pulseless and not breathing," police said in a statement online. Bean and "an adult acquaintance" were the only ones present in the home at the time. The infant was rushed by ambulance to a nearby hospital before he was later transferred to Childrens Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha, where he died hours later. This isnt a co-sleeping issue, this is an issue pertaining to an adult who was intoxicated to the point they are incapable of taking care of their 3-week-old." Lancaster County Sheriff Capt. Ben Houchin An autopsy later revealed the baby died of asphyxia. Bean drank at least six shots of tequila with a friend the night of her son's death, resulting in a blood-alcohol level of .190, according to court papers obtained by Fox 13. The mom was apparently starting to breastfeed her son when she dozed off, the news station reported. This isnt a co-sleeping issue, this is an issue pertaining to an adult who was intoxicated to the point they are incapable of taking care of their 3-week-old, Lancaster County Sheriff Capt. Ben Houchin told Fox 13. Investigators believe Bean "knowingly and intentionally placed her infant son in a situation that endangered his life," police said. If convicted, Bean could face up to 3 years in prison, 18 months post-release supervision or a $10,000 fine. According to Fox 13, Bean was also pulled over by local police for driving under the influence after her son's death, though those charges are still pending. The University of Southern California on Thursday named billionaire businessman and philanthropist Rick Caruso as chairman of its board of trustees, following recent scandals that have led to departures of several high-level university officials. Caruso quickly promised a thorough and independent investigation into a sex scandal involving a former university gynecologist, reports said. Our most fundamental duty is to protect the dignity, safety and well-being of our students on their own campus, Caruso, a USC alumnus and current USC parent, said in a statement, the Los Angeles Business Journal reported. What happened to our students is unthinkable and immoral. Our most fundamental duty is to protect the dignity, safety and well-being of our students on their own campus. Rick Caruso, chairman of board of trustees, University of Southern California Caruso, 59, a native Angeleno and a developer of retail and residential real estate projects, including shopping malls, offers "fresh leadership" following the controversy involving Dr. George Tyndall, 71, the Los Angeles Times reported. He succeeds John Mork, who completed his five-year term as board chairamn, USC News reported. Over 400 people have contacted a hotline that the university established for patients to make reports about their experience with Tyndall, the report said. Tyndall has denied the claims against him. Selecting Caruso marks USCs latest effort to address the case, after the university President C.L. Max Nikias agreed last Friday to step down. Caruso announced that the L.A. law firm OMelveny & Myers would conduct a thorough and independent investigation into Tyndalls conduct and reporting failures that occurred at the university's clinic, the Times reported. This will be an orderly, seamless, painstaking and intelligent process, Caruso wrote to members of the USC family in a letter obtained by the Times. Attorney Apalla Chopra, an OMelveny partner, will oversee the investigation, the report said. Wynn Resorts also hired her earlier this year to lead an investigation into Steve Wynn after a wave of sexual misconduct allegations arose against the casino mogul. USC PRESIDENT AGREES TO STEP DOWN AMID UNIVERSITY GYNECOLOGIST SEX SCANDAL So far, more than a dozen lawsuits have been filed against Tyndall and USC. They allege Tyndall routinely made crude comments, took inappropriate photographs and forced plaintiffs to strip naked and groped them under the guise of medical treatment for his "sexual gratification." The lawsuits also allege that USC failed to respond to complaints of misconduct. Los Angeles police are investigating allegations by more than 50 women about possible sexual abuse from Tyndall. William Bratton, a former LAPD chief, praised the selection of Caruso in a USC news release obtained by the Times. I can think of no person better suited to transition the culture of an institution in crisis, and lead its turnaround, Bratton said. USC is at a crossroads, and Rick will know how to find the way forward. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A 30-year-old man who made headlines last week after he was ordered by a judge to vacate his parents New York home has officially left the residence, but not before calling the police on his father regarding some missing Legos. Michael Rotondo was aided by $3,000 contributed by "InfoWars" host Alex Jones, the New York Daily News reported. Rotondo waved to journalists as he loaded his creaky station wagon with his belongings. The millennial told reporters he called police Friday morning because he believed his 8-year-old sons Legos were in the basement and his father would not let him look for them. Instead, the father offered to look for specific items and, if he found them, bring them out. The Legos were found after police arrived. "This isn't a game show," Rotondo told the Post-Standard of Syracuse regarding the Legos. "I don't have to guess what's behind Door No. 1." NEW YORK MAN, 30, IS ORDERED TO VACATE PARENTS HOME AFTER REFUSING TO LEAVE FOR MONTHS The millennials parents, Mark and Christina Rotondo, filed a petition in the Supreme Court of New York State claiming theyve had enough of their son living under their roof. Rotondo refused the judge's request to work things out directly with his parents, who sat quietly nearby. He failed to persuade the judge to grant him another six months with his parents and was ordered to leave. The eviction drama began on Feb. 2 when the parents left their first note, saying Michael had two weeks to vacate his room at the family's Camillus home. Rotondo did not take the threat seriously and his parents brought him to court. On Friday, Rotondo stood outside the place he once called home but had some trouble before then. His car, which has a broken coolant system, took a few tries to start. During his car trouble, he told reporters he said goodbye more or less to his parents before jumping into his rumbling station wagon. NEW YORK MILLENNIAL ORDERED TO VACATE PARENTS HOME PACKS UP HIS ROOM AND FINALIZES MOVING PLANS "I gotta get going before that thing blows up," he told reporters before driving off while waving and honking. As for his destination, Rotondo said he planned to spend the next week at an Airbnb in Syracuse. After that, he planned on moving in with a distant cousin. It was not immediately clear if he was going to look for his own place. Fox News' Katherine Lam and the Associated Press contributed to this report. The obituary for a decorated U.S. Marine colonel who retired to northern Virginia says he's survived by his wife, children and the notorious Beltway traffic he abhorred. News outlets report that the obituary of Col. Robert F. Gibson, prepared by his family before his burial on Thursday, described a distinguished military service that spanned from Vietnam to Iraq. Then it adds a zinger, saying "he hated how all of you were incapable of driving competently." His widow, Barbara Gibson, tells WRC-TV that the family wanted to capture an aspect of his daily life. She said his feelings about "horrendous" Beltway traffic are shared by "a lot of folks." ___ Information from: WRC-TV, http://nbcwashington.com Authorities near Cleveland say a police officer shot during a standoff was hit several times and is in critical condition. Police say Amherst patrolman Eugene "JR" Ptacek was shot Thursday night when authorities tried to enter a man's house after he refused to come out for several hours or talk with negotiators. Ptacek was flown to a Cleveland hospital where he underwent surgery. Amherst's police chief says Ptacek is a 17-year veteran of the department. Police say the suspect also was shot and eventually surrendered. He was treated at a hospital and is being held in jail. He has not yet been charged in the standoff. Sheffield Lake Police Chief Tony Campo says authorities went to the house Thursday to serve a felony arrest warrant. ___ Information from: The Chronicle-Telegram, http://www.chronicletelegram.com Emergency responders were eager to enter Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the Valentines Day school shooting but were repeatedly told no by Broward County Sheriffs Office, a new report shows. The department has repeatedly been criticized for blocking paramedics from entering the building while people were getting shot in the school. The criticism has prompted police departments to re-evaluate how they handle active-shooter situations. Michael McNally, the deputy chief of Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Department, wrote in an incident report filed after the Feb. 14 shooting that he asked six times to send in a team of police officers and paramedics into the school, the Miami Herald reported. McNally wrote he asked Jan Jordan, the Broward County Sheriff's captain in charge of the scene, but she told him that she would have to check. "The [BSO] incident commander advised me, 'she would have to check,'" McNally wrote in the report released Thursday by Coral Springs. After several minutes, I requested once again the need to deploy [Rescue Task Force] elements into the scene to ... initiate treatment as soon as possible. Once again, the incident commander expressed that she 'would have to check before approving this request," the report stated. The school massacre left 17 people dead. PARKLAND PARENTS CREATE SUPER PAC TO OPPOSE NRA-BACKED POLITICIANS It was not immediately clear if any more lives could have been saved if paramedics entered the building. The Miami Herald noted it was important for gunshot victims to get immediate treatment due to bleeding out quickly. "Im not saying the [Rescue Task Force teams] would have made a difference and Im not saying they wouldnt have made a difference, but it would have been more medics and more hands helping out," Coral Springs Fire Chief Frank Babinec said in an interview on Thursday. A spokeswoman for the Broward County Sheriffs Office told the Miami Herald on Thursday that medics were only sent in after it has been confirmed the threat is mitigated. McNally wrote in his report that the sheriffs office command post was severely dysfunctional and communication was difficult. "The command post was inundated with too many people and made it impossible to establish and function," McNally wrote. NIKOLAS CRUZ CELLPHONE VIDEOS RELEASED: IM GOING TO BE THE NEXT SCHOOL SHOOTER At least three other incident reports by the Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Department showed the sheriffs office refused to send in health officials into the school. The Broward County Sheriffs Office and its head, Sheriff Scott Israel, have come under increased criticism following the school shooting. The office was accused of failing to act on reported warning signs, such as erratic behavior, on gunman Nikolas Cruz. Surveillance footage taken at Stoneman Douglas the day of the incident shows Deputy Scot Peterson, the school's resource officer, never going into the building during the shooting and was heard on the radio telling other officers to "stay at least 500 feet away" from the building. McNally and Jordan did not immediately comment on the report. Fox News' Nicole Darrah contributed to this report. Authorities in Louisiana say a couple was arrested on child desertion charges for leaving young children in a car while they got their marriage license at a courthouse. A statement from the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office says a courthouse worker alerted deputies Thursday to the untended children. Sheriff's spokeswoman Cindy Chadwick says deputies were looking for the owners when 23-year-old Courtney Carroll of Ball and 22-year-old Garrett Poole of Pollock returned to the car with their license. Lt. Mark Gay says the car's air conditioner was running. The doors were unlocked. The children's relationship to the couple was unclear. Chadwick says relatives were expected to get the 10-month-old and 4-year-old boys from Child Protective Services. It wasn't clear whether the couple had an attorney. The Vermont State Police trooper who participated in the fatal shooting of a distraught man who was holding a pistol to his head by the side of a busy interstate is returning to full duty. Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan said Friday that an investigation found officers were justified in the Feb. 11 death of 42-year-old Benjamin Gregware, of Sheldon. He was shot multiple times by the trooper and a Richmond officer after he refused orders to drop his loaded weapon. It was the third fatal shooting in five months involving trooper Christopher Brown, who was placed on administrative duty shortly after Gregware's death. Later Friday, the state police said Brown will serve in safety programs, including traffic services and recreation enforcement. The Richmond officer is back at work. A wildfire raced across a swath of tinder-dry forest in northeastern New Mexico on Friday, sending up a thick plume of smoke that forced residents to flee their homes as heat and wind threatened to drive the flames. The blaze destroyed about a dozen empty buildings on the Boy Scouts' storied Philmont Ranch and threatened nearly 300 homes, officials say. The flames were first reported Thursday and ballooned quickly in a part of New Mexico hardest hit by a severe drought gripping the American Southwest. More than 60 percent of the U.S. West is experiencing some level of drought, the latest federal drought maps show, forcing national forests and other public lands to close because of escalating fire danger. The area where Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado meet is at the center of a large patch of exceptional drought. Dry, windy and warm weather was expected to make conditions worse as the New Mexico fire burned on state and private land, including part of the Boy Scouts' ranch, state forestry spokeswoman Wendy Mason said. Estimates put the blaze at more than 25 square miles (66 square kilometers). Its cause isn't known. Officials say no scouts were at the ranch and all staff members were accounted for. Employees who live in the nearby community of Cimarron were allowed to leave to care for their families. Authorities ordered residents in Cimarron and surrounding areas to evacuate Friday as the smoke drifted east. At the historic St. James Hotel in Cimarron, the phone went unanswered after the popular tourist destination had emptied out along with the rest of the town. The U.S. Postal Service also evacuated post offices in Cimarron and the smaller community of Ute Park, telling residents they would have to travel about 25 miles (40 kilometers) away to get their mail. Officials were concerned about air quality. Evacuation centers were set up in nearby towns as residents shared information on social media about where to take refuge and where animals and livestock could be left. Forecasters said the towering plume of smoke had reached about 20,000 feet (6,100 meters). A top-tier incident management team was being assigned to the Ute Park Fire, which had crossed a highway and forced its closure. Other roads also were closed. Crews used several air tankers and a few helicopters to fight the flames from above. In western New Mexico, gusty winds fanned a wildfire that has burned 38 square miles of forest, blowing embers past containment lines and starting spot fires. Officials said about one-third of the fire was contained as of Friday, but firefighters faced the challenge of having to both stop the growth of the main fire while patrolling for spot fires. That human-caused fire started May 22 and is east of Reserve on the Gila National Forest. A man believed to be a YouTube prankster who goes by the name Arab Andy was arrested Thursday after he livestreamed a fake bomb threat inside a classroom at the University of Washington in Seattle, police said. Officials said the unidentified man entered the classroom holding up a cellphone and played a recording message that said: C4 has been successfully activated. Bomb detonation countdown successfully started. Click on Detroit reported the YouTuber, who also goes by the name ISIS Poseidon, was recording his every movement on YouTube Live and Twitch. Police did not confirm the man was broadcasting live. The occupants in the room fled the classroom before loud explosion noises were heard from the recording. The fire alarm was activated by somebody in the classroom before University of Washington Police responded to the scene, authorities said in a press release. THIRD PERSON ARRESTED IN DISAPPEARANCE OF WASHINGTON GIRL, 15 Police arrested the man on charges of making a bomb threat and discovered in an investigation that it was a prank and there was no device on him or left in the room. His name has not been released. We were in a reception in our conference room, listening to our chair talk about our years worth of stuff," a faculty member told The Daily, the schools newspaper. HAWAII VOLCANO PROMPTS NEW WARNING HEED EVACUATION ORDER OR FACE ARREST "Then this man who was about six-foot-one comes in the doorway and says, Im sorry Im late, and I didnt recognize him, so I say, 'Are you supposed to be here?'" the staffer continued. The faculty member said the suspect played the fake bomb threat recording. Students and faculty told Q13 Fox that they waited more than an hour to get the all-clear to head back inside the building. The International Business Times reported Arab Andy has three YouTube channels with a few thousand subscribers. The subscribers can donate money to Arab Andy during his livestreams. YouTube removed the livestream from its website for violating its terms of service. The man wanted in connection to the fatal shooting of a Tennessee sheriffs deputy earlier this week reportedly stole the officers car and firearm before going off the grid. Steven Wiggins, 31, swiped the deputys weapon and vehicle, the Dickson County 911 Center confirmed to WSMV. At some point, Sgt. Daniel Scott Baker's car was abandoned by the suspect and his girlfriend, the outlet said, citing the director of the Dickson County Emergency Communications Center. As the pursuit for Wiggins carried into Thursday, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations (TBI) increased the reward for information leading to his capture to $46,000. The agency also released new photos of the suspect from several days before Wednesdays incident in Dickson County. Wiggins is seen in the images wearing a blue striped polo shirt, a brimmed cap, glasses and has a beard. TENNESSEE SHERIFFS DEPUTY SHOT AND KILLED, SEARCH FOR GUNMAN UNDERWAY Wiggins was previously described as a white male with thinning, brown hair. Shortly after midnight Thursday morning, TBI officials tweeted that they finalized an arrest warrant, charging him with first degree murder. Baker, a deputy with the Dickson County Sheriffs Office, was responding to a call about a stolen vehicle in Kingston Springs when officials said they lost contact with him. Officers were able to use GPS to track the deputys car, where he was found shot dead inside of it. While hundreds of tips have poured in, authorities said that as of Thursday evening, there were no confirmed sightings of the suspect. "It's very imperative for everyone to keep their eyes, their ears open for this individual," TBI spokeswoman Susan Niland said at a news conference Thursday. "He could be in Dickson County. He could be in a neighboring county. But the fact is, we don't know where he is." SUSPECT CHARGED IN DEATH OF TENNEESSEE DEPUTY; SEARCH FOR ALLEGED GUNMAN CONTINUES Dickson County Sheriff Joe Bledsoe thinks its possible that Wiggins is moving on foot in the area. "At this point, we're going to work with all our agencies and all of our partners, and there will be no rest until he's taken into custody," Bledsoe said during the news conference. Late Wednesday evening, a female suspect, identified as Erika Castro-Miles, 38, of Dickson, Tennessee, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection to Bakers death, TBI announced. The agency said during the investigation, they learned that Castro-Miles participated in the incident. According to local news reports, an affidavit filed in Dickson County court said Castro-Miles was sitting in the car with Wiggins when he shot and killed the deputy. She fled the shooting scene Wednesday and hid under a house, the affidavit said. TBI said she remained at Dickson County Jail. Baker, a member of the Marine Corps Reserve, served the department for 10 years, three months and 12 days. He leaves behind a wife and daughter. Fox News Stephen Sorace and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Indonesia's Mount Merapi has shot a towering plume of ash about 6 kilometers (4 miles) high in an eruption authorities said lasted 2 minutes. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency said Friday the volcano's alert status, raised last month from the lowest level, is unchanged and a 3 kilometer no-go zone around the crater remains in force. It said the eruption at 8.20 a.m. caused no panic and nearby Adi Sucipto Yogyakarta International Airport is still open to flights. The mountain is about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from center of Yogyakarta city on the densely populated island of Java. About a quarter million people live within a 10 kilometer radius of the volcano. Merapi's last major eruption in 2010 killed 347 people. China has dispatched a low-level military delegation to an annual security conference in Singapore that has dwelled heavily on Chinese activities in the South China Sea. China's presence at the Shangri-La Dialogue meeting this weekend is being led by Lt. Gen. He Lei, vice president of the People's Liberation Army's Academy of Military Science. That follows a recent pattern of not sending high-level officials to the three-day forum that begins Friday, in an apparent attempt to deflect attention from China and its moves to shore up its claims to virtually the entire South China Sea. At last year's meeting, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis sharply criticized what he called Beijing's disregard for international law by its "indisputable militarization" of artificial islands in disputed areas of the South China Sea. Irans regime has not stopped its drive to secure technology and scientific knowledge to produce weapon of mass destruction, the intelligence agency of the German state of Baden-Wurttemberg disclosed in a report last week. Iran continued to undertake, as did Pakistan and Syria, efforts to obtain goods and know-how to be used for the development of weapons of mass destruction and to optimize corresponding missile delivery systems, said the intelligence document, reviewed by FoxNews.com. The intelligence agency the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution monitors threats to Germanys democratic, constitutional order and is the equivalent of the FBI, operating at the state level. The counterespionage officials wrote that Irans illicit activities in Germany are concentrated in the classic sectors for espionage: politics, the economy, science, the military and the armaments industry. The observation and combating of proliferation efforts of ... Iran was also an important task of counterintelligence" in 2017 in Baden-Wurttemberg, said the report. Scores of specialized technology and engineering companies are located in the southwestern state. FoxNews.com reported in February that Iranian businessmen purchased material from the Krempel firm in Baden-Wurttemberg that later turned up in chemical rockets used to gas Syrian civilians in January and February. Even after the revelation of the German construction material in the Iranian-produced chemical rockets, Germanys Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control declined to halt trade between Krempel and the Islamic Republic. The Baden-Wurttemberg intelligence officials said they had gathered intensive intelligence on activities of Irans spy agencies. The 345-page report, released May 24, devotes lengthy sections to Irans sponsorship of the Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah, and to Tehrans espionage agencies and state agencies of repression the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Revolutionary Guards Intelligence. Last month, President Trump pulled the plug on the Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), saying the agreement did not advance American security interests. Trump said that not only does the deal fail to halt Irans nuclear ambitions, but it also fails to address the regimes development of ballistic missiles that could deliver nuclear warheads, adding that finally, the deal does nothing to constrain Irans destabilizing activities, including its support for terrorism. German intelligence officials, who wrote the report prior to Trumps May 8 decision to withdraw the U.S. from the nuclear deal, said Tehrans current worsening relations with the U.S.A., as well as Western governments critical views toward Irans atomic program, may lead to an increase of Iranian espionage activities. The report noted that Iran continues to spy on Iranian dissidents in Germany who oppose the clerical leadership in Tehran. According to the report, Iran has continued unchanged the pursuit of its ambitious program to acquire technology for its rocket and missile delivery program. Irans reported test of the mid-range Khorramshahr rocket in September was noted. Irans regime seeks German software, sophisticated vacuum and control engineering technologies, measurement devices and advanced electrical equipment for its missile program, said the report. Germany has been the European country most reluctant to crack down on trade with the Islamic Republic. Last year, FoxNews.com reported that Iran's efforts to develop its nuclear and missile programs resulted in "32 procurement attempts ... that definitely or with high likelihood were undertaken for the benefit of proliferation programs," in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Richard Grenell, the new American ambassador to Berlin and a former Fox News contributor reiterated U.S. policy in May in a tweet, writing: As @realDonaldTrump said, US sanctions will target critical sectors of Irans economy. German companies doing business in Iran should wind down operations immediately. Each of Germany's 16 states has a dometsic intelligence agency. FoxNews.coms examination of additional intelligence reports released in April and May from the German states of Bavaria, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein and Saxony detailed, in terms similar to those in the Baden-Wurttemberg document, Irans illicit procurement behavior in Germany and its threat to international security. Benjamin Weinthal reports on human rights in the Middle East and is a fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Follow him on Twitter @BenWeinthal next Image 1 of 2 prev Image 2 of 2 A major Japanese department store has removed a vendor specializing in wine from Israel's occupied Golan Heights after protests from citizens' groups. Daimaru store says it has withdrawn its offer for Naturael, a Tokyo-based importer specializing in wine from the Golan highly valued among connoisseurs to participate at a fair in May. It says the decision was just for the event and does not reflect the company's political stance. But its spokesman acknowledged that geopolitical issues could not be ignored. Naturael says the wine is produced and imported legally and criticized Daimaru for playing politics, saying it could lead to anti-Israel sentiments. Israel captured the plateau from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in 1981. The U.S. and others consider it to be disputed territory. German police are cautioning residents in the western town of Luenebach to stay inside their homes after an undetermined number of lions and pumas broke out of a local zoo. Police in nearby Pruem confirmed Friday a report from the regional SWR broadcaster that the big cats had escaped from the zoo in the hilly Eifel area. Police say they are responding the situation but currently have no further details. SWR reported that local authorities were warning all residents in the area, near the border with Luxembourg and Belgium, to remain indoors as they search for the animals. The zoo could not immediately be reached for comment. Puerto Rico's Institute of Statistics is suing the island's health department and demographic registry to obtain data on the number of deaths following Hurricane Maria as a growing number of critics accuse the government of lacking transparency. The lawsuit was filed Thursday, the same day that Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello told CNN that there would be "hell to pay" if officials didn't release mortality data. A spokeswoman for the island's health department, which oversees the demographic registry, did not immediately respond to a message for comment. Institute of Statistics Director Mario Marazzi-Santiago said Friday that the data is urgently needed so Puerto Rico's government can help prevent deaths in the event of another hurricane. Many believe the official death toll of 64 is an undercount. next Image 1 of 2 prev Image 2 of 2 Bitter rivals North and South Korea are on talking terms again, but their surprising cordiality still has moments of awkwardness, such when a senior North Korean official scolded a South Korean reporter over a question he didn't like. In a brief exchange that displayed the fundamental differences between the countries, North Korean official Ri Son Gwon reacted with irritation Friday when a South Korean reporter asked him whether North Korea's grievances against the South had been resolved as he arrived for talks on easing tensions at the border village of Panmunjom. Ri, chairman of the North Korean agency that deals with inter-Korean affairs, seemed stunned by the question. After a moment of silence, Ri, who in the past has been described by South Korean counterparts as hot-tempered, ripped into the reporter. "Journalists can ask questions from different angles. But don't you think that the questions should change, to meet the demand of changing times?" Ri said. "You obviously know which side caused the situation to become serious. Then why are you asking me whether the (problems) have been resolved?" Ri said he would consider similar questions as "discourteous" in the future. He called for questions that would "promote reconciliation and cooperation." Ri is hardly the first North Korean official to chastise South Korean reporters over questions they found uncomfortable. But officials have been unusually cordial in recent months as North Korea reaches out to South Korea and the United States to reduce tensions. While South Korean reporters have a reputation for aggressiveness, the question to Ri at Panmunjom was fairly predictable. North Korea had called off the high-level talks last month over what it saw as bad faith from the southern side. A surprise summit last week between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in put the meeting back on for Friday. The senior officials from the two sides agreed to establish a liaison office in the North Korean border town of Kaesong and hold military and Red Cross talks later this month on reducing tensions and resuming reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War. Kim and Moon held their first summit at Panmunjom on April 27 and issued vague aspirations for a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and permanent peace. But relations chilled when North Korea canceled the high-level meeting and threatened to walk away from a planned summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump because of the South's participation in military exercises with the United States and comments from U.S. officials. Trump canceled the summit, then said it may still take place, shortly before Kim and Moon met again on May 26. Diplomacy is also accelerating between the U.S. and North Korea to prepare for a summit, which may take place June 12 in Singapore. But Ri, still seething over the grievances question, wasn't willing to talk about the potential meeting with reporters. "Go fly to Singapore to ask that question," he told the South Korean reporter. "This is Panmunjom." Ri was in a better mood in the meeting room with South Korean officials, lightheartedly mentioning his earlier interaction with the reporter and even proposing that the meeting be opened to the media. "Reporters are the spokesmen of justice and truth," Ri said. "If they get to be with us through the whole meeting, they will think, 'Wow, the North-South high-level talks are producing a good outcome' and will vividly report what happens." South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon persuaded Ri to keep the discussions behind closed-doors for the sake of efficiency. There have been plenty of awkward exchanges between North Korean officials and South Korean journalists during tenser times. In 2008, senior North Korean diplomat Hyun Hak Bong angrily wagged a finger at South Korean reporters who asked about speculation over health problems for then North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, the late father of the current leader, fuming about "nonsense" spread by "bad people who don't wish our republic well." The interactions have been noticeably different in recent months. In April, senior North Korean official Kim Yong Chol, who is currently in the United States and plans to meet Trump, surprised visiting South Korean reporters by apologizing for media coverage problems during a joint cultural event in Pyongyang. But Kim Yong Chol also displayed a dark sense of humor, introducing himself by saying, "Hello, I am the man you blame for the sinking of the Cheonan." South Korea has accused Kim, a former military intelligence chief, of being behind the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan and the shelling of a border island which together killed 50 South Koreans in 2010. Some Real Self-Criticism at CATC | Main | U.S. Official: Irans Support for Hezbollah Greater Than Previously Thought June 01, 2018 Wheres the Coverage? 14 Members of Congress Call to Halt PA Aid In a widely underreported move, fourteen members of the United States Congress called upon the U.S. State Department to immediately suspend all aid payments to the Palestinian Authority.? The PA is dominated by the Fatah movement and rules the West Bank (Judea and Samaria). The Congressional members sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on April 27, 2018. Highlighting the PAs policy of paying terrorists and their families for carrying out attacks, the letter requested that the U.S. cease U.S. aid payments to the authority. The representatives noted: In March 2018 Congress took a clear and bi-partisan stance on how aid dollars are to be used by the PA by passing the Taylor Force Act. This law prohibits U.S. taxpayer funds from being made available to the PA if they continue their practice of paying terrorists and their families. Yet, despite clear Congressional intent, media reports have stated that the PAs 2018 budget has codified this practice. The budget sets aside 8% of its total to the so-called martyrs fund, which amounts to over $350 million in U.S. taxpayer funded aid.? Further, the 14 signatories cited a report by Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), a non-profit organization that monitors Arab media in eastern Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. PMW had translated a Jan. 14, 2018 speech by PA President Mahmoud Abbas, in which the Palestinian leader declared: There is something that the Americans are telling us to stop - the salaries of the Martyrs and the Martyrs' families. Of course, we categorically reject this. We will not under any circumstances allow anyone to harm the families of the prisoners, the wounded, and the Martyrs. They are our children and they are our families. They honor us, and we will continue to pay them before the living." Citing these disturbing? comments, the Congressional members wanted to know how many foreign aid dollars went to the PA that were then used to fund terrorists prior to the passage of the Taylor Force Act,? as well as what measures are you planning to take to enforce the law and suspend aid to the PA?? The PAs policy of offering financial incentives to commit acts of terror is frequently ignored or obfuscated by major media outlets. For example, prior to the passage of the Taylor Force Act, The Washington Posts Fact Checker? column minimized and misled about the PAs Pay to Slay? programprompting a rebuttal from CAMERA in the Washington Examiner (U.S. Media Are Covering Up Palestinians Pay to Slay Policy,? March 21, 2018). A letter from more than a dozen members of Congress to a U.S. Secretary of State calling to cut aid to a nominal ally should be newsworthy. However, many major news outlets, such as The Washington Post, USA Today, The Baltimore Sun, Politico, among others, ignored it. By contrast, The Washington Free Beacon provided a full-length report (Congress Seeks Showdown on Ending U.S. Aid to Palestinians,? May 1, 2018). Posted by SD at June 1, 2018 10:57 AM Guidelines for posting This is a moderated blog. We will not post comments that include racism, bigotry, threats, or factually inaccurate material. Post a comment Legislators from six South American countries are meeting to discuss Venezuela's humanitarian crisis and reject the May 20 re-election of President Nicolas Maduro to a second six-year term. The group of almost two hundred parliamentarians from Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay and Argentina issued a four-page statement that said Maduro is leading a "repressive government" that "systematically violates human rights." They called on their countries to impose financial sanctions on top Venezuelan officials who are suspected of money laundering and said they would work to ease entry requirements for the thousands of Venezuelans who are fleeing the country to escape its harrowing economic crisis. The meeting is being held in Cucuta, a Colombian border city that has struggled to accommodate an influx of Venezuelan migrants. The United Nations says fighting between the self-styled Libyan National Army and militants has killed at least 17 civilians, including two children, in Libya's eastern city of Derna. The U.N. Support Mission in Libya said in a statement Friday that the fighting has injured 22 others, including seven children, since May 16. It said an explosion on Wednesday killed seven people and wounded seven others as they were attempting to leave Derna. It added that dozens of families have left the city. The LNA, led by Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter, has surrounded the city of 150,000 people for years. Clashes have been ongoing since April. Hifter announced his intention to "liberate" Derna in May. Libya descended into chaos following the 2011 uprising that toppled ruler Moammar Gadhafi. Why are biologics so expensive? Biologics are complicated to make and reproduce. In addition, part of the high cost is because theyre targeting less common tumors or subtypes of tumors. The biologic trastuzumab Herceptin just targets HER2+ breast cancer, for instance. And then there are rarer tumor types where companies feel that to recoup their cost of developing and manufacturing the drug, they have to charge an arm and a leg for it. But biologics are also being marketed directly to patients. Pharmaceutical companies spend hundreds of billions of dollars putting ads on TV and on the web and in newspapers and magazines asking patients to talk to their doctor about their drug. Most major professional organizations like ASCO believe we need to end this kind of direct-to-consumer advertising. Its not good for patients and it accounts for a huge portion of the annual budgets within these companies which then charge these high prices to pay for advertising. That makes no sense. If they got rid of that part of their budget, they could pass the savings onto the patient. Will biosimilars, like generics, cost less? Biosimilars are a promising way to increase competition, make biologics more accessible and potentially bring down costs, but its complicated. When there is more than one version of a biologic and the guidelines say you can use any of them because they should be equally effective, payers as well as health systems will negotiate prices. Theyll try to get the drug makers to compete with one another, lower the price or give them some kind of deal, and then theyll say thats our preferred form of the biologic therapy. Nevertheless, time will tell. A biologic/biosimilar used for supportive care is one thing. Cancer treatment is another. Cancer raises the anxiety level and the desperation. And often with it, the price. Patients dont really have a good alternative choice to forgo therapy in most instances. Therefore, the healthcare market is not actually a free-market. Are you seeing any of what FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb called shenanigans, pharma practices that might keep these drugs expensive? Some of these biologics have several patents, not just one. So pharmaceutical companies can keep the patent infringement litigation going for years and prevent other companies from making a biosimilar in the U.S. Also, biologic manufacturers are now getting into the biosimilar space, arguing Who better than us to make them? That means theyre in competition with themselves and theyre not going to automatically lower the price. Can we make the field more competitive? With biosimilars, the whole idea is to foster competition. That idea was even highlighted by the recent Presidents Cancer Panel Report. But theyre still complex molecules that require a major cost investment, so theres a concern that competition will not be enough to substantially lower the escalating price of these products. Competition is certainly needed because clearly these companies know that cancer patients and their families will often pay whatever it takes to get access to a new therapy. We cant just leave it to market forces to limit the cost. One proposal is to put a cap on how much pharmaceutical companies can charge for me-too-biologics [biologics that target the same molecular pathways but are developed independently]. And putting a cap on what biosimilars can charge might begin to blunt that vicious cycle. The challenge is you cant make it so draconian that companies decide its not worth it because there will be no competition. Are there other things that can be done to bring down costs? We need to find a way. There needs to be some regulation, or else the only ones not profiting in all of this will be the patients and its their lives that are at stake. Again, some of these agents are miracle drugs, but others may only improve median survival by a month or weeks, days, or not at all. Yet theyre being priced as the market will bear so patients are paying top dollar for nominal benefit. Value-based pricing allowing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to set or negotiate prices with manufacturers, to set or negotiate the price with the company in proportion to the drugs benefit, its value to patients and the system makes so much sense. But it takes political will, it takes determination, and it takes vocal patient advocates and providers. Industry isnt going to do this on its own, and Congress doesnt seem compelled to do much either. The ballot box is always there, but the voice of the patient and those in the health care field can be influential. We have to be far more vocal its not just about cost, its about doing whats right and assuring appropriate access to these exciting, potentially curative drugs. Free Freightnet Membership List your company in the Freightnet directory. It's Free, it's Easy and your company can be displayed in front of potential freight buyers within 24 hours. Food has been thrust centre stage in the 100 days ago since Minette Batters was elected NFU president become the unions first female leader in its 110-year history. Since becoming NFU president, Ms Batters has repeatedly warned that food production not the environment must be at the centre of the governments agricultural policy. Recognising that food must be affordable for everyone, she also argues that producing it must be profitable if farmers are to look after the countryside. We look at 10 key moments over the past 100 days and how Ms Batters is highlighting the importance of farmers as food producers. 1. Hit the ground running (21 February) Ms Batters thanks supporters after being elected the first female NFU president in the unions 110-year history. British agriculture is in the spotlight like never before, she says, pledging to hit the ground running and use Brexit to reposition the sector in the eyes of the nation. 2. Reconnect with the public (26 February) In her first speech as leader, Ms Batters urges farmers to reconnect with the public, saying the industry is on the cusp of enormous change a new era for the NFU, a new dawn for the countryside and a new time for farming as the UK prepares to leave the EU. 3. Pivotal members of society (5 March) As the country battles blizzard conditions caused by the Beast from the East, Ms Batters says farmers are pivotal to the rural community helping to clear snow from roads roads, unfreeze water pipe and provide help to those in need, all while caring for their own businesses and livestock. 4. Red Tractor TV campaign (31 March) Ms Batters backs plans for a TV advertising campaign to educate customers about food standards. The Red Tractor is a mark of food safety, and the scheme helps lower-income families buy food produced to a high standard, she says. 5. Food that feeds the nation (11 April) As bad weather leaves livestock producers struggling with feed shortages, Ms Batters says it is vital that the government lends its support to ensure farmers can continue managing their businesses effectively which means producing the food that feeds the nation. 6. Farmers are not soft targets (21 April) Criminals are bringing violence and intimidation to the countryside, says Ms Batters, warning police chiefs that a consistent and co-ordinated approach is needed so farmers do not become a soft target whether it is hare-coursing, fly-tipping or theft. 7. On a mission to promote beef (25 April) Ms Batters supports the organisation she co-founded Ladies in Beef which calls on the public to get behind British beef producers. There has never been a more important time for us as farmers to be actively engaged and reaching out to our consumers, she says. 8. Secure your farming future (4 May) Urging farmers to respond to Defras consultation on the future of farming, Ms Batters says food production is at the heart of everything farmers do and helps support the wider rural economy and environment. If were not producing food, were not farmers, she adds. 9. Gove off the menu (24 May) After the consultation, Ms Batters lambasts Defra secretary Michael Gove over the documents Health and Harmony title, pointing out during a discussion at the Hay Festival that it doesnt really mention food at all and shares a name with an Essex beauty salon. 10. Championing UK food producers (29 May) Ms Batters leads a coalition of 105 food and farming businesses, warning prime minister Theresa May that a Brexit that fails to champion UK food producers, and the businesses that rely on them, will be bad for the countrys landscape, the economy and critically our society. HALL OF FAME Two coaches and three players were recently inducted into the Cherokee Recreation Districts Hall of Fame. The 2021 coach inductees are Ray Head and Shedrick Sarratt. Player inductees are Barry... Federal funds will aid local students with disabilities and homeless students The Cherokee County School District will receive more than $480,000 in extra federal funds to help address the challenges faced by students with disabilities and experiencing homelessness. South Carolina was... Letters of intent for college and university board seats due Oct. 29 The College and University Trustee Screening Commission is accepting LETTERS OF INTENT to begin screening and qualifying candidates for the following seats: l The Citadel: One at-large seat, must be... FoodShare South Carolina launches in Cherokee County FoodShare South Carolina, in partnership with KNOW(2) is launching the 16th FoodShare Hub in the state on Saturday, Oct. 23 in Gaffney at the Community Health & Wellness Event hosted... News Contractors sue Valero over April plant explosion KevinMCox / KEVIN M. COX/The Daily News Flames and black smoke reach into the sky after an incident at the Valero Texas City Refinery on Thursday, April 19, 2018. More than two dozen subcontractors are suing Valero Energy Corp., asserting they were injured in the aftermath of an April explosion and fire at the companys Texas City refinery. It really bugs me when these plants report no injuries after an event like this, when they know full well multiple individuals are seeking treatment, said Tony Buzbee, the Houston-based attorney representing the workers. Buzbee filed the lawsuit Thursday in the 295th District Court in Harris County against Valero Refining-Texas and Richard Industrial Group on behalf of 28 workers, he said. Richard Industrial Group is a full-service engineering and construction firm, according to the companys website. A day after the April explosion rattled windows and sent flames and a plume of oily black smoke into the sky, Valero company officials in a brief public statement said one employee had been evaluated for health issues and four contractors had suffered minor injuries. The statement did not specify what the health issue had been, but stated the employee had returned to work the next day. The four contractors had received minor injuries while leaving the area of the blast and fire, according to the statement. Other than that four-paragraph prepared statement, Valero officials have not responded to numerous requests for comment, including requests made Thursday about the lawsuit. The plaintiffs were all subcontractors working near an alkylation unit inside the refinery when a failure caused the explosion, according to the lawsuit. Based on present information and belief, a line located inside the alkylation unit was too thin and/or became deteriorated, the lawsuit asserts. The weakened material led to the line failing, releasing pressure quickly, the lawsuit asserts. The plaintiffs heard a loud whistle right before the explosion, according to the lawsuit. Fleeing from the unit, some of the plaintiffs tripped over equipment and structures, while others inside a bus fell from their seats and struck the side of the bus, the lawsuit asserts. After this incident, plaintiffs sought medical treatment for orthopedic injures and hearing loss, the lawsuit asserts. Most suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. The lawsuit is seeking less than $100 million in damages, court records show. The refinery emitted an estimated 5,098 pounds of alkylates, 13,714 pounds of carbon monoxide, 974 pounds of hydrogen fluoride and 11,925 pounds of particulate matter, according to a report. The refinery also released hydrogen sulfide, oxides of nitrogen and sulfur dioxide. Although the refinery is permitted to release those materials, the rates at which the latter two substances were released exceeded the plants permitted hourly rate, according to the report. The report estimates the releases that occurred in the 24 hours after the explosion and fire in a fractionator tower April 19 at the refinery, south of Loop 197 in Texas Citys industrial complex. The emission amounts in the report are just estimates, a commission spokesman said. Valeros Texas City plant in 2017 had a refining capacity of 225,000 barrels per day, according to the company. The refinery produces a wide range of petroleum products including fuel gas, gasoline, kerosene, diesel fuel and liquefied petroleum gases, according to the company. Reporter Before coming to work for The Daily News as a staff reporter, Connor worked for us as a freelance correspondent throughout 2017. He has written for other publications such as the Washington Post. In the midst of celebrating LGBTQ Pride the U.S. Supreme Court rained on our virtual parade by ruling in favor of the Catholic Social Serv... The Long Beach Chamber of Commerce will teach people how to be effective political candidates in a new academy. Low-income students who received vouchers to attend private schools in the nations capital scored significantly lower on math tests than their peers. Thats according to the most recent congressionally mandated evaluation of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program , the only federally funded voucher program in the nation. Although the District of Columbias voucher program is among the smallest in the country, the findings are noteworthy insomuch as that vouchers are among the favored policies of U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who continues to push for more federally funded private school choice programs . The findings will add grist to the mill for critics of DeVos and school choice. Vouchers are a controversial policy, even among school choice advocates. Created in 2004, the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program serves about 1,100 low-income students. Most of them also come from poor-performing public schools and were already scoring below the national average in math and reading. Most years, the program is oversubscribed, and vouchers are awarded to applicants through a lottery. The most recent analysis of the vouchers, released this week by the U.S. Department of Educations Institute of Education Sciences, found that two years into the program, students who received tuition assistance to attend private school showed statistically significant weaker gains in math when compared with students who didnt receive vouchers. The difference in reading scores was not statistically significant. It is important to acknowledge that these early-year snapshots of test scores, while important for long-term study, may not be the best predictors of long-term achievement or attainment for students who use a choice program, said John Schilling, the president of the American Federation for Children, in a statement. AFC is a school choice advocacy and lobbying group formerly chaired by DeVos. And there are some caveats to the reports findings. Although all students were required to take a nationally normed test in math and reading when they applied for the program, all subsequent testing for the program evaluation was voluntary. That means the findings from the report are based on the 71 percent of students who opted to take the tests. And not all students who were awarded vouchers ended up using them. Overall, students who were awarded a voucher scored 8 percentile points lower in math two years into the program than their counterparts who applied for, but did not receive, a voucher. The students who received and used a voucher to attend a private school scored 10 percentile points lower on the mathematics test. Fifty-nine percent of students used vouchers for the full two years of the study, while 19 percent were partial users, and 22 percent did not use the scholarship at all. The analysis also includes a survey asking parents and students for their thoughts on school quality and safety, as well as the level to which parents are involved in their childrens educations. Seventy-four percent of parents and 62 percent of students responded to the surveys. Although there was no statistically significant difference in how parents and students rated the quality of their schools or the level of parental engagement, families who were offered or using vouchers were much more likely to rate their school as very safe. School choice advocates often say that test scores are not the end all be all. A parents choice to have his or her child attend a safe school, or a religious school, is just as important as a parents choice to select a school that boosts the childs academic achievement. However, the IES report notes that the intent of the legislation creating the D.C. voucher program was to raise the academic outcomes of disadvantaged students. The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program awards vouchers through a lottery system, meaning the only difference between students who received vouchers and those who did not is chance. That helps researchers weed out other factors that could contribute to any potential academic gains or lossessuch as how motivated a student is or how involved the parents are. An IES analysis released this time last year that looked at student academic gains after being in the program one year had similar findings. The IES reports join a handful of others released relatively recently out of Louisiana, Indiana, and Ohiothat have found students fare worse academically after they leave their public schools for voucher programs. Although a recent study of Floridas tax-credit-scholarship program , which also provides public aid to low-income families for their children to attend private school, found that students were more likely to go to college after high school than their peers who remained in public schools. The longer students were enrolled in private schools, the larger the effects. Related stories: Streets blocked and flooded : Heavy thunderstorms bring damage to Bonn and the region Bonn/Rhein-Sieg-Kreis Bonn and the Rhine-Sieg area were shaken by strong thunderstorms early Friday morning. Trees were uprooted and streets flooded. The Godesberg Tunnel was temporarily closed. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken Heavy thunderstorms shook the city of Bonn and the Rhine-Sieg area early Friday morning. The German Weather Service issued a weather warning for the Rhein-Sieg region. Warnings were issued early in the morning for the Mehlem area and the drainage basin at the Mehlem creek. Heavy rainfall could lead to flooding. So far, however, the stream has not yet overflowed its banks. It is recommended to close windows and doors and switch off ventilation and air conditioning systems. Responding to an inquiry, the fire department in Bonn said it had only been dispatched to a few smaller incidents. In all, they were called out 20 times, mainly because basements were full of water and needed to be pumped out. Rhine-Sieg was hit harder. In Bad Godesberg, the tunnel was briefly closed in the morning due to flooding. According to a spokesperson in Rhine-Sieg, the fire department was called out around 100 times there. In many places, basements were flooded and had to be pumped out by emergency services. In Bornheim and Konigswinter, manhole covers burst up from the water pressure and streets were flooded. In Ruppichteroth and Eitorf, firefighters had to free roads from fallen trees. About ten trees had been uprooted and there were traffic obstructions. Meanwhile, the spokesman for the fire department said they are receiving fewer calls. In Much-Weienportz, there was a lightning strike to a residential building. In Meckenheim, there are currently still power outages. In Oberzissen, a roof was on fire. Also in Lantershofen, lightning struck a house and as a result, at least two houses caught fire. Public transport has also been affected by the thunderstorm. On lines S23 and RB23 there were major delays in the morning due to a fault at a signal box in the Rheinbach area. Deutsche Bahn (German railway) announced at 7:20 am that the signal interference was fixed. The trains were expected to return to normal shortly thereafter with scheduled stops on the usual route. At 7:30 am, the German Weather Service canceled the weather warning for Bonn but heavy thunderstorms were still possible until 9 am. The meteorological service points out that there could be severe damage to buildings and trees could be uprooted. Roof tiles, branches and other objects could possibly fall down. Also flooding of cellars and roads as well as streams and rivers are possible. Beefing up high school graduation requirements in math and science could curb youth drinking, with no uptick in cigarette or marijuana use, a new study suggests. For each additional math or science course that high school students were required to take, researchers found, the probability that students drank or binge drank (more than five drinks in a sitting) decreased by 1.6 percent. This report describes how teens use of drugs and alcohol continues to decline , dropping in 2016 to the lowest rates since the 1990s. Why does a rigorous curriculum result in students drinking less? We speculate that the reason has to do with the change in the way students use their time, economist Ben Cowan told Education Week. They have to focus on school work and have less time to engage in risky behavior. Cowan co-authored the study, which is forthcoming in the Journal of Health Economics, with Zhuang Hao, an economics Ph.D. candidate. They are both at Washington State University. Another reason for the decrease in drinking, suggests Cowan, is that students who are taking more math and science courses see a future rich with possibilities. They may see themselves getting a job in a STEM field and earning a good salary. A view toward the future might provide the deterrence to drinking. The populations most affected by the more stringent high school grad requirements were males and students of color. Cowan said most states boosted graduation requirements in the 1990s and later, especially in math and science, and he speculates that nonwhite students by and large attended the schools that increased requirements. White students likely already attended schools with above average requirements. In conducting their study, the researchers accounted for the tendency of students who engage in risky behaviors to drop out when graduation requirements are raised. They focused on kids 16 years old or younger who wouldnt be allowed to drop out because of compulsory school laws. They found that the pattern held steady: Raising graduation requirements translated to a decrease in youth drinking. The link the authors found is correlational, not necessarily causal. Cowan stressed that the data he and Hao used dont enable them to pinpoint an exact reason for the relationship between curriculum rigor and drinking. Further study would have to be done. The two analyzed data on more than 100,000 students from 47 states. Colorado, Nebraska, and Iowa were omitted from the study because they did not participate in all the surveys from which the numbers were collected. The data was taken from the Digest of Education Statistics which reports the minimum math and science credits required for graduation in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The researchers also used data from each states department of education and from national data for the years 1993 to 2011 from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System . The study delved into a relatively untapped area of research and one that holds promise for changing students risky behavior, according to Cowan. He suggests schools take a closer look at how stringent their math and science graduation requirements areand possibly even explore how those classes are structured from freshman through senior year and the qualifications of those teaching these classes. Image: pixabay.com Related stories: Lack of parking spaces : Parking garage at Bonns central train station is closed BONN The parking garage of the Deutsche Bahn (German Rail) on Quantiusstrae has closed, meaning there is no longer public parking in a garage near Bonns central train station. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken The parking garage of Deutsche Bahn which was located at Quantiusstrae has closed. It previously offered 150 public parking spaces. This means there are no more public parking garage spaces near the central train station in Bonn. The parking garage which was under the so-called Bonner Loch (across from the station) has already been demolished to make way for the construction project Urban Soul. Public parking lots on Rabinstrae and an area referred to as Nordfeld are also gone. Asked about why they had closed, there was no answer from Deutsche Bahn on Wednesday. It wasnt only readers who contacted GA about the move, but also CDU city council member Henriette Reinsberg was surprised. Especially for those who need to be taken to the train station or be picked up there, she criticized the situation as unacceptable. kacylee at 1-06-2018 07:43 AM (3 years ago) (f) Police in Niger State have arrested a teenager for allegedly selling his six-year-old brother to a ritual killer for N20,000. The 19-year-old suspect, Aliyu Basala Yakutchi, without mincing words, confessed to have sold his kid brother, Yamusa Ibrahim Yakutchi, to ritual killer in order to raise money to pay his wifes bride price. The incident was said to have occurred about 10 days ago. Aliyu, from Nagenu village in Katcha Local Government Area, sold his brother to 30-year-old Legbo, from Afuwagi village in Mokwa Local Government Area. Police disclosed that Legbo was presently on the run. Aliyu, who claimed to be the third among his mothers six children, said that he sold his brother on credit. Police in Niger State have arrested a teenager for allegedly selling his six-year-old brother to a ritual killer for N20,000. The 19-year-old suspect, Aliyu Basala Yakutchi, without mincing words, confessed to have sold his kid brother, Yamusa Ibrahim Yakutchi, to ritual killer in order to raise money to pay his wifes bride price. The incident was said to have occurred about 10 days ago. Aliyu, from Nagenu village in Katcha Local Government Area, sold his brother to 30-year-old Legbo, from Afuwagi village in Mokwa Local Government Area. Police disclosed that Legbo was presently on the run. Aliyu, who claimed to be the third among his mothers six children, said that he sold his brother on credit. Aliyu, who apparently didnt know or understand the gravity of his action, pleaded with the police to release him unconditionally so that he could go and tend to his farm. He said: I decided to sell my younger brother for N20,000 on credit so that I can raise money to pay for the bride price of my 14-year-old lover. I took my younger brother, Yamusa, to Malam Legbo for money rituals because he promised to pay me N20,000 if he succeeded in using him for money rituals. I wanted to use the money to finance my marriage to Fatimah. Our father is dead, but our mother is still alive, her name is Hajiya Yakure. Prior to my arrest by the police, I had not been paid by Legbo. The money might not even be enough for my marriage requirements. Asked the whereabouts of Legbo, Aliyu said: I think he ran away with my brother when he got the information that the police were looking for him. I blame the devil for pushing me into hatching this evil plan against my brother. I dont even know where Legbo has taken my brother to. While exonerating Fatimah from the crime, Aliyu noted: She does not know about my evil plan to sell my little brother to offset her bride price. Im a farmer and a bachelor. I got enrolled into an Islamic school during my childhood days but my parents couldnt afford to send me to school. I only speak our local dialect, Nupe language; I cannot speak or understand Hausa language too. As at the time of filing this report, the whereabouts of Legbo and Yamusa were still unknown. The police had already paid a visit to Legbos village, but met a cold trail. Aliyu, who apparently didnt know or understand the gravity of his action, pleaded with the police to release him unconditionally so that he could go and tend to his farm.He said: I decided to sell my younger brother for N20,000 on credit so that I can raise money to pay for the bride price of my 14-year-old lover.I took my younger brother, Yamusa, to Malam Legbo for money rituals because he promised to pay me N20,000 if he succeeded in using him for money rituals.I wanted to use the money to finance my marriage to Fatimah. Our father is dead, but our mother is still alive, her name is Hajiya Yakure.Prior to my arrest by the police, I had not been paid by Legbo. The money might not even be enough for my marriage requirements. Asked the whereabouts of Legbo, Aliyu said: I think he ran away with my brother when he got the information that the police were looking for him.I blame the devil for pushing me into hatching this evil plan against my brother. I dont even know where Legbo has taken my brother to. While exonerating Fatimah from the crime, Aliyu noted: She does not know about my evil plan to sell my little brother to offset her bride price.Im a farmer and a bachelor. I got enrolled into an Islamic school during my childhood days but my parents couldnt afford to send me to school. I only speak our local dialect, Nupe language; I cannot speak or understand Hausa language too.As at the time of filing this report, the whereabouts of Legbo and Yamusa were still unknown. The police had already paid a visit to Legbos village, but met a cold trail. Post Reply I have been reporting for several years now and I am very interested in visual news reportage with strong inclusion of photos and video multimedia. Posted: at 1-06-2018 07:43 AM (3 years ago) | Addicted Hero Missouris state board of education has been at a standstill for almost half a year now since then-Gov. Erik Greitens, a Republican, appointed and later rescinded several highly controversial board members who managed in December to oust state chief Margie Vandeven . Greitens, a Rhodes scholar and Navy SEAL, resigned this week under political pressure after he was charged with several criminal acts involving an alleged affair. Early on in his tenure he caused havoc at the states education department when he appointed several pro-charter school advocates to the state board with the explicit mission of firing the state chief. The states district administrators and teaching force backed Vandeven, but failed to politically spare her ousting. At the beginning of this years legislative session, Greitens rescinded his appointments in order to allow the state Senate to weigh in. But the Senate dragged its feet on the appointments as Greitens, elected in November 2016, came under political fire for a host of misdeeds. With only three acting board members, the state board didnt have a quorum to meet and officiate over the states department. Several things hang in the balance now, including the approval of several charter operators to either open new schools or keep their existing schools open, implementing the states plan under the Every Student Succeeds Act and, most importantly, hiring a permanent state chief. We have a lot of pent-up work because we havent met since December, said Charlie Shields, one of the remaining board members told the Springfield News-Leader this week. We werent able to move education forward in the state. With Greitens resignation, Lt. Gov. Mike Parson becomes governor and educators are already reading the tea leaves to see who he will appoint to the now very high-profile board. Greitens has sullied the reputation of the states Republican Party, and Democrats this fall will likely use education as a wedge issue when several legislative seats are up for election. We are optimistic that (Parson) will place a priority on the state board of education, Melissa Randol, the states executive director of the Missouri School Boards Association, told the News-Leader. He understands the significance of the state board. clarajancita at 1-06-2018 10:39 AM (3 years ago) (f) The Nigerian army and Customs has discovered as many as 300,000 live bullets inside three trucks which was intercepted. According to a report by The Guardian, security agencies yesterday morning intercepted 300,000 cartridges that were smuggled into Nigeria through the Benin Republic border. The cartridges were concealed in a false base of three heavy-duty trucks and had successfully gone past borders until they were intercepted at Igbogila-Ilara area of Ogun State. The Nigerian army and Customs has discovered as many as 300,000 live bullets inside three trucks which was intercepted. According to a report by The Guardian, security agencies yesterday morning intercepted 300,000 cartridges that were smuggled into Nigeria through the Benin Republic border. The cartridges were concealed in a false base of three heavy-duty trucks and had successfully gone past borders until they were intercepted at Igbogila-Ilara area of Ogun State. Although the drivers and crewmembers fled, upon closer inspection, the trucks were deemed empty until the security operatives unearthed the large cache of ammunition. When they opened the metal cover, hundreds of cartons of cartridges of the 12-calibre were found concealed underneath. Revelations have, however, emerged on how the unknown smugglers, allegedly aided by some policemen, tried to deceive security operatives to smuggle the three truckloads of arms and ammunition into the country, through the Ogun State land border. The smugglers had declared the trucks as empty with the aim of deceiving officials of the Nigerian Customs Service at Owode-Ilaro Road in Ogun, but the officers suspected foul play and played smart on the smugglers team, which include some policemen in uniform. The trucks were intercepted in Balogun village, near Egua in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun, by military officers attached to the 35 Artillery Brigade of 81 Division, Nigerian Army in Alamala, Abeokuta.Ogun State Area Command Public Relations Officer of Customs, Abdullahi Maiwada, who confirmed the incident to The Guardian yesterday, said the soldiers were able to intercept the trucks. Although the drivers and crewmembers fled, upon closer inspection, the trucks were deemed empty until the security operatives unearthed the large cache of ammunition. When they opened the metal cover, hundreds of cartons of cartridges of the 12-calibre were found concealed underneath.Revelations have, however, emerged on how the unknown smugglers, allegedly aided by some policemen, tried to deceive security operatives to smuggle the three truckloads of arms and ammunition into the country, through the Ogun State land border.The smugglers had declared the trucks as empty with the aim of deceiving officials of the Nigerian Customs Service at Owode-Ilaro Road in Ogun, but the officers suspected foul play and played smart on the smugglers team, which include some policemen in uniform.The trucks were intercepted in Balogun village, near Egua in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun, by military officers attached to the 35 Artillery Brigade of 81 Division, Nigerian Army in Alamala, Abeokuta.Ogun State Area Command Public Relations Officer of Customs, Abdullahi Maiwada, who confirmed the incident to The Guardian yesterday, said the soldiers were able to intercept the trucks. Quote He explained: There were three trucks that passed through our approved checkpoint escorted by policemen. We saw that those trucks were not empty, so we enquired from the police officers and they said that the vehicles were suspected stolen vehicles and that they are conveying them to one of their units for further investigation. We decided to allow them thinking that they were doing their constitutional duties. Then, we were not satisfied and our men decided to follow the vehicles until they got to an army checkpoint and the officers intercepted them. The army have their own intelligence, so they were able to open the trucks and discovered that the arms and ammunition were carefully concealed. I cannot ascertain the quantity, but what I can tell you is that those items were incriminating. It was intercepted and opened in the presence of customs and other law enforcement agencies. They took all the trucks to one of their formations in Lagos, he said. When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Ogun State, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said: he said.When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Ogun State, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said: Quote I dont think there is anything concerning police in the matter. He directed The Guardian to find out from the Nigerian Army. While briefing the press on the discovery, the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 81 Division, Major General Enobong Udoh, said the arrest was based on a tip-off received from well-meaning Nigerians during the anti-illegal bunkering, anti-pipeline vandalism and anti-smuggling patrols. The GOC, who was represented by the 35 Artillery Brigade Commander, Brigadier General Olaniyi Olatunde, said the trucks were intercepted in conjunction with the police, the Department of State Security (DSS) and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). The arms and ammunition intercepted yesterday The three trucks weighing five-tonnes with vehicle registration numbers: ANAMBRA AAH 409 ZV, LAGOS BDG 782 XU and LAGOS GGF 88 XU, were loaded with thousands of live cartridges.On getting to Balogun village, along Igbogila-Ilara road, Ogun, they were intercepted and live cartridges in boxes and cartons were carefully concealed and sealed in a false-base made up of wooden platform with metallic plates. The GOC said: While briefing the press on the discovery, the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 81 Division, Major General Enobong Udoh, said the arrest was based on a tip-off received from well-meaning Nigerians during the anti-illegal bunkering, anti-pipeline vandalism and anti-smuggling patrols.The GOC, who was represented by the 35 Artillery Brigade Commander, Brigadier General Olaniyi Olatunde, said the trucks were intercepted in conjunction with the police, the Department of State Security (DSS) and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).The three trucks weighing five-tonnes with vehicle registration numbers: ANAMBRA AAH 409 ZV, LAGOS BDG 782 XU and LAGOS GGF 88 XU, were loaded with thousands of live cartridges.On getting to Balogun village, along Igbogila-Ilara road, Ogun, they were intercepted and live cartridges in boxes and cartons were carefully concealed and sealed in a false-base made up of wooden platform with metallic plates.The GOC said: Quote The drivers and their crew on sighting the troops abandoned their trucks and fled. A team is on the trail of the fleeing drivers, their crew, corroborators and sponsors as investigation is ongoing. Members of the public are encouraged to continue to always reach out by contacting the nearest military barracks for timely useful information or call the following numbers: 07069353889 and 08060492529 (Ojo), 07017064979 (Badagry), 08034347484 (Victoria Island), 08065992320 (Ikeja), 08069097624 (Owode), 08065806870 (Ikorodu), 07064281177 (Obalende), 08053862233 and 08057705135 (Abeokuta). Post Reply I am a metro reporter on Gistmania, I have been publishing news materials for over 5 years Posted: at 1-06-2018 10:39 AM (3 years ago) | Hero Amsterdam, the Netherlands - 1 June 2018 - Intertrust N.V. ("Intertrust" or "Company") [Euronext: INTER], a leading global provider of high-value trust, corporate and fund services, today announces that it has repurchased 84,428 ordinary Intertrust shares at an average price of EUR 16.2850 per share in the period from 28 May 2018 up to and including 31 May 2018. The aggregate consideration for this repurchase was EUR 1.37 million. This repurchase concludes the Company's share repurchase programme, which was announced on 13 November 2017. The total number of shares repurchased under this programme was 3,132,378 shares at an average price of EUR 15.9623, resulting in a total aggregate consideration of EUR 50.00 million. Adjusted for treasury shares, Intertrust's number of outstanding shares currently stands at 88,905,202. Approximately 850,000 shares will be used for employee stock ownership and incentive plans vesting in 2018 and 2019, with the remainder of the repurchased shares to be cancelled as approved by the general meeting on 17 May 2018 and after appropriate procedures have been followed. Further details on the share repurchase transactions can be found on the Company's website. This press release contains information which is to be made publicly available under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No 596/2014. For further information Intertrust N.V. marieke.palstra@intertrustgroup.com Marieke Palstra Tel: +31 20 577 1157 Director of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications About Intertrust Intertrust is a leading global provider of high-value trust, corporate and fund services, with more than 2,500 employees located throughout a network of 39 offices in 28 jurisdictions across Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Middle-East. The Company delivers high-quality, tailored services to its clients with a view to building long-term relationships. Intertrust's business services offering is comprised of corporate services, fund services, capital market services, and private wealth services. Intertrust has leading market positions in selected key geographic markets of its industry, including the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Jersey, and the Cayman Islands. Intertrust works with global law firms and accountancy firms, multi-national corporations, financial institutions, fund managers, high net worth individuals and family offices. Latvian English Corrected: mandatory share redemption starting date was changed Hereby, AS Rigas elektromasinbuves rupnica (RER) informs that on 31 May 2018 the mandatory share redemption offer made by Measurestep Enterprises Limited the shares of RER will start based on decision No 84 of 25 May 2018 of the Financial and Capital Market Commission. Information about the offer Target Company: AS Rigas elektromasinbuves rupnica, registration number 40003042006, registered address: Ganibu dambis 53, Riga, LV-1005, Latvia, telephone number: + 371 673811930, e-mail address: office@rer.lv, web page address: www.rer.lv. Offeror: Company Measurestep Enterprises Limited, registered in the Republic of Cyprus on 3 November 2004 with registration number HE153603, registered address: Ioanni Kyriakidi, 12A, Apostolos Andreas, P.C. 3067, Limassol, Cyprus. On the date of signing of the prospectus, the offeror directly and indirectly owns in total 97.23 % of the Target Company`s shares with voting rights. The buy-back price for one share is set as: EUR 6.51. The offer term is 30 (thirty) calendar days starting from 31 May 2018 until 29 June 2018 including. Attached: Prospectus of the mandatory share redemption offer of AS Rigas elektromasinbuves rupnica Posted Friday, June 1, 2018 2:30 pm The Missouri Department of Agriculture recently awarded Bolivar Farmers Exchange, Bolivar, with the 2017 Excellence in Compliance Award. The award recognizes an outstanding record of consistency and accuracy on feed sample guarantees in 2017, according to an MDA news release. Each facet of Missouri agriculture contributes to the overall success of our $88.4 billion industry, Director of Agriculture Chris Chinn said in the release. It is our honor to recognize Bolivar Farmers Exchange for its positive contribution by ensuring accurate guarantees for nutritional values for its livestock feeds. We are very proud of the companies who work so hard to uphold these high standards. The department has presented this award annually since 1998. Recipients must maintain 90 percent or greater adherence to label guarantees for nutrient content on five or more random feed samples analyzed by the Missouri State Feed Control laboratory. Posted Friday, June 1, 2018 8:00 am Pleasant Hope native Ryan Bake has been selected to represent Utah as the states National FFA officer candidate. Bake was born on a farm in Pleasant Hope, and in the summer of 2016, just before his senior year began, he moved with his family to Herriman, Utah. He served as the Utah FFA State Reporter in 2017-18 and is currently attending Utah State University studying agribusiness. Bake will represent Utah at the 91st National FFA Convention and Expo in Indianapolis in October. He will participate in a weeklong series of interviews, workshop facilitations and speeches with nearly 50 other candidates from across the country. Illinois lawmakers approved a spending plan on Thursday, putting the state on track to have a full budget in place ahead of the new financial year for the first time since Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner took office in 2015.The House agreed to the $38.5 billion proposal by a 97-18 vote, following a landslide 54-2 tally in the Senate on Wednesday night. Rauner said in a statement he plans to approve it.The overwhelming vote margins illustrated a consensus that neither Democrats who control the General Assembly nor Republicans allied with the governor wanted to go into the election season under the cloud of a budget stalemate like the one that consumed state government for nearly two years until last July.They also reflected the changed dynamics at the Capitol, where Rauner for the first time focused on achieving a stand-alone budget rather than a broader deal that included his legislative agenda aimed at reducing regulations on businesses, freezing property taxes and reining in politicians' power.Instead, the governor asked only for a budget that spends no more than the state takes in and requires no new taxes. That's what lawmakers say they are sending him -- a task made easier by several billion dollars from a tax hike that was passed last summer over Rauner's objections.Left for another day were some of the state's most pressing financial problems: A backlog of unpaid bills that stands at $6.6 billion and a massive pension debt that's on track to consume a growing portion of Illinois' annual revenue.Also set aside was Rauner's call for retirement system changes that he said could allow for a modest quarter-percent rollback of the state income tax. The plan projects $445 million in pension cost savings through voluntary buyouts, but it spends those savings rather than returning them to taxpayers via lower taxes.Rauner, in a statement, praised the legislation as "a step in the right direction, though it does not include much-needed debt paydown and reforms that would reduce taxes, grow our economy, create jobs and raise family incomes." Still, he said he will "be taking action quickly to enact" the budget.Lawmakers acknowledged that the plan was not designed to significantly change the trajectory of Illinois' troubled financial situation in the long term. But they touted the bipartisan compromise. For many Republicans, their "yes" votes on the budget bills were a career first."I can go back to my district and I can say that we have done our job for the first time in many years," House Republican Leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs said. "People in the state of Illinois continue to say, 'Can you please just work it out, get together, figure it out and get the job done?' And that's what we've done today."Durkin said the budget was "not perfect," but "our priorities, the Republicans' and the Democrats', have been met.""It's not a bad thing for us to compromise," Durkin said. "I want more of this."Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, meanwhile, referenced his previous criticisms of Rauner's priorities as "extreme," saying that "while there is more work to be done, this compromise budget shows yet again that when extreme demands are not preconditions to negotiation, Democrats and Republicans in the legislature can work together to move Illinois forward."The plan is based on an assumption that the state will bring in about $38.5 billion in the budget year that begins July 1, including $300 million from the long-stalled sale of the Thompson Center in the Loop. The total revenue estimate was boosted this year by the higher state income tax rate and changes to tax policies in Washington, D.C., plus unexpected spikes in investment returns.Helping to clear the way for passage was $8.8 billion in spending approval for capital projects like construction of water, transportation and housing facilities, which would be paid for by borrowing and therefore aren't accounted for in the overall spending figures. Such projects can make it easier for hesitant lawmakers to cast "yes" votes, giving them so-called pork projects that they can tout in their districts. Often, though, such projects never materialize.Lawmakers also approved $2.2 billion in spending on an infrastructure program Rauner announced earlier in the week. They granted him $53 million to cover the first-year costs of constructing a new veterans home in Quincy to address a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that dates to 2015 -- the handling of which has been a matter of controversy for the governor. And they set aside $500 million for an innovation center in the South Loop that's being led by the University of Illinois and has been heavily touted by Rauner.The plan also preserves or increases funding for several important constituencies, giving a $50 million boost to early childhood education and an extra $350 million for K-12 schools -- a yearly increase that the schools were promised as part of a new state funding formula that was enacted last year.And it looks to repair some of the damage of the budget wars of the past. Colleges and universities will see their funding increase by 2 percent, or $56 million. Child care providers will receive a 4.26 percent rate increase. And the Rauner administration will get $1.3 billion in supplemental spending to pay bills that have accrued over the past few years.Still, as the House planned to vote on Thursday, Moody's Investors Service analysts warned that the state's fixed costs for debt service, retiree health care and pension contributions are on track to consume 30 percent of the money it brings in and that "a failure to adopt mitigating strategies soon will greatly increase the state's risk that these rising costs will become unaffordable without severe public service cuts."And some lawmakers said they couldn't support the plan because it didn't do enough to address the long-term issues."The taxpayers of this state are getting killed and this bill ... continues the carnage," said Rep. David McSweeney of Barrington Hills, a Rauner critic who occupies the far conservative corner of the House Republicans. "We need to cut the budget. Math does count. We need to do real pension reform. ... We are insolvent."Comptroller Susana Mendoza, a Democrat who controls the state checkbook, said the plan was far from perfect but a step in the right direction."We can't breathe easy yet," she said in a statement. "But having this stability and predictability will at least allow us to breathe." Former state Sen. Jim Barnett made what could be an unprecedented selection in Kansas political history Thursday by choosing his wife as running mate in the Republican Party's primary campaign for governor.Barnett, a Topeka physician who was the GOP's 2006 nominee for governor, said his running mate would be Rosie Hansen, who has accompanied Barnett for more than a year on campaign stops across the state. They completed the official filing process at the secretary of state's office in Topeka.If elected, she would be lieutenant governor and first lady."I've met and talked with people from all walks of life, from all over the state," Barnett said. "Many were qualified in some areas. It became clear that the one person who was best qualified in all areas was also the person who had spent the past 22 months traveling 70,000 miles with me -- Rosemary Hansen, my wife."Hansen graduated from Americus High School and the University of Kansas. She earned a law degree at the University of Minnesota and a master's degree from Harvard University. She worked for the U.S. Department of State from 1985 to 2011, including U.S. Embassy assignments in Bangladesh, Germany, Bosnia, Australia, Afghanistan and Thailand, in addition to service in Washington, D.C."I'm incredibly excited and honored to be part of Team Barnett," she said. "This has been a fascinating journey for us. If you had asked me a year ago if I would be standing here in this capacity, I would have said, 'Absolutely not.' We are partners in every sense of the word."Benchmarks for the pick of lieutenant governor didn't feature the traditional pedigree of political connections, geography or money, Barnett said."I actually pushed all those aside. What is most important to me is that the lieutenant governor is right on the issues," he said. "This person needs to be ready to step in at a moment's notice. As we traveled around Kansas, we kept hearing, 'We want a governor that has an awareness that Kansas goes all the way to Colorado.' "Barnett said his running mate had to be committed to his "One Kansas" campaign agenda of improving the function of state government and bringing Kansans together to solve complex problems. His platform addresses agriculture, economic development, education, technical training, health care access and tourism. He wants to improve the image of Kansas and attract young professionals to the state."When a new stockyard can't open because the state doesn't have an inspector, jobs are lost. A poorly run Department of Children and Families threatens the safety of our most vulnerable," Barnett said.Other candidates in the Republican primary are Gov. Jeff Colyer, of Overland Park; Secretary of State Kris Kobach, of Lecompton; Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer, of Overland Park; businessman Patrick Kucera, Shawnee; and teenagers Tyler Ruzich, of Prairie Village, and Joseph Tutera, of Mission Hills.The Democratic Party's field includes Sen. Laura Kelly, Topeka, former Rep. Josh Svaty, of Topeka; former Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer, Wichita; and Wichita teenager Jack Bergeson.Kelly, who formally filed on Thursday, said Kansans she meets on the campaign trail were concerned about public education, from early childhood through college. Voters are worried about lack of access to early-childhood programs, the lack of state funding in K-12 and rising tuition rates at state universities, she said."Medicaid expansion is huge," Kelly said. "There is a big desire on the part of folks to get that done. It's not just to cover the 150,000 people who we know don't have access to health care right now, but it's also because they understand the economic impact of not having done that."She said the state had forfeited -- because of opposition by GOP Govs. Sam Brownback and Jeff Colyer to expansion of Medicaid -- about $2.5 billion in federal funding that would have supported struggling hospitals in Kansas, created thousands of jobs and improved preventative health services. Hundreds of thousands of public employees and retirees stand to benefit from a major pension reform package that Gov. Mark Dayton signed into law on Thursday.Schoolteachers, office workers, police officers and a retired parks maintenance worker were among the triumphant crowd that filled the Capitol rotunda in a ceremony for a bill signing that Dayton said would be the last piece of legislation he would sign as governor."I can't tell you how many retirees and active employees have spoken with me in the last few days and told me how vitally important this is for their peace of mind, for their financial security, for their sense of being able to rely on pensions, on the promise that they've earned," Dayton said.Pension reform efforts had been going on for years, as the state stared down a future debt of $16.2 billion for pensions. Credit rating agencies warned state budget officials to get their unfunded liabilities in order, while retirees fretted about the prospect of larger cuts to their benefits.The pension changes that passed will immediately eliminate $3.4 billion in unfunded liabilities and put Minnesota on a more stable path for the future, legislators said. The state will be contributing $141 million to pension plans over the next few years, while retirees agreed to some benefit reductions and current workers must increase their contributions to the pension funds.The change is a shared sacrifice between employees, employers and retirees, Minnesota Management and Budget Commissioner Myron Frans said.He excitedly told supporters of the legislation that when he sells state bonds this summer, agencies will ask whether they solved their unfunded liabilities."I'm going to say, 'Yes!' " Frans said.The reform would benefit more than 500,000 public employees across the state, the governor said. Theresa St. Aoro, a membership analyst at the Public Employees Retirement Association, is one of those workers.Her job involves talking with employers to make sure workers -- from snowplow drivers to probation officers -- are receiving the correct amount of money in their retirement funds. She feared what legislative inaction could mean for the public employees she helps every day and for herself."I felt this was so important. It's our future," she said. "We can't shortchange our retirees. They worked their whole lives for their retirement, and they deserve a good retirement."The Legislature passed the pension bill in a last-minute flurry on the final night of the session.The House and Senate unanimously approved the legislation, and it became one of the few major changes that Dayton and state lawmakers could agree on this session.Chris Lynch, a retired Minneapolis teacher, said he was worried lawmakers would add a "poison pill" that would kill the bill, and he was "ecstatic" that it passed."The partisanship disappeared on this one. They found a way to work together," said Lynch, who said the plan was a good compromise between all the parties involved.Republicans Sen. Julie Rosen and Rep. Tim O'Driscoll led the charge to pass the reform this year, and Thursday they stood alongside Dayton. Rosen said the legislation will not only bring security for retirees, it will make the state more financially stable.States across the country are struggling with pension obligations."I just want to say to all the other states: You should stand up and watch what happened in Minnesota," Rosen said. In other public finance news this week: Themes From 'State of the City' Addresses Splitting Up In Georgia Now that three states have created workarounds to a part of last year's federal tax overhaul, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is trying to stop others from following.Last week, the IRS announced that it would propose regulations that address attempts by states to help their residents avoid the new federal cap on state and local tax deductions. So far, California, New Jersey and New York are nearing passage of laws that would allow residents who owe more than $10,000 in state and local taxes to pay the remainder into a state charitable trust. Because charitable contributions are still tax-deductible under federal law, the state trust contribution offers residents a workaround.Its no surprise, says Jared Walczak, a senior analyst at the conservative-leaning Tax Foundation, that the IRS is striking back. The IRS was never going to be fooled by these workarounds."But whether the agency can legally thwart such efforts is a point of debate.Walczak argues that the agency has both caselaw and substantial leeway on its side, including the U.S. Supreme Courts so-called substance-over-form doctrine. That doctine states that for federal tax purposes, a taxpayer is bound by the economic substance of a transaction -- even if the transaction itself varies in its legal form. In other words, if a payment is made regarding tax liability, Walczak says, it doesnt matter what you call it, youre paying state taxes.Others, however, question the effectiveness of the agency's targeted approach.There are other ways to respond and work around the cap, says Indiana University tax law scholar David Gamage, who co-authored a paper on the topic. Some states, such as New York, are considering increasing payroll taxes, which are paid by the employer but have unlimited deductibility. The proposed regulations make no mention of these other efforts. In the long run, Gamage says, the IRS doesnt have the power to shut down everything that would be described as a workaround.Meanwhile, theres concern that the proposed IRS regulations could inadvertently affect the large number of state agencies with a charitable arm. Taxpayers have long been able to make a tax-deductible contribution to these quasi-government causes. For example, Maryland and Massachusetts have environmental trusts run by a state agency. And many conservative states offer school voucher tax credits , a dollar-for-dollar tax cut for donations to a nonprofit that gives out the vouchers.The existing practice -- which served as a precedent for blue-state lawmakers to cite when approving the workarounds -- creates a sticky situation for the IRS. It might be possible to craft a rule that has exceptions for the prior structure and simply shuts down what New York has done, says Gamage. But that would just be an invitation for New York to change its rule to meet the new guidance.If the new regulations are broad and also impact the full deductibility of existing quasi-government charities, it will almost certainly invite a lawsuit. But Walczak says that might just delay the inevitable. Its politically valuable for some states to be seen fighting this as long as they can, he says. That doesnt increase their chances of success.As more people struggle to find affordable housing, the issue is garnering more of mayors' attention. According to the National League of Cities annual analysis of 160 State of the City addresses, housing ranked among the top four priorities, alongside mainstays like economic development, infrastructure and the budget.Cities are recognizing how to manage their housing supply to create more demand and to alter the overall housing dynamic for the good, the report says, adding that mixed-use development appears to be key to that discussion.The report also found three emerging trends common to municipalities across the country: the opioid crisis, addressing and preparing for climate change, and expanding broadband access.At a time when many municipalities are talking about consolidating services, one city in Georgia is going the other way. This month, Gov. Nathan Deal signed a bill allowing the first-ever de-annexation in the state, which will create a new 17,000-resident town called Eagles Landing. The move peals off about 9,000 residents from neighboring Stockbridge but leaves the latter with all of the joint debt.While the move makes sense aesthetically -- on a map Stockbridge looks like a Rorschach ink blot test -- the loss is likely to put a strain on finances. Its also raised some red flags because of the change in debt situation for Stockbridge. While its common for new cities to incorporate, the creation of Eagles Landing is unique because it is leaving a neighboring city with a smaller tax base with which to pay off its debt. That, S&P Global Ratings said this week, could result in as much as a 57 percent drop in revenue and create challenges in reducing expenditures while still managing to effectively serve the remainder of the city. The Governors Official Program is comprised of a wide range of constitutional and legal duties and ceremonial and community engagements. Each year, the Governor hosts thousands of visitors to Government House to take part in investiture and award ceremonies, Open Days, receptions and meetings, and travels widely throughout Queensland to support the activities of Patron groups. View a chronological record of the Governors daily program below. On Thursday, in the morning, at 1 William Street, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC presided at a meeting of the Executive Council. In the afternoon, at Government House, the Governor and Mrs de Jersey hosted a reception to celebrate MS Queenslands 60th anniversary and mark World MS Day, and His Excellency addressed guests. Following, at the Old Museum Building, Bowen Hills, the Governor attended the 2018 National Trust Queensland Heritage Awards, and His Excellency addressed guests and presented the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award and annual John Herbert Memorial Award. Pitching Project Re:form The Lessons Learned A blueprint for lasting and effective governmental change might be lying on the floor right now in an unheated storage space in Detroit.This blueprint is a 100-foot-long, colorful document drawn on white paper, and its only abstractly about change. Materially, its a story of what applicants went through when applying for food assistance, disaster relief or other help via Michigans Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), which until this year had the longest public benefits application in the nation. The change blueprint was developed by Civilla, a design studio located in an office beside the storage space, and it was shaped by more than 4,000 hours of interviews with benefits applicants as well as public servants and caseworkers who process requests.When Civilla started its work in 2015, the MDHHS benefits application form clocked in at a massive 45 pages, 8,000-some words and 1,000 questions. The blueprint was created during Civillas effort to redesign the form and to reduce its dense wording, walls of text and ample redundancies.Civilla used human-centered design, based on end-user needs rather than existing government systems, to make the form faster, friendlier and more efficient without sacrificing vital information. In some ways, however, redesigning the form was the easy part. The greater difficulty was pitching the redesign dubbed Project Re:form to the state, a process that required navigating the governmental maze of procurement, stakeholder buy-in and other procedural difficulties.Essentially, Civilla was a private company that found a challenge in government and wanted to use their expertise and resources to fix it. This isnt an unusual story. Civilla, however, also successfully pitched their idea to the state.And its good they did. Earlier this year, MDHHS took that idea and rolled out a revised benefits application with just 3,904 words, 18 pages and 213 questions; early indications show the new form coming in 94 percent complete compared to a previous average of 72 percent, which required caseworkers to reach out to applicants for additional information.How did Civilla team with the state on this innovative, modern and extensive redesign within one of its largest agencies? The answer is in part found on that blueprint on the floor in Detroit.Leaders from the MDHHS first came to Civillas office in Detroit on a frigid winter day, bundled in big coats and gloves and scarves, remembered Civilla CEO Michael Brennan. The companys office is on the second floor of a repurposed building in downtown Detroit where years ago Chevy designed the first Corvette.When the government leaders got off the elevator, Brennan and his team had fixed up the hallway to look like a public benefits office, complete with chairs, people filling out forms and ambient office noises piped in over speakers. Brennan gave them a copy and asked them to complete the form, waiting a full 15 minutes as they struggled with questions, including a now-infamous inquiry asking the dates an applicants children were conceived.That was the first time some of them had seen the application, said Lena Selzer, Civillas director of design. I think it was really eye-opening for them.Afterward, the team led the state officials into the storage room where the blueprint for lasting and effective change was spread on the floor, all 100 feet of it, taking attendees through a journey of what happens after a resident turns in an application.The blueprint includes simple blue and orange drawings depicting the snags Civillas human-centered research uncovered, such as caseworkers sending paper letters to clients asking for paystubs, clients subsequently mailing paystubs back, clients not knowing what the status of their application was for weeks at a time, etc.It was designed intentionally to have them feel how it felt to interact with the system, not just intellectually understand it, Selzer said. We feel today this is one of the biggest reasons we ended up taking a step toward working with [the state].There is a universality to the pain points in the blueprint for anyone who has dealt with complex systems.It wasnt that the state set out to design it like that, said Bob Wheaton, a spokesman for MDHHS, but over the years the form grew unwieldy as agencies and processes consolidated. The department wanted to improve it, but staff was so consumed with daily business that it was just too difficult. Having an outside actor like Civilla was vital.Civilla feels a bit out of place in a Midwestern city where mechanics and functionality have long reigned supreme. Civilla is a company where a team of seven or eight meets twice a day in a plywood hut they call a dream cocoon to touch base and refocus on life and work. Civillas CEO takes hours out of his day to walk visitors through the MDHHS form redesign journey with its various triumphs and setbacks because he so firmly believes that its lessons can show the world how to improve complex structures that modern individuals have been lost within.And, indeed, there is much to be gleaned here. The tenets of user-centered design are spreading quickly throughout the public sector, as state and local governments race to launch websites, mobile apps and service portals aimed at providing better experiences for constituents. Civilla is now teaming with Code for America to simplify Michigans online and mobile applications much the same way it did for paper versions.Many intangible victories and much gumption made Civillas story possible, from leaders at the MDHHS such as Deputy Director of Field Operations Administration Terry Beurer championing the work to some of Civillas staffers coming to the project from Stanford Universitys Hasso Plattner Institute of Design.One constant, however, was that when stakeholders were given a sense of how actual humans involved felt, it motivated them to act, to consider a new way of doing things, to say yes.Part of what the blueprint shows is the importance of a human approach to successful change. Vital to Civillas work with the form was the first end user they spoke with, Dr. LaTina Denson, a Michigan resident who suffered a stroke at age 38 and needed assistance from MDHHS. Civilla spent hours with Denson, learning about her journey through the system.Denson speaks highly not just of the redesigned form but also of the effort put forth by Civilla.It was just a breath of fresh air, Denson said. Before working with [Civilla], all I could do was talk to my family and friends. I was looking for someone to listen like them, to listenand feel my pain. Posted Friday, June 1, 2018 12:30 am For many, the peace and quiet of country living is the American dream. But that dream can turn to a nightmare for those who become isolated and disconnected from their communities, University of Missouri Extension safety and health specialist Karen Funkenbusch said in a news release. May is Mental Health Month. It is a good time to talk with rural family members about increased risks of suicide, Funkenbusch said. Suicide is the 10th-leading cause of death among Americans and the second-leading cause for adults 25-34. The time to change these statistics is now, she said. From 2001-2015, suicide rates were consistently higher for rural residents than urban residents, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rural communities have a reputation as tightly-knit towns where everyone knows everyone. While this may be the case for many, rural life poses risks for marginalized groups. These groups include racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ persons, those living in poverty and newcomers. Those at higher risk of suicide include children who witness or experience violence and women in abusive domestic relationships. Alcohol use also contributes to increased suicide attempts. About 40 percent of suicide attempts involve alcohol. Funkenbusch said rural communities often lack mental and behavioral health services and transportation. Workers in agricultural communities often face other barriers, such as access to health insurance. CDC reports that more than half of U.S. counties dont have a social worker, psychologist or psychiatrist. There also may be sociocultural factors, such as stigma against seeking help, especially for males, she said. Distance from medical service providers often hampers emergency health care for those suffering from serious self-inflicted injuries or overdoses. Funkenbusch suggests some ways rural community members can prevent suicide: Strengthen community economic support systems, especially those that provide stable housing and employment. Strengthen access to and delivery of mental health care. Create protective environments. Promote the locking of guns and medicine cabinets. Promote community engagement through activities. Teach coping and problem-solving skills in school, churches and community groups. Identify and support people and groups that are at risk. Finally, have conversations with family members to create a caring culture within the community. Suicide prevention begins with caring conversations of awareness of those within our communities, Funkenbusch said. For more information about Mental Health Month, visit mentalhealthamerica.net/may. (TNS) Uber and Lyfts data on what Seattle neighborhoods they serve where they pick up and drop off passengers may be a trade secret, as the companies claim, but that doesnt necessarily mean they can continue to keep it secret, the Supreme Court of the state of Washington ruled Thursday.The court, in a 5-4 decision , ruled that the states Public Records Act allows government documents containing trade secrets to be withheld only if disclosure would clearly not be in the public interest and would substantially and irreparably damage a person or a vital government interest.The information under dispute is not passenger-level data which could raise privacy concerns, but rather data on how often Uber and Lyft drivers serve specific ZIP codes. Proponents of releasing the data argue that it could be used to determine whether the companies are fairly serving all areas of the city.The case will now be sent back to King County Superior Court to determine whether releasing the specific data would go against the public interest and would substantially and irreparably damage the companies.The dispute dates back to 2014, when the Seattle City Council passed a law limiting Uber, Lyft and other ride-hailing services to no more than 150 drivers each in the city. But a successful petition drive backed by the companies led to a deal in which the driver limits were scrapped and, in exchange, the companies agreed to submit quarterly reports on how many rides they were giving, what ZIP codes the rides were serving and other data.But after the companies submitted their data and the city compiled a report for the city council, Uber and Lyft said the data was secret and threatened a lawsuit to block its release.In early 2016, Jeff Kirk, an Austin-based ride-share analyst, filed a public records request for the report, which researchers hoped to analyze for evidence of redlining to see if communities of color were being fairly served by the companies.Uber and Lyft filed an injunction to stop the data from being released. A King County Superior Court judge ruled that the companies had to disclose how many drivers they had, but could continue to keep secret the ZIP codes that those rides served.In 2016, Uber and Lyft were forced to reveal that they had 9,200 drivers in the city . Today, Uber alone has 14,000 drivers in Seattle, according to the Supreme Court.This is a business that is conducted solely on the city streets and the taxpayers pay for the streets, said Michael Ryan, a Seattle assistant city attorney. We believe that the public has a right to see that information.Caleb Weaver, an Uber spokesman, said the company would continue to challenge the release of the data.The Washington Supreme Court agreed that the records in question are trade secrets, but disagreed with the standard applied by the trial court, Weaver said. We look forward to demonstrating to the trial court again why these trade secrets should be protected from disclosure.In her majority opinion Thursday, Justice Debra Stephens cited an academic study that found African-American travelers in Seattle had to wait significantly longer to be picked up by UberX and Lyft drivers.Redlining in Seattle has been detected through academic research studies, Stephens wrote. While the superior court acknowledged the public interest in data that might evidence redlining, it erroneously concluded that the public could trust the city to adequately police redlining using the zip code reports.This conclusion ignores the core policy underlying the Public Records Act under which the people of this state do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies that serve them. In dissent, Justice Steven Gonzalez wrote that Lyft had sufficiently demonstrated that disclosing the ZIP code data would immediately harm the company and that the majority decision has made it harder for businesses to protect their intellectual property.Kirk, the Texas analyst who requested the ride-hailing data, said keeping it secret makes it that much harder to hold the companies accountable.This is just one example of dozens, if not hundreds, of instances of Uber and Lyft trying to obstruct access to their data, Kirk said. To be clear, this is the exact same data that virtually every city in America requires from taxi companies and have required for upwards of 40 years. (TNS) At a glance, they look like a sleeker version of the traditional California license plate: 6-by-12 inches with a sequence of letters and numbers printed in a blocky font.But the new digital screens that will be appearing on cars throughout the state next month are far removed from the typical metal placards.Think about it like this: The difference between a flip phone and a smartphone is vast, said Neville Boston, co-founder and CEO of Reviver Auto, the Foster City, Calif., company that makes the Rplates The plates, he says, are the auto industrys answer to smartphone technology.Smooth and reflective, the tablets display a license plate number when the car is moving and become a customized billboard when its parked. The devices could be used to automatically pay for parking and bridge tolls, and track a vehicle if its stolen. They could also eliminate the need for registration stickers.In short, they seem perfectly tailored for a culture thats obsessed with convenience.The Rplates debuted this month on cars in Sacramento, including the citys new electric fleet of 24 Chevrolet Bolts. In June, theyll be sold at dealerships in California and Arizona. From there, Revivers plates will be made available in Nevada, Maryland and Pennsylvania before going overseas. Boston just signed a letter to test the gadgets in Dubai.Some auto industry experts predict that these devices will become ubiquitous in the coming years. And thats brought a new set of concerns about hacking, privacy and cost $699 to purchase plus a monthly service fee could put Rplates out of reach for most drivers.Its only the rich people in Silicon Valley who would be egotistical enough to want something like this, said Vivek Wadhwa, a distinguished fellow at Harvard University Law School who researches the dark side of technology. He notes that every task the digital plates perform can already be accomplished by cheaper objects.Others raise concerns about privacy.San Franciscos nonprofit Electronic Frontier Foundation a group that promotes civil liberties in the digital world says the devices will turn individual cars into a honeypot of data, recording the drivers trips to the grocery store, or to a protest, or to an abortion clinic.Your locational history has the potential to reveal a lot more than ... where you happen to be at a particular moment in time, said Stephanie Lacambra, a criminal defense attorney for the foundation. It can reveal your associations, who you speak with, where you go to work, where you live.Still others see the digital plates as long overdue.There are definitely some problems that need to be taken care of, but this is a technology thats needed, said Ashraf Gaffar, an assistant professor of engineering at Arizona State University who specializes in artificial intelligence. He predicts the plates will soon be widely adopted, and that the price will plunge significantly once they are mass-produced.The idea for digital plates originated five years ago, when Gov. Jerry Brown approved legislation for a program that allowed the Department of Motor Vehicles to seek alternatives to traditional car registration, with its stickers and paper cards.The DMV opened the program to bids from digital plate manufacturers, and Reviver Auto was the lone bidder. The company initially set out to create Rplates to automatically update vehicle registration, but over time, the engineers expanded their uses.Theyve broadened out, said Boston.In addition to having the potential to supplant FasTrak bridge toll devices, automatically connect to parking meters and run personalized messages, businesses could use them to advertise. Proud parents could use them to brag about an honor student, making bumper stickers a thing of the past. Cities could use them to track mileage on zero-emission vehicles and apply for low-carbon fuel standard credits from the state.Thats worked in Sacramento, where each of the citys Chevrolet Bolts has an Rplate.We know how far they travel and how much electricity they use, said city fleet manager Mark Stevens, noting that the mileage data helps with preventive maintenance on the cars.As for privacy concerns, Boston said the company has a robust policy to address them. He stressed that users can turn their location data on or off at any time, and that the company never shares that information with the DMV, law enforcement or third parties.But those assurances werent enough to convince Lacambra.Its still not clear where all this information is going, how long its stored or who has access to it, she said.To Gaffar, the bigger concern is hacking. Since Rplates connect to the Internet wirelessly, they open the door for intruders to alter their numbers or put in fake messages.Reviver addresses that danger on its website, which details the Rplates security features. It says the company stores data in an encrypted cloud, using the same standards that apply to online banking.Fears aside, Gaffar is enthusiastic about adding software to a sheet of metal.We cant live with aluminum plates any longer, he said. As spending on all instructional programs rebounded, the report notes, equity declined, particularly at the elementary school level. By dividing campuses into four categories depending on the percentage of students enrolled in the free and reduced lunch program, a proxy for socioeconomic disadvantage, the report concluded that, "in 2016 the lowest income elementary schools spent $256 less per student than in 2008 while the wealthiest elementary campuses spent $11 more." Amid teacher strikes and protests across the country , school districts are confronting significant funding challenges, many of them still hurting from recession-related state cuts. But new numbers from the Census Bureau suggest some movement, at least when it comes to per student spending, which saw its biggest annual increase in fiscal year 2016 since 2007.The numbers also reveal how Texas school districts compare. Up 3.2 percent from the previous fiscal year, the national per student spending was $11,762 in 2016, but few of Texas' largest school districts even approached that number. Likewise, state support for those districts was also well below the national norm.The state's largest school district, the Houston Independent School District, for example, only spent $9,633 for every student. The next largest district, Dallas Independent School District, had a similar number with per student spending at $9,961. Of the major metropolitan districts, the San Antonio Independent School District had the highest per student spending in 2016 at $10,047.These numbers don't necessarily reflect dollars going straight to students, however. The calculations include things like salaries and wages, employee benefits, staff support and more. Likewise, different districts have different student bodies and needs.Despite falling below the national average, several of the largest Texas school districts saw annual increases well above the national rate of 3.2 percent. Houston ISD saw the largest increase with a 15 percent jump from its 2015 per student spending, according to data from the Census Bureau. Arlington ISD, Aldine ISD, Dallas ISD and El Paso ISD all saw annual increases above the national rate.The numbers also revealed the distribution of revenue sources and here Texas school districts again stand out.Only 13.8 percent of HISD's revenue came from state sources in 2016, according to the data, among the lowest of the 50 largest school districts in the country. In fact, the only district that saw a smaller share of its revenue from state sources was Austin ISD, which received only 5.6 percent of its 2016 revenue from state sources. As a result, 74.3 percent of HISD's revenue came from local sources, including taxes and parent governmental contributions. Again, the only district of the 50 largest in the country that surpassed Houston was Austin, which received 85.7 percent of its revenue from local sources in 2016. Nationally, the average share of revenue coming from the state was 47.4 percent.That reflects an ongoing issue within the state. Broad cuts in 2011 are still impacting school districts across Texas, despite rebounding state spending. A study from the Center for Public Policy Priorities and the University of Texas at Austin's UTeach Institute found that five years after the cuts, even as education spending from the state increased, it was not evenly distributed and per student still did not match 2008 spending levels.A previous story on theexplained:After legal challenges effectively resulted in a dead end for districts looking for more state support, school districts are hoping the legislature will come up with an improved funding formula.With the release of the data, the Census Bureau also provides several caveats, including a note about the different ways districts may classify "current" spending: "Any analysis involving current spending or per pupil current spending should note that school system and state disparities exist based on what is classified as a current expense."Explore the data for the 21 largest school districts in Texas, including 2016 per student spending as well as two of several common key measures of student need including the percent of the district considered economically disadvantaged or classified as English Language Learners. (TNS) As a resident of Cuero and not the emergency management coordinator, its to be prepared and to listen. Be prepared, be sure you're receiving notifications and have a contact once you leave the area.As a resident of Cuero, not the emergency management coordinator, I will beginning June 1 be watching the storms, making sure my three-day supply is ready with food and water (and) that I have my go bag, which is my snacks and most important documents ready right at the front door. And I know where Im evacuating to if I have to.DeWitt County was blessed with only 20 homes being flooded ... I dont have a count on how many had roof damage.Everybody thinks it's the federal governments job to take care of us its not. Its our own job.DeWitt County is basically recovered for the most part. There are still some homes affected. But then again, we are responsible for our homes, our insurance, and should not expect the federal government to always be there to bail us out.If another hurricane like Harvey hit Dewitt County, yes I would stay in my home. The only thing that was really affected by it was the aftermath flooding because even the houses did not flood until after Hurricane Harvey.DeWitt County had more concerns with the river issue and people along the river issues than the hurricane winds.DeWitt county is not a shelter county with the exception of floods. As far as evacuations, that should be part of the preparedness that you make arrangements to be evacuated if you feel you need to leave the area.DeWitt County is working with the state on different items for preparation for evacuations if an evacuation were to be needed, whether it's hurricane or something else.We always work with our school district as far as using buses. However, because we're so far inland I know it doesn't seem like it but because of the location of DeWitt County, we may evacuate an area because of the flooding, but we did not call an evacuation due to the hurricane itself. And more than likely, we will not call for a hurricane evacuation. Our shelter is only for flooding, thats what were more concerned about.I'm actually going to workshops with the state and federal organizations. There are select people that are invited to this workshop Victoria emergency management and DeWitt are both there along with surrounding counties.We are trying to work to make things better. Were trying to work with the Red Cross to ensure proper shelter operations and make sure all the supplies are in place before hurricane season.Were also preparing our youth in DeWitt County through Team CERT community emergency response teams.We just had a team graduate in Yorktown two weeks ago, so I got now a total of 13 or 14 kids from Yorktown and Nordheim who are prepared and know how to help them. And were in the process of a class in Cuero now that I have 11 students, nine students and two adults. These high school kids that have stepped forward and said we want to learn more, we want to know how we can help our community.Were continually educating our whole community on emergency preparedness. Weve had Skywarn, which is the National Weather Service class. We had that here in April and I plan to hold more Skywarn classes in the near future.DeWitt County is constantly doing Facebook messages, holding classes, doing trainings. I go out to the Market Days and I pass out emergency hazard and hurricane preparedness information. I don't just hand it out, I explain it real quick.It was the outpouring of "let me help heres some food to pass on to others."Information what's available.Although the citizens do pay taxes and do expect the government local, county, state and federal to be there in the time of the disaster all agencies are overwhelmed and the resources are not there. While we care about our residents, we will do the best we can. However, the governments are not going to pay for housing they cant.You have to have a contingency plan or you have to plan for that disaster, whether it's going to family members, having the insurance or something like that. The government is not going to rebuild their house.Marina reports on local government for the Victoria Advocate. She may be reached at mriker@vicad.com or 361-580-6511.2018 Victoria Advocate (Victoria, Texas)Visit Victoria Advocate (Victoria, Texas) at www.victoriaadvocate.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. (TNS) Galveston County Judge Mark Henry saw the destruction of Hurricane Harvey up close.Several areas in the county, including Dickinson, League City and Friendswood, were hammered by the storm and their residents are still rebuilding homes that were inundated with water or destroyed altogether.Thats why Henry does not get caught up in the meaningless categorizations of hurricanes that make their way toward southeast Texas. Hurricane categories aint nothing but a number, he says.Harvey did something that we cant stress enough, and were glad Harvey helped drive this point home and that is, forget the hurricane number, Henry said. It doesnt matter if its a [Category] 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 when it comes to fresh water. That number is meaningless. Hurricane Harvey came across as a 5, then it was a 3 when it came across [Galveston County]. It caused virtually no storm surge damage, it caused very little wind damage, and it caused a tremendous amount of freshwater damage. Thats a point weve always been harping on and now we have one of the best examples in history to show you thats exactly what we mean when we say that.To that end, its nearly impossible to talk about the 2018 hurricane season that begins Friday without looking at it through the lens of what the region went through during Harvey 51 inches of rain in some parts, 100,000 homes damaged, and a recovery tab that will cost billions of dollars. The storm also left around 80 people dead in Texas, most in the Houston-Galveston area.The good news? Many experts predict a significantly tamer season in 2018, in part because of how big a storm Harvey was.When you have these hurricanes, they take quite a bit of heat out of the ocean and they certainly make it a lot less favorable for the next storm to come around, said Kevin Trenberth, a senior climate scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. This is actually why hurricanes never fall along the same track. [Hurricanes] Irma and Maria, at the beginning, started out on a similar track but ended up on different tracks. Theres a strong imprint of hurricanes on the ocean, and part of that still has a bit of memory carrying over from last year.Even before the 2018 hurricane season got underway, subtropical storm Alberto packed a punch. The storm made landfall on the Florida Panhandle, bringing heavy rains to a swath extending north to Wisconsin while triggering severe flooding in North Carolina.The Colorado State University Tropical Meteorology Project team is predicting 14 named storms for the hurricane season that runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, seven of which they predict will become hurricanes and three that will reach Category 3 or greater with winds of 111 mph or more. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast calls for 10 to 16 named storms, with five to nine hurricanes. One to four hurricanes could be major with sustained winds of at least 111 mph.Trenberth and other climatologists believe that major hurricanes of the magnitude of Harvey generally operate on five-year cycles. There are exceptions 2004 and 2005 stand out as particularly active consecutive seasons but the added element of a potential El Nino event developing later this year, in which ocean surface temperatures become warmer than normal in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, portends a quieter hurricane season.Last year we had La Nina conditions developing, and La Nina in the Pacific Ocean leads to reduced wind shear and allows hurricanes to form more readily, said John Nielsen-Gammon, a Texas state climatologist at Texas A&M University in College Station. Also, tropical Atlantic sea surface temperatures were warmer last year than this year and those temperatures provide fuel for hurricanes.Climate change is also a significant factor when evaluating storms in the region, both past and present. Higher water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico mean that storms as big as Harvey have an energy source of sorts to rely on. Even as the surface temperatures cooled as Harvey made its way back into the Gulf, the deeper water temperatures were warm enough to sustain its force.Sea level rise is also a significant concern, particularly for coastal cities like Galveston, where over 20 miles of the barrier island beyond the islands 10-mile seawall are vulnerable to storm surge.Sea level rise historically along the Texas Gulf Coast has been about a foot and a half over the past century, Nielsen-Gammon said. That continues, both from global sea level rise and coastal subzones, so that means that any storm surge is going to be that much higher compared to the land surface that its invading.Galveston can count itself as relatively lucky. Besides some minor flooding, the island was hardly touched by Harvey, a welcome respite for its residents after the city was devastated by Hurricane Ike in 2008. But local officials arent resting on their laurels. The city of Galveston held a hurricane preparedness fair on May 19, and is engaging residents as much as possible on the potential hazards of a Harvey-level storm.Niki Bender, Galvestons emergency management coordinator, said the city is encouraging residents to have an evacuation plan in place well in advance. The city is also doing its part to re-evaluate its emergency and shelter plans, particularly after the island became a haven of sorts for individuals and families who were displaced by Harvey.That was something we had never heard of before, Bender said, of Texans sheltering in Galveston after the storm. Thats integrated into our planning process and looking at what else we can do, including emphasizing people having food and water available at their house if theyre not able to get to their house every day.Of course, these are all small-scale measures of preparedness compared to some of the larger-scale mitigation efforts that island residents are considering, including raising critical infrastructure like electric boxes and boilers, and placing their houses on stilts, as many residents who live south of the seawall have done.But the biggest mitigation step for the region, a coastal spine barrier that many refer to as the Ike Dike that would cost $4 billion to $6 billion, is still likely years away from coming to fruition. One of its leading proponents, William Merrell, a professor of marine sciences at Texas A&M at Galveston, believes that if a storm like Harvey happened again in 2018, Galveston is no better prepared than we were from Ike.Were playing kind of Russian roulette with the big one until we get a barrier system to protect us from the surge, Merrell said. He added that there are smaller mitigation efforts that are helpful, such as restoring the beaches along the Texas coast from coastal erosion and reinforcing the dunes.We ought to work on making these natural systems as strong and resilient as they can, but on the other hand they really arent designed to prevent major flooding, Merrell said. We havent changed anything thats going to prevent those types of storms from happening. So although I support all that, we ought to not bury our hands in the sand.In the meantime, all that local officials like Mark Henry, the Galveston County judge, can do is be reactive make sure emergency contracts are in place well before any storm event, constantly monitor the National Weather Service, and be prepared for an all-hands-on-deck recovery effort if necessary.But Henrys biggest concern in the event of a major hurricane this year? Fake news.Only trust trusted news sources, Henry said. We see this way too often on social media where theyre not necessarily being mean-spirited, but theyre passing on bad information. Go to the Chronicles website, go to the countys website, go to trusted new sources and please take that as information you can put a lot of faith in.Chronicle reporter Alex Stuckey and the Associated Press contributed to this reportnick.powell@chron.com2018 the Houston ChronicleVisit the Houston Chronicle at www.chron.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Last December was a bit of a chaotic time for the San Diego County Communications Office.There were multiple wildfires, including the Lilac fire, which burned more than 4,000 acres and forced 10,000 residents to evacuate and cut power to 20,000 people. On top of that, the county was still dealing with an outbreak of hepatitis A that began in September and killed 20 people.For its response and education campaign, the county communications office was recognized by the California Association of Public Information Officials (CAPIO) with the Frank Potter Cowan Crisis Communications Leader team award. The county earned the award for its strong leadership, its quick and accurate dissemination of information to the right audiences, its ability to use all forms of media, for providing a strong, clear voice and for using maps and other graphics to display information, according to Christine Brainerd, CAPIO president.What stood out in both cases was that they were prepared, Brainerd said. They did an excellent job of ensuring that they had communications programs in place in the event of a crisis and were able to execute very quickly and get consistent, accurate and timely messaging out to different audiences within their community.Tammy Glenn, assistant director of the San Diego County Office of Communications, said experience played a big role in the response.Unfortunately, weve been through a lot of emergencies and disasters and so we have the framework set up to have the right kinds of conversations and be able to mobilize, and a lot of the resources and tools to be able to get information out to the public and to work with subject-matter experts and our executives, Glenn said.There were 588 cases of hepatitis A that elicited more than 200 national and local media requests. The county created 20 stories about hepatitis A, which were posted on the county news center website . The news site is run by the communications office, which manages social media, media relations, crisis communications, public outreach, and general information-sharing with other government entities.The content on the site was viewed more than 35,000 times and had more than 185,500 social media impressions. Brainerd said the news site was reorganized to help make information on hepatitis A easier to find and that the communications office worked with a public health GIS team to create maps that showed cases by ZIP code.The county organized ride-alongs for media with public health nurses, who went out to deliver vaccinations in dangerous areas and for the homeless. It created informational posters and distributed hundreds of them to restaurants, and created information material for the LGBT community, including posters, banners and postcards, as well as Facebook ads and ads on LGBT dating apps.The county is no stranger to wildfires during the fall and winter and was well-positioned to act in advance of the wind-blown fires. They know that is a dangerous time for fires, and their strategy was to emphasize prevention and developing prescriptive messages in English and Spanish, Brainerd said.Knowing that we had a Santa Ana [wind] condition and developing that weekend gave us time to put the right resources in place to know that we may be called in, Glenn said. Like with any incident, theyre completely unpredictable and you need to have the flexibility to adjust your strategy to how things are changing.When the Lilac fire ignited, the county Twitter account generated 2.1 million impressions and 3,349 retweets with 5,466 new followers. The county was responsible for keeping more than 300 regional PIOs abreast of both situations. Brewer, Maine, hasnt had a mass shooting at any of its schools, but the city plans on being ready if it were to happen.The city is developing a safety road map for such an event and part of that is the installation this summer of In Force911, a desktop and mobile application that allows school staff to launch an alert in seconds rather than the several minutes it usually takes to convey the threat via the 911 system.In Force911 offers two-way communication, a chat dialog, with dispatchers and police cruisers or police with cell phones in real time and provides access to floor plan, IP-based camera feeds and other emergency information.What this product does is it acts like a chat log in some ways, said Jason Moffitt, Brewer director of public safety. Say, in the east wing of the building, you have 15 teachers issuing an alert that says theres a man with a gun outside the school. Police can actually scroll through this data and see Mr. Smith in Room 202 is reporting a man with a gun outside.Moffitt said that not only is the alert quick and in real time, but the information also stays on the screen and can be referred to by police. And even if its coming from a multitude of sources, say 15 teachers from a school, it shows up in one chat log.The alert is issued instantly so theres no lag time, he said. The way it normally works is that a designated contact person would have to call 911 and thats got to go to the call center, then get dispatched to us.Moffitt said during a situation like an active shooter scenario at a school, its imperative to eliminate red tape. He said empowering teachers to issue an alert without having to go through too many steps could be critical. In my opinion, rather than having to check with this person, talk to the principal, etc., the best practice should be, if a teacher sees a person with a gun or something of that magnitude, they should be empowered to issue a lockdown and go from there.It also allows for mass notification, which Moffitt said would have been useful during a search of a person with a gun a few years ago. We were pursuing this person in the woods behind one of the schools. We could easily have issued that reverse notification had we had the software then, he said. Instead there were multiple steps we had to go through.In Force911 is new this year, launched by In Force Technology and, according to a press release, the products presence has reached more than 60 communities in 13 states. We recognize the need to reduce police response time to mitigate the loss of lives during a crisis, In Force CEO and President Brandon Flanagan said through in the press release. We also know that increasing communication between those experiencing the threat and law enforcement can dramatically shorten the duration of the attack.Brewers installation of the technology will take place this summer when school is out. Its part of an effort to prepare for an active shooter situation and any other dire scenario that might occur.We were asked by the city council to present on where were headed with our safety planning in the city, Moffitt said. They want to see that were doing something that they can tell the public about.The planning also includes more training for teachers, including trauma care training, and a way to assess the risk of a possible active shooter situation. As a police officer, Im assessing risk all the time, Moffitt said. We need to find something for that in [active shooter] cases. What happens is you get copycat threats and we have to take them all seriously, but you have to have the ability to do a formal threat assessment with each case to make the decision about how to deploy resources and deal with the threat or individual. (TNS) Waymo, the Google-originated self-driving car project, is expanding its partnership with Fiat Chrysler with the announcement it will add another 62,000 Pacifica minivans to its autonomous fleet later this year.FCA announced the second expansion with Waymo of the year in a Thursday, May 31 news release. Back in January of this year, the two were a little vaguer in saying that FCA would add "thousands" of Pacificas to Waymo's fleet of 600, at the time. Waymo has been busy adding vehicles to the fleet, as the now standalone company took a luxurious turn with the addition of 20,000 Jaguar I-PACEs to its fleet."FCA is committed to bringing self-driving technology to our customers in manner that is safe, efficient and realistic," FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne said in the release."Strategic partnerships, such as the one we have with Waymo, will help to drive innovative technology to the forefront."FCA was the first automaker to directly work with then-Google's self-driving car project in 2016 when it designed and engineered 100 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrids. The minivans doubled Waymo's fleet at the time, and were built with Google's software at the automaker's Windsor, Ontario, Canada-based plant.The massive increase in Pacifica Hybrid minivans will aim to further Waymo's goal of launching the world's first self-driving, ride-hailing service. The self-driving car company has already tested its technology in 25 U.S. cities and at least six states."FCA and Waymo are no strangers to each other, and this announcement shows the partnership is working," Akshay Anand, Kelley Blue Book analyst, said in an emailed statement."We are seeing a continued ramping of investment in self-driving cars, and even with incidents in recent news , companies across industries still want to stake their claim in the transportation mode of the future."In Michigan, Waymo started testing the autonomous minivans on roads in Novi, in late 2017. The testing in Michigan marked new territory for Waymo as the company was looking to test its software on the state's unpredictable winter roads and the cold weather experience.At the time Waymo CEO John Krafcik said of adding Michigan to the fold, that the "Pacifica minivans are our most advanced self-driving vehicles to date, and testing in snow, sleet and ice will help further hone our driving capabilities.""Waymo's goal from day one has been to build the world's most experienced driver and give people access to self-driving technology that will make our roads safer," Krafcik said on Thursday."We're excited to deepen our relationship with FCA that will support the launch of our driverless service, and explore future products that support Waymo's mission."This addition certainly adds optimism to what Waymo is trying to accomplish as it comes on the heels of the company becoming the first to test its vehicles on public roads with no human back-up in the driver's seat. This test occurred in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler, Arizona in October 2017.The vehicle used in this historic test, and the thousands more coming to Waymo, were developed in Novi and manufactured in Windsor, Ontario. As for the Pacifica itself, it became the first vehicle to be graded as Level 4 autonomy by the Society of Automotive Engineers.In a previously published safety report, Waymo details the procedures behind each of its different tests for its technology. On public roads, like they will be testing starting in the Detroit area soon, each Pacifica Hybrid will have a "highly-trained" driver inside."Waymo continues to leverage its partnerships with traditional automakers. Expanding from 600 to 62,000 Chrysler minivans, in addition to its recent 20,000-vehicle commitment with Jaguar Land Rover, confirms Waymo's desire to be the technology behind self-driving cars rather than playing the role of car manufacturer," Karl Brauer, executive publisher of Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book, said in an emailed statement."It's a good move that gives the tech giant more flexibility while maintaining the profit margin that built its parent company."This announcement comes on the same day, Thursday, May 31, in which General Motors announced a $3.35 billion expansion into its Cruise unit for a 19.6 percent equity stake. Japanese firm SoftBank Vision Fund chipped in $2.25 billion and GM spent $1.1 billion of its own to speed up the commercialization of its autonomous division.GM CEO Mary Barra said that this partnership adds yet another "strong partner as we pursue our vision of zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion."With this infusion of nearly $3.5 billion, GM says this will help its Cruise unit reach commercialization by 2019. Interstate Fast Chargers: The state will collaborate with the private sector, and other partners, to identify and install up to 200 direct current fast chargers along key interstate corridors with a target interval of every 30 miles and in select urban areas. DC fast chargers have the potential to charge the latest EV models in as little as 10 minutes for 200 miles of range. NYPA will collaborate with partners to determine optimal locations focusing on accessibility, convenience, affordability and reliability of charging. Airport Fast Chargers: The state will leverage public and private partnerships to install DC fast chargers at or near John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports. With more than 20 million passenger car trips around the airports annually, an EV charging hub has the potential to serve EV drivers within a 200 mile-radius of New York City. Program features may include promoting charger use by multiple users including rideshare companies, public vehicles, rental agencies, airport/commercial fleets and potentially buses. This advance will add to the medium-speed (Level 2) chargers that are already at the airports in indoor parking garages. EV Model Communities: The state will partner with an NYPA municipal or co-operative distribution utility to support an EV-friendly model community that includes a utility-managed charging platform to ensure affordability, reliability and grid efficiency. The community will test and scale new EV infrastructure and service business models that will encourage more residents to transition to driving EVs. Features may include developing home and public charging "subscriptions," an online customer portal and EV education events. (TNS) New York state officials plan to invest $250 million in an effort to promote the use of electric vehicles throughout the state.Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Thursday a partnership with the New York Power Authority to expand Evolve NY, part of the governor's Charge NY 2.0 initiative, which aims to encourage and support electric car adoption by increasing the number of charging stations statewide. The latest effort is in line with a larger goal of installing at least 10,000 charging stations statewide by the end of 2021.In addition to state funding, Cuomo said the program will also seek to create private-sector partnerships through 2025 to aggressively accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles throughout the state.The power authority will be launching several new innovative initiatives to co-invest with private sector partners, collaborate with partners on identifying new business and ownership models, and increase customer awareness about electric vehicles and charging.Over the next seven years, the power authority will commit up to $250 million and partner with the private sector and other key stakeholders to attract longer-term private investment and collaborate on programs that will amplify the Charge NY 2.0 program and address key infrastructure and potential market gaps. The funding will be awarded through the state's competitive procurement process.The announcement supports the state's implementation of the Zero Emission Vehicle Action Plan adopted in 2014, pursuant to the 2013 Memorandum of Understanding, in which nine states now participate. While that Action Plan was focused primarily on cars and small trucks, today's announcement is an example of New York's increasing focus on electrifying trucks and buses some of the greatest emitters of dirty emissions.The initial phase of funding, approved on May 22 by NYPA trustees, directs $40 million to be allocated into three primary new programs through the end of 2019, including: (TNS) The need for better Internet service in the most remote portions of Missouri has become critical, some told a Missouri Congressman at a roundtable at Ralls County Electric Cooperative (RCEC) on Wednesday, May 30.Rep. Sam Graves, a Republican who represents all of north Missouri in Washington, visited with industry leaders and stakeholders to find out how the federal government can better assist local providers in getting faster, more reliable Internet to more people.Universally, they said, broadband Internet is a necessity."The demand for Internet is increasing" in rural areas, said Lynn Hodges, General Manager of RCEC, headquartered in New London.While demand for television services is stagnant or falling, more people rely on Internet for things like optimizing farming equipment, completing school assignment, or running a business from home."They can't wait ten years. They can't wait five years," Hodges continued.RCEC has been providing Internet services for close to a decade, investing early in fiber technology. But while investments in fiber are long-term, according to Hodges, it is quite expensive, particularly if the system must be buried underground.Graves also heard about how mapping discrepancies hinder the ability to get broadband Internet to places that most need it.Many people at the roundtable expressed concern that a one-time data collection of Internet coverage does not accurately reflect connectivity in a particular area. For example, if a few respondents reported satisfaction with Internet coverage in a particular census block, the entire area might be considered covered by high-speed Internet, when that might not be the case. This preliminary map, and subsequent challenge process helps allocate $4.53 billion in funds to improve broadband access to the places that need it most. Several people noted that if the mapping were more accurate, the funds would flow to more appropriate locations."That needs to be a priority, obviously," Graves noted.Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) was among a handful of Senators to pen a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chair Ajit Pai encouraging a wider challenge process to the initial mapping efforts. Posted Friday, June 1, 2018 5:30 am They say all roads lead to Rome. Polk County's Linda Bunch of The Marketing Bunch, a local advertising firm, knows the truth of this saying better than most. Working with soon-to-be-governor Mike Parson throughout his political career and most recently on his successful lieutenant governor campaign Bunch has seen first hand how an unexpected path can lead people to the place they wanted to be all along. I think God has a great way of working things out, Bunch said. I think Mike stayed the course. All of us need to do the job that were at until another door opens. Although she has worked in political campaigns since the 1980s, Bunch said her firm's first statewide campaign kicked off with a huge event at Bolivar High School, announcing Parsons initial bid for governor, in April 2015. We had less than two weeks notice to get that together, Bunch said. We had about 700 to 800 people there, and once we kicked that off, we flew around the state and had smaller kickoffs in other places. While Bunch said Parson felt his run for the governors seat was a calling, a few months into the campaign as Peter Kinder threw his hat into the ring Parson felt it was time to switch gears and aim for the lieutenant governors seat instead. He just always said, when running for the governor and later for the lieutenant governor win or lose no one's going to work any harder, Bunch said. I will vouch for that one! Mike could have easily said, I cant run for governor so Ill settle for lieutenant. But he didnt say that. He said, This is where Im going and this is what Im supposed to do, with the same intensity as when he was running for governor. Bunch said she believes the shift in gears was better for the state, better for him, better for those who were working on the campaign and better for those donating to the campaign. For people who believed in Mike Parson and felt he would be a good leader, you would rather have him in that No. 2 spot than not at all, Bunch said. I think hes proven, being in that position, that hes done a lot. Thats not to say the campaigns transition didnt come without some stress. Bunch said her team made the shift in less than 24 hours. I got the word on a Friday afternoon we were changing, and that Saturday afternoon was the huge target picnic in Greene County, which is the inaugural southwest Missouri kick-off for candidates, Bunch said. We had all the T-shirts printed, all the signs printed, all the banners printed. And I can remember making a desperate call to Dwayne Banner (at Creator Designs), saying, If I brought you T-shirts back out, could you add Lt.? And they did. She said she contacted someone who could cut vinyl, and the team rolled the letters Lt. onto the banners and signs in time for Saturdays event. Bunch didnt mince words about the effort her firm, alongside paid staff and volunteers, put into the campaign. We worked like dogs on the campaign, she said. My husband didnt see me, anyone related to me or remotely friends with me wore T-shirts and put out signs. I begged and borrowed and bribed people to help with events. But, I met people all across the state. She said people often underestimated the hometown marketing firm with rural roots. Were certainly not a big dog, she said. But I enjoyed and appreciated that Mike saw enough value in what we could do and that we knew who he was. With tears in her eyes, Bunch said, Im really proud and humbled to have been a part of this. Its an experience I didnt see coming. Knowing Mike Parson Bunchs Polk County roots intertwine with those of Parsons and his wife, Teresas, resulting in lasting friendships. Growing up with Teresa and her family, Bunch said Mike pumped gas in my car when he owned a service station in Bolivar. When I used to give the campaign speech introductions, I would say, Now Mike is running for Lt. Gov., but Ive known him as my senator, as my representative, as my sheriff, but before that, he was the guy that pumped gas in my car. What I saw then is what you see now. As sheriff, Parson worked alongside Bunch on community projects, including the establishment of Polk Countys House of Hope. Bunch said Parson isnt perfect, but I think he has those humble beginnings that he remembers. Anybody who comes from an agriculture background has a good work ethic, good values, and theyre not afraid to work hard, Bunch said. You see that come out in what he does. Bunch said all of this made their campaign strategy more simple. I learned if you could get Mike Parson out in front of a group of people, thats all you had to do, she said. He has a great way of connecting with people. When you look at him, I think you get a lot of trust and confidence, regardless of your politics, regardless of your political persuasion, regardless of whether you voted for him. Hes a problem solver. I think a lot of people may look at his rural background and underestimate the strength and the value of common sense working through problems and trying to come up with solutions that will be the best they can be for the overall good. Bunch hopes Parson can use these qualities to mend bridges and rebuild relationships during a tumultuous time in the states Capitol. Going into this type of situation, there are transitions that need to be made and clear thinking that needs to be there, Bunch said. And I think people need to be patient, also. Give this country guy a chance, because I think he can do some good. I think theres more common ground than opposite corners to stand in. Despite his rural background, Bunch is confident Parson will strive for not only whats good for rural Missouri or urban Missouri. It has to be whats good for Missouri. It has to benefit all of the state, period. She also hopes he can help bridge the gap between current fractions. I think at a time you see so many polarizations and so many people only seeing it from their perspective, theres no give, she said. Youve got to have somebody who knows how to bring people together at a table. When asked by supporters how they can continue to support Parson in his transition, Bunch gives a seemingly simple answer prayer. Politics is not an easy life, Bunch said. Pray for a hedge of protection around him and Teresa. For wisdom and for strength. Theyre never going to please everybody, and thats not his goal anyway. She added that the support of his family will help him along the way. He has a good family behind him, and thats worth a lot right there, she said. Promises for the future Bunch said Parson made a few promises to her during this campaign, but shes holding him to one in particular. After the tour around the state to kick off his governor campaign, Bunch, along with Parson, Teresa and colleague Sue Roweton, drove by the governors mansion in Jefferson City on their way to dinner. Mike said, Ill tell you what, girls. I'll promise you, you get me elected, and when the time comes, we'll be having dinner in the governor's mansion. I told him, You might have promised me a lot of things along the way. Im not worried about that, but I'm holding him to that promise. Sue and I are having dinner at the governor's mansion sometime! Bunch said shes proud of all the experiences that led her entire team and Parson to this point. To me thats the neat thing about life, she said. Dont discount what youre currently working on because it can lead to the next big thing. All of it goes together. There are no wasted experiences. AUSTIN, TEXAS Texas is beefing up its cyberdefenses with a new contract with a major telecommunications firm offering centralized help to federated agencies, the state's top technology official said during the second day of the annual Texas Digital Government Summit.But he and a private industry security expert warned hundreds of attendees that the cybersecurity threat to the public sector is growing and becoming more sophisticated.In December, AT&T announced that the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) had hired them to provide state agencies with managed security services security monitoring, device management, incident response and risk and compliance assessments.State data center customers may already get some of these services, which are bundled with those they already receive. But Texas CIO Todd Kimbriel, one of Top 25 Doers, Dreamers & Drivers of 2018 , urged agency CIOs to consider taking advantage of the new AT&T offerings, available on a pay-as-you-go basis.The view that everybody pretty much adopts nowadays is, its not whether or not youll have a penetration but how are you going to respond to it? You really have to focus on whats your containment strategy, whats your forensic strategy, whats your eradication strategy, to make sure that if you do get infected, you have all of those abilities and strengths and maturities to actually respond and eradicate quickly, to contain whatever that problem might be, Kimbriel said.The new pact with AT&T will also enable agencies to comply with House Bill 8 , the Texas Cybersecurity Act, approved during the last legislative session. HB8 requires state agencies to do a cybersecurity assessment every two years, the CIO said essentially a maturity assessment of your organization, your cyber capabilities.But DIR, which typically funds around 15 of these assessments through administrative fees, received additional general revenue from the Legislature and will now fund as many as 40 assessments per year through the new managed security services contract.State-level cybersecurity can be constrained by manpower and budget, the CIO said, and its essential nature means every dollar must be spent wisely.The one thing that I would say is that we are absolutely focused on injecting a risk mitigation evaluation strategy, so that every dollar that we invest is really targeting the high probability, high impact risk that we have. Not only for ourselves, but for you guys as well, Kimbriel said.The agencys perspective on cybersecurity has changed 180 degrees since he joined DIR in 2008, Kimbriel said away from a siloed, need-to-know cloak of darkness outlook toward transparency and being stronger by sharing.But he emphasized the danger from bad actors is constant and on the rise a viewpoint that Etay Maor, executive security advisor at IBM Security, shared and made clear in a vivid dissection of common online threats and strategies to avoid them or mitigate their effects.Public agencies and private businesses focus on defense, but thats difficult unless they know how the other side is attacking, said Maor, who warned listeners to beware of so-called Wi-Fi pineapples a device invented to serve penetration testers, but easily capable of being used to steal sensitive passwords and execute man-in-the-middle attacks that capture online communications.Hackers have evolved their strategies quickly to outmaneuver public- and private-sector cybersecurity officials, he said. He said he's seen instances where victims of phishing attacks clicked on links that sent them to landing pages, which then passed them on to a login page that captures their information. But cybersecurity technicians who are wise enough to find the login page directly will instead get a 404 error message.They understand how we operate, and they put in these little traps to make our job a lot harder. They reverse-engineer our procedures and our tools to make their procedures more efficient, Maor said.Even so-called velocity checks solutions capable of spotting fake, automated logins to sensitive, secure sites because they occur too quickly to be hand-typed have been thwarted, the advisor said. In this case, he said hackers can rewrite their code in hours to insert a random, tiny delay between keystrokes whereas a corresponding fix from banks and institutions on the other side can take weeks.Humans, with our multiple online platform presence, weak passwords and lack of cyber savvy remain the key issue, Maor said, urging those present to change or update their passwords. Just be sure to harden and train the right way, he counseled, offering the World War II survivorship bias example of statistician Abraham Wald, who suggested the military armor areas on returning bombers that were untouched by enemy fire because thats exactly where fallen bombers would have been fatally struck.At the end of the day, if their employees dont know that they shouldnt connect to an unsecure Wi-Fi like the pineapple, then that doesnt matter, Im already inside (your organization). Youd much rather have a red team give you a huge headache today than an interview on NBC where you have to explain how you get hacked, Maor said. (TNS) The state Senate approved a bill Wednesday that would replace the federal governments repealed net neutrality regulations, sending the measure to the Assembly.The Senate voted 23-12 to approve the bill by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco.When Donald Trumps FCC took a wrecking ball to the Obama-era net neutrality protections, we said we would step in to make sure that California residents would be protected from having their Internet access manipulated, Wiener said in a statement after the vote.Assembly committee hearings start in June. The bill must be passed by that chamber by the end of August.Wiener pushed SB822 as a way for California to assert national leadership in the years-long debate over whether government should regulate Internet service providers to ensure that all web traffic is treated equally.He introduced the bill a month after the Federal Communications Commission voted to revoke Obama-era net neutrality rules. Most of the FCCs order took effect April 23, although some rules arent set to expire until June 11.One of the no votes came from Sen. Patricia Bates, R-Laguna Niguel (Orange County), who argued that the bill still has some significant problems, including potentially undermining Internet companies investments in broadband.The state has another net neutrality bill pending. SB460, by state Sen. Kevin de Leon, D- Los Angeles, passed the Senate Jan. 29, but has yet to be scheduled for a hearing before the Assembly.Wieners bill drew more attention nationally because it was far more comprehensive, seeking to replace all of the regulations the FCC threw out. The bill also drew intense opposition, particularly from large Internet providers like AT&T and Comcast.The bill is a dogs breakfast of legal errors and technical impossibilities, Larry Downes, project director for the Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy, wrote in an opinion piece in Forbes 2018 the San Francisco Chronicle, Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Across State Lines Cutting Costs Scaling Down Lets Get Together At all levels of government, agencies are reaching out to benefit from the collective knowledge of their peers. But beyond sharing information and hard-fought lessons learned, many jurisdictions are seeing opportunities for tangible collaboration as they look to overhaul even some of the most stalwart public-sector systems.Driven by a desire to create efficiencies, defray modernization costs and improve results, a number of states are forming consortiums to streamline their delivery of unemployment insurance. After all, a majority of the development work is duplicative, even across state lines. But thats not to say that the process is simple.The typically years-long process is a deep dive, encompassing examinations of feasibility and requirements, scrutiny of existing infrastructure and code, and many conversations between lead and member states to codify relationships, timelines and funding, and eventually, to vet vendors and sign contracts.But its one that agency heads, technology leaders and observers agree can be less expensive than supporting antiquated systems, yield better performance for staff and residents alike, and like so many other government refreshes improve workflows.Federal unemployment insurance (UI) was born of the Social Security Act of 1935, and quickly mirrored by states and territories. But in modern times, states have been inhibited by the cost of getting off mainframe and legacy systems. Thankfully some post-Great Recession federal funding notably, from the U.S. Department of Labor along with a realization that any remaining COBOL-era programmers will soon be leaving the building, has kickstarted several consortiums.These big overhaul partnerships are in various stages, but word of their current and predicted success has spread, and in some cases, officials are adapting the consortium idea to other levels of government and areas of service.One four-state partnership is rolling out a streamlined solution directly in the cloud. ReEmployUSA, which began development in 2004 as the Mississippi Department of Employment Security (MDES) Access Mississippi (Access MS), is led by the state of Mississippi and architected and coded by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Originally known as MRM for Mississippi and members Rhode Island and Maine its name changed when Connecticut joined.Access MS was funded through state funds, UI administrative monies and a $90 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.Consortium-level benefits including the state of Mississippi went live on-prem in 2015 and 2016, then migrated to the cloud in August 2017, along with Mississippis single-state UI tax system. Consortium-level UI taxes, including Mississippi, migrated to the cloud in September.The benefits side of Maines UI system migrated to the cloud in December 2017, and officials plan to deploy its tax system in the cloud in August. Rhode Island plans to migrate to the cloud in 2019, and Connecticut in 2020 for benefits and 2021 for taxes.Operating in the cloud, as other states have noticed, has quickened scaling, testing, maintenance and patching, according to MDES Deputy Executive Director Dale Smith and Mohammed Jalaluddin, director of the MDES Office of Technology Support and Innovation.Maines deployment brought a learning curve for citizens, some of whom experienced system lockouts. The states Government Oversight Committee is investigating the handling of the rollout and the response to claimants, but John Feeney, director of the Bureau of Unemployment Compensation at the Maine Department of Labor (MDOL), attributed early issues to residents difficulty creating new passwords. He described the platform as very reliable and said MDOL is meeting all performance metrics.The number of weekly high-priority support issues in Maine has declined significantly since the deployment, and its UI tax deployment may occur even earlier than August, Smith said. Automation realized by Access MS saved thousands of work hours, a 2013 TCS case study found, including 5,111 annual hours responding to employers about claims; and roughly 2,000 hours a year spent detecting claim overpayments.As the relatively smooth rollout continues, Smith said Mississippi is beginning to mine its new data streams to identify internal challenges and education opportunities; and to watch for fraud. Recognizing code commonalities of around 65 to 75 percent with agencies in Missouri and Wyoming, which had previously adapted Access MS, Smith said ReEmployUSA is also exploring working with the two states to leverage their support.In a similar partnership, the Idaho Department of Labors Internet Unemployment System (iUS), a two-state consortium between Idaho and Vermont, went live in Idaho in 2014 with what iUS Executive Director Mark Mayfield refers to as version 1.0, a monolithic solution. It reduced manual work spent by staff by more than 2,000 hours and is now being updated in a more modular format for subsequent deployment in both states. North Dakota is also looking at joining the consortium.iUS finds its origins in 2009 when Idaho and North Dakota formed the AWIN consortium with Arizona and Wyoming, with partial federal funding. After a roughly two-year research period, Idaho officials realized they had a very urgent need to get their agency off mainframe and parted ways with AWIN. (Arizona and Wyoming, along with Colorado and North Dakota, later formed WyCAN, a UI system shared among those states.)iUS began its build in early 2012, buoyed by $10 million in state funding, and went live in September 2014 three months ahead of its deadline for just $7.2 million. When scaling the tightly structured architecture to other states proved difficult, officials began to create the new framework, version 2.0, which Mayfield said should be easier to update.When you do a module or microservices, you can actually upgrade that technology in smaller chunks, so you can kind of prioritize out Lets update that one, he said.Version 2.0 should be ready this summer, he said, though it may not go live in Vermont until next year, as seasonal unemployment makes winter a busy time for UI in that state.The system is generating a roughly 75 to 80 percent savings over the states mainframe UI system, which Mayfield said had annual costs of more than $1 million.Some states are taking the consortium model and using it for different or smaller-scale platforms than those massive state UI systems, finding the benefits of partnering but perhaps without the prospect of total IT transformation.Like some of those bigger UI consortiums, Louisiana Workforce Commissions Office of Unemployment Insurance is also taking advantage of the efficiencies realized by shared services. The state has become known for its infrastructure consolidation, from a federated structure to the Office of Technology Services under CIO Dickie Howze, but more recently in another example of teamwork has joined roughly 12 agencies over the past three years in a new cloud-based soft phone system consortium.Louisianas Office of Unemployment Insurance is the latest member of that partnership, joining in July 2017, and achieving a significant transformation, said Renita Ward Williams, director of the Office of Unemployment Insurance Administration. The new system, which liberates roughly 150 agents from being tethered to a specific device or landline, has dramatically lowered hold times that previously averaged 30 minutes, to mere minutes or seconds in some cases and improved the agencys Google reviews.On the back end, officials at the agency, which handles an average of 5,000 calls a week, can now see how long calls last; whether claimants are calling multiple times; and join calls to help agents assist customers. The new system, from Canadian software provider Enghouse Interactive, has enabled staffers to rewrite call scripts and call flows, eliminating unneeded messaging and streamlining customer options, Williams said. Her agency is expected to save $64,000 annually as a result of joining the platform, she added.The benefits of partnering are many and varied though the most commonly heard include being able to share and trade ideas among staff who previously may not have communicated, improving ideation and process, and realizing efficiencies as residents and staff migrate and become familiar with a new system. New systems can also bring improved security and compliance standards; and officials may eventually be able to leverage everything from maintenance to software support costs.However, Patricia OBrien, deputy director of the Bureau of Unemployment Compensation at the Maine Departmentof Labor, cautions lead and memberstates against expecting dramatic savings immediately.From an IT cost perspective, we were anticipating almost a flat exchange, OBrien said, noting that cost divisions are more likely to change once the third state, Rhode Island, becomes active in ReEmployUSA. (In planning for the end of their federal grant monies, Maine officials have discussed front-loading maintenance costs to establish a recurring fund for infrastructure changes.)Another key benefit consortium members may experience particularly those operating in the cloud centers on disaster unemployment assistance, according to Scott Sanders, executive director of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies. This is the idea that modern, more connected UI agencies may be better positioned to help fellow agencies in states stricken by hurricanes, floods and the like.Im hoping they all improve to [that] point and all operate in the cloud. It just makes it that much easier, Sanders said.Thats exactly what states in the South and West have done, Williams said. UI officials in Texas assisted staffers in Louisiana after flooding in 2016; so, in the wake of Hurricane Irmas devastation last September, Louisana UI quickly scaled up its new cloud contact center to answer calls from Florida residents during the next three to four months then de-scaled after recovery.Growing pains and early deployment issues may come with the territory according to Sanders, but consortiums and similar partnerships hold the potential to power through and redefine agencies public images, erasing bad impressions formed by labyrinthine processes and long minutes lost on hold. These updates can cut both ways, serving residents more quickly but also empowering agencies to pivot staff more effectively from taking calls, where theyre no longer needed, to handling claims, as in Louisiana.Not surprisingly, the idea of connecting staffers thousands of miles apart whose workflows may be 80 percent common but 20 percent unique elicits its share of warnings and suggested first or early steps from those who have done it.Perhaps chief among them: Ensure consortiums or partnerships are formed by like-sized and like-minded agencies and staff to avoid conflicts over mission, and service and resource allocation.That is very important when you form consortiums and work on consortiums, is to make sure the IT teams are aligned and agree to all infrastructure-related networking-related items. And if there are constraints, you work toward resolving them and you dont just stand your ground and say, My way or no other way, Jalaluddin said.The other thing is, in the current environment, we at this consortium do not believe that it is advisable to bring on states that are much larger than we are. Because we are a consortium of small states, Smith said, using California as an example of a large state that might therefore be a bad fit.Officials also recommended creating a central management office or entity to help spearhead the effort; communicating directly with all staff; planning to on-board deliberately, emphasizing training and education; avoiding going live in multiple states at once; and being very clear on which state leads and which are members.Getting other perspectives is also key. Williams recommended polling residents for user takes on outdated systems and features that should be added and circling in agency staffers.Its having those discussions between the IT people as well as those who know the business and those who you serve to ensure that everything is covered that youre using that to give people the best service that you can, she said. Organizations across the country are developing tools that can help government start preparing for the impacts of climate change now: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit: More than 400 online tools for a wide range of climate change-related issues, both specific and broad. NOAAs Weather and Climate Toolkit: Primarily contains visualization tools for various kinds of weather and climate data, including base maps, filtering and animation. The Northwest Climate Toolbox: Developed by the University of Idahos Applied Climate Science Lab, this kit offers tools specifically related to agriculture, fire, water and climate data for the Pacific Northwest. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers public tools web page: So far, USACE has one tool for calculating sea-level rise and two more related to hydrology, but its developing more. The U.S. Department of Agricultures Climate Hubs tools: More than 50 tech tools, all tilting toward agricultural applications in some way, developed for specific regions of the U.S. The Conservation Biology Institutes Data Basin: A database containing data as well as tools to map, analyze and publish datasets. The University of Massachusetts at Amherst and U.S. Geological Surveys Spatial Hydro-Ecological Decision System: A series of specialized tools for examining stream ecosystems in 13 states and the District of Columbia in the Northeastern U.S., running from Virginia to Maine. Includes predictive models. The Environmental Protection Agencys Climate Change Adaptation Resource Center: An array of tools aimed at helping local governments plan for climate change and effectively communicate with constituents about decisions. The startup Azaveas Temperate software: Offers users personalized climate risk assessments as well as tools to put together adaptation plans. Includes internal collaboration functions, as well as access to plans from other cities. The software isn't free, but Azavea offers free access to its Climate API for models and scenarios. Thanks go to the following for their help in locating these resouces: Constantine Samaras, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Carnegie Mellon University; Gabrielle Roesch-McNally, fellow with the U.S. Forest Services Pacific Northwest Research Station; Toni Lyn Morelli, research ecologist at the University of Massachusetts Northeast Climate Science Center; and Kale Roberts, program officer for ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability USA. Measuring the Rise of Seas Tracking Fires Mapping the spread of disease Sensing Bigger Storms Gauging Stress on Infrastructure Hantavirus, a rare but potentially fatal disease that can cause respiratory problems, is practically unheard of in Connecticut. As of January 2017, the U.S. government doesnt know of anyone having contracted the virus in that state.But in the future, Connecticut might have to get ready for hantavirus. Thats because as temperatures steadily creep upward in the decades to come something virtually guaranteed to happen, due to an increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the Earths atmosphere the habitat of the hispid cotton rat will expand. Today, the hantavirus-carrying rat is mostly found in the Southern U.S., venturing as far north as the Chesapeake Bay.As temperatures rise, more of the U.S. will become hospitable to the rodent. Between 2070 and 2100, under a United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change scenario that estimates a temperature rise of 3.4 degrees Celsius worldwide by the end of the century, the hispid cotton rat will likely have reached Connecticut.If youre going to be in an area thats going to see hantavirus for the first time, you need to have that on your list of differential diagnoses, said Este Geraghty, chief medical officer and health solutions director at Esri, the mapping software company. It needs to occur to you that hantavirus could be a potential diagnosis.Government doesnt typically plan to deal with a problem that lies so far in the future. Yet this is the nature of climate change: When it comes to questions of timing and magnitude, uncertainty reigns. Climate change has upended how we view the future. Consider the following predictions: Extreme weather will wreak more damage on people and property; low-lying cities will flood more often until some parts become permanently submerged and must be abandoned; habitats will change and spread diseases to new areas; drought will test the ability of humans to live in certain areas; and heat waves will stress infrastructure to its limits during the warmest months of the year. Perhaps most dramatically, people will migrate to new places en masse, whether for opportunity, comfort or survival.All of this is very likely to happen, even if every country takes quick, dramatic steps to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Thats because the atmosphere has already changed the gases now inhabiting it will last for hundreds of years.Even if we manage to slow down the rate of carbon dioxide emissions and reduce the severity of some climate-related issues, trouble is on its way. The world must either prepare for these changes or be caught off guard when they do happen. Thats where government is right now: dealing with todays problems, with assurance that many of them will get worse as time goes on.Climate change is a challenge that intimately disrupts the lives of Americans across our country already. Its a challenge we should all know beyond the graphs and news headlines, because it affects us all, wrote Victoria Herrmann, president and managing director of the nonprofit Arctic Institute, in an email to. And looking beyond climate change mitigation, we all have a part to play in helping our country adapt to the effects of climate change we can no longer avoid.Fortunately for government, it has several decades to prepare before many of those climate change-related challenges will mount. And heres the good news: There are already many technological tools available today to start preparing for and adapting to those changes (see sidebar).A lot of the technological tools out there today have to do with planning: when things will happen or where theyll happen or how theyll happen. Some can be used to deal directly with the effects of climate change, but most of them have more to do with enhancing what government knows. For all that technology can do for government, knowledge just might be its most effective weapon against the challenges of the future.Scientists have done some extensive work modeling how much the sea level will rise around different parts of the U.S. coast, including specific locations in communities that will be most affected. Several tools can visualize this data. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has put together one that emphasizes rise over time, while the organization Climate Central has published different tools that focus more on location detail.Utilities also have access to tools that plan for changing conditions. One example is the Environmental Protection Agencys Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool (CREAT), which helps water utilities identify what challenges rising sea levels, for example they will face in the future due to climate change, and then come up with a response to them.Steadily increasing temperatures will make it easier for fires to start in both urban and rural environments, and water scarcity will increase the chances those fires will grow out of control. But with technology, government is learning to better track, respond to and even predict fires.In San Rafael, Calif., the city government has been using performance management software to follow the number and locations of fires related to homeless encampments a problem because those fires can sometimes escape their bounds and spread.In New Orleans, the city merged Census demographic data with building information and fire history to create block-by-block assessments of fire risk. Then it targeted smoke alarm outreach efforts to those areas.There are also emerging efforts, like those coming out of the University of British Columbia, to monitor forests for wildfire risk using satellite imagery to assess moisture levels in plants. Finally, drones are helping firefighters manage those fires better. Equipped with cameras, drones can help crews on the ground get a quick aerial view of fires, while infrared cameras can help find hot spots.The hispid cotton rat problem is a perfect example of how climate change will affect health. But its not just hantavirus that the U.S. will have to worry about. Habitats will be changing everywhere, so a lot of states will start seeing diseases they havent had to worry about much in the past. Take the Zika virus, for example. When the virus, borne by specific species of mosquito, first broke out in the U.S., Esri rushed to provide tools for government to track the disease, predict where it might go next and fight its spread.Interactive maps can also be used to do certain kinds of work quickly. Esri has tools that help coordinate mosquito control activities. For example, a map can show where employees with mosquito-spraying equipment are. Then managers can plot out reports of standing water or clouds of mosquitoes on the map and assign an area to an employee. Then they can plan what that employee will need.I might draw an area that, based on this report, I think needs to be sprayed. So, the computer calculates the acreage, and that translates into how much pesticide I need on my vehicle to handle this request, Esris Geraghty said.Digital maps can also be used to represent many layers of data, which can help cities monitor climate-related health problems. A map could show where a city has its worst problems with heat. Then it can show how many shade-providing trees are in that area, and how many cooling centers are within a certain walking distance. Finally, it can layer in the location of people vulnerable to heat-related medical issues, or it can show where there are lots of people working in jobs that require them to be outside during the hottest parts of the day.One problem with climate change is that it has a tendency to concentrate rain into shorter, more intense downpours, which can mean flash flooding in cities, where most of the land tends to be capped off with concrete and asphalt. In Chicago, the Array of Things project led by Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago is demonstrating how networks of smart cameras, computers and sensors can help a city keep on top of the problem. The nodes that make up the Array can be fitted with rain gauges, which can report rainfall amounts in near-real time and give insights into how rain is falling differently across a city.It gives us much denser measurements across the city, so that those who are responding to the storm, whether its a power company or the city, can get a sense of where the rains falling and then look at where they should respond as a result, said Charlie Catlett, a senior computer scientist at Argonne National Laboratory who is leading the project.The nodes also include downward-facing cameras connected to computers that use artificial intelligence algorithms to crunch the footage and look for standing water, and they can send back that data in near-real time. If a city were to install enough of those cameras looking at drains or flood-prone areas, they would be able to send people out to clear storm drains or do other flood mitigation work.A private company, One Concern, also offers software to help government respond to disasters, including extreme weather such as hurricanes. The company helps cities identify, among other things, where the most vulnerable populations to different problems are located. That gives public officials the ability to quickly figure out where they should direct resources during an emergency.Chicagos Array of Things project also has microphones and accelerometers to detect vibrations. That means they can monitor infrastructure for signs of stress. By measuring temperatures and light intensity, they can also offer insights into the kinds of things that put stress on infrastructure, potentially giving government a better idea of what infrastructure might need maintenance the most.Extreme weather can trigger an acute infrastructure problem by knocking out power to valuable assets, such as hospitals, shelters and government buildings. An increasingly popular solution to that problem is microgrids. By putting solar arrays on rooftops, installing batteries that store power, investing in efficient technology and using software to coordinate power usage, critical buildings can keep running with power even when the rest of a city goes dark. (TNS) Federal rescue teams in Hawaii are now using small DJI drones to help free humpback whales caught in tangles of debris.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary has partnered with Oceans Unmanned of California to use drone technology to assist with whale entanglement response efforts off of Maui.Oceans Unmanned, a nonprofit founded by former NOAA sanctuary manager Matt Pickett in California, released a video Wednesday offering more details on the program.Aerial imagery from the drones provide details on the entangled whales that improves responders situational awareness as they proceed.Specialists from NOAA have worked for decades with local volunteers, using knives on long poles to cut whales free.Cutting loose a 45-foot, 40-ton, free-swimming animal is no easy task and can be dangerous, according to Ed Lyman, NOAA large whale entanglement response coordinator.Approaching within less than 100 yards from a whale may only be attempted by persons authorized under permit by the NOAA Fisheries Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program, he added.When you get close to a whale that size, you are moving into a danger zone, said Lyman, who has been disentangling whales for 25 years, in the video. So what we are doing is, the drone gives us the assessment, tells us what we need, and then when we do make an approach, were making it to cut the animal free very efficient and a very good tool to have in a toolbox.He said having it makes the procedure safer.With its recently launched freeFLY program, Oceans Unmanned is providing equipment Phantom 4 Pro systems and accessories donated by DJI and management oversight, plus training a network of Maui-based volunteer drone operators to support whale disentanglement efforts while meeting NOAA permit requirements. The volunteers learn to operate on a small boat, which is more challenging than operating drones from land.Three Maui volunteer operators were certified in a recent training class. Additional training is scheduled in the fall.In the past, we had to get close to the whales at least three times, said Pickett. Once to figure out where the animal was entangled, once to cut them free and once to make sure the job was done right and nothing was left behind.With drones, the team can cut the process down to one step. Using small, remote-controlled quadcopters with powerful cameras, the team can do an initial assessment and final check.It makes the entire process much safer for both the humans and the whales, said Pickett.DJI is donating Phantom 4 Pros to the program, while DARTdrones is providing online " Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate " test preparation classes for candidates to become compliant with Federal Aviation Administration requirements.Each year, numerous whales and other marine animals are entangled in fishing gear, according to NOAA. The debris can hurt or kill whales and other animals that lack opposable thumbs to free themselves, resulting in starvation, strangulation and drowning.Over 30 years, Lyman said an estimated 1,300 humpback whales have been disentangled through NOAAs efforts. Like their state and county counterparts, municipal officials train, plan and upgrade their technology to be ready when natural disasters or bad actors strike. But two recent high-impact events showed authorities in Austin, Texas, and Houston what they were doing right and where their tech could be enhanced, officials from the Austin Police Department (APD) and the Houston Airport System (HAS) said at the Texas Digital Government Summit May 30.Three months ago, the state capitol became the site of a national news story as APD along with local, state and federal law enforcement worked frantically to find the serial bomber behind five package bomb explosions. The blasts killed two and injured five between March 2 and March 20. A suspect, identified as Mark Anthony Conditt, 23, of Pflugerville, Texas, detonated a bomb in his vehicle north of Austin on March 21 as police closed in.Following the initial incident March 2 and the next two explosions that followed it, APD set up an emergency operations center and the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) immediately sent hundreds of agents, said Assistant Chief of Police Ely Reyes. All told, the investigation circled in around 1,000 personnel.The impact of what Reyes called a multi-jurisdictional event was huge, and one immediate lesson for residents and law enforcement alike was simply get to know your neighbors beforehand, whether they live on your street or work at a public safety agency you may need to call on during an investigation.APD knew its federal and local neighbors, but communicating at a crisis level was another matter, Reyes said. Mobile systems werent shared, so police passed out extra radios from their system so teams in the field could maintain constant contact.If somebody FBI, ATF needs something from us, a few seconds can make the difference between life and death, said Reyes, who is one of three finalists applying to be the next police chief in Seattle, Wash. A decision is expected this summer, he toldafterward.The search for the bomber was also somewhat swamped by a deluge of more than 1,200 tips. The ATF, Reyes said, had a paper-based tip program, while APD had an in-house system where tips were entered and checked manually. The FBI had a robust system but it was deeply password-protected, he said, calling proprietary architecture an ongoing problem.I think as leaders in technology, its up to us to set the standard, when were doing RFIs and RFPs and were soliciting vendors to come in. Thats open source, non-proprietary programs that we can use, that we can share with other departments, Reyes said, noting proprietary designs also exist in the area of body-worn cameras.The police department also had problems with the downlink for the FLIR infrared camera system on its helicopter, which adversely impacted its live video feed. An immediate upgrade was financially out of the question, Reyes said, but he pointed out that because the agency had state and federal funding requests for bomb detection equipment pending, these were able to be quickly approved.From Houston, Tanya Acevedo, chief technology officer at HAS a three-facility system comprising the George Bush Intercontinental and William P. Hobby airports, and the Ellington Airport/Houston Spaceport discussed her agencys response to Hurricane Harvey last summer, which caused $125 billion in damage, killed 106 in the U.S. and caused major flooding in the Houston metropolitan area.Acevedo, most recently the chief information officer at Travis County, had been at HAS just more than a month when Harvey made landfall in Texas on Aug. 25.None of HAS three airports closed. Passengers and staff remained on-site at Hobby Airport, while Ellington Airport supported the Texas National Guard; federal agencies including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Air Force and the Department of Homeland Security transformed Bush Airport into a civil-military operations center (CMOC).The CTO came from an area where many agencies were part of the Greater Austin Area Telecommunications Network (GAATN), a strictly controlled consortium with a sturdy architecture that rarely experienced outages. In Houston, multiple providers empowered its infrastructure, and network outages were less uncommon though during Harvey, Acevedo said in an interview, the network never failed.That was my concern going into this hurricane, how stable the network environment was. But it did not go down. We were prepared to communicate via radios, but we never had to, she said. The experience, however, underscored the value of building redundancy into a network to ensure connectivity.Hosting federal agencies at Bush Airport, however, meant the military pushed us aside to a different facility, Acevedo told the Summit audience.What the lesson learned there is, is keep your technology on hand. We literally had to create a separate network in a different hangar, and we had to build on the fly, she said.In California, where Acevedo previously had been an IT manager in Orange County, government code declares public employees to be disaster service workers subject to such disaster service activities as may be assigned to them by their superiors or by law.That wasnt the case in Texas, and while many of the roughly 1,100 HAS staffers worked remotely during the event, Acevedo said the agency would have benefitted from making use of a check-in app or service, or locating staff via tracking technology on their cellphones. Doing so, she said, would also have helped inform a decision on when it was safe enough for employees to return to work on-site. Whos laughing now? Whats the job? Dancing with IT The road forward Less than a decade ago the chief innovation officer or CINO was viewed by some as a silly job title, just another ill-defined guru/Sherpa/visionary/Jedi thing.Government CINOs are driving demonstrable change. Anchorage, Alaska, is poised to reap $1 million in revenue thanks to a rewrite of a couple city form letters; Rhode Island schools are driving down absenteeism by texting parents when kids dont come to school; Arkansas is taking the paper out of government procurement. All these initiatives got their start in the CINOs office.In announcing the top data-driven cities of 2018, What Works Cities Executive Director Simone Brody made a telling statement. All over the country, local governments are jumping into this movement and dramatically improving how their cities operate, she said.This comment on the rise of open data serves equally well as a launching point for a broader conversation about the rise of the chief innovation officer. Rooted in data and buoyed by IT advances, the CINO (and the less-common chief transformation officer) increasingly can be spotted on state and local government org charts. Some 40 percent of cities and 42 percent of counties had full-time innovation professionals on staff in 2017, and 49 percent of states reported having an innovation position on the books in 2016, according to surveys of city, county and state IT departments conducted by the Center for Digital Government.*That makes this an ideal moment to pause and take a deeper look at the role these individuals play in driving government forward.CINOs are empowering dramatic improvements with better data, better processes and creative collaborations. Theyre often underfunded, and often must execute a complex dance with their counterparts in IT but they are moving the needle.If were going to explore the effectiveness of the CINO, wed better start by defining the job itself. Ask a half-dozen innovation chiefs what they do for a living and youll get half a dozen answers, but some common themes emerge. For most, technology is a helpful tool, rather than a guiding light. Primarily, they say, the CINO is there to drive organizational change.Miami Director of Innovation and Technology Michael Sarasti, who until May served as CINO, says hes here to urge process improvements, to leverage best practices from the private sector and to open up civic data. All this results in projects like the Innovation Academy, a monthly event that has so far trained some 100 city employees on innovation techniques, generally based on lean thinking, he said. Its a two-and-a-half-day course, training about 20 people per cohort. We teach them to see problems in their work area, we teach them a little bit about agile, about user testing and the cycle of experimentation. Its about them feeling inspired about their work, feeling like they have some sense of control.Some innovation chiefs do their work at the highest levels of government, spurring big-picture structural changes. In Arkansas, Chief Transformation Officer Amy Fecher (one of just a few government officials to carry that title) is seeking to streamline processes statewide. She recently led a strategic planning exercise for cabinet-level agencies; shes working on data center optimization and is also developing a new e-procurement regimen. We want to see how we can go to less paper and more technology, she said.By contrast, others take a more citizen-centric view of the work. Anchorage CINO Brendan Babb wants to put health inspection data online alongside Yelp reviews. He wants to layer real-time bus information on Google Maps. Hes free to do that because of his place in the org chart, which puts him outside the ordinary daily grind. Its hard to experiment in government, where people are quick to accuse you of wasting taxpayer money. I can create a space where people can try things, he said.Others talk about the collaborative nature of innovation. In Rhode Island, Director of Government Innovation Kevin Parker has launched an Innovation League that has so far pulled together some 50 eager innovators from 18 different departments. These are people who are doing great work, but who need time and space to take their projects further, he said.We come together to re-imagine how we can best meet the needs of users. For example, the group performed a user-shadow exercise at the Department of Health to walk in the shoes of someone coming into the building for the first time: What do they experience and how might we improve it?Still others describe innovation s a deeply personal exercise. They see themselves as drivers of change not just at the organizational level, but at the human level.As CINO of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, Randy Nesbitt invites folks to stand before a 21-foot whiteboard and work through their problems in teams. They get two-and-a-half hours to come up with three or four practical safe to fail solutions. Being OK with failure is key to innovation, he says, as is working side by side. When people sit across the table and brainstorm, then they become competitive, he said. When people are shoulder to shoulder facing the same problem, rather than sitting across from one another, it changes the dynamic. Most people dont think about that.In Cary, N.C., Assistant Town Manager and Chief Innovation Officer Dan Ault gives perhaps the most succinct explanation of the CINOs task. My No. 1 role is to help people become the best version of themselves that they can be, to achieve whatever they want to achieve in their jobs, he said. In a municipal organization, you cant always do everything, but if you are passionate about public service, I want to help you tap into that and realize that passion.These CINOs come to the table with big vision and limited resources. Most have no dedicated budget for innovation, and may rely on grants or else piggyback on funds allocated in support of specific agency projects.Money isnt a prerequisite for innovation, but it helps. Sarasti, for instance, has a small discretionary fund of $50,000 that he uses for targeted projects. Say a useful app emerges from a hack-a-thon: He might spend $5,000 to adapt it for use in city systems.Last year, Babb did a review of government form letters, including an animal control letter about dog registration and a library overdue notice. He spent $12,000 to prototype changes, and this convinced the Treasury to spend $55,000 on broader revisions that are expected to result in $1 million in revenue from previously uncollected fines. Cities will invest, but it helps if you can do initiatives that show a direct financial return, he said.Money isnt the only tool in the CINO toolbox, however.Ault says his strategic partnerships with companies like Salesforce, Box and Microsoft are key. We are evolving more to a platform-based approach, and their enterprise platforms are what will power the city. This is what gives us the ability to configure and to build and to get updates, which in turn allows city employees to truly get the information they need when they need it, he said.More than just vendor relationships, these are true partnerships, in the sense that both sides benefit from their combined efforts. We are the best lab for molding these products: We have so many different needs, so many different processes. We are working on the front lines, so it becomes a matter of mutual success. They need people like us to pioneer these things, to show that these things work, he said.In lieu of an actual transformation budget, Fecher has an ad hoc group of supportive colleagues helping to drive her agency. The 14-member transformation board is not an official state body, but rather a group of eager volunteers drawn from the public and private sectors and from academia. Executives from corrections and human services, a retired government finance executive and others meet every six weeks to talk about change.This is a group that can evaluate any possible projects and give their expert advice and recommendations. Its an advisory role but it is very important because it gives us all these different perspectives. It gives us a fresh view that someone who is entrenched in state government might not have, she said.For some, neutrality is a major asset. As a direct report to the governors office, Parker has both the clout and the objectivity to do things a department head, for instance, could not do.Perhaps one of our strongest tools is our convening authority, our ability to be a neutral party, he said. We have the ability to bring people together to solve problems: Small business owners, technologists, academics, artists/designers subject matter experts who are excited about the collaboration, whether they are internal or external.Internally, hes careful to wield that authority delicately. We cant come in heavy-handed and say: Hey, your website stinks, he said. The aim is to learn what they are trying to achieve and then offer departments a set of non-traditional tools to help them do that.Finally, the CINO arsenal includes the all-important fall guy mechanism. How do you drive change? Be willing to take the lumps on everyones behalf.If an idea comes out of the departments and I try and it fails, I can take the blame for that a little more freely because of my Harry Potter-like title, Babb said.Sarasti: I tell people that as long as I have a job, you can blame me. The running joke here is that its my fault. If you get in trouble, lay it on me.Parker: I offer that all the time: Because Im not embedded in their office the way they are all day every day, its easier for me to be the bad person, so they dont have to take the hit. You need someone in the role whos willing to take the arrows because we are trying to institutionalize change, and that is something that can happen a little faster by strategically sharing the burden.On first glance, some people presume the innovation chief to be a technology leader, at least in part. Theres a natural inclination in our tech-centric era to conflate change and improvement with digital evolutions. Better government? Surely theres an app for that.While this view is not totally unfounded, the CINOs themselves describe a more complex relationship with the IT department. They depend on IT to manifest change, but innovation itself is not an IT function. Nor do they wish to be seen as driving the IT agenda, showing up on the CIOs doorstep every week with a new development to-do list. A closely choreographed dance emerges.Fecher meets regularly with the state CIO to mull opportunities of mutual benefit. Lately that has meant a shared focus on enterprise solutions, a methodology that streamlines workloads for IT while also enhancing the transformation agenda. We want to make it easier to do things. If agencies are on the same platform, we can pull information more easily, we can be more holistic in our approach, she said.Sarasti describes himself as occupying an advisory role when it comes to IT, although some aspects of the traditional IT workload seem to flow naturally in his direction. Theres no chief data officer in Miami, so data-related decisions often fall to the innovation head. He can also take user testing problems off of ITs shoulders, being already immersed in those conversations.Mostly he tries to make life easier for those on the IT side by leveraging transformation as a means to lighten the burden of technology. IT gets asked to do a lot of stuff that they shouldnt be asked to do, he said. We help people to first refine what they are doing, so that they have really good processes before they go to the IT team.While there is generally a clear divide between innovation and IT, in some rare cases that gap can be bridged. Julia Richman, for instance, came to the city of Boulder, Colo., as innovation and analytics officer. In March she took on the tech mantle, becoming innovation and technology officer.That gives her some muscle. Innovation had a $100,000 budget with 12 personnel answering to different department heads. Now, she directly oversees 50 people and a $10 million budget. She described it as a logical evolution.By starting in the city managers office, I had an easy way to work across the whole city, I had constituents everywhere and the support of my boss to get things done, she said. Now that I run a central service, I have both push and pull. There are a lot of services that I can offer. Not only am I asking you to do business differently, I am enabling you to do that. When it is a tech problem, I can draw on those resources.Richmans transition may be indicative of a trend. Last spring, for example, Vermont repositioned its CINO, John Quinn, as CIO of a newly reorganized state IT agency.Some envision the CINO taking an even more pragmatic turn. Last year, for instance, Ohio Gov. John Kasich speculated that a state-level chief innovation officer could help to commercialize research being done at Ohio universities. (The state Legislature has since moved to nix that idea.)To get a sense of where the CINO is heading next, its helpful to look at whats working, and to consider the wish lists of those presently on the job.Breadth works. Successful innovation leaders say they can do their best work when they are given authority to operate across multiple lines of jurisdiction. You need the ability to cut across departments. Thats where some of the best innovation happens, when you have three departments and you put them in the room together. Thats when the magic happens, Sarasti said.Outreach is another valuable tool. Talking to other cities has been very beneficial to me, Babb said, pointing to his collaborations through What Works Cities. These relationships where you get to see what others are doing, where you have someone to call if you have a particular problem that peer network of innovators can be really helpful.Theres broad consensus that the future success of the CINO, and the further expansion of this role, depends largely on buy-in from key stakeholders. The governor and the mayor, the city council and the department heads: All need to support the premise of innovation both philosophically and practically.Most state governments get entrenched in the way work has always been done, but technology is changing so rapidly. We need strong leaders who want to embrace transformation, who will change with the digital community rather than fighting against it, Fecher said. When we want to implement a digital way to do something, rather than pushing paper around, that should be obvious, and right now it isnt always. It is still challenging for a lot of people in state government to think that way.Suppose folks do come around. Then whats next for the CINO? Ideally, some would say, oblivion.If the chief innovation officers do their job correctly, their job will eventually be unnecessary, Nesbitt said. Things will grow and change organically across the organization. If its done right, innovation shouldnt just be an office held by a few people. I love my position, I think we are making headway, but innovation can and should happen anywhere, with anybody. In the long run, there doesnt have to be a chief innovation officer.Others take a similar if somewhat less dramatic stance. Keep the CINO or do away with it, they say. What matters is not the title but the spirit that drives the enterprise.I dont want my title to distract from the mission, Ault said. People focus on labels and buzzwords, they want to turn innovation into a specialization. I dont believe in that. There is no cool kids club. I am just here to increase capability, to help people achieve what they want to achieve.Government Technology Could not establish database connection. DB: bostonimc and SQL: --> The administrator has been notified and will resolve the problem ASAP. The Quebec government is investing a total of $130 million ($80 million in capital stock and $50 million in bonds) as part of a $-1.1 billion financing effort to commission a spodumene (lithium ore) mine at Nemaska, 300 km north of Chibougamau in Eeyou-Istchee James Bay territory. In addition, a commercial lithium hydroxide and carbonate plant will be built in Shawinigan, Mauricie. Following this investment, Ressources Quebec, acting as agent for the government, will increase its stake in Nemaska Lithium to nearly 13%. In April, Nemaska Lithium announced that it had entered into an investment agreement with Japan-based SoftBank Group Corp. under which SoftBank will acquire up to 9.9% of Nemaska Lithiums outstanding common shares. (Earlier post.) It is expected that construction and commissioning will be completed within 15 months for the mine, and approximately 24 months for the commercial plant. Spodumene ore from the Whabouchi mine will be converted to value-added lithium salts (hydroxide and lithium carbonate) and then sold primarily to manufacturers of cathode materials for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. One of these suppliers is located in the Montreal area, which could ensure that the entire value chain is located in Quebec, the government said. Nemaska Lithium will use a novel and patented electrochemical process that will produce lithium salts by membrane electrolysis, which generates products of high purity. In addition, this innovative electrochemical process, which is more efficient and more economical than the traditional manufacturing process, will use Quebecs hydroelectricity, thus further reducing its carbon footprint. Thanks to Nemaska Lithiums innovation, this project will have a significant structuring effect because it will facilitate access to lithium products for manufacturing companies that specialize in the manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles. By developing technologies related to the electrification of transport, the company joins the guidelines of the 2015-2020 Transport Electrification Action Plan, which aims in particular to reduce the carbon footprint of the transport sector. Dominique Anglade, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Economy, Science and Innovation and Minister responsible for the Digital Agenda Founded in 2007, Nemaska Lithium is a vertically integrated development company, from spodumene mining to the commercialization of high purity lithium hydroxide and carbonate. Its head office is located in Quebec, while its activities are located in Shawinigan and the Whabouchi mine on the Eeyou-Istchee James Bay territory. Mekelburgs. Photo: Angela Datre In a bizarre and detailed story, HuffPost has revealed the identity of one of Twitters most prolifically hateful and visible trolls. The account, @AmyMek, is followed by individuals like Sean Hannity and White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanderss personal account. As HuffPost reports, the @AmyMek account is operated by Amy Jane Mekelburg, whose last name may be familiar to followers of New Yorks food scene: Her brother, Daniel, runs a Clinton Hill grocer and craft-beer bar that bears the family name. And now the grocer has gone to pains to point out that they have absolutely no affiliation with the owners sister. In response to the story, Daniels wife, Alicia Guevara, published a statement to Mekelburgs Facebook page, Instagram account, and Twitter in which she said Amy has never been linked to the business, and that they are disturbed, revolted and humiliated. (Daniel himself was not named in the story and neither was his business, which was just described as a popular restaurant and craft beer bar in Brooklyn.) As many of you know, there is a story circulating about Amy Mekelburg and the hateful, racist diatribes she was outed... Posted by Mekelburg's on Thursday, May 31, 2018 I think, and its been proven by the responses weve been getting, that theres an association when you have a sibling; there is a closeness and camaraderie there. That is so not the case, Guevara tells Grub. This has always been a volatile relationship, even before we were made aware of this Twitter account, which we were not until yesterday. Since posting the statement, Mekelburgs has received a flurry of responses. Some have taken issue with the statement, questioning them and writing things like I doubt this was a revelation and This is the equivalent of saying thoughts and prayers after a school shooting. And other individuals have, Guevara says, gone so far as to threaten them. Im a little worried about security. Were getting some pretty nasty phone calls and threats and stuff like that, she says. Were probably going to have some security over the weekend out front. I have to just take care of my staff right now. By and large, though, theres been an outpouring of support. Guevara says their regulars, neighbors, and industry regulars like Sunday in Brooklyns Adam Landsman and Faustos Joe Campanale have all rushed to support them. In comments on Facebook and Instagram, people are expressing empathy that this even needed to be addressed, sharing love, and writing that theyre sorry for what you guys are going through. Mekelburgs is a well-respected and popular business that serves some pretty good food, and Guevara reiterates that Amys hate-spewing is not what they stand for. I dont want to be in a country with this type of rallying up of hate and fear; I have to denounce that. I regret not having known about it sooner, Guevara says. Dinners were sometimes more than an hour shorter. Photo: Granger Wootz/Blend Images/Getty Images Inauguration crowd sizes arent the only thing that shrunk under Donald Trump: A new study out today in the journal Science shows that Thanksgiving dinner got considerably shorter in 2016, which just so happened to fall a few weeks after Trumps (still surprising) victory. The report suggests that family meals were cut short by an average of 30 to 50 minutes when these get-togethers put people of opposite party allegiances at the same table. The authors hypothesized that this might be true, but to prove the correlation, they had to analyze 17 trillion yes, with a T location pings collected from Americans smartphones, then overlay that onto the 2016 election results for 172,000 voting precincts. They essentially figured out each persons home base using the pings, extrapolated their political ideology, then tracked where they went on Thanksgiving Day, and for how long they stuck around. (Before you ask, the answer is yes, critics have already blasted this study as invasive, creepy, and super creepy.) Heres what the researchers discovered: People in areas that voted solidly Republican or Democratic who traveled to a ZIP where residents had different political leanings spent far less time at dinner that day up to 69 minutes less. Democrats were likelier to not go at all, while Republicans in many cases left more than an hour earlier than Democrats. And if subjects lived in a politically saturated media market, the effects were up to three times worse: The researchers math is that for every 1,000 political ads, it shaved two-and-a-half more minutes off Thanksgiving dinner. Its easy to joke about how entirely expected this is, but the researchers mostly just sound sad about it, like theyve unearthed a trend they wish would disappear. They tell the New York Times that nobodys excited to learn that political polarization is damaging close family relationships. Haiti - Politic : Donation of $75M from the World Bank for the Haitian road network Thanks to a new $75 million grant from the International Development Association (IDA), approved by the World Bank's Board of Directors on Thursday, more than 350,000 Haitians living in rural areas will benefit from improved access to all-weather roads, local markets and health centers in the South, South-East and Nippes departments. About 61 percent of the population was living further than 2km from an all-weather road in 2015 and most rural roads remain in very poor condition and barely passable. To develop the road network and achieve intercity connectivity by 2021, the government has set an ambitious target to build 4000 km of roads. The Haiti Rural Accessibility and Resilience project will rehabilitate critical segments of the rural road network, improving road conditions and road safety in these areas. This will particularly benefit vulnerable communities, including women traders who travel extensively for the livelihoods of their families. The second project Improving Haitis Public Financial Management and Statistical Information focuses on strengthening Haitis capacity to produce, disseminate, and use more accurate and timely budgetary and financial data. Financed by an IDA grant of US$15 million, it will help improve budget management and oversight by putting in place an Integrated Financial Information Management System, strengthening public financial management institutions such as the Court of Accounts, the Procurement Board, and the Anti-Corruption Agency, and will support citizen engagement in the use of public resources. The two grants approved today will make a difference for people in Haiti. Roads are windows of opportunity that transform peoples lives as well as the economy. Better budget and accounting systems are key to improve service delivery for all citizens and strengthen transparency and accountability, said Anabela Abreu, World Bank Country Director for Haiti. These are two important priorities for the government. The Haiti Rural Accessibility and Resilience project will be implemented by the Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Communications while the Improving Haitis Public Financial Management and Statistical Information project will be implemented by the Ministry of Economy and Finance over a period of 5 years. Learn more about IDA : The World Banks International Development Association (IDA), helps the worlds poorest countries by providing grants and low to zero-interest loans for projects and programs that boost economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve poor peoples lives. HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Politic : Hurricane season invites itself to the 12th Government Council Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant presided this week his 12th Government Council on the implementation of a national strategy for prevention and risk management in anticipation of the hurricane season (June 1 to November 30, 2018) https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24508-haiti-security-2018-hurricane-season-prospects-and-probabilities.html Placed under the sign of the duty and the solidarity, this Council of government made it possible to make an inventory of the human resources, the logistics as well as emergency funds available. Like the Directorate of Civil Protection (DPC), each body comprising the National Risk Management Committee (CNGRD) presented a protocol of actions aimed at strengthening the resilience of the country in the face of major natural hazards. To this end, a National Communication and Simulation Plan has been developed to inform the population about the behavior to adopt in the event of a disaster. In this Plan, the Ministries of the Interior, Public Works, Defense, Environment and Agriculture will jointly carry out mitigation, river cleaning and retention wall construction projects in order to minimize material damage and loss of life. For their part, the Ministry of Health and the Haitian Red Cross assured the Head of Government that ambulances, mobile rapid response teams in case of resurgence of cholera, rescuers, rescue equipment including 7 boats will be prepositioned in the 10 departments. HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Justice : Minister Aly's visit to the Procuratorate and Prison of Croix-des-Bouquets Jean Roody Aly Minister of Justice, about 3 weeks after a previous visit to the National Penitentiary, went this week to the Procuratorate and the Prison of the Croix-des-Bouquets, in order to sensitize the actors of the penal chain to better coordinate their actions to combat more effectively prolonged pretrial detention. Minister Aly met for nearly two hours with the Chief of Public Prosecutions and Substitutes of the Government Commissioner at the Court of First Instance (TPI) of the Croix-des-Bouquets "If the actions are better coordinated, we can achieve much better results ... "Aly told the prosecutors encouraging them to continue to take their work seriously, warning" Those who want to work will be kept in the system but those who do not want to work will be excluded " . He called on everyone to take action to put an end to the perception according to which they are the judicial actors who, by their behavior, feed the prolonged preventive detention. He then visited the TPI Dean before going to the prison where he was able to visit prisoners in their cells and talk to the prison officials. In order to reduce the number of people in prolonged pretrial detention, every Saturday, correctional hearings are held at the Port-au-Prince Courthouse allowing many detainees who have not yet been tried to be fixed on their fate. Also funded by Minujusth, two Legal Assistance Offices opened at the Palace of Justice. These two offices will provide free assistance, especially for people in pre-trial detention for several years. This project is managed by the Bar, which has assigned to the two LAO more than 38 lawyers and administrative staff. An initiative aimed at reducing the gap between detainees tried and those in prevention at the civil prison of Port-au-Prince https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24407-haiti-justice-two-offices-of-free-legal-assistance-at-the-palace-of-justice-of-pap.html HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping... FLASH : VISA for France As the summer season approaches, the French Embassy in Haiti recommends to people wishing to apply for VISA for France to begin their process at least 3 weeks in advance : www.ht.ambafrance.org/Demander-un-visa-pour-la-France DR : The Embassy of Haiti encourages the return of students As part of a series of conferences for the students of Santiago and Santo Domingo, organized by "N ap Sove Ayiti" Miousemine Celestin, the Charge d'affaires of the Embassy of Haiti in the Dominican Republic one of the guest speakers said "Professionals and young Haitians studying in Dominican universities must return to Haiti at the end of their training, to participate in the development of Haiti." Retirement and recruitment The Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development held a working session this week with representatives of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) on the project to strengthen public management to improve the delivery of services within the Ministry. The purpose of this working session was specifically to ensure voluntary retirement and to organize the recruitment of the necessary staff for the extension of the Ministry's services at the national level. 1,120 people benefit from legal assistance Me Vital Junior Dessources, Coordinator of the legal assistance office of the Bar of Port-au-Prince declared that for the period from February 2, 2018 to the end of May 1,120 persons benefited from the legal assistance of which 415 were released. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24407-haiti-justice-two-offices-of-free-legal-assistance-at-the-palace-of-justice-of-pap.html Secondary renovated : Training in making short films Thanks to the program of support to civil society "Innovative Projects of Civil Societies and Coalitions of Actors" (PISCCA) set up by the Embassy of France in Haiti, members of the association "Timoun Eklere" participated in Luberon (France) has a training in making short films. Back home, with new audiovisual skills, our beneficiaries will work on television programs to promote the rights of children in Haiti. This action is part of the project "One Child, One Citizen". It will also benefit from the technical and financial support of this Embassy. Secondary renovated : Training of inspectors After the southern region, the team of the Directorate of Secondary Education (DES) is this week in the Haut Plateau with other officials of the Ministry of Education to inform and train inspectors on renovated secondary programs. It is mainly for the DES, to equip them to enable them to better support schools in the implementation of the New Secondary so that schools have the necessary guidance for the success of this reform, fundamental to the become of the educational system. HL/ HaitiLibre Benachrichtigung aktivieren Durfen wir Sie in Ihrem Browser uber die wichtigsten Nachrichten des Handelsblatts informieren? Sie erhalten 2-5 Meldungen pro Tag. Fast geschafft Erlauben Sie handelsblatt.com Ihnen Benachrichtigungen zu schicken. Dies konnen Sie in der Meldung Ihres Browsers bestatigen. Industry leaders plan for multiple scenarios as uncertainty continues to Brexit D-Day By Jo Gilbert With Brexit D-Day less than a year away, this years Wine and Spirit Trade Association-hosted briefing at the London Wine Fair (LWF) promised a glimpse at how the trade is preparing for life after Brexit. Thinking about after Brexit is proving difficult however, with so much still to be negotiated before March 19, 2019. This includes the nature of the Irish border and also the UK customs border with Europe two issues which could not only pose problems for the movement of goods, but are causing equal disruption in parliament and holding up decision-making. Uncertainty along with currency came up time and again as one of the main negative factors affecting day-to-day business, with Jean Marie Barillere, president of the Union des Maisons de Champagne, going so far as to say that even a badly negotiated deal would be preferable to no deal at all. The result is that businesses are having to work that little bit harder to plan for unseen scenarios, including diversifying their product mixes, exploring new markets abroad and finding ways of keeping the premiumisation momentum going. This includes Sussexs Bolney Wine Estate, which has suffered from market volatility and a nervous banking sector over the past few years, making it harder and harder to find investment. Currency has also been a problem. According to Sam Linter, MD and head winemaker, the estates application to hedge prior to the referendum vote was denied, leaving them vulnerable against a weakening pound and worse off when buying equipment from France and Germany, which have also gone up overnight. As a result, Bolney has followed the lead of many UK producers into artisanal spirits, liqueurs and aperitifs, announcing the launch of a new vermouth at the LWF, as well as keeping a keen eye on the economy leading up to March next year. She said: In the economic downturn a few years ago, people were spending at lower end and not up-spending. If there is a further weakening of the pound, this will have an impact on English wine, which is at the premium end of the market. So were looking at exporting and other products and give us diversification into areas where people are spending money. I personally would like to sell all our wine in the UK. Theres such a small amount produced, but export is what were focused on at the moment. Premium position Premiumisation and how it is being impacted by Brexit also came up several times throughout the briefing. Volume for wine is flat but value is up worldwide, said Paul Sorrentino, VP/GM Europe, Middle East & Africa at E&J Gallo, which has just released 13 new premium wines into the UK with the goal of keeping up with this trend. At the same time however, Sorrentino is wary of a slow down, as even cheap wine is a luxury in times of economic stress. Troy Christensen at bar and restaurant supplier Enotria&Coe went one step further, claiming that long-standing cracks in the industry are widening under the magnifying glass of Brexit. Starting with the financial crisis in 2008 and continuing with the rise of online shopping and more recently the fall of Conviviality, he said Brexits main impact has been to exacerbate negative factors already affecting the trade, leading to a shift that is going to be seismic over the next five to ten years. Look at Prezzo. Carluccio and Jaimes [Italian]. When was the last time we saw this many restaurants go into administration? Conviviality bravely consolidated Mathew Clark and Bibendum, and followed that path using power and scale to pick up price savings and follow the Amazon model. You cant do that when youre making 2% margin, he said. While value engineering and trading down has hurt wine, he argued, Brexit has opened up opportunities for the on-trade to confront some of the issues that have been percolating for some time. Wine needs investment to grow. Price competition, training, public relations these are the value added things that get our customers to sell to consumers. They are also the things that go out the door when youre focused on price, he said. Brexit-exacerbated staffing issues are also adding further challenges everywhere from hospitality to vineyards. Linter drew attention to vital agricultural workers, usually from Eastern Europe, who help to bolster the number of Bolney workers tenfold during key points of the year. For pruning, bud-rubbing and harvest especially, theres a window of opportunity where things need to be done very quickly and we need between 30 and 40 people, she said. You cannot source that in UK. There isnt the skills or the number of people available and we dont have a solution. Its worrying. Border debate Leendert Vis, chief innovation officer at JF Hillebrand Group picked up the thread of border controls, offering an optimistic view on how importers and exporters will deal with the changes. He echoed Barillere and Linter that currency has had by far biggest impact. Meanwhile, on the subject of whether or not the UK ends up with a hard or soft border, he compared the worst-case scenario to an Australian import coming into the UK. A big part of imports already coming from outside the EU and the industry knows how to deal with it. Most wine comes via a rail or sea connection, so there is a stop anyway, he said. The best outcome for the trade, Vis argued, would be a continuation of the Excise Movement and Control System (EMCS) an existing EU-wide IT system that records duty suspended movements of excise goods electronically, meaning a swift and frictionless entry point for wine at the border. In case this is replaced, and in case of border queues arising from the implementation of the Customs Decision System (CDS) a new government IT project which is due to begin testing this year Vis advises keeping key products backed up towards the implementation of Brexit. But whatever the outcome, it will work, he said. This optimism was echoed at times throughout the debate, with fear of another economic downturn balanced by the hope that everyone on both sides of the Channel are rooting for minimum disruption to trade. Putting on a united front with Barillere and other counterparts in Europe therefore continues to be a priority for the WSTA. This was stressed particularly by its chief executive Miles Beale, a former civil servant whose faith in government seems to be even more on the wane. Go away, leave us alone and let us get on with it, was his request to his former colleagues. Trade is mutually beneficial there should be no arguing with that. It only becomes an issue if politics gets in the way. Week 3 of the 2018 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League provided more thrills as USA, Brazil and Serbia pulled away at the top of the standings (photo courtesy FIVB). Furthermore, Russia's win in five sets over Turkey in Kraljevo, in combination with another defeat for Turkey to Serbia, creates a new dynamic over the last two weeks of pool play in the race for a last ticket to the Final Six. USA and Brazil stormed through Week 3 of the 2018 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League picking up full points, and Serbia also squeezed in after outlasting Turkey, as the three sides sit at the top of the table on 8-1 records, past the halfway point of pool play.The Netherlands, who were amongst the leaders going into Week 3, suffered their second defeat in the hands of Brazil at home in Apeldoorn. Hawaii Visitor Spending Increased 13.4 Percent to $1.42 Billion in April 2018 News Release from HTA, May 31, 2018 HONOLULU Visitors to the Hawaiian Islands spent a total of $1.42 billion in April 2018, an increase of 13.4 percent compared to last year, according to preliminary statistics released today by the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA). Hawaiis four largest visitor markets, U.S. West (+11.7% to $547.8 million), U.S. East (+4% to $310.5 million), Japan (+7.1% to $155.9 million) and Canada (+10% to $99.4 million), all reported gains in visitor spending in April year-over-year. Combined visitor spending from All Other International Markets (+34.7% to $297.6 million) also increased in April versus last year. Visitors also spent more on an average daily basis from U.S. West (+4.8% to $184 per person), U.S. East (+1.4% to $218 per person), Japan (+4.5% to $232 per person) and Canada (+7.6% to $160 per person) in April compared to a year ago. Total visitor arrivals rose 6.6 percent to 803,005 visitors in April, supported by growth in arrivals from both air service (+6.5% to 786,053) and cruise ships (+11.7% to 16,951). Total visitor days1 increased 5.5 percent in April. The average daily census2 , or the number of visitors on any given day in April, was 227,729, up 5.5 percent compared to April of last year. Visitor arrivals increased from U.S. West (+8% 347,729), U.S. East (+4.1% to 153,606), Japan (+2.9% to 112,734), Canada (+6.4% to 52,073) and All Other International Markets (+9.2% to 119,910) in April versus last year. All four larger Hawaiian Islands realized growth in visitor spending and arrivals in April compared to last year. A total of 1,084,745 trans-Pacific air seats serviced the Hawaiian Islands in April, up 10.9 percent from a year ago. Growth in air seat capacity from Oceania (+15.5%), U.S. West (+14.8%), U.S. East (+12%), Canada (+1.1%) and Japan (+0.7%) offset fewer seats from Other Asia (-0.8%). Year-to-Date 2018 Year-to-date through April 2018, visitor spending (+10.8% to $6.24 billion) surpassed the results from the same period last year. Visitor spending increased from U.S. West (+9.5% to $2.22 billion), U.S. East (+11% to $1.59 billion), Japan (+8.9% to $771.5 million), Canada (+8% to $567.6 million) and from All Other International Markets (+16.7% to $1.07 billion) compared to last year. Statewide average daily spending rose to $210 per person (+3.6%) through the first four months of 2018 compared to the same period of a year ago. Year-to-date, statewide visitor arrivals increased (+8.7% to 3,281,609) versus last year. Visitor arrivals increased from U.S. West (+12% to 1,310,192), U.S. East (+8.4% to 721,101), Canada (+6.3% to 259,760) and All Other International Markets (+12.8% to 438,249), while arrivals from Japan (+0.4% to 495,399) were comparable. read Full Report (Bloomberg) Brevan Howard Asset Managements flagship hedge fund is on course for one of its best monthly returns, a reprieve for the money manager facing an investor exodus. The Brevan Howard Master Fund gained 4.45 percent this month through May 25, boosting year-to-date returns to 5.69 percent, according to a letter to investors seen by Bloomberg News. That puts the fund on track for its best month since November 2016. A spokesman for the Jersey-based investment firm run by billionaire Alan Howard declined to comment. To read this article: (Bloomberg) Legg Mason Inc. has set aside $67 million as part of an expected resolution of a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigation into activities of a hedge fund unit that managed money for the Libyan government of Moammar Al Qaddafi. Negotiations to close investigations of Legg Masons Permal Group are expected to be completed shortly, the Baltimore-based asset management firm said in a filing on Wednesday. To read this article: In other news, Finland is ranked as having the best education system in the world relative to GDP per capita, while Glamour magazine celebrates the Finnish wellness trend of Pantsdrunk. Although campaigners have been calling for fur farming to be banned from Finland, the country was responsible for around 2.4 million foxes being farmed for their fur in 2016. Images taken last year by Justice for Animals, a Finnish animal rights group, show the price that Arctic foxes have to pay to fuel Finlands fur industry. The Arctic foxes that shame the fashion world The Daily Mail More than 100 million animals are killed for their fur every year. And while the UK banned fur farming 15 years ago, shoppers are still able to buy imported pelts. Over the past five years more than 2.5 million of fur items have been imported into the UK from Finland, according to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), while luxury labels including Louis Vuitton and Prada are reported to use, or have used, fox fur in their clothing and accessories. Campaigners have been calling for fur farming to be banned in Finland, as it has been in many other European countries, including the UK, Austria, the Netherlands, and in the Czech Republic from 2019 onwards. But these super-size foxes which reach 40lb, five times their weight in the wild are so big they can barely move and, according to the Finnish animal rights group, Justice for Animals, represent a new low in the industry. The group has released the images taken last year by its undercover investigators on five farms in the remote Ostrobothnia region in western Finland, where the majority of the countrys 900 fur farms are located. Despite a successful campaign in the Nineties led by PETA and fronted by supermodels, including Naomi Campbell, with the slogan Id Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur, the fur industry today is booming. According to the International Fur Federation, it was worth 29 billion in 2015, up from 11.6 billion in 2011. It remains particularly popular in Italy where it featured prominently at the recent Milan Fashion Week. In Finland, around 2.4 million foxes (all species) were produced for fur on its farms in 2016. Only China, where animal welfare legislation is all but non-existent, produces more fox fur. Whats more, China has recently been buying most of Finlands fur, followed by Russia. Original article was published by the Daily Mail on 31/05/2018 and can be found here. Finland has the best education system in the world relative to GDP Study International There are many reasons why you should study in Finland, but as the recent Universitas 21 (U21) rankings show, one great motivator is the world-class efficiency of its higher education system. Results from the league table say whilst the US system is still top in terms of overall performance, Finland is the true winner when the rankings are adjusted to measure each country relative to their national income levels. In fact, when adjusted to take into account GDP per capita, Finland takes the lead ahead of the US and UK, traditional favourites in the world of higher education, Eyewitness News reported. The U21 rankings compare the strengths and weaknesses of individual institutions but, unsatisfied with the measurement of the best higher education system, the rankings were reworked to consider the countries economic standing. Both Finland and the UK were found to have scored 20 percent above the average level of achievement for countries at their income levels. The authors measured 24 different indicators to reach their conclusion on the 50 countries the rankings include. The measures include; expenditure on higher education, government policy, industry links, the diversity of the countrys institutions, enrolment rates, and research performance. These indicators of performance are then divided up into four categories; resources, policy environment, connectivity, and output. Original article was published by Study International on 28/05/2018 and can be found here. Pantsdrunk is the Scandinavian wellness trend we need right now Glamour Hygge isnt for everyone. If collective cozying is also not your speed, theres a new Scandinavian lifestyle trend in town that may be. Rather than focus on the aesthetic presentation of well-being, it involves drinking at home in your underwear. Actually, thats all it is. Pantsdrunk is the Finnish self-care phenomenon in which you remove your pantsat homeand drink. Kippis! (That means cheers.) Actually called kalsarikanni in Finland, which translates (much more logically) to underwear drunk, this is a for-real pastime so legit the countrys ministry of foreign affairs included people drinking in their underwear in an emoji pack that represents Finnish culture. (A man in briefs with a beer for him; a woman sipping red wine in a pink teddy set for her.) In his new book Pantsdrunk: The Finnish Path to Relaxation, out June 5, author Miska Rantanen has translated the concept for Americans. In his book Rantanen explains that the couch-and-booze habit developed as something of a coping mechanism for people in Finland who already spend a lot of time home alone thanks to what meteorologists have termed the polar night, a punishing winter season during which the sun rarely rises above the horizon and late-fall snow doesnt begin to melt until June. Socializing involves far too much being out of doors and a terrible amount of clothing wearing. I get it. Original article was published by Glamour on 29/05/2018 and can be found here. Nordic countries oppose EU plans for digital tax on firms' turnover The Business Times Finance ministers of the European Union's three Nordic countries have urged their partners to shelve a plan to tax large corporations for their digital turnover, saying it could damage the European economy. The call could further weaken the plan proposed by the European Commission in March. It has already attracted criticism from smaller EU states and a lukewarm response from Germany's new government. "A digital services tax deviates from fundamental principles of income taxation by applying the tax on gross income, i.e. without regard to whether the taxpayer is making a profit or not," Swedish Finance Minister Magdalena Andersson, and her counterparts from Denmark and Finland, Kristian Jensen and Petteri Orpo, said in a joint statement on Friday. The commission's proposed tax comes amid criticism of large digital companies, like Facebook and Google, who are accused by some EU states of paying too little tax in Europe, exploiting an outdated system that has allowed them to shift profits to low-tax countries like Luxembourg or Ireland. Original article was published by The Business Times on 01/06/2018 and can be found here. Finland and China collaborate on clean energy test platforms Energy Live News Finland and China have announced they are collaborating to build open international test platforms to develop flexible and clean energy systems. They have invited international companies and research institutes to facilities in Finlands Aland Islands and the Zhangjiakou Demonstration Zone in China. The Aland Islands is planned to be a demonstration platform for a flexible energy system, based on smart grids and 100% renewable energy production and use. Finland says the system will have the ability to integrate distributed renewable energy production into the overall network and quickly respond to fluctuations in demand and supply. Original article was published by Energy Live News on 27/05/2018 and can be found here. Dan Anderson HT Photo: Lehtikuva / Oikeutta elaimille The drills took place from May 7 to May 18 and involved around 150 armoured vehicles and 300 other military vehicles. Only 30 marines took part, but they were joined by thousands of personnel from Finland and Norway. US Marines withdrew tanks and weapons from storage caves in secret locations in Norway and brought them to southern Finland last month. Once there, they fired tank guns and other weaponry alongside the Finnish army as part of an annual training exercise called Arrow 18. According to Stars and Stripes, Arrow 18 is a Finnish-led event in which partner nations conduct live-fire war games to certify that Finnish servicemembers most of whom are conscripted are capable of fighting. The Finnish army said that the exercise aims at enhancing interoperability in cooperation with foreign detachments and involves Army helicopter measures as well as Air Force flight activities. US marines joined the multinational exercise for the first time in order to increase interoperability, reassure partner nations, improve readiness and reinforce relationships, a Marine spokesman told the Marine Corps Times. According to Stars and Stripes, the caves contain Marine vehicles, artillery, and enough food and ammunition for a brigade of 4,600 Marines to last in several weeks of combat. "All of our major equipment was drawn from the caves in Norway," tank commander Capt. Matthew Anderson told Stars and Stripes. "This exercise would not have happened without the caves. The equipment, forward-staged, allows us to conduct these exercises. Without it, it's a whole lot less likely that we would have been as successful as we were." Business Insider Nordic claims that the Marine Corps began storing gear in Norwegian caves during the Cold War in an effort to pre-position equipment in case of conflict. The supplies are based in a chain of six caves in the Trondheim region of central Norway, although the exact location is not known. The drills took place at the same time as defence ministers from Finland, Sweden and the United States met in Washington to discuss military cooperation between the three countries and the overall security policy situation. A press release from Finlands defence ministry said that the goal was to move towards a model of trilateral defence cooperation in the future. According to the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter, the Swedish defence minister Peter Hultqvist said that the agreement aims to increase stability through a heightened US military presence in Europe. These developments come after the Finnish government announced in early 2017 that they would increase troop numbers by 20% and add to its total defence budget in response to rising tensions with Russia. Dan Anderson HT Photo: Lehtikuva / Kalle Parkkinen State plans to make sure K-12 private schools teach a full slate of academics has produced distress, bordering on dread, in the Orthodox Jewish community. The specter of the state enforcing existing law spurred an effort to stall the state budget and has inspired social media campaigns.For decades, the state Education Department largely ignored private-school instruction, and many in the Hasidic and Orthodox community are suspicious of Albanys seemingly sudden interest in their classrooms.State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia and the state Board of Regents, though, deserve credit for deciding to enforce a state law, on the books since at least 1961, that requires private school instruction in math, science and more to be substantially equivalent to whats taught in public schools. Growing numbers of yeshivas are serving the burgeoning Hasidic and Orthodox population, primarily in Brooklyn and Rockland County, and there are legitimate concerns that at least some forsake secular academic subjects. It would have been easy, and irresponsible, for the state to continue to look away.Still, Elia faces delicate, potentially perilous challenges as she prepares to soon release new guidelines for state oversight of private school instruction. She needs to devise a system to not only measure academic instruction within a range of religion-based curricula, but offer recommendations and support to schools that fall short, all in the face of Orthodox fears of government overreach.A blunt approach by the state is certain to produce an Orthodox backlash and could undermine what is ultimately a serious endeavor. Every school system in New York state, whether public, private or even home-schooling, is subject to certain state curriculum standards. It is reasonable to expect that every student should receive an education that prepares her or him for further study, work and life and to be part of the American civic fabric. Roman Catholic schools have long done so with great success.Orthodox concerns about state oversight are tied, in part, to historical worries about government intrusion on religious freedom and forced assimilation. Many championed state Sen. Simcha Felder of Brooklyn when he held up passage of the state budget in April, seeking to kill state oversight of yeshivas before it could begin, a move that angered public education advocates.Yosef Rapaport, a Hasidic media consultant, told the Editorial Board that many Orthodox parents have had terrible experiences navigating what he called the "education industrial complex" to get services for students with disabilities. "The atmosphere is so poisoned," he said.'Attack on their lifestyle'The board met with two vocal Orthodox critics of state oversight, Rapaport and Rockland County Legislator Aron Wieder.Wieder said that many Orthodox parents don't believe that state oversight is really about improving education. "This is an attack on their lifestyle," he said. "This is an attack on the culture."Orthodox skeptics of state oversight tend to stick to a few core arguments: Yeshivas produce many successful graduates; parents' choices to send their kids to yeshivas shouldn't be questioned; and yeshiva instruction on Jewish texts covers law, finance, ethics, and other academic subjects that outsiders may not understand.But these skeptics usually avoid the question at hand: Do yeshivas meet state guidelines for academic instruction?Skeptics also fear that Elia has been overly influenced by a small group of yeshiva critics. Much of their concern, and ire, has been focused on Naftuli Moster, who leads YAFFED, which advocates for improved curricula in yeshivas. Some Orthodox leaders, including Wieder, question Moster's motivations and have made him the focus of social media campaigns that have become overly personal and unseemly.Clarkstown Police are investigating a death threat against Moster, which Wieder condemned when asked about it by the Editorial Board.Through the lens of East RamapoElia, meanwhile, is no dupe. The state already had monitors in the East Ramapo School District when she become commissioner in 2015, and Elia has been deeply involved in the budgetary and educational hurdles facing the district. She has heard concerns about educational offerings at some of the district's yeshivas. More than two-thirds of school-age children in East Ramapo attend non-public schools. Elia, as the state's education leader, has a responsibility to ensure a quality academic education for every single one.Last year, Elia began speaking of plans to update state guidelines for finally enforcing the law on private-school instruction. The process slowed when Felder's budget gambit produced vague changes to the law, requiring a broader view of yeshiva instruction but giving the state commissioner more power.Right now, school district superintendents are responsible for checking on instruction at private schools within their boundaries. School boards have authority to find that a private school's instruction is not "substantially equivalent" and to withdraw the limited public funding that goes to private schools. In East Ramapo, the school board is not likely to intervene in private school affairs.Elia should use her authority with purpose. She has said she would like to see school districts contact private schools on a rotating basis about their academic offerings. She also plans state training on the new guidelines for all involved.As always, money is a concern. For one thing, oversight costs. A district likeEast Ramapo will need some sort of additional funding to cover oversight of dozens and dozens of yeshivas (and other private schools).And what happens if investigators find academic deficiencies at yeshivas or other schools? Calls to add or revamp curricula may come with costs that yeshivas don't want to cover. As Rapaport put it, "Oversight without funding is simply unfair." Wieder said he would welcome educational improvements if the state pays.Creating new guidelines and fanning out to see what private schools teach may be the easy part of Elia's quest. Bringing about change at a private school most likely won't be. But the state's rules apply to all schools. Elia should continue her work. The law should be followed or rewritten, but not ignored. Due to lots of rain and more rain forecasted, the First Friday Festival is moved to Saturday, June 2 from 7-9:30 p.m."Enjoy live music, face painting, giant inflatable slide and obstacle course and great food. Bring the family for BBQ, home made ice cream, pizza and more. Music begins at 7 p.m. with Stacy Wilson & the Band Raven and from 8:15-9:30 p.m., it's one of our favorites - the Dexter Thomas Band. It's free and lots of fun. Don't miss it. All on the Courthouse Square. Thank you to our sponsor, WACKER Charleston," organizers said. Women of Distinction of Greater Chattanooga is asking the community to nominate outstanding women in the area for the 2018 Women of Distinction award. On October 17, the new Women of Distinction of Greater Chattanooga will hold its inaugural luncheon to recognize 10 female community leaders. A Woman of Distinction is one who: Volunteers her time to help improve the quality of life for others; Establishes standards that inspire and encourage other women to achieve their full potential; and Provides leadership and influences decisions that shape and define the city and community. "These women give of themselves through their time, energy and talents to make a difference in our world. They are wives, mothers, sisters and friends. These Women of Distinction are representative of what every woman does-- -juggling professional careers, families, community service and philanthropic work," officials said. The deadline for nominations is June 8. For more information or to download a nomination form go to womenofdistinctiongc.com. Proceeds from this luncheon will benefit the three area heart and lung centers at Erlanger, Memorial and Parkridge hospitals. Women of Distinction of Greater Chattanooga is comprised of all volunteers with no paid employees. One hundred percent of sponsorship dollars remain local. Sponsorship opportunities are available online at womenofdistinctiongc.com, or you may request the information by calling Barbie Standefer at 423-622-2425 or Paula Henderson at 423-757-9542. I never met Mitchell "Mike" Flint, but before I had even heard of him, I knew about him and his legendary sense of being on the right side of history in the establishment of the State of Israel. When I read about Mitchell, Jewish and Israeli newspapers were filled with accounts of his life in obituaries that heaped praise on his heroism, and that of others like him. There's a Jewish tradition to comfort the mourning surviving family members of one who dies and I was able to connect with one of Mitchell's sons, to express my condolences and thanks, posthumously, for what his father did. We chatted, became friends, and through that I got to learn about his father and how we in Israel today have much to be thankful to him for. The story of Mitchell Flint is depicted beautifully in "Angels in the Sky" by Robert Gandt. The vivid story about Mitchell and dozens of others like him gives a sense of being there during the historic challenges they confronted. They were Jews and gentiles, some looking for action following their "retirement" as fighters in WWII, some looking to be part of the defense of the Jewish people and establishment of Israel. Some were religious and others were not. But a common sense of purpose and an historical opportunity united them all. Mitchell Flint was one of dozens of non-Israeli volunteers who comprised Israel's first air force. Understood by Israel's first Prime Minister David Ben Gurion that the coming war of independence could not be won without air cover, a plan was carried out to acquire as many planes and arms as possible for the fledgling Jewish state and its population of 600,000. "Angels in the Sky" depicts sometimes chillingly the efforts made to build an air force to ensure Israel's victory. There were many challenges and setbacks, such as aircraft malfunctions and crashes, along with legal and military obstacles that required surreptitious counter measures. Many of those in charge of building the fleet put themselves in harm's way, and legal jeopardy. Planes were ferried to Israel under cover of secrecy and darkness. Refueling stops became perilous and could not be taken for granted. In parallel, as Israel built a fleet of old aircraft that were left over from WWII, Israel also manned its air force in a piecemeal way, picking up volunteers from the US, from South Africa, Europe, and who were complemented by a handful of native born Israeli Jews who had flown in the British air force. Often there were more pilots than working planes. As planes got injured, in battle and through accidents, ground crew put together working parts from different planes to keep as many airborne as possible. "Angels in the Sky" is a compelling history told through the first hand perspective of the men who volunteered and fought these battles. May 29, 1948, two weeks after Israel declared independence, and weeks into heavy fighting that ultimately led to Israel's improbable victory, was the day of Israel's first air strike. Until that point, every effort had been made to arm to capacity, but the war would not wait for Israel's air cover. Mike Flint had his first turn at combat against the vastly larger and better armed Egyptians a few weeks later. He and his team always knew they risked putting their lives on the line. Indeed, dozens of Israel's founding air force were lost. But with the old planes they flew, risk came from other sources than Arab armies. Mike Flint was becoming more familiar than he wanted with the enclave called the Faluja Pocket. Every day, sometimes several times a day, Flint and his dive bombing team visited Faluja. The 4000-man Egyptian brigade inside Faluja had become isolated when the main Egyptian army retreated southward to Gaza. Eliminating the Faluja Pocket had become a prime objective. (On) the fifth day of Operation Horev, Flint's dive bombers were again planting 50-kg bombs on Egyptian positions. The Egyptian gunners weren't improving with practice. The same anti-aircraft fire was coming from somewhere in the enclave, but hitting nothing. Flint made his second steep dive on the target. He punched off his last four bombs. He opened with his machine guns to discourage the Egyptian gunners. Then he roared for the safety of the sea. Over his shoulder he could see the plumes from the explosion(s). Once again, he'd gotten away with it. Or so he thought. Flint's wingman, John Soltau, was sliding to his left wing, waving, pointing to the belly of Flint's (plane). "I started to get this sinking feeling in my stomach," Flint recalled. He knew what Soltau was pointing at. A hung bomb. Flint...pushed the bomber into a dive, then hauled the nose up in an abrupt four-G pull out. He did it twice. The bomb didn't budge. This was just one of many air battles of Israel's War of Independence. Watching air shows during the celebrations of Israel's 70th anniversary, which included aircraft sent from other countries to join the celebration, my mind turned to Israel's first volunteer air force with profound gratitude. Without them, it's hard to say what would be. But the book is a compelling tribute to one of the many ways that Israel struggled to survive against what would have been insurmountable odds in any other place. With combination of bravery, fortitude, and chutzpah, the improbable became real. Mitchell Flint is seen by a P-51 Mustang in this photo released on behalf of his family after he died. Of course these men were heroes, but the book's title also gives a wink to an invaluable element of the victory then, and Israel's ongoing survival. Angels are not free agents. They don't act on their own. They are agents and emissaries of God, and it's easy to see, and essential to recognize, these men were the extension of God's hand, or in this case His wing, protecting Israel as He's always promised to do. Jonathan Feldstein was born and educated in the U.S. and immigrated to Israel in 2004. He is married and the father of six. He has a three-decade career in nonprofit fundraising and marketing, and throughout his life and career he has become a respected bridge between Jews and Christians. He writes regularly on major Christian web sites about Israel and shares experiences of living as an Orthodox Jew in Israel. He can be reached at FirstPersonIsrael@gmail.com. George Braunstein is a member of a storied group whose numbers dwindle as each Memorial Day passes: Jewish American veterans of World War II. As he approaches his 95th birthday, the Kinneret resident is proud to have been one of the interview subjects of the recent documentary "G.I. Jews," which aired on PBS in April. Although his interview was not included in the final documentary, it was used as a promotional teaser and can be found on YouTube. A frequent and lively participant in Jewish Pavilion programs at Kinneret, Braunstein is known for putting aside his walker to dance when there's music and for surrounding himself with his "lady friends." Braunstein entered the U.S. Army in August 1943 when he was 19, after deferring for a year to help his family as its sole support. Throughout his service, Braunstein continued to send most of his Army paycheck home, keeping only $5 a month, the minimum the Army would allow. PFC Braunstein was shipped off to Marseilles, France, in October 1944 as a member of the 103rd Infantry Division, led by the famous Maj. Gen. Anthony McAuliffe. As infantry, he was transferred straight to the front lines. "We had to replace soldiers who'd been up there," Braunstein said. "And when they came and passed us, as we're going down and they're going up, they looked so haggard and dirty and tired." After a short time on the front lines himself, he said, "I looked in the mirror and I looked dirty and tired, just like they did!" He was wounded in a battle in Alsace, France, just short of the German border, when he was hit in the neck by shrapnel flying from a bombed church steeple. When he recovered, he was sent to fight in the Battle of the Bulge, a fierce and high-casualty battle in Belgium that was the German army's last major offensive on the Western front, in December 1944 and January 1945. In the spring, he was among the troops that made the final move into Germany and forced their surrender. His unit crossed the Rhine and moved into Bavaria, part of the forces that liberated the Dachau concentration camp in late April 1945. Just before the end of the war in Europe, Braunstein's unit crossed into Austria on tanks, encountering Austrian country folk who had been largely untouched by the ravages of the war. "All we saw was white sheets. They all surrendered," he said. As he did in his interview for "G.I. Jews," Braunstein recently remarked on the anti-Semitism he encountered in the Army: "I had to deal with people who never knew a Jewish boy, and they had different ideas about them." His easy, bantering style, honed in the melting pot of New York's Lower East Side, won most of them over. "I was always having a good time with them," he said. Braunstein is proud to be a Jewish WWII vet. "There are very few of us that are still around," he said. "We're American first, but also we have allegiance to Israel, because Israel stands as a nation of Jewish people, which we didn't have before World War II." He recalls being moved as he said the Pledge of Allegiance in school as a boy, and he remains very patriotic to this day. The Jewish Pavilion entertains and brings Jewish culture to seniors like Braunstein in facilities throughout Central Florida. Its staff and volunteers celebrate and enrich the lives of members of The Greatest Generation-on Memorial Day and throughout the year. For information on donating or volunteering, go to JewishPavilion.org or call 407-678-9363. WASHINGTON, D.C.-Now beginning its second decade, the Schusterman Visiting Israeli Artists Program will bring 10 prominent Israeli artists for residencies at top universities across the United States for the 2018-2019 academic year. The University of Central Florida is one of the 10. Among the artists are Taiseer Elias, the leading figure in classical Arab music in Israel, and Moshe Zonder, the head writer for the popular television series, Fauda. Coming to UCF is Meital Raz, from Jan. 2, 2019 April 22, 2019. Raz is a director, performer, writer, and puppeteer working in contemporary visual theater in Israel and abroad. Her award-winning "The Man in the Moon" (2016) is based on a 16th- century science fiction novel by the English Bishop Francis Godwin. With only a piece of paper, a pair of scissors, and some tape, Raz becomes a British bishop, a Spanish adventurer, and the moon all at once, all the while sitting behind a small table. Such feats are typical of Raz's inventive theater works, which have been presented in Brazil, England, France, Germany, Israel, Poland, and elsewhere. The Visiting Artists Program is an initiative of the Israel Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based academic institute, aimed to enhance knowledge about modern Israel by bringing Israeli filmmakers, choreographers, musicians, writers, and visual artists to leading universities and other cultural organizations in North America for residencies. The program, founded by the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation in 2008, fosters interaction between the artists and the communities in which they are based, exposing a broader audience to contemporary Israeli culture. "The Schusterman Visiting Israeli Artists program is the bridge between the Israel Institute's academic and cultural programming. These visiting artists provide more than just classes that teach skills; these artists provide a window into the heart of Israel," said Dr. Ariel Ilan Roth, executive director of the Israel Institute. "Cultural education provides insights into the fabric of a society in the way that other courses cannot, and the understanding of students enrolled in these classes is deeper and more enriched as a result." Since inception, the program has supported 94 residencies at colleges and universities across North America. To date, 106 artists have participated, among them a recipient of The Israel Prize, Israel's most prestigious award; an Emmy nominee; numerous recipients of Israel's highest literary awards; and many winners of multiple Israeli Oscars. The nine other colleges and universities to participate in the Visiting Artists Program are the University of Florida, Gainesville; University of California, Berkeley (which will host two artists); Oberlin College, Ohio; Trinity College, Hartford; University of Indiana and Ball State University; University of California, Los Angeles; San Diego State University; and Rutgers University. Melvin Weissman didn't have to fight in World War II. As a machinist for an essential industry, he needed permission from his company to even enlist. He was first rejected by the army as he had flat feet. But the 22-year-old was determined to fight for his county. Undeterred, Melvin, along with several of his friends, tried to enlist in the United States Army Air Corp. This time, he was accepted, flat feet and all. When he said good-bye to his family, Weissman was overcome with emotion. "I knew I would never see my father again," Weissman later told his daughter, Diane Silverman. After basic training, Weissman was assigned as a flight engineer flying B-17s with the USAF, 94th Bomb Group, 331st Squadron, out of Bury-St. Edmunds, England. Weissman had grown up in Brooklyn, the son of Nathan and Dora Weissman, Jewish Russian immigrants. He knew that "H" for Hebrew, Jewish designation on his dog tags could cause a problem if he was captured by the Germans. He requested that his tag be changed to "P" for Protestant, to be worn on each bombing missions. Weissman and his fellow soldiers flew 10 successful missions over Germany. On his eleventh mission, however, the plane was hit. He and several soldiers jumped out the plane safely; others lost their lives when the plane crashed. When his parachute brought him into enemy territory, Weissman realized that he had accidentally worn the dog tags with the Jewish designation, the letter "H." He quickly tossed them away before a 10-year-old German boy found the scratched and bruised solider and turned him over to Nazi soldiers. During his interrogation, Weissman was asked questions in English from a commander. In the same room, behind a screen, was another commander telling the interrogator in German what questions to ask the captured soldier. Because his parents spoke Yiddish in their house, Weissman understood the Germans and knew the questions ahead of time. To further hide his Jewish identity, he gave his name as "Veismann," a more German form of his Jewish name. Weissman was sent to Stalag 17-B, where he remained a prisoner of war from Jan. 11, 1944, to May 3, 1945. While he was in prison camp, a neighbor of the Weissmans heard a blurb on the radio that Staff Sargent Melvin Weissman had been captured. His father, who was in failing health, said the he would believe this was true only when he heard from his oldest son. A letter finally came to their Brooklyn address on April 2, 1944. Nathan Weissman died the next day. Weissman's premonition had come true. "My aunts told me he was just waiting to hear that Melvin was ok," said Diane. In April 1945, as the war was coming to a close, 4,000 of the POWs at Stalag 17-B began an 18-day march of 281 miles to Braunau, Austria. The remaining 900 men were too ill to make the march and were left behind in the hospitals. These men were liberated on May 9, 1945. Those who survived the death march were finally rescued by American troops. Weissman and his fellow liberated soldiers were shipped home to New York City. While sailing, Weissman was taken ill. When he arrived, he walked down the gang plank where doctors, pulling him aside, put a giant yellow J on his shirt. When he asked how they knew he was Jewish, they laughed. "We don't know if you're Jewish," they said. "But we DO know you are jaundiced." Weissman spent three months in a hospital in New Jersey recovering from his imprisonment and subsequent illness. When a rabbi came in to tell Weissman that his father was dead, Weissman said, "I know. My mother and sisters never mentioned him in his letters, but I knew I was saying my last goodbye to him when I left for basic training." Once he was healthy, Weissman returned home and got a job as a machinist for Templet Industries in Brooklyn, New York. He met Sylvia Laskowitz in January 1948. They were married six months later, on June 27, 1948. Their daughter Mona was born 15 months later, and their second child, Diane, was born in 1953. Diane remembers a happy childhood, marred only by quirks that she attributes to his status as a POW. "Dad was not a very trusting person except for his wife and two daughters," said Diane. Although he never spoke about his war experiences while she lived at home, Diane remembers hearing her father cry out in his sleep. She often found him sitting on the edge of the bed, covered in sweat. Diane did her best to soothe him, to try to help him move past his nightmares. By 2007, Sylvia, his wife of 58 years, and Mona had both passed away. Weissman had severe heart problems and reoccurring bouts of post traumatic stress disorder. As he was no longer able to live alone, Diane and her husband, Mark, moved him into their home in Clifton Park, New York. More war stories started coming out. Weissman talked about his time in the camp. Conditions may have been difficult for American soldiers, but he spoke sadly of the treatment given to Russian and Polish POW's. He also recounted his long days on the death march and his rescue. By 2010, Alzheimers had set in, and Weissman became very combative, "a tortured soul." After some violent episodes in which he threatened Diane physically, she and Mark made arrangement to move him to Albany Stratton VA Medical Center. Three days before he was to make the move, Diane found her father dissolved in tears. "What is wrong, Daddy?" Diane asked. "I killed a man!" sobbed her father. "Do you mean in the war? Do you mean you killed a German soldier?" "Yes." "Daddy, if you didn't kill him, he would have killed you. And you never would have been married to Mom or had your daughters, your four grandchildren, and the great-grandchild you have on the way." This calmed him. It was also the last coherent conversation Diane had with her father. Hero's Way, the hospice unit of VA Hospital, provided the care the exhausted and haunted ex-GI needed in his remaining days. Seven weeks later, on Sept. 11, 2011, Melvin Weissman quietly passed away. His great-grandson Judah Benjamin Rome, who was given the Hebrew name Moshe Dov after Melvin and a paternal great-grandfather, was born Nov. 22, 2011. For several years, Congregation Beth Shalom had had a low-key breakfast on the Sunday before Veterans Day. Soon after his father-in-law died, Mark asked Diane if she wanted to honor her father by sponsoring the breakfast. Diane agreed, but only on her own terms. The danish and coffee were accompanied by huge plates of Diane's luchen kugel, homemade quiche, and fresh fruit. Between 75 and 100 members of the congregation and their guests, many themselves veterans, attended the elaborate brunch for the next six years until the Silvermans moved to Connecticut in 2016. Diane still has the American flag that was draped on her father's coffin, and she proudly displays it on the wall of her living room. "I brought it to every Veterans Day brunch, and I proudly display it on the walls of our home," said Diane. "It is my way of remembering an American Jewish GI, a former prisoner of war, and the best dad in the world!" Marilyn Shapiro lives in Kissimmee. She writes regularly for the Jewish World in Schenectady, and published her book "There Goes My Heart," which is available on Amazon. You may also follow her on her blog, theregoesmyheart.me. (JTA)Philip Roth, whose notorious novels about the sex drives of American men gave way to some of the most probing examinations of the American Jewish condition in the 20th and 21st centuries, has died. He was 85. His death was confirmed to The New York Times by his friend Judith Thurman. Early in his career, Roth drew outrage with sometimes stinging depictions of Jewish life, as well as his graphic portrayal in his breakout 1969 novel Portnoys Complaint of the protagonists sexual desires. Some worried that his work would endanger American Jews, providing fodder for anti-Semites. Roth, in his books, poked fun at the wrath he incurred from some in the Jewish community. One of his recurring protagonists, Nathan Zuckerman, is a novelist whose own writings have similarly upset many Jews. But after decades as one of Americas leading literary lights, the anger Roth once evoked was eclipsed by acclaim. Long after lesser novelists embraced semi-retirement, Roth published three magisterial novels that came to be known as the American Trilogy. In American Pastoral (1997), I Married a Communist(1998) and The Human Stain (2000), Roth traced the upheavals of the 1940s Red Scare, the turbulent 1960s and the debates over political correctness in the 1990s. His 2004 novel The Plot Against America imagines an alternative history in which Franklin D. Roosevelt is defeated in the presidential election of 1940 by the pro-Nazi demagogue Charles Lindbergh. In 2016, the book was much discussed as a prescient look at the populist tides that would sweep Donald Trump into the Oval Office over the more conventional Democrat. In addition to winning nearly every literary award for writers in English, Roth was also embraced by the Jewish community over his long career. Three of his books were honored with the American Jewish Book Award, and in 1998 he won the Jewish Book Councils Lifetime Literary Achievement Award. He was for decades considered a front-runner for the Nobel Prize in Literature; it is one of the rare honors he wasnt able to claim. In 2014, the writer whose works were once denounced as profane and even self-hating was honored by one of American Jewrys sacred citadels when the Jewish Theological Seminary, Conservative Judaisms flagship educational institution, awarded Roth an honorary doctorate at its commencement ceremony. From enfant terrible to elder statesman. Time heals all wounds, Rabbi David Wolpe of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles remarked to JTA via email at the time. In 2012, Roth announced that he would not be writing more books. In 2014, he declared after a reading at New Yorks 92nd Street Y that he was done with public appearances. The seminarys chancellor, Arnold Eisen, himself a sociologist, called Roth the greatest sociologist on American Jewish life, without doubt. In an interview, Eisen noted his admiration for the Roth novels that examined the relationship between Israel and the Diaspora, such as The Counterlife and Operation Shylock, as well as works that explored the American scene, like The Human Stain and American Pastoral. We are a community that treasures someone who holds up such a penetrating and insightful mirror to who we are and reveals the dilemmas and contradictions and aspirations of the community, Eisen said. We are grateful for the mirror even if not everything you see in it is easy. Many Jewish leaders in the 1950s and 1960s found it hard to embrace Roth, who had emerged from his cherished Jewish Weequahic neighborhood of Newark, New Jersey, to wide acclaim with his first novella and short story collection, Goodbye, Columbus. Although Goodbye, Columbus won the National Book Award, older Jewish leaders objected to its portrayal of a conflict between a stuck-up, well-to-do Jewish family in New Jersey and a young working-class Jewish man from Newark. A short story in the collection, Defender of the Faith, was about a Jewish army officers conflict with Jewish soldiers trying to avoid combat duty. Jewish leaders outrage at Roth peaked a decade later with Portnoys Complaint and its exploration of lustful Jewish paranoiaincluding a scene where the protagonist pleasures himself with a piece of liver. What is being done to silence this man? an American rabbi asked in a 1963 letter to the Anti-Defamation League. In one notorious incident, Roth was shaken by a hostile reception he received at a 1962 literary symposium at New Yorks Yeshiva University. Recalling being shouted at by hostile students after the event, Roth vowed to never write about Jews againa promise, of course, that he did not keep. There is a certain amount of poetic justice, an aesthetically satisfying irony, in Philip Roths beginning his career with a brouhaha at Yeshiva University and ending it with an honorary doctorate from the Jewish Theological Seminaryan honor perhaps more significant than the Nobel Prize that eludes him, Michael Kramer, associate professor of literature at Israels Bar-Ilan University, wrote in an email to JTA in 2014. Would Roth himself have imagined such a plot? His endings tend to the tragic. The president of the Philip Roth Society, Aimee Pozorski, once said of Roth, From the very beginning of his career, he has been deeply invested in representing the lives and fates of Jewish youth. Roth, however, often demurred when it was suggested that he should be defined as an American Jewish writer. I did not want to, did not intend to, and was not able to speak for American Jews; I surely did not deny, and no one questioned the fact, that I spoke to them, and I hope to others as well, Roth wrote in his essay Writing About Jews. Roth was also criticized by some as a misogynist, owing to his frequent portrayals of women as sex objects (the protagonists romantic partners in Portnoys Complaint, for example, all have derisive nicknames) and allegations about his behavior in his personal relationships with women. Nevertheless, appreciation abounded for Roths contributions to the Jewish world, including his championing of writers from Eastern Europe. If the Western world views itself through the lens of the modern Jewish experience, it is in large measure due to the novels, novellas and short stories of Philip Roth, wrote David Roskies, a JTS Jewish literature professor, in a note to the class of 2014. He added that Roth has done more than anyone to further the literary exploration of the Holocaust, in his own writings, and by promoting great works and writers throughout the world. Beth Kissileff contributed to this article. (JNS)-The transfer of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on May 14 has spurred interest from several countries considering similar moves. Guatemala followed suit just two days later on May 16, and Paraguay and reportedly Honduras are planning to join their lead. The Czech Republic may break with European Union policy and relocate its embassy to the capital city as well. In late April, Czech President Milos Zeman announced a "three stage" plan to relocate the country's embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. "There will be, I hope, three phases of removal of the Czech embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem," Zeman said at an event honoring Israel's 70th Independence Day at Prague Castle. "The second phase, well, we have many, many institutions: Czech Invest, Czech Trade, Czech Tourism, Czech Center. And all those institutions are to be transferred from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem," he said. However, Zeman did not clarify firm plans on the embassy move, and has only announced the reopening of an honorary Czech consulate in Jerusalem and a Czech cultural center in the city. At the same time, the Czech Foreign Ministry later downplayed Zeman's intentions on the embassy move. "The Czech Republic fully respects common policy of the European Union, which considers Jerusalem as the future capital of both the State of Israel and the future State of Palestine," the Czech foreign ministry said. Nevertheless, the strong stance by Zeman comes at a time when Israel is facing growing hostility in the European Union on a number of fronts-ranging from its policies towards the Palestinians, opposition to the Iran nuclear deal and now the Jerusalem issue. Given all this, why is the Czech Republic seemingly so friendly towards Israel, while much of the rest of Europe, in particular Western Europe, is moving in a different direction? 'Israel faces a similar experience' Benjamin Weinthal, a German-based research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told JNS that the experiences of the 20th century under Nazism and communism for the Czech people may have shaped their current bond with the Jewish state. "I strongly suspect the betrayal the Czech people experienced by the European powers in 1938, when their country was absorbed by the Hitler movement to bring about a phony peace process, has contributed to a joint sense of bonding with the Jewish people," he said. Indeed, the Czechs also played a major role in the helping Israel fight for its independence in 1948. Then known as Czechoslovakia, its government provided Israel with vital deliveries of weapons, including vital arms and even several Avia S-199 fighter planes, to secure their victory over the Arab states. Weinthal noted that "the Czech nation has been surrounded by enemy nations-whether the former Soviet Union or Nazi Germany-and Israel faces a similar experience today with the U.S.- and E.U.-designated terrorist entity Hamas attacking Israel from the south, and the Iran/Syrian/Hezbollah alliance launching attacks on Israel from its northern border." An increase in business and investment ties Recent years have seen an erosion in support for Israel among many of its traditional allies in Europe, such as Britain, France and Germany. Growing Muslim minorities in these countries-coupled with many active, far-left pro-BDS groups and traditional far-right anti-Semitism-has led to a rise in anti-Israel/anti-Semitic incidents and attacks in recent years. However, the situation in Central and Eastern Europe is starkly different. While the small Jewish communities remaining in these countries do face threats from far-right nationalist groups, many also see Israel, with its robust high-tech economy and stance against radical Islam, as a strategic ally. Speaking of the Czech Republic, Amos Uzan, CEO of Conbiz-a Prague-based business-consulting company specializing in the Israeli and Czech Republic market-told JNS: "You would find hardly any other country in Europe where you can feel more pride as a Jew and as an Israeli. The cooperation on all levels is excellent." Uzan said his company has seen a strong increase in demand for investment from Israelis interested in real estate or other fields in the Czech Republic. "They feel safe in Prague, and they are happy to give back to the Czechs that like and support Israel so much." "It would be great to have a strong research-and-development triangle of U.S., Israel and Czech Republic," he continued. "Government to government meetings are useful, but many good projects are underestimated and not open enough." One such example is the Gesher-Most program, which fosters international cooperation between Czech and Israeli enterprises in applied research and experimental development. "Very positive is the free-visa exchange of youth people between the two countries," noted Uzan. "They are the future." Weinthal concurred, saying that Czech-Israeli relations "are solid on many fronts." As he went on to describe, "the most recent example of robust Israeli-Czech relations was the decision of the Czech government to block an anti-Israel resolution condemning the U.S. relocation of its embassy to Jerusalem," referring to a move by the Czechs, Hungary and Romania to block a E.U. statement slamming the U.S. embassy move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. "The Czech Republic has protested against the planned statement," Jiri Ovcacek, spokesman for Czech President Milos Zeman, told AFP last Saturday. "Israel and the U.S. are key allies for the Czech Republic," said Ovcacek. "Seventy years ago, Czechoslovakia helped Israel in its struggle for independence, and 100 years ago, the U.S. helped Czechoslovakia emerge" as a state. A key litmus test In 2016, the Czech parliament also passed a resolution urging the government to not implement the E.U. decision to labelling goods from settlements in Judea and Samaria. More recently, in late April, the Czech-based Aero Vodochody and Israel Aerospace Industries signed a major partnership agreement to develop and market an advanced version of the L-159 trainer and light attack aircraft. The Czech Republic has dedicated some $7.1 billion over the next 10 years to upgrade its armed forces, sending a military attache for defense industries to Israel in charge of research, development and purchasing. Nevertheless, the Czech Republic has taken some steps that might be problematic for its relations with Israel, including backing the E.U. position on the Iran nuclear agreement. "The Czech Republic, as it has done in the past, will seek to continue to revive business relations with Iran-the top state-sponsor of terrorism. Iran's state-controlled media reported in April that the Czech Chamber of Commerce has implemented a plan two years ago called 'Towards Iran,' " said Weinthal. While for the time being it remains unclear whether or not the Czech government will follow through with its promise to relocate its embassy, Weinthal sees it as vital measure for its ongoing relationship with the Jewish state. Along with the nuclear deal, he said, "the relocation of the Czech embassy to Jerusalem will be a litmus test of Czech-Israeli relations." The Boynton Lions Club honors Boynton Elementary graduates who exemplify the spirit and character of Catoosa County war hero Major Thomas Duckett. Mr. Duckett was reported MIA, missing in action, during the Vietnam War when his fighter jet was shot down. Mr. Duckett graduated from Boynton Elementary and Ringgold High School. Lions Club past president Randall Franks presented the 2018 awards including $100 to Boynton graduates Charlie Byrd and Reese Abercrombie recently. The Boynton Lions Club meets the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of Boynton United Methodist Church. WASHINGTON (JTA)-Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D- Calif., said she was "deeply disappointed" in Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, for stopping the U.N. Security Council from investigating Israeli actions on the border with the Gaza Strip. "I'm deeply disappointed in Ambassador Haley's decision to block a U.N. inquiry into yesterday's events," Feinstein, who is Jewish, said Tuesday in a statement. "Without question there should be an independent investigation when the lives of so many are lost." Israeli troops killed some 60 Palestinians attempting to breach the fence between Gaza and Israel on Monday, the same day that the United States dedicated its new embassy in Jerusalem. The protests at the fence have been held weekly for close to two months, but intensified on the day of the embassy opening, leading to condemnations worldwide of Israel and the United States. Haley used the threat of the U.S. veto on the Security Council to block proposals for an inquiry and berated the council for even considering the issue. "I ask my colleagues here in the Security Council, who among us would accept this type of activity on your border?" Haley said. "No one would," she said. "No country in this chamber would act with more restraint than Israel has. In fact, the records of several countries here today suggest they would be much less restrained." Haley said that those who blame the embassy opening for the Gaza violence are "sorely mistaken." "The violence comes from those who reject the existence of the state of Israel in any location," she said. "Such a motivation-the destruction of a United Nations Member State-is so illegitimate as to not be worth our time in the Security Council, other than the time it takes to denounce it." Feinstein called on protesters to "remain peaceful," but appeared to lay much of the blame on the embassy opening and what she suggested was a lack of restraint by Israel. "While protests must remain peaceful, Israeli forces must exercise greater restraint in the use of live ammunition," she said. "President Trump's decision to move the U.S embassy was a serious mistake that will reverberate throughout the region. U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital should have been resolved in the context of broader peace negotiations where both sides benefit." Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in a video posted on social media, also juxtaposed the embassy opening with the violence on the Gaza border. "The embassy move brought tensions to a boiling point," the Sanders video said. The video described the protests as "demanding an end to the ten-year blockade" Israel imposed on the Strip after a season of intensive rocket fire on Israel, "an end to the occupation, and the right to return to their former homes inside Israel." Sanders, who in 2016 challenged Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, is the first Jewish candidate to win major-party nominating contests. "Young American Jewish activists protested the embassy move," the video said, running footage of an IfNotNow protest in Washington DC on Monday. The video said that Sanders and another 12 Democratic senators, including Feinstein, have written to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging him to take steps to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza. IAF commander Maj.-Gen. Amikam Norkin (center) holding a press conference on Wednesday with Lt. Gen. Enzo Vecciarelli, Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force (r) and Air Marshal Stuart Atha, Deputy Commander of Britain's Royal Air Force (l) at Tel Nof Air Force Base. (JNS)-Some 50 percent of air-defense batteries belonging to the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad have been destroyed after they fired on Israel Air Force jets in recent months during multiple operations, a senior air-force source said on Wednesday. The officer was speaking to reporters during an international air conference hosted in Israel, which brought together commanders from 20 foreign air-force establishments to discuss professional and operational matters with the IAF. Participants included the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Poland, Italy, Brazil, Greece and Romania. "The risks are all around us-whether it is instability in Syria or in Lebanon, where Hezbollah is a forward [Iranian] division, or Hamas, which gets its support from Iran. Iran is all over, offensively trying to operate against Israel, and we have to weigh and asses the risks constantly as we operate against this aggression," the senior source stated. He described Syria as having the most heavily guarded airspace in the world, with the highest number of surface-to-air missile batteries of all kinds scanning the skies. "And we still have to operate in this strategic arena and still hit targets, and maintain the IAF's air superiority, which is the biggest challenge of the air force," added the officer. In recent months, during a number of Israeli airstrikes against aggressive Iranian activity in Syria between February and May, Syrian air-defense systems fired on Israeli jets "hundreds of times," the source revealed. "In a single mission, they fired over 100 SAMS [surface-to-air missiles]," he said, referring to the May 10 Israeli operation to strike 50 Iranian targets across Syria in retaliation to Iranian rocket fire on the Golan Heights. "All of the batteries that fired on the IAF were destroyed. All of them. And this policy will continue. We do not destroy batteries that do not fire on us," said the source. During the conference on Wednesday, IAF Commander Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin held a joint press appearance with counterparts from Italy and the United Kingdom at Tel Nof air base, south of Tel Aviv. "This [conference] is a part of our cooperation," said Norkin. "We share operational knowledge, training knowledge, and we talk about how get air superiority as a means to regional stability." Lt. Gen. Enzo Vecciarelli, Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force, said holding a dialogue with the IAF was valuable for his personnel. "We appreciate flying together. We enjoy the beauty of your country and the quality of this training machine," he added. Air Marshal Stuart Atha, Deputy Commander of Britain's Royal Air Force, said: "There is no air force with a prouder history than the IAF. This is also an opportunity to celebrate and recognize what we are doing, day to day, as air forces. And, more importantly, to look to the future-at how as air forces we can continue to work together." 'Iran has its owns aspirations as a regional player' According to the senior IAF source, "the fight to maintain air superiority is ongoing. We take risks to achieve our missions, and sometimes we pay the price. We understand the strategic context in which we live in, and we learn from our mistakes." He described the IAF's missions of policing the region against the Iranian military buildup, and enforcing Israel's red lines as requiring "complexity, sensitivity, professionalism and determination." "This active defense campaign... is something we are doing because we have to be actively defending the State of Israel. It requires us to continually monitor and assess the risks in one of the most dangerous and sensitive places in the world. Why is it so dangerous? Every time you operate, there are operational risks. You can hit stuff you did not want to hit or personnel you did not want to hit. We are only trying to prevent offensive measures that are conducted by Iran." The source said it was too soon to know how Iran would respond to recent dramatic events in the Middle East, including the mass Israeli strike on its targets in Syria, America's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and other regional developments, such as election results in Iraq. "Iran needs to work things out with the world, not just with Israel. We are high on the list, but we are not the only one. Iran has its own aspirations as a regional player. It is expanding its physical forces around the region when its economy is crumbling. Does it make sense? Not to me, but that is its long-range decision," said the officer. In confronting Israel directly in Syria, Iran did "not weigh the risks in the right way," he continued. "I dare say, I think they will change their strategic decisions. It might take six months or a year... everything happening together is pushing Iran back. If I stand in Iran, that's what I see. I have a feeling they are going to change. The question is: Which way? That, I do not know." When operating over Gaza, the IAF has developed singular "tunnel-busting" techniques, the source said, without providing further details. Meanwhile, the F-35, which entered service in the IAF last year, is proving itself as a game-changing platform in Israel's ongoing missions. "The F-35 is really a remarkable platform... It has many sensors on it which are very important to conducting missions," said the source, especially in areas with dense air defenses. "The first thing it brings is situational awareness." "The challenges around us are keeping the small F-35 squadron on their toes. They have to move fast," said the source. Israel has received nine F-35s so far, and is due to receive a total of 50-two squadrons-in the coming years. "Our operational temp is very high. It is very hard to explain how intense it is, and how unique our air personnel are when they conduct their operations. They need to understand exactly what is going on, and who is shooting at them," he stated. Throughout this complex era, Israel and Russia have succeeded in avoiding unintended clashes. "The Russians know very well that the IDF hasn't come to attack Russia," said the source. At the same time, the arrival of advanced Russian radars in the region means that the IAF has to work harder to remain out of sight. The IAF has learned to fly in "a way, that we won't be noticed," he said. These conditions have "actually made us better... Things have developed much faster than we thought they would have." It is that time of year once again when Heritage Florida Jewish News is putting out feelers for one outstanding person in the Jewish community who has given his or her time or talent or monetary gifts to better the Orlando Jewish community. Nominations for the 2018 Heritage Human Service Award are now being accepted and the award will be presented at the annual meeting of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando on Aug. 7. For more than 28 years, individuals who have made major, voluntary contributions of their talent, time, energy and effort to the Central Florida community have been honored with the selection and presentation of this award, said Jeff Gaeser, editor and publisher of the Heritage. Last years recipient was Sara Stern. Former recipients have included Bernie Raff (2015), Loren London (2014), and Nina Oppenheim (2013). According to Gaeser, Each recipient chose their own path, but made considerable and long-lasting contributions to the Jewish community. Nominees for the 2018 award are individuals who do not look for recognition, but perform tikun olanrepairing the worldout of internal motivation. Nominations should be emailed to news@orlandoheritage.com with the subject Human Service Award, or typed on 8 1/2 x 11 paper and sent by mail to Heritage Florida Jewish News, Human Service Award, 207 OBrien Road, Suite 101, Fern Park, FL 32730. Included should be the name and phone number of the nominee, a documented list of his or her accomplishments, and the name and phone number of the nominator(s). The Heritage is accepting nominations until Friday, June 8. On May 22, the Orange County commissioners approved $1.2 million in tourist-tax grants that were recommended by Orange County's Arts & Cultural Affairs Advisory Council, to the Orlando Science Center, the Orlando Ballet and the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center. The Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida received $500,000 to help with the costs of the first phase of renovations, which is estimated to cost $1 million. "We are honored to have the support of the Orange County Board of County Commissioners and sincerely appreciate its approval of our $500,000 Cultural Facilities grant for the Planning and Design phase of our new Holocaust Museum for Hope & Humanity," said Pam Kancher, executive director of the Center. "Thirty-five years ago," she continued, "Tess Wise set our Holocaust Center's course by developing an innovative and visionary mission of 'using the history and lessons of the Holocaust to build a more inclusive community free of anti-Semitism and all forms of hatred and prejudice.' Our new museum will stand as a beacon of light and an emblem of our community's commitment to respecting all people from all backgrounds." The museum needs to raise about $25 million in order to move and renovate, adding 30,000 square feet. So far, according to Ellen Lang, Holocaust Center Board president and daughter of founder, Tess Wise, approximately $2.5 million has been committed. Early in May the Holocaust Center revealed its new look-to-be, as well as changing its name to The Holocaust Museum for Hope and Humanity. Designed by award-winning architect Maurizio Maso, AIA, vice president and design principal at HuntonBrady Architects, the renderings are expected to help bring to life the dream of expanding the Center's size and impact. Maso is the design architect behind many notable Florida buildings, including the University of Central Florida College of Medicine, Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences, the Mennello Museum Expansion, and Seminole State College Center at Heathrow to name just a few. He is the recipient of the 2006 State of Florida AIA Design Honor Award for his consistent design excellence in architectural practice, the 2012 AIA Orlando Medal of Honor award and in 2008 he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Florida. "Maurizio is an artist; he clearly understands the dynamics of such an important project. We are grateful for his vision and his sensitivity regarding the building," said Kancher. It is estimated that in two to five years the new Holocaust Museum for Hope & Humanity will move to its new location at 75 S. Ivanhoe Street in Orlando. The Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Orlando is holding its meeting at the Roth Jewish Community Center Senior Lounge in Maitland, on Tuesday, June 5 at 7 p.m. Three presentations will summarize Y-DNA, mtDNA and autosomal DNA, their strengths and pitfalls. These will be followed by an open forum taking questions from attendees submitted in advance or from the floor. Panel members are Elaine Hatfield Powell, Barry Sieger, Diane Jacobs, and Chuck Goehring. Powell is president of the Central Florida Genealogical Society. She has been a genealogist for over 30 years. She started the Hatfield Y-DNA Project in 2002 and is the Administrator of both the Hatfield and Hobday Y-DNA Projects. She has used autosomal, mtDNA, and Y-DNA test results to solve genealogical puzzles in her own family. Sieger, a retired physician, is the JGSGO webmaster. He has been actively doing his genealogy for about 20 years, focusing the past 2 years on using DNA to enhance ones research. Through his research, he met his cousin, the late world-famous actor Leonard Nimoy, and has found much of his fascinating family history. Jacobs, a retired professor, has been engaged in genealogy research for 20 years. She was co-chair of the 2017 Conference of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies, held in Orlando, and is the current president of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Central Florida. Goehring, a longtime member of the Central Florida Genealogical Society, is experienced in using chromosome browsers to analyze individual autosomal DNA results. JGSGO is pleased to welcome the Central Florida Genealogical Society and recognize their participation on the panel. This event is open to public; free to members of JGSGO and CFGS; $5 for non-members, which can be applied to dues. Before the program, starting at 6:30 p.m., is a good time to network with fellow genealogists, make new friends, and/or receive assistance from a Jewish genealogy expert. The program will be live-streamed on go-to-webinar for members who cant be present and who register in advance. Important note: bring your laptop, tablet, or smart phone to use in your research. Wi- Fi will be available. Registration is required for either in-person or online participation at http://jgsgo.org/programs-jgsgo. (JNS)Knesset Christian Allies Caucus held an event in the Knessets Jerusalem Hall on Wednesday, celebrating both the U.S. and Guatemalan embassy moves from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Members of Israels parliament and Christian leaders gathered to talk about their commonalities, shared support and the future of the Jewish state. The KCAC works to build direct lines of communication, cooperation and coordination, between the Knesset and Christian leaders around the world. The Israeli branch of KCAC has 19 members of Knesset from seven political parties, with 38 Israel Allies Caucuses in governments around the world. Josh Reinstein, director of KCAC, called the embassy move the greatest thing to happen in Israel since 1967, and noted when people take their biblical faith and take it into political action, there is nothing we cannot accomplish. Alan Clemmons, a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, praised the unity between Israeli members of Knesset, stating, It is not lost on me that we have so many members from so many political parties. Unfortunately, in the United States, we were not able to get that unity. But within the Christian community, there is no division. He told JNS that the embassy move sharpens the relationship between Israel and the United States in what was already a very close relationship, and maintained that the theme of kept campaign promises, including leaving the Iran nuclear deal, will have as much or more impact on Israel as the event that we are here to celebrate. Congressman Juan Manuel Diaz Duran, chairman of the Guatemalan Israel Allies Caucus, stated that throughout history, Israel and Guatemala have been very good friends. And I dont know any country that loves the State of Israel more than Guatemala. The love that Guatemala has for Israel has no conditions. He said, All the Guatemalan people, we are very grateful that we are the ones that were able to see the light from Israel. Yesterday was the United States; today is Guatemala; tomorrow will Paraguay; and very soon, Honduras and others. MK Yehuda Glick (Likud) voiced his belief that the only rational explanation for the event is that this is the hand of G-d, and while non-believers may say it is coincidence, you need a lot of faith to be an atheist. He hypothesized that even West[ern] Europe will join, and we are going to celebrate much sooner than you expect the opening of the Iranian embassy in Israel! America is great. Israel is greater. But G-d is greatest, continued Glick. MK Michael Oren (Kulanu) said, Christian Allies is becoming redundant. He maintained, The fact that [U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations] Nikki Haley stood up in that [U.N.] Security Council and would not let this world body gang up on Israel is a way of saying America is back, and America will not let its friends get beat up. MK Robert Ilatov (Yisrael Beiteinu), chairman of KCAC, stated that 3,000 years ago, we made this bold decision to move our capital to Jerusalem, and we have never changed that. He thanked U.S. President Donald Trump and Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales, who withstood all of the pressure from within his country and without to move the embassy to Jerusalem. MK Oded Ferer (Yisrael Beiteinu) thanked those around the world who helped make the embassy move occur, stating we are in very special times. He voiced his hope that next year we will celebrate the opening of many more embassies in Jerusalem. MK Anat Berko (Likud) told the audience, We are not going to apologize as Jews for being alive and for living here. By denying our connection to Jerusalem is also denying Christianity. MK Mickey Levy (Yesh Atid), former deputy finance minister and Jerusalem commander during the Second Intifada, praised Israel for developing a world-class health-care system, technology sector and military in just 70 years since returning to the Land of Israel. MK Merav Ben Ari (Kulanu) praised Guatemalans and welcomed other South American nations to follow in its footsteps, maintaining, You are the great heroes of today. You did an amazing step to acknowledge Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Israel. To be the first state in Central and South America is amazing. Daniel Williams, executive director of the Israel Allies Foundation, which works with Congress and parliaments around the world to mobilize political support for Israel based on Judeo-Christian values, maintained, I have never seen Israelis smile as much as they have the last couple of days. He urged the continuation of prayers for Jerusalem, saying we are commanded to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Prayer changes things. It changes the course of action, but it also changes us. Williams acknowledged being overwhelmed at the weight of this moment. We are literally standing in a miracle. We are standing in the middle of thousands of prayers around the world for thousands of years that this will be established as the capital of the Jewish people. Michelle Bachmann, a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives for the state of Minnesota, said, I cried during, before and after the ceremony to know that this was divine. She claimed, This is the golden time for Israel, and for Jerusalem. Israel is in a position of strength globally, and posited we will see even more strength come out. Since 2014, Orlando has been excluded from the list of cities that receive federal funding for security protection against terrorism-even after the Pulse Night Club terror attack and the numerous Jewish day school and JCC bomb threats. That has now changed with the Department of Homeland Security's Urban Area Security Initiative grant for the fiscal year 2018. Orlando nonprofits can now apply for security grants through the $50 million program, in addition to $1.5 million in guaranteed funds for Orlando-area law enforcement. Ben Friedman, director of community relations at the Jewish Federation, said our local members of Congress-Rep. Val Demings, Rep. Stephanie Murphy and Rep. Darren Soto-should be thanked for helping to secure Orlando's spot on the list of eligible cities. The three representatives spent months pushing the Department of Homeland Security to include Orlando in its grant program. "Protecting our families and communities must always be a top priority," said Congresswoman Murphy in a press release. "As one of the nation's most popular destinations, Orlando needs and deserves federal support to keep residents and visitors safe." Orlando is now one of only 32 metro areas in the country to qualify, joining Tampa and Miami, which have already been on the list in previous years. "These federal funds are critical to strengthen public safety in Central Florida," said Congressman Soto. What does this mean for the Jewish community? "Nonprofits (including Jewish agencies and synagogues) in our community can now apply for security grants through this program," explained Friedman, in emails sent by the Jewish Federation to Jewish agencies and synagogues in Central Florida. "Each individual organization may apply for up to $150,000 in total grant funding, as long as the requests are all security-related." The emails also explained the procedure and deadline to apply for a grant, as well as the details about what expenses qualify. The Federation has already put a lot of money into improving campus security in Maitland over the last few years, and unfortunately, these new grants cannot be used to pay for previous upgrades. There's plenty more to be done, however, and the Federation is hopeful to receive some of the grant money to reduce the security costs, which have long plagued the Jewish community. "The grants are very competitive, and we're lucky to have such dedicated members of Congress from our community. The same representatives who worked tirelessly to get Orlando area nonprofits eligible for these grants have already offered to help with the approval process. We can't thank Reps. Demings, Murphy and Soto enough," said Friedman. Rep. Stephanie Murphy The UASI funds are not to be confused with the Florida state budget for day school security. This past March, Gov. Rick Scott visited Orlando Torah Academy and announced that $2 million has been allocated in the 2018-2019 State budget for Jewish day schools throughout the state. Gov. Scott first announced his support for state funding last October on a visit to the Jewish Academy of Orlando. This funding will go into effect on July 1, the beginning of the new fiscal year. All nonprofits in Central Florida can apply for funds, not just the schools. The funding is to be used for security against terrorism, including equipment, security cameras, impact windows, training programs, and monies to pay first responders, as well as other security measures. Paraguay made history on Monday when it moved its embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, just days after the US and Guatemala made the same move. Paraguay's President Horacio Cartes, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and several heads of state from both countries were present at the momentous ceremony. At the ceremony, Netanyahu lauded Cartes as "a great friend of Israel and a great personal friend of mine. You're an unbelievable friend, and I have to say that this represents the friendship between our countries but you gave it personal expression." "[Today is a] great day for Israel, a great day for Paraguay, a great day for our friendship," Netanyahu declared. "You've done much for your country, and now you're doing something for both our countries," he added. Netanyahu also praised Paraguay's decades-long support of the Jewish people, including helping Jews escape Nazi Germany, Paraguay's support of the creation of the State of Israel and its recognition of the State of Israel in the United Nations. "This occasion is of special significance because it expresses the sincere friendship and brave solidarity between Paraguay and Israel," Cartes stated during the inauguration ceremony. "From the depth of my heart, I appreciate this country that courageously defends its right to live in peace and is building a praiseworthy, economically prosperous state that ensures its future and that of its children," he added. In addition to the US, Guatemala and Paraguay, a number of other countries have expressed interest in moving their embassies in Israel to Jerusalem, among them Honduras, the Czech Republic and Romania. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (l) sits alongside Steve Israel, a former Democrat member of Congress from Long Island, N.Y., and New York Sen. Chuck Schumer (r) on Capitol Hill in 2015. (JNS)-A great deal of ink has been spilled writing about the growing partisan divide in Washington, D.C. In fact, one of the few remaining bipartisan issues has been support for Israel. But even so, a recent Pew Research Center survey found that only 27 percent of Democrats sympathize with Israel over the situation regarding the Palestinians, compared to a whopping 79 percent of Republicans. The dichotomy was on full display this week in reaction to the opening of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem and two days of consecutive violence in the Gaza Strip, which led to 62 Palestinian deaths and as many as 2,000 others wounded. A number of Democratic legislators blamed both the Trump administration and Israel for the violence. The most critical among them was Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is considered to be the de facto leader of the grassroots activist movement among elected liberals. Sanders, who is Jewish, was outspoken in his criticism of Israel's actions, strongly condemning the actions of the Israel Defense Forces to the tens of thousands of rioters massed at the Gaza border with Israel. Sanders, along with 12 of his Democratic Senate colleagues, also sent a letter to U. S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging the United States to "do more to alleviate the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip." "The political and security challenges in Gaza are formidable, but support for the basic human rights of its people must not be conditioned on progress on those fronts," said the letter signed by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Thomas Carper (D-Del.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Edward Markey (D-Mass.). The senators also called on the administration led by U.S. President Donald Trump to restore funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, known more commonly as UNRWA. Representing this growing divide, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) was one of the few Democrats to endorse the embassy move earlier in the week. "I introduced legislation in 1995 that said we should move the embassy. Every country should have a right to choose its capital. There's been a tragic loss of life and violence and both sides should aim to stop the violence," Schumer, who is Jewish, said in a statement provided to JNS. Group of 10 expresses 'deep concern' Among the rest of the Democratic caucus in the Senate, reactions ranged from concern over the Gaza situation to full on condemnation of Israel's use of lethal force. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who is up for re-election this year and rumored to run in the 2020 presidential elections, expressed strong concern over the escalating situation in Gaza, through stopped short of condemning Israel. "I am deeply concerned about the escalating deaths and injuries in Gaza. Israel has a right to defend itself from violence by Hamas, but it must exercise restraint against Palestinian civilians and peaceful protesters," she said. Similarly, Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who like Schumer did vote for the 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Act, condemned the U.S. embassy move for fueling the violence, slammed the Trump administration for blocking a U.N. investigation into the Gaza deaths and also called for Israel to show restraint. "While protests must remain peaceful, Israeli forces must exercise greater restraint in the use of live ammunition," said Feinstein, who is also Jewish. "President Trump's decision to move the U.S. embassy was a serious mistake that will reverberate throughout the region." Meanwhile, in the House of Representative, a group of 10 Democrats, many who have received funds from J Street's political-action committee, expressed "deep concern" over the violence and loss of life at the Gaza border. "As strong supporters of Israel and advocates for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, we respect Israel's right to defend itself. However, short of a threat to human life, we call on the Israeli Defense Forces to immediately stop using deadly force against unarmed protestors," said the group, which included John Yarmuth (D-Ky.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), David Price (D-N.C.), Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Steven Cohen (D-Tenn.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.) Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) and Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.). Among the emerging stars of the Democratic Party in the House, such Massachusetts Reps. Seth Moulton and Joe Kennedy, came no endorsement of the embassy move; however, neither criticized Israel's actions in Gaza. "In going against the advice of national-security experts, President Trump has driven Israel and Palestine further apart, and made the world less safe," Moulton told JNS. Moulton added that "dozens have lost their lives as a direct result of this decision, and the path to a two-state solution seems murky at best. The United States now has an obligation to work harder than ever to repair what is broken and bring willing partners to negotiate a lasting peace." Kennedy's communications director Dan Black told JNS that "Congressman Kennedy urges Israel and Palestine to bring an end to the escalating violence along the Gaza border." Yet Kennedy also later said in a statement, "While Israel has every right to defend her borders, the excessive use of lethal force-combined with abhorrent incitement and instigation by Hamas-has taken too many innocent lives. This must end." The Massachusetts congressman continued, saying "neither is the United States blameless. Our embassy in Israel ultimately belongs in Jerusalem. But the Trump administration's hasty relocation was certain to spark anger, violence and unrest. Nonetheless, they barreled forward with no effort to mitigate this risk and no strategy to help facilitate the peace this region deserves." Is an activist element turning against Israel? As the 2018 midterm elections approach, many within the Democratic Party believe that they have a strong opportunity to take back control of the House and possibly the Senate. Driving much of this Democratic enthusiasm is an activist liberal base that has become strongly opposed to Trump and Republican control of Congress. "Democrats are increasingly viewing Israel through the lens of American partisan politics, rather than judging Israel by an independent standard," Michael Koplow, director of the Israeli Policy Forum, told JNS. Like the Republican Party faced with Tea Party activists several years ago, Democrats are increasingly vexed about certain grassroots leanings within its base. This was on display in congressional primaries across four states this week, when several very liberal candidates defeated party moderates, which some Democratic strategists worry may thwart their hopes of winning back the House in the November mid-term elections. And, of course, they worry how this liberal element will affect support for Israel? Koplow noted a marked swing within the Democratic Party, especially at the grassroots level, in recent years towards a more critical stance on Israel. "There is no question that there is a shift within the Democratic Party, which can be observed both anecdotally and in polling data. I think it is largely being driven by Democratic voters who are responding not only to Israeli actions that they view as incompatible with liberal values, but also by the close embrace of President Trump by the Israeli government," said Koplow. He noted that the main question is "whether this shift is a permanent one and how far it will go, and my hunch is that it is more a response to domestic politics here than an ideological shift on Israel writ large." That shift was on display among Democrats during the 2016 Democratic presidential primary between Sanders and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Sanders, who gained a strong following among young voters and party activists, inserted more pro-Palestinian language into the Democratic Party's platform ahead of its convention. This language called for a Palestinian state with "independence, sovereignty and dignity." A plank also pushed by Sanders supporters calling for an "end to the occupation and illegal settlements" was only narrowly defeated by Clinton loyalists in a committee. More recently, liberal movements such as Black Lives Matter and the Women's March, which have been embraced by some leading Democratic figures, such as Warren and Kennedy, have also been highly critical of Israel and Jewish groups. Koplow countered that while these groups remain critical of the Jewish state, their main concerns center on domestic issues. "I think that there are indeed grassroots Democrats who are far more critical of Israel than previous generations of Democratic activists, but for many of them, Israel is ancillary to more pressing concerns at home," said Koplow. Amid the celebrations in Jerusalem this past week over the embassy opening, Republicans criticized Democrats for not making the trip to Jerusalem. "I don't know why the Democrats will not be here, chose not to come. Every member of Congress had the option before them to come and be here. There was no way on earth we could have inaugurated this embassy without my being here to celebrate it. It's too important," said Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said on Monday from Jerusalem. Similarly, Democrats were also absent from a celebration marking the Jewish state's 70th anniversary held at the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. Moving forward, Koplow believes that there will likely continue to be divergent views of Israel among Democrats, as seen in the contrasting statements on Gaza, though that's unlikely to correlate into a major shift towards an anti-Israel stance. "I do not envision a scenario in which a majority of Democrats embrace the anti-Israel positions that characterize some of the left-leaning political parties in Europe, but there is going to be louder and more sustained criticism of certain Israeli actions and Israel's positions toward the Palestinians," he stated. Look, explained Koplow, "There are groups within the Democratic coalition that are hyper-critical of Israel-to the point of being anti-Zionist. That is always going to be a fact of life, much like there are going to be Republicans on the extremes who espouse anti-Semitic views. The question is how much power these groups will have over Democratic politics, and more importantly, over Democratic foreign-policy positions." Philip Roth wont be having a Jewish funeral NEW YORK (JTA)Philip Roth forbade any Jewish rituals from being performed at his funeral. The prolific Jewish-American author, who died on Tuesday at the age of 85, will be buried on Monday at the Bard College Cemetery, his biographer, Blake Bailey, told JTA. Roth had originally looked into being buried next to his parents at the Gomel Chesed Cemetery in Newark, New Jersey, Bailey said in a phone interview on Friday. However, the area surrounding the Jewish burial ground had in recent years become rife with crime, and Roth was unable to find a plot next to his parents, Bailey said. Instead Roth decided about 10-15 years ago to be buried at the Bard College Cemetery, where he could be near his friend Norman Manea, a Romanian-Jewish author who works as a professor at the college, Bailey said. Roth was also friends with Bard College President Leon Botstein, who is also Jewish. He said he wants to be buried near Jews so he has someone to talk to, Bailey said. Jewish author and philosopher Hannah Arendt is also buried in the Bard College Cemetery, next to her husband Heinrich Blucher. Roth expressly forbade any religious rituals from being part of his funeral, according to Bailey. There was no metaphysical dimension to Philip. He just flatly refused to believe in it. He thought it was fairy tales, Bailey said. Though Roth was bored out of his mind when he had to attend Hebrew school as a boy, he was happy to be Jewish, Bailey said. He liked Jews as human beings. He liked their warmth, he liked his male friends filial piety, which he made a lot of fun of too, in Portnoys Complaint especially, Bailey said, referencing Roths 1969 novel that depicts the therapy sessions of a sexually frustrated Jewish man. Early in his career, Roth drew outrage from some in the Jewish community who feared his harsh portrayals of Jewish life would stoke anti-Semitism. In more recent years, however, Roth was embraced by American Jews. In 1998 he won the Jewish Book Councils Lifetime Literary Achievement Award and in 2014, the Jewish Theological Seminary, Conservative Judaisms flagship educational institution, bestowed him with an honorary doctorate. I welcomed the honor, Roth told a friend after the ceremony, suggesting that for all his aversion to religion he still felt a strong Jewish bond. Who takes Jews more seriously than the J.T.S., and what writer takes Jews more seriously than I do? Britains Prince William to make historic visit to Jerusalem in June (JTA)Prince William will come to Jerusalem at the end of June, the British royal family said, during the first visit to Israel by a senior British royal. The announcement Friday about the visit sometime between June 24 and 28 was the first confirmation that William, whose official title is the Duke of Cambridge, will visit the Israeli capital, according to a report by The Associated Press. The visit to Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authorities was announced in March, but it did not contain specific dates or mention Jerusalem. It did say that the princes visit is at the request of Her Majestys Government and has been welcomed by the Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian authorities. William will also visit Tel Aviv, according to the report Friday. In Jordan, he will go to Amman and Jerash, and in the Palestinian Authority he will visit Ramallah, the seat of the government in the West Bank Like most of the world, the United Kingdom does not formally recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital, pending the resolution of peace talks with the Palestinians, whose leaders also claim Jerusalem as the capital for their future state. The British foreign offices official map of Israel lists no capital, describing both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv as an administrative center. Unlike the March statement about Williams arrival, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office refers to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as occupied Palestinian territories, or OPT. Earlier this month, the United States, Guatemala and Paraguay moved their embassies to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv and recognized Jerusalem as Israels capital. In December, President Donald Trump made the decision to move the embassy, and the Latin American countries followed suit. The European Union, of which the United Kingdom is a founding member, has condemned the transfer as damaging to peace efforts. No senior member of the Royal House has visited Israel in their official capacity in what many observers believe is a policy adopted following the Zionist movements use of violence against British nationals when the United Kingdom ruled the Mandate on Palestinean area comprising modern-day Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority. Whereas members of the British royal family, including Queen Elizabeth, have made state visits to Kenya and other countries where acts perceived as terrorism were committed against Britain and its citizens by anti-colonialist combatants, they have stayed away from Israel in their official capacity since the country was established in 1948. In March, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said in a statement: We welcome the announcement on the arrival of Prince William to Israel. This is a historic visit, the first of its kind, and it will be greeted here with great affection. Harvey Weinstein turns himself in to face rape charges (JTA)Harvey Weinstein turned himself in to police custody in New York on rape and sexual abuse charges. The disgraced movie mogul, who is Jewish, surrendered in Manhattan on Friday on charges that he raped one woman and forced another to perform oral sex on him, the officials told The New York Times on Thursday. The charges follow an avalanche of accusations against him that following their publication in October led women around the world, some famous and many who are not, to come forward with accounts of being sexually harassed and assaulted by powerful men. Weinstein, who has denied engaging in nonconsensual sex, will be charged with first-degree rape and third-degree rape in one case, and with first-degree criminal sex act in another, law enforcement officials told The Times, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Weinstein is suing to obtain documents and files belonging to The Weinstein Co.a firm he helped establish but which dismissed him in October following the accounts of his alleged sexual exploitation of women. He said the information in the papers will help clear his name. The company has declared bankruptcy and its assets have been put on sale. Eurovision says reports of tensions over Israel serving as contest host are just speculation AMSTERDAM (JTA)Eurovision organizers have dismissed as speculation reports of political tensions over Israels hosting of the song contest next year. The organizers said this week in an email to JTA that they are finalizing the event with Israeli officials. They declined to explain why on Tuesday, they warned followers of the official Eurovision Twitter account not to book flights to Israel just yet and instead keep an eye out for announcements on our official channels. We have no more to say on the matter at this time, organizers wrote in the email in response to a question on the unusual move, which they did not make in previous years. The message touched off reports, which the organizers in the email dismissed as speculation only, of disagreements between organizers and Israeli officials over various aspects of the competition, including matters connected to the Israeli-Arab conflict. No decision on the location or dates for the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 have been taken, organizers wrote to JTA. Work has begun on agreeing the specific logistics for hosting the competition, including where and when it will take place. The final decision will be taken by the host broadcaster in conjunction with the European Broadcasting Union and its members. Israel won the 2018 contest on May 19 with the song Toy by Netta Barzilai. According to the annual competitions rules, the winning country hosts the following years contest. Israel has hosted the Eurovision contest twice before in Jerusalem, a city that most countries do not recognize as Israels capital. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Eurovision will be hosted in Jerusalem. The dozens of countries competing in the Eurovision include ones with bloody territorial disputes and alleged occupation, including Azerbaijan and Armenia, Russia and Ukraine and Turkey, Greece and Cyprus (Turkey left the European Broadcasting Union, and the competition, in 2013). The disputes seldom affect Eurovision events programming. Israeli planes strike Syrian airport manned by Hezbollah, militia says (JTA)Hezbollah said that Israeli warplanes struck a military airport in Syria manned by its fighters. Al-Akhbar, the official newspaper of the Shiite Islamist group, reported Friday that the previous nights attack near Homs occurred as Syrian anti-aircraft missiles engaged the planes launching missiles at the airport. Israeli aircraft returned fire, according to the report. Earlier this month, Israel said it struck Iranian rocket launchers in Syria after more than 20 of them were fired toward Israel. The Al-Akhbar report did not say whether anyone was killed in the strike. It said some missiles exploded at the airport. but did not specify which facilities or areas that were hit. The base is under the control of forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad, whose army has been fighting Sunni rebels since the outbreak of a civil war in 2011 that has claimed 500,000 lives. Russia in recent years joined the fight on Assads side. Iran also supports his regime and provides logistical assistance. According to the Syrian Center on Human Rights, six missiles were fired at the Edbah Airport, destroying Hezbollah weapons caches. Israel has declined to comment on the strike Thursday. Hezbollah overtook the area from Sunni rebels in 2013. Top Democrats want to know why Israeli firm was hired to spy on Obama officials WASHINGTON (JTA)The top Democrats on the House Oversight and Foreign Affairs committees want an Israeli spy firm to share data on its alleged campaign against Obama administration officials associated with the Iran nuclear deal. We are writing to request documents relating to reports that Black Cube conducted a dirty ops campaign against former Obama Administration officials Ben Rhodes and Colin Kahl at the behest of associates of President Donald Trump, said the letter sent Thursday by Reps. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, and Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., his counterpart on Foreign Affairs. If these reports are accurate, they raise grave questions about how and why a foreign entity was engaged to attempt to secretly influence the foreign policy of the United States. The letter was mostly symbolic: As the minority, Democrats do not have subpoena powers, and even with such powers, congressional authority over a foreign entity would be limited. Black Cube, a company also alleged to have tracked alleged victims of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, who was arrested Friday on rape charges, does not comment on its cases. At the time of the revelations that it was behind spying on Rhodes and Kahl, the firm said It is Black Cubes policy to never discuss its clients with any third party, and to never confirm or deny any speculation made with regard to the companys work. Separately, a spokesman told The New York Times that Black Cube has no relation whatsoever to the Trump administration, to Trump aides, to anyone close to the administration or to the Iran nuclear deal. The Guardian first reported that Trump administration officials were behind the operation to dig up negative information about Kahl and Rhodes, who were among dozens of Obama administration officials who helped shape the Iran deal, which swapped sanctions relief for a rollback in Irans nuclear program. According to that reporting, the operation supposedly was a bid to help justify Trumps decision this month to pull out of the deal. Other reporting said Black Cube was hired by an entity with commercial interests in quashing the Iran deal. Cummings and Engel, both notably pro-Israel, said they were not taking on face value Black Cubes claim that it has no ties to the Trump administration. Your firm has denied these reports only in the broadest terms, statingin the present tensethat Black Cube has no relation whatsoever to the Trump administration, to Trump aides, to anyone close to the administration, or to the Iran nuclear deal, they wrote. You have not denied the operation itself, you have not explained who was aware of it, and you have not identified the clients who funded it. White powder sent to Manhattan lawyer who insulted Spanish speakers (JTA)A lawyer who was filmed berating employees of a New York City eatery for speaking Spanish received a letter with suspicious white powder, police said. Aaron Schlossberg and another person were exposed to the unknown substance at the lawyers office in Midtown Manhattan at about 4 p.m. Thursday. Police say the two were being evaluated, NBC reported, citing police sources. Police were testing the substance to see if it is noxious. Last week, Schlossberg became incensed at hearing workers speak Spanish in a Manhattan restaurant. In the rant caught on video and reported on national news outlets, he threatened to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement to have the workers kicked out of the country. Critics hired a mariachi band to play outside his apartment and demanded he be disbarred. Schlossberg, who is Jewish, later apologized for the incident, saying it was unacceptable. June 4, NEWtrepreneur Bookkeeping - 10 Mistakes to Avoid Noon to 1 p.m. INCubator: 100 Cherokee Blvd. (Please park across the street in the Republic Parking lot at Renaissance Park) Are you an entrepreneur, small business owner or considering starting your own business? Learn 10 of the most common bookkeeping mistakes and practical, efficient solutions to overcome them. Topics include: how to classify workers, receipt requirements, meal expenses and more. Bring your questions. This course is a Complimentary Entry Level seminar. Speaker: Lynn Talbott, MBA, President of HRBiz and Advanced Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor Register at tsbdc.org/chscc. No cost June 5, Member Orientation 8:30 to 10 a.m. Chattanooga Chamber: 811 Broad St. Join us to learn more about your member benefits and what's going on at the Chamber. No cost; light breakfast served. June 5, North Chattanooga Chamber Council Meeting 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The INCubator: 100 Cherokee Blvd. Speaker: Kim White, River City Company $10 June 5, International Business Chamber Council Annual Meeting 5:30 to 8 p.m. 901 Lindsay: 901 Lindsay St. Join the International Business Council for their Annual Meeting at 901 Lindsay and honor international businesses that have made a positive impact on the Chattanooga area over the last 12 months. Keynote speaker: Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger $25 June 6, AM Networking | Sponsored by The Maclellan 8 to 9 a.m. The Maclellan: 721 Broad St. Held the first Wednesday of every month, AM Networking brings an average of 100 business people together for networking and hot coffee. AM Networking this month will be sponsored by The Maclellan. Free June 6, East Tennessee Purchasing Association Hosts 13th Annual Business Matching and Tradeshow Event 9 a.m. to noon Stratton Hall: 3146 Broad St. Small and mid-sized businesses interested in working with local governments can meet with up to 20 municipalities in one stop. Register at etpanews.org. No cost June 6, Ribbon Cutting for The Maclellan 9:15 to 9:45 a.m. The Maclellan: 721 Broad St. Join the Chattanooga Chamber for a ribbon cutting event for The Maclellan. June 6, Pick the Brain of an Attorney 11 a.m. to noon INCubator: 100 Cherokee Blvd. (Please park across the street in the Republic Parking lot at Renaissance Park) Business owners, let the attorney know your area of interest and become informed through this Q & A opportunity. Legal topics to be covered: leases, contracts, powers of attorney, corporate meetings and other business related legal topics. Speaker: Charles G. Fisher, Attorney at Law, Grant Konvalinka and Harrison, P.C. Register at tsbdc.org/chscc. No cost June 6, Ribbon Cutting for Dekalb MD Noon to 12:30 p.m. Dekalb MD: 13 W Kent St. Join the Chattanooga Chamber for a ribbon cutting event for Dekalb MD. June 7, Downtown Chamber Council Meeting 7:30 to 9 a.m. Bessie Smith: 200 E M L King Blvd. Speaker: Elizabeth Tallman, ACEs $15 June 7, East Ridge Chamber Council Meeting 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. East Ridge Community Center: 1517 Tombras Ave. Speaker: Amy Donahue, River City Company $10 June 8, East Brainerd Chamber Council Coffee 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. The Spice & Tea Exchange: 2115 Gunbarrel Rd. Join our East Brainerd Council for their monthly coffee on the second Friday of every month. No cost For the most up to date event listings, check chattanoogachamber.com. Totko Teklak, gesturing, shows a visitor from Israel where his father hid her mother during the Holocaust in eastern Poland, June 2017. (JTA)-Josef Kopf survived Sobibor by killing a guard and staging the first successful escape from that death camp in Poland, where the Nazis murdered 250,000 Jews. But Kopf, whose unlikely escape in 1943 preceded by several months a full-scale uprising at Sobibor, did not live to see Nazi Germany's defeat. After the liberation in 1944, he returned to his hometown of Turobin to reclaim some possessions-and was never seen or heard from again. "We always assumed Josef was killed by a local, but we never knew for sure. We never even knew where he was buried," said Lea Hirsch, Kopf's niece from Israel. Her mother, Genia, and Josef Kopf were the only ones from their family of eight children who survived the Nazi death machine. Last year, though, the 75-year-old mystery was partially solved. A long-forgotten testimony led Hirsch and other relatives to Kopf's presumed burial place, launching them into a murder investigation whose specifics lie at the heart of the debate in Poland about local complicity and resistance during the Holocaust. The testimony that triggered the investigation was on an old recording of Genia Hirsch, who passed away in 2011. She hardly ever spoke about the Holocaust to her children, Lea Hirsch said. But in the recording, which the family only recently discovered, Genia recounted in detail the last time she saw her brother alive and the story of her own rescue by her non-Jewish neighbor. According to Genia's testimony, Josef Kopf found her at the home of her rescuer, Antek Teklak, just days after the Red Army liberated Turobin and eastern Poland. But the siblings' reunion was short lived, she said. Josef Kopf told Genia and Teklak that he would return to Turobin to "work out" some business that he had had before the war with a friend, whom he did not name Teklak warned Josef Kopf not to go, saying he would not make it out of his hometown alive. Trusting Teklak, Genia Kopf begged her brother to stay. But Josef Kopf "just laughed and said he'd be back the next day," his sister said in the recording of their last meeting. This information last year led Lea Hirsch and her son, Amit, to Poland with a dual mission: Locate the Teklak family to honor his bravery and find Josef Kopf's grave and killer. "Something in me just woke up, an unstoppable drive to find out what happened," said Lea Hirsch, a 65-year-old marketing and sales professional and mother of three children from the Haifa area. In Poland, she and other relatives hired an interpreter and a cameraman. Within a couple of days, witnesses told Hirsch that a former partner of Kopf had killed him, and that a friend of Kopf buried his body in a wheat field in the town of Zolkiewka, six miles north of Turobin. The witnesses provided partial information, claiming not to know who killed Kopf. But they led the family to the field where they say Kopf was buried. The family is raising funds for an exhumation with the intention of bringing Josef Kopf's remains to Israel for burial. They will be returning for further interviews in July with the hope of finding out who killed him. "We don't have a lot of time because the witnesses are old, but it's a gradual process," Lea Hirsch said of her talks with Polish villagers in the area. "People have to open up; if we rush it they'll clam up. A bottle of vodka here, a conversation there-you have to pave their path to the truth." For Hirsch, uncovering the identity of her uncle's killer is secondary in significance to finding the place where he is said to have been buried. Reconnecting with the descendants of her mother's rescuers also was important to Lea Hirsch and her family, she said. Risking a summary execution of his entire family, Teklak hid Genia for two years in what she described in the recording as "a hole in the ground." Teklak took her in after she escaped the ghetto where the rest of her family was kept before they were murdered. Teklak's son, Totko, and his family met Hirsch, her son and other relatives in Turobin in an encounter last year that Hirsch said was "extremely emotional." Her mother's rescue and uncle's murder left Hirsch with "mixed feeling" about the polarizing debate gripping Polish society in recent months about the behavior of the Polish people during the Holocaust. Thousands of Jews died at the hands of non-Jewish Poles; thousands more were rescued by them. In January, Poland's parliament passed a law that criminalizes blaming the Polish nation for Nazi crimes. The measure triggered a diplomatic crisis with Israel amid criticism by the Jewish state and many Jewish organizations that it risked silencing public debate and research about the Holocaust. And the debate also unleashed a wave of anti-Semitic rhetoric. "I have an undying appreciation for the people who saved my mother," Hirsch said. "I was shocked to stand on the ground under which a non-Jewish hero kept her alive for years." Lea Hirsch (l) in eastern Poland meets a man who knew her uncle before he was murdered in 1944, June 2017. But Hirsch also has "tremendous anger" over the murder of her uncle, who "survived the hell of Sobibor only to be killed and dumped at an unmarked grave because he was just a Jew." Like many descendants of Holocaust survivors, Hirsch said grew up in a very small family. "I could have had an uncle," she said. Amit Hirsch, Lea's son, said his family history reflects "the complexity of the historical record on the Holocaust in Poland." Poland has 6,706 Righteous Among the Nations-non-Jews who were recognized by Israel as having risked their lives to save Jews from the Holocaust. And while this is the highest number of righteous in any nation, "there was also betrayal and deadly pogroms and anti-Semites," Amit Hirsch said. He said the law on rhetoric about the Holocaust in Poland is designed to "manipulate history so that only the rescue stories are heard." Rescue stories "indeed need to be heard," Amit Hirsch said, "but alongside the terrible things that happened." (JNS)The Gaza border conflict is being fought on two battlefields simultaneously. One is the battle at the border fence, where the aggressors use Molotov cocktails, pipe bombs, rocks, sling shots, burning tires and flaming kites. The other is the battle for the hearts and minds of the American public, where the aggressors use distortions, omissions, fabrications and innuendo. In the battle for public opinion, Israel faces two formidable opponents: the far-left wing of the Democratic Party and a large number of major news-media outlets. The two work hand in hand, feeding off one another, with belligerent political figures repeatedly appearing as commentators and then in turn issuing statements against Israel, which eager news hounds blast across the headlines. Israeli Deputy Cabinet Minister Michael Oren had some very interesting things to say about this problem last week in a conference call with pro-Israel activists in the United States. The call was sponsored by American Friends of Likud and the Endowment for Middle East Truth. Oren served as Israels ambassador to the United States from 2009 to 2013. Hes a political moderate who represents the centrist Kulanu Party in the governing coalition. Over the years, he has emerged as one of Israels most effective English-language spokesmen and is known for his measured tone. There are no hysterics when he speaks. He sure didnt mince words, however, in his assessment of those who are misrepresenting and even rationalizing the Gaza mobs. I am deeply disappointed that Senator Dianne Feinstein is calling for an international investigation into Israels actions, and that Senator Bernie Sanders has now gone so far as to call for the Palestinian right of return to Israel, said Oren. Calling for the right of return is essentially calling for the destruction of Israel. Sanderss office last week circulated a video highlighting the right of return. When pressed by reporters, he declined to say whether he endorses or opposes it. But if your staff circulates a propaganda video, and you dont specifically disown and condemn it, then that constitutes a de facto endorsement. Palestinian Arab spokesmen, by the way, are not at all coy about the issue. The say openly that their goal is to have millions of Arabs return to Israel in order to become the majority of the population so that it will no longer be a Jewish state. Sanders has also rationalized the mass violence. In a May 15 tweet, he declared: Its important to understand the desperate situation out of which these protests have arisen. Deputy Minister Oren said the problem is that Senator Sanders, in many ways, is setting the tone for the policies of the entire Democratic Party. This, he warned, should be a source for acute concern among Israelis, as well as friends of Israel abroad. Seeking support for Israel among both Democrats and Republicans should still be Israels goal, Oren said, noting that its important that neither side should assume that they have the Jewish vote in their pocket. He added, The historical example I always give to illustrate this principle is the fact that Franklin Roosevelt got 90 percent of the Jewish vote, and yet he did absolutely nothing for European Jews during the Holocaust. Oren acknowledged there are significant obstacles to winning over substantial support among Democrats. Part of the problem, in his view, is the political culture among young Democrats. Some of the values that are very important to Israelis, such as family, tradition and the need for a strong military, are not necessarily prevalent among many younger Democrats. The Sanderss perspective is being amplified by large segments of the news media, Oren pointed out. Many news media representatives couldnt care less when Arabs kill Arabs in various countries; they only care about Arab deaths when Jews are forced to kill Arabs in self-defense. Oren also reminded us that the Western news media seldom report that Hamas starves its own population, blocks trucks coming from Israel with food and manipulates young Palestinians to go to the border fenceall for the purpose of getting killed, so that their sympathizers can get on television and accuse the Israelis of being killers. He said that if the statements made by the senator and biased media outlets persuade Hamas that its strategy is working, so that it sends more young people to the border fence to throw bombs, then those media representatives and political figures will become accessories to terror, abettors to terrorthe blood of those young people will be on their hands. Stephen M. Flatow, a vice president of the Religious Zionists of America, is an attorney in New Jersey. He is the father of Alisa Flatow, who was murdered in an Iranian-sponsored Palestinian terrorist attack in 1995. (JNS)In a welcome statement issued this week, the U.S. State Department drew attention to the continuing persecution of the small Bahai religious minority in Yemen by Iran-backed Shia rebels. The rebel Houthis have targeted the Bahai community in inflammatory speech along with a wave of detentions, court summons, and punishment without a fair or transparent legal process, the statement observed. These and similar actions over the past 12 months appear to be an effort to pressure Yemeni Bahais to recant their faith. Like the Yezidi and Christian minorities elsewhere in the Middle East, followers of the Bahai faith have experienced horrendous persecution at the hands of Islamistsin their specific case, the Shia disciples of Ayatollah Khomeini who have ruled Iran since 1979 and who zealously police the countrys non-Muslims. That means evangelical Christian pastors regularly dicing with death and imprisonmentand it means exactly the same for those who worship according to the beliefs and traditions of the Bahais. Yet unlike those Iranians who leave Islam for its Christian antecedent, the original sin of the Bahais in the eyes of the mullahs is to be a religion of the modern world. Its Persian founder Bahaullah, who lived during the mid-19th century, is presented by followers of this respectful and universalistic faith as the culmination of a chain of Divine Manifestations that connected ancient prophets like Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. Given Irans growing military presence across vast swathes of the Middle Eastfrom northern Syria to the Gulf of Adenit should not come as a surprise that the Tehran regimes proxies in Yemen are reproducing the systematic persecution of Bahais. As Abdullah Al Oulofy, a representative of the Bahai community in the capital city of Sanaa, explained it to the UAE news outlet The National: Iran discriminates against the group, which was born in Shiraz in Iran in 1844. So, the Houthis do as the Iranians do. In dutifully aping their Iranian paymasters, the Shia rebels in Yemen have added a twist of anti-Semitism on top of the long-established slander that the Bahais are a Satanic faith. In a televised address in March, the leader of the rebels, Abdel-Malek al-Houthi, depicted the Bahais as a devilish tool of Zionism, whose goal is to eliminate Islam. Bahaism is bred by Israel and supported by Israel and the Western states, he railed. Within days of that incendiary speech, other Shia religious leaderslike the Iranian-appointed Mufti of Yemen, Shams al-Din Muhammad Sharaf al-Dinstarted talking openly about butchering every Bahai. That threat should not be taken lightly. The linkage between the Bahais and Israel is not entirely fabricated, of course. Bahaullahs tomb is located in Akko, with the magnificent Bahai World Center on the slopes of Haifas Mount Carmel nearby. But Bahaullahs presence in the Holy Land was the consequence of his clashes with Islamic authorities to the north and east, rather than a voluntary pilgrimage on his part. In 1853, he was driven out of Persia into Turkey, and later deported by the Ottomans to Akko, at the time a penal colony. He died there in 1892, and leadership of the faith passed first to his son, and after that, to his close follower, Shoghi Effendi, who went on to cement Israel as the administrative and spiritual center of the Bahai faith. Yet most Bahais do not live in Israel. The biggest population of nearly 2 million is located in India, and there are sizable Bahai communities in the United States and East Africa, as well as in Iran, the cradle of the faith. In that sense, their brutal Shia persecutors might be said to have missed the irony here: For the Bahais, Israel comes into the frame first as a land of exile, rather than the site of their national or spiritual redemption, as is the case for the Jews. Since 1948when the Haganah ensured that the Bahai sites in Akko and Haifa were protected from fighting during the War of Independencethe Bahai Center has quietly flourished in Israel, deliberately staying out of the countrys political and national disputes. No reasoned observer, therefore, could depict the religion as somehow aligned with political Zionism or Israeli policy, and because Israel is a liberal democracy, there is no such requirement mandated by the Israeli authorities to begin with. Irans rulers live by a different conception of the truth, and so for them, details such as these are trifling. But that rather handily demonstrates the vast gulf between the Western notion of religious affiliation as a matter for the individual consciencewithout which minority faiths could not hope to surviveand the Islamist insistence that religion is, before anything else, a tool for mass political mobilization. In those circumstances, as the Jews of the Middle East know only too well, the lot of religious minorities is necessarily a miserable one. Ben Cohen writes a weekly column for JNS on Jewish affairs and Middle Eastern politics. His writings have been published in Commentary, the New York Post, Haaretz, The Wall Street Journal and many other publications. By David Ellenson and Joshua Holo (JTA)At the 2018 commencement of the Skirball Campus of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles, graduation speaker and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon spoke out strongly, even provocatively, against Israeli policies in *Judea and Samaria. In the same address, Chabon also articulated deeply Jewish and Zionist commitments (not merely abstract or literary in nature, but specifically religious, communal and even tribal). Not surprisingly, responses have mirrored the range of Chabons comments, running the gamut in both position and stridency. Some said it was important for graduates of a Jewish institution to hear views on Israel with which they might disagree. Others said they preferred to walk out rather than hear a reductionist view of Israel. All told, the controversy raises some issues worthy of note: the principle of loyal opposition, the academic imperative for disagreement and the appropriate tone for a celebratory event. Chabon himself proclaimed his embrace of Israel, even as he declared his zealous opposition to Israels military occupation of Judea and Samaria. We recognize that Israels occupation rests in no small measure on a genuine and appropriate need for security. However, whether or not the occupation actually advances that security constitutes a legitimate matter of debate, not an unquestionable axiom or fact. Coherent counter-arguments abound, in both Israel and the Diaspora, and when a demonstrably Zionist institution like HUC-JIR grants them a hearing (though we did not actually know what Chabon would say), we can reasonably expect it to be understood as entertaining a loyal critique. HUC-JIR educates rabbis, cantors, educators and Jewish communal professionals, all of whom spend as much as one full academic year on our Jerusalem campus. We also run numerous Israeli programs in Jerusalem, serving civil society and ordaining Israeli rabbis. We are the only American Jewish institution of higher learning that backs its official Zionism with a campus of its own in the State of Israel. As both an Israeli and American institution, belonging to two proud democracies defined by lively civil discourse, it does not occur to us at HUC-JIR to quash or vilify political criticism of Israel out of a preemptive fear of controversy. On the contrary, we know that the confidence to invite challenging ideas both defines and validates democracy in the first place HUC-JIR echoes those democratic values, moreover, in its embrace of disagreement as an expression of its academic mission. Indeed, the day after graduation, HUC-JIR hosted an event at which one of the honorees gave voice to a conservative Israel agenda; and only days ago, an HUC-JIR graduate penned her own rejoinder to Chabon. In the future, we would readily invite other comparably accomplished speakers from the right and left. In fact, we urgently need to promote this energetic, fearless marketplace of ideas. What greater civic responsibility for a Jewish institution of higher learning than to encourage public conversation on knotty problems of great Jewish moment? If anything, young Jews in this country have already begun to force the debate. Some unabashedly criticize Israels occupation, and they shrug off any accusations of disloyalty as fear-based vituperation from a generation losing its hold over Israel messaging. Meanwhile, Charles Bronfman, co-founder of Birthright and HUC-JIRs graduation speaker this year in New York, admonished us to remember our worldwide Jewish interdependence. Indeed, if we are to heed his call and bridge that gap, then we must resist the dismissal of any and all critique as simply anti-Israel. Finally, this imperative, urgent though it is, must still contend with the legitimate question of venue: Is commencement the appropriate context for politicized and controversial speeches? One could argue for safety-in-ceremony at all costs because it maximally hedges against the risk of offense. And while we recognize the merit of this argument, it cuts against one of comparable merit at the heart of higher learning: intellectual vigor. The life of the mind only thrives when ideas jostle us, which inherently risks controversy, both publicly and in the classroom. This is not the first graduation speech to have provoked controversy. As far back as 1838, the now famous commencement address of Ralph Waldo Emerson to the Harvard Divinity School drew widespread ire as an insult to religionprimarily because of the context in which it was delivered. We at HUC-JIR have no desire to court controversy for its own sake, and it pains us to have offended some in our audience. But neither are we willing to stunt the richness of our conversation for fear of controversy, even at graduation, when so much is at stake. David Ellenson is the interim president and chancellor emeritus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Joshua Holo is the dean of the Jack H. Skirball Campus of HUC-JIR, Los Angeles. *Heritage changed references to the West Bank to say Judea and Samaria. Its painfully shocking that Anti-Defamation League head Jonathan Greenblatt recently wrote on ADLs website: it is a horrific tragedy that so many people have been killed and wounded at the Gaza border. (ADL Statement on Violence at Israel-Gaza Border, May 15, 2018.) This broad statement was not limited to the tiny minority who were not members of a terrorist group. (And even that small minority joined the violent riots whose goal was to breach Israels border fence to descend upon nearby Jewish communities, schools, and day care centersand all of Israelto murder innocent Jews.) Thus, we must ask, how is the death of mostly Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists a horrific tragedy? In fact, the deaths of these terrorists prevented a real horrific tragedythe murder of thousands of innocent Jews who would have been slain if Hamas violent rioters had succeeded. Hamas leader Salah al-Bardawil and PIJ have admitted that 85 percent of the recent Gaza fatalities (50 Hamas plus 3 PIJ, out of 62 total) were their own terrorist operatives. These terrorists were hurling pipe bombs, boulders, grenades and Molotov cocktails; carrying machetes; shooting at Israelis; rushing with wire cutters and planting bombs at the border fence; and destroying Israeli farms with arson-terror kites emblazoned with swastikas. Swastika flags and banners were everywhere. These were Islamic terrorists committed to brutally murdering every Jew, and even tearing out and eating Jews hearts and livers. Hamas leader Yehia al-Sinwar rallied the Gazan rioters/troops by proclaiming: We will tear down the border [with Israel] and we will tear out their hearts from their bodies, and we will eat the livers of the Israelis. The Nazi-like Hamas Charter calls for the murder of every Jew and the destruction of the Jewish State of Israel. Hamas named its violent actions on the Gaza border The March of Return, openly stating the goal was to return millions of descendants of Arabs to Israel to end the existence of the Jewish State. Hamas and PIJ also harm their own people: Hamas-organized Gazan rioters vandalized and set fire to the Kerem Shalom humanitarian crossing, and destroyed gas pipelines from Israel that bring humanitarian aid to Gazas residents. Even Hamas co-founder Mahmoud Al-Zahhar admitted that calling the Gaza violent onslaught peaceful is a deception. Al-Zahhar told Al Jazeera: When we talk about peaceful resistance, we are deceiving the public. (Senior Hamas Official Mahmoud Al-Zahhar on Gaza Protests: This Is Not Peaceful Resistance, It Is Supported by Our Weapons, MEMRI Clip No. 6573, May 13, 2018.) Thousands of innocent Israelis who live near the Gaza borderas well as those living further awayare in danger of being slaughtered if Hamas succeeds. After Israel did everything humanly possible to avoid fatalities (including using tear gas, leaflets and text messages to warn rioters to stay away from the fence), the deaths of these Hamas and PIJ terrorists means that there is less danger and less evil in the world. The Hamas and PIJ fatalities prevented Hamas and PIJ from slaughtering thousands of innocent Jews. Thus, it is deeply disturbing that ADL and some Jews and others have been mourning these terrorists fatalities. Such sympathetic proclamations only encourage more Hamas terror against Jews. Such proclamations also encourage the media to distort the truth of the Hamas war against the Jewish State. US Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Vt) like ADLs Greenblatt, also mourned the tragedy of persons in Gaza (who were mostly in fact Hamas terrorists) being killed. Sanders proclaimed: The killing of Palestinian demonstrators by Israel forces in Gaza is tragic. Does Sanders really not understand that these were not peaceful demonstrators? Does he really not understand that it was Hamas terrorists who were killed while trying to invade Israel and murder Jews? And then theres the elite Beacon school in New York City, which insisted that its students hold a moment of silence tribute to the victims of violence in Gazaa/k/a Hamas and PIJ terrorists. Jewish students and their parents were rightly outraged: Parents noted that they did not send their children to school to pray for Hamas murderers. And incredibly, a group of about two dozen misguided leftwing Jewish young people gathered near the British Parliament and said the mourners Kaddish for the dead Hamas and PIJ operativesand bullied a woman who told them Shame on You. No one should ever mourn the deaths of evil Nazis, al Qaeda terrorists, ISIS terrorists, or Nazi-like Hamas and PIJ terrorists who were killed while trying to murder Jews and others. If terrorists were attempting to breach Americas Canadian or Mexican border to kill Americans, would we not use force to stop them? Would we ever mourn the deaths of such terrorists? It is a disgrace to call Hamas terrorists deaths a horrific tragedy. It is a disgrace to hold moments of silence, say the mourners Kaddish for, or mourn the deaths of Hamas terrorists who were killed while trying to invade and destroy Israel and murder her people. The International Business Council of the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce holds its annual meeting and the second annual International Business Awards on Tuesday, June 5, 5:30 to 8 p.m. at 901 Lindsay. This event celebrates the contributions of international business to the greater Chattanooga area. Finalists for the large employer International Business Award are: Finalists for the small employer International Business Award are: Award recipients will be named at the June 5th event, and Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger will speak. Tickets will be available for $25 at the venue on the day of the event. The International Business Council welcomes all members of the Chattanooga business community to attend. The Belgian market town of Bastogne sits astride seven roads in the midst of the Ardennes Forest. The Ardennes comprises thick stands of fir and pine trees, gorges, brambled hills and rolling plateaus. Roads are at a premium here, vital links to the tiny farm towns that dot the rough countryside. With 14,000 residents, Bastogne is the largest town in the Belgian Ardennes and the heart of the region. Its geographic importance guaranteed Bastogne a central role in one of historys greatest battles. In December 1944, Nazi Germany was on the verge of defeat. In the east, the Soviet armies had pushed to the very borders of Germany itself. On the western front, an Allied coalition led by the United States had liberated France and most of Belgium, Luxembourg and Holland and had even overrun parts of western Germany. With defeat staring him in the face, Hitler decided to gamble on a last big offensive to turn the tables on his enemies. Under strict secrecy, he amassed an army of about 250,000 soldiers, including his best remaining armored and mechanized infantry divisions, for a major attack. The German goal was to slash through the thinly held American lines in the Ardennes, cross the Meuse River, capture the supply port of Antwerp, cut the Allied armies in two and then negotiate a favorable peace. For the Germans, any chance of success depended upon speed. On December 16, under cover of adverse winter weather that negated Allied air superiority, the Germans launched their surprise attack. The Germans had to capture Bastogne to control those seven vital roads so they could use the town as a transit point, communications center and supply depot for their northward thrust to the Meuse. Their plan was to take Bastogne by the second day of the offensive. But even though the Germans tore a gaping hole in the American front line, small groups of American soldiers fought so tenaciously in dozens of places around the Ardennes that the German timetable was overturned. The Americans made use of the defensible terrain and narrow roads to bottleneck the German armored columns. By December 19, Hitlers soldiers had gotten within a couple miles of Bastogne but could not take the town. Three days into the bitter fighting, Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower was rushing reinforcements to counter the German offensive. The Americans set up a desperate defense along the three roads that led into Bastogne from the east. There, in the small suburbs of Noville, Longvilly, Neffe, Mont, Marvie and Magaret, soldiers from various units, including Combat Command Reserve of the 9th Armored Division, Combat Command B of the 10th Armored Division, the 28th Infantry Division and the newly arrived 101st Airborne Division, made an epic stand in worsening weather against a numerically superior German attacking force. The Germans surrounded them and demanded surrender. In response, the American commander, General Anthony McAuliffe, uttered his famous refusal: Nuts! So the Germans continued to besiege Bastogne, shelling it mercilessly and launching attacks until 4th Armored Division tanks under General George Patton fought their way through to relieve the Bastogne garrison on December 26. To a great extent, the defeat of the German offensivewhat later came to be known as the Battle of the Bulgebegan with that stand at Bastogne. Today, the town is completely rebuilt. Yet reminders of the desperate 1944 battle are everywhere. At the center of Bastogne is McAuliffe Square, a place that during the battle was under constant shellfire and choked with the wreckage of burning vehicles. Now it teems with traffic, sidewalk cafes, shops and apartment buildings. In the middle of the square, a battered Sherman tank stands sentry outside the visitors center. Across the square, several roads converge at a busy intersection, with signposts pointing the way to Wiltz, Clervaux, Arlon and other towns that figured prominently in the fighting. Several blocks south of McAuliffe Square, the venerable Catholic church remains the most prominent building in town. Within its courtyard and walls, American doctors and medics worked frantically during the battle to save the lives of many hundreds of wounded soldiers. On the northeastern outskirts of town, the Bastogne Historical Center and Museum rests atop a prominent ridge that in 1944 was defended by American artillerymen. Just outside the museum is the Mardasson, a four-story memorial commemorating the sacrifices of American soldiers at Bastogne. A climb to the top of the monument affords a panoramic view of the surrounding terrain. The heaviest fighting raged in the suburbs. One can drive, or even hike, from one battle site to another: the Catholic grotto west of Longvilly, where an armored task force under Lt. Col. Henry Cherry fought to extinction against powerful German attacks; the villages of Neffe and Mont, where combat engineers and paratroopers battled the Panzer Lehr division; Noville, where another task force under 26-year-old Major William Desobry stalemated the better part of the 2nd Panzer Division for two days; the pillbox at the southern edge of Bastogne, where 4th Armored tanks first made contact with the surrounded U.S. garrison; the Bois Jacques woods south of Foy, where the 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment (including Easy Company of Band of Brothers fame), fought the Germans, the snow and the cold from the dubious shelter of crude foxholes, many of which still remain. Some of the suburbs that ring Bastogne feature historical markers that explain each villages role in the battle. But the sight of bullet- and shrapnel-scarred churches and stone barns tells the story of the bulge like nothing else can. Originally published in the April 2008 issue of Military History. To subscribe, click here. During the British monarchs six-decade reign a wave of fanatical Islamic uprisings threatened to sunder her global empire In the years since the 2001 terrorist attacks on New Yorks World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., several of the Western worlds major military powersmost notably the United Stateshave been embroiled in a seemingly endless war against self-proclaimed Islamic militants. Many such fighters consider themselves jihadistsholy warriors against the enemies of Islam. While the United States and other nascent nations might be excused for believing the rise of radical Islam is a modern development, aimed at toppling the worlds current Western powers, the struggle of course dates back centuries to the rise of Islam itself. More recently, in the Victorian era, the British empire waged a similar struggle against fanatical Muslim armies. Of the numerous enemies Queen Victoria faced during her six-decade reign, three in particular stand out: the Hindustani Fanatics, whose hostile actions in the border zone between British India and Afghanistan prompted the costly 186364 Ambela campaign; the Mahdists of Sudan, who in the 1880s and 90s ruled that country with a theologically rigid and brutal fist; and the Pathans of Indias North-West Frontier, who rebelled against British rule on an unprecedented scale in the late 1890s. Behind all three uprisings were Islamic religious leaders who inflamed adherents to wage jihad against the worlds most powerful empire. Though based in India, the Hindustani Fanatics were not Hindus but members of the fundamentalist Wahhabite Islamic sect. Many lived in the north Indian river plain, a region Turkish, Afghan and Iranian rulers had termed Hindustan, or Land of the Hindusa term the British later adopted. The founder of Wahhabism was Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, a man of limited means and education born in 1703 in Najd, a region of present-day central Saudi Arabia. Abd al-Wahhab pressed for a return to strict monotheistic Islamic worship, or tawhid, and regarded Christian believers in a triune God as sorcerers worthy of death. He ingratiated himself to powerful emirs and grew in influence. Abd al-Wahhab died in 1792, but his hard-line doctrine endured, and by the mid-19th century Wahhabism had spread to India. In 1826 an Indian-born Wahhabite imam named Ahmad and several hundred followers entered the Yusufzai tribal region in what would become Indias North-West Frontier (in present-day Pakistan). At the time Yusufzai lands lay within the Sikh empire, and Ahmads aim was to stir up the tribesmen against their rulers. Though the Sikhs quickly put down the uprising, Ahmad continued to attract followers and by 1829 had the Yusufzai territory virtually under his thumb. Two years later he attacked and occupied the city of Peshawar, only to be again defeatedand this time killedby the Sikhs. The surviving Wahhabis took refuge in Sittana and kept the rebellion on low boil under one of the emirs lieutenants. It was after the First Anglo-Sikh War of 184546 that the victorious British first clashed with the Hindustani Fanatics, when the latter supported the Hassanzai tribe during the 185253 Black Mountain campaign. In late 1851 the rebellious Hassanzais had hacked to death two British customs officials and occupied two regional forts, prompting the punitive expedition under Lt. Col. Frederick Mackeson. The British quickly drove the tribesmen and allied Fanatics from the forts and went on to destroy their villages and crops. The next clash came during the Indian Rebellion (aka Sepoy Mutiny) of 185758 as disaffected sepoys of the Bengal Native Infantry rebelled against their British East India Co. masters. While the mutiny was being put down elsewhere in India, a British field force under Maj. Gen. Sir Sydney Cotton fought a series of actions against the Fanatics, who had incited mutineers in Peshawar. In the spring of 1858 Cotton chased the offending Fanatics across the North-West Frontier, finally driving them from their sole remaining stronghold at Sittana on May 4. After receiving assurances from local clans to refrain from allying with the Fanatics, Cotton withdrew his force. By far the most serious conflict between the British and the Hindustani Fanatics came during the 1863 Ambela campaign. After their defeat at Sittana five years earlier the surviving Fanatics had withdrawn to the Punjab mountain outpost of Malka, where they slowly rebuilt their strength. From there they mounted continual raids against settlements in British India. Per modus operandi, the British organized a military expedition to punish the offending tribesmen. On Oct. 18, 1863, the lieutenant governor of the Punjab dispatched the Ambela Field Force under Brig. Gen. Neville B. Chamberlain on what the British anticipated would be just another minor campaign in the North-West Frontiers storied history. Chamberlains straightforward objective was to advance on Malka and destroy italong with the Fanatics. The general chose a line of march through the Ambela Pass, expecting that tribesmen of the surrounding Buner region would not interfere with the 6,000-man British force. But the Fanatics had duped the Bunerwals into believing the expeditions actual purpose was to seize their lands. Thousands of tribesmen therefore rallied to help the Fanatics repel the British, as did Akhund Abdul Ghaffur, a ruling mullah in the Swat Valley who three decades earlier had sheltered Ahmads Wahhabite refugees. Chamberlains force reached the pass on October 20, oblivious to the overwhelming force allied against them. Two days later Bunerwal fighters attacked a British reconnaissance patrol, prompting Chamberlain to fortify his positions in the pass, including two key rocky outcrops dubbed Eagles Nest and Crag Piquet. The main Bunerwal force, comprising some 15,000 fighters, repeatedly attacked the British positions. After they overran Crag Piquet on October 30, British Lts. George Fosbery and Henry Pitcher fought determinedly to counterattack and reclaim the point, each later receiving the Victoria Cross. The seesaw battle for the pass continued for four weeks, Chamberlain himself falling seriously wounded on November 20. British reinforcements ultimately arrived to bolster his beleaguered troops, and in early December Maj. Gen. John Garvock took command and seized the initiative, finally breaking the tribesmens resistance. The Bunerwals submitted to him on December 17, and the British subsequently razed the Fanatic stronghold of Malka. The British had suffered nearly 1,000 casualtiesby far the largest loss an Anglo-Indian force had incurred on the North-West Frontier. But they had delivered a mortal blow to the Hindustani Fanatics, who were never again able to mount serious opposition. Sudanese Mahdists conducted perhaps the best-known jihad against the British empire. The roots of that conflict lay in the rise of Muhammad Ahmad Ibn as-Sayyid Abd Allah. Born the son of a boat builder in 1844 on the Nile River island of Labab, 10 miles south of Dongola in northern Sudan, Muhammad Ahmad became a devout Muslim as he grew into a young adulthood. In 1861 he entered studies under the Sammaniya, a particularly strict Islamic religious sect. The outspoken and charismatic young man ultimately broke with the movements leader to assume leadership of a competing sect, and in 1881 Muhammad Ahmad proclaimed himself the true Mahdi, or messianic redeemer of the Islamic faith. The notion of the Mahdi is not found in the Quran but referenced in the Hadith, a narrative of the actions and words of the prophet Muhammad. Adherents of the two main Islamic denominations, Sunni and Shia, have differing views as to the concept of the Mahdi. Most Sunnis believe he has yet to appear, while Shias believe he has already been born, disappeared and will return only when ready to dispense justice and rid the world of evil. Islamic scholars continue to debate the identity, meaning and legitimacy of the Mahdi, but in 1881 the concept of a redeemer greatly appealed to many Sudanese Muslims. Sudan was then under the rule of Ottoman Egypt, which had established a degree of independence from its Turkish overseers. Corruption was rampant within the Egyptian ruling elite, and many Sudaneseincluding Muhammad Ahmadresented their masters. That year the self-proclaimed Mahdi initiated a revolt, and despite the Egyptians considerable efforts to crush the Mahdists, Muhammad Ahmad only grew stronger. Both Britain and France had loaned large sums of money to Egypt, primarily to finance the Suez Canal, and the Ottoman Egyptians were struggling to make scheduled repayments. Wishing to protect its investmentsparticularly the canal, the all-important gateway to IndiaBritain invaded and occupied Egypt in 1882. In early 1884, when the growing Mahdist revolt threatened European civilians and Egyptian soldiers in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, the British sent a force under Maj. Gen. Charles Gordon to evacuate them. Having fulfilled his mission, Gordon grew reluctant to surrender the British hold on Sudan. Defying his orders, he chose to defend Khartoum. Muhammad Ahmads armyknown as the Ansarsoon put the city under siege. Initially reluctant to commit additional troops to Sudan, the British government and Cairo authorities eventually authorized an expedition to rescue Gordon. Led by Adj. Gen. Sir Garnet Wolseley, an old friend of Gordons, the relief force failed to reach the Sudanese capital before the city fell to the Ansar. The Mahdists killed Gordon and sent his severed head to Muhammad Ahmad. Five months later the Mahdi himself died of typhus. With few exceptions the British kept out of Sudanese affairs and chose to concentrate on rebuilding Egypt. While the Mahdists remained largely unchecked, Ahmads successor, Abd Allah ibn Muhammadknown to followers as the Khalifalacked his predecessors charisma and leadership skills and was forced to fight his way to sole leadership of Sudan. In 1896 the British authorized a military operation against the Mahdists. Despite the ongoing public outcry to avenge Gordon, it was a move born out of geopolitical necessity. That spring Ethiopian forces under Menelik II had decisively defeated Italian occupiers at Adwa, securing that kingdoms sovereignty while calling into question Romes control of neighboring Eritrea. When the Mahdists sought to exploit the Italians vulnerability by launching cross-border raids, Rome in turn asked London to alleviate pressure in the region by launching a military operation against Sudan. Driven in part by fear of French encroachment in the Nile Valley, Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, Lord Salisbury, agreed to send in British troops. What followed was Brig. Herbert Kitcheners celebrated two-phase reconquest of Sudan. His capture of the Mahdist stronghold of Dongola in 1896 fulfilled the British promise of conducting a demonstration to aid the Italians. Given that campaigns success, both London and Cairo authorized Kitchener to thrust deeper into Sudan in hopes of retaking Khartoum and destroying the Mahdists. The follow-up campaigns of 189798 culminated in the Sept. 2, 1898, Battle of Omdurman, in which Kitcheners 26,000-strong Anglo-Egyptian force defeated a Mahdist force more than twice its size. At the height of the fighting the 21st Lancersamong whom rode young Lt. Winston Churchilldrove back a determined Mahdist counterattack. With the Ansar defeated and Omdurman in British hands, Kitchener had effectively put an end to Mahdism, although the Khalifa himself evaded the British for more than a year before dying in battle. Around the time Kitchener was wrapping up his reconquest of Sudan, British forces in India were confronting the last major jihad of Victorias reigna series of large-scale Pathan uprisings along the North-West Frontier in 189798. (The British used the term Pathan to collectively describe the many tribes then inhabiting the frontier; today they are referred to as Pashtuns and largely reside on either side of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.) After annexing Punjab in 1849, the British initially attempted to keep the tribesmen north of the North-West Frontier at arms length, but the Pathans frequently raided into British-held territory. In response the British sent out detachments to the offending parties to exact fines or disarm them. Such expeditions were usually brief, incurred few casualties and ended in the submission of the tribe. In 1893 British authorities and the emir of Afghanistan struck an accord known as the Durand Line agreement, formally establishing the spheres of influence each would have over the territories comprising the North-West Frontier. Neither side consulted the tribesmen, who considered such borders arbitrary and unnecessary. Following the 1895 Chitral campaign, authorities in British India also decided to retain a foothold in that far northern princely state to counter perceived Russian territorial expansionall part of the Great Game for control of Central Asia. That required construction of a road to Chitral through Pathan territory and the establishment of garrisons to protect itall of which the tribesmen saw as a threat to their independence. Seizing on their feelings of unrest were a number of fanatical Islamic imams forever seeking jihad against the British. These included a Punjabi named Najm-ud-Din from the village of Hadda, whom the British called Hadda Mullah; and a Bunerwal named Saidullah Khan, whom the British dubbed the Mad Fakir. Each traveled from tribe to tribe, spreading unrest and consolidating resistance. The situation came to a head on June 10, 1897, when a British political officer named Herbert Gee sought to collect a punitive fine from a string of Tochi Valley settlements known collectively as Maizar. After receiving a cordial welcome, Gee and his 200-man military escort came under ambush from a larger force of Pathan tribesmen. Gee survived the subsequent fighting withdrawal from Maizar, but the Pathans killed most of the British officers and 22 sepoys and wounded another 30 men. A punitive British expedition ended with the usual success, but a general uprising soon broke out across the frontier. Swat Valley tribesmen under the Mad Fakir conducted a weeklong siege of the British garrisons at Malakand and Chakdara, prompting deployment of the Malakand Field Force under Brig. Gen. Sir Bindon Blood (Lt. Churchill was also a member of this force and later wrote a book about the campaign). Pathan rebels under Hadda Mullah launched a similar assault on the British garrison at Shabkadr and looted and burned the nearby Hindu village of Shankargar. With the help of two more British divisions, Gen. Blood wrapped up his punitive expedition in the Malakand District by years end. Meanwhile, the large and powerful Afridi and Orakzai tribes also rose in revolt, necessitating dispatch of the Tirah Field Force under Gen. Sir William Lockhart. It fought some of the most desperate battles of the uprising, including a desperate last stand in the village of Saraghari by 21 Sikh soldiers against some 10,000 Orakzais. By years end Lockhart, too, was able to quell the uprising in his district. The greatest threat to British authority in Central Asia since the 185758 Sepoy Mutiny was over within months. Queen Victoria, who had assumed the throne in 1837, capped her Diamond Jubilee year with a victory. Britains longest-reigning monarch to that time died on Jan. 22, 1901, at age 81. So passed into history the Victorian-era jihads, in which bands of poorly armed radical Islamists rocked the British empire. Though largely forgotten in the West, memories are long in the regions where Wahhabis, Mahdists and members of other fanatical Muslim sects took root. Indeed, among the modern-day adherents of Wahhabism was 9/11 planner Osama bin Laden. The struggle against radical Islam continues. British military historian Mark Simner is a regular contributor to several U.K.-based magazines. For further reading he recommends his own Pathan Rising: Jihad on the North West Frontier of India, 18971898, as well as The Savage Border: The Story of the North-West Frontier, by Jules Stewart, and Khartoum: The Ultimate Imperial Adventure, by Michael Asher. The Government must step up its domestic preparedness for Brexit as the clock ticks towards March 2019, says Fianna Fail Spokesperson on Brexit, Lisa Chambers. Deputy Chambers headed a Fianna Fail delegation to the European Commission and Parliament last week to meet with the Article 50 taskforce, Commissioner Hogan and other stakeholders and interest groups. Following the series of meetings Deputy Chambers has now commented, At the moment the sole focus is on the European Council meeting in June and whether sufficient progress will be made on the issue of the backstop. Fianna Fail is supportive of the Governments efforts in this regard and is adamant that there cannot be a hard border on the island of Ireland. Attended #Brexit Stakeholder meeting this am, all sectors, industry & politicians working together to get best deal for Ireland. Genuine concern around domestic preparedness & outcome of June Council meeting. Next few weeks/months crucial to avoiding cliff edge. @fiannafailparty Lisa Chambers TD (@lichamber) May 30, 2018 However, I and my colleagues also acutely aware that Brexit encompasses more than just the issue of the border - it will also result in significant changes to the East-West trading relationship. "The UK is our nearest neighbour and largest trading partner and it will become a third country at 11pm on the 29th March 2019. We must be prepared for that." She added: Whilst I recognise that a 21 month transition period has been agreed in principle, that is dependent on there being a withdrawal agreement and we cannot take anything for granted. 51% of our beef exports and 26% of our beverage exports go to the UK and irrespective of the type of Brexit that emerges there will be a change to our trading relationship. We need a plan for this reality. Advertisement Along with her colleagues Niall Collins and Billy Kelleher, Lisa held meetings with the food and drink sector. "The message that is being relayed to us is that more needs to be done to help businesses prepare for Brexit," she says. They are asking what happens if there is a hard Brexit, and in particular, the challenges that the land bridge poses. "They also expressed concerns about the expected lengthy delays between Dover and Calais. Many businesses feel unprepared for such a scenario." She insisted that Fianna Fail is not, as the Government has claimed, trying to score political points by criticising its domestic approach to Brexit. "We are trying to protect our businesses and SMEs and ensure that whatever the outcome, the government has done all it can to insulate them against the worst effects of Brexit," she maintains. "This is simply just common sense, nothing more, nothing less. Italian law professor Giuseppe Conte was reappointed as Prime Minister-designate to lead a coalition government on Thursday, the presidential palace stated. His name was submitted to Italian President Sergio Mattarella by anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) and far-right League parties, which had already named him for the post in a previous bid last week. Giuseppe Conte arrives to address the media after meeting Italian President Sergio Mattarella, at the Quirinale presidential palace in Rome, Wednesday, May 23, 2018. [Photo: AP/Gregorio Borgia] His government will be sworn in at 4 p.m. local time on Friday. Conte was summoned at the presidential palace at 9 p.m. local time, to speak to the head of state. He unveiled a new cabinet line-up comprising 17 ministers, which included M5S leader Luigi Di Maio and League chief Matteo Salvini both serving as deputy prime ministers. "We are going to work hard to fulfill all of the political goals included in our government contract," Conte said in a short speech after being designated. "Our best efforts will be focused on improving the life conditions of all Italians," he added. Conte's first attempt to assemble an M5S-League cabinet collapsed on Sunday, after the president nixed his choice of a Eurosceptic economist as finance minister. In the new cabinet line-up, this role will be given to Giovanni Tria, professor of Political Economy at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, the PM-designate said. About one hour before Conte was summoned on Thursday, former International Monetary Fund official Carlo Cottarelli had returned to the head of state his mandate to form a caretaker cabinet. In a statement, the president "thanked Cottarelli for his seriousness, sense of the institutions, and constant attention paid to the national interests that have marked his commitment." The latest development came after a last-minute agreement was reached between League and M5S on Thursday afternoon, in order to avoid the formation of Cottarelli's technocrat cabinet. The two parties were rivals in the inconclusive elections held on March 4, but decided to join their forces after emerging as the two most voted parties. James Arthur returns today with two brand new songs 'You Deserve Better' and 'At My Weakest'. 'You Deserve Better' is an up-tempo future smash, featuring a soulful groove, funk guitars and James's trademark stunning vocals and harmonies. The track, written by James with superstar songwriters Camille Purcell and TMS, sees James tell a love they are better off without him. Showing another side of James, 'At My Weakest' is a beautiful gospel-tinged ballad that is sure to appeal to his ever growing army of fans worldwide. James's last single 'Naked' was a smash hit late last year. It has been streamed an amazing 100 million times worldwide. The video for the song features model/actress Cressida Bonas and has to date had over 85 million views. The last two years have been remarkable for James. Since being released in September 2016, comeback single 'Say You Wont Let Go' has sold more than 9.6 million copies worldwide and secured nearly 2 billion combined streams. The single spent three weeks at No.1 in the UK and went to No.1 on US radio. In addition, James album "Back From The Edge", released in October 2016, went straight to No.1 in the UK charts and has gone multi Platinum worldwide. James was also nominated for two BRIT Awards and an American Music Award for 'Best New Artist'. 2017 also saw both a 42-date arena tour with OneRepublic across the USA and a sold out 11-date UK arena tour. Since then James has continued to work on his new album with leading lights such as Ryan Tedder, Justin Tranter, and Max Martin. Cork/Italian rock duo Order Of The Mess have unleashed their new single 'Foolish Or Wise'. Ahead of the release of their debut album later To Rock, Life, Love on June 16, Irish-based, Italian power-rock duo Order of The Mess have released their newest single. This visceral piece of fuzz-rock was recorded at the historic Westland Studios (home to records by U2/Hozier/Weezer) and follows on from their previous single 'Si-B'. Speaking about the single's message of 'Please don't waste your time', vocalist/guitarist Alex Vinci says: We only have one life, we are all born to make something great in our own worlds and the time is now. Life is a gift and it won't last forever. All this time we waste complaining instead of living for the moment won't come back. The Italian duo formed in 2013 after they both ended up living in Cork, Ireland. With Alex taking care of punishing low frequencies through a triple amp set-up and Max providing thunderous skins work, the duo soon hit upon a distinctively powerful style and found an audience after embarking on a relentless gigging schedule. Advertisement Order of The Mess will be playing live shows this Summer. Find out more at orderofthemess.com Listen to 'Foolish Or Wise' here: The Government is being urged to introduce a package of supports for women in crisis pregnancy ahead of the passage of the bill which enacts the result of the referendum on the 8th Amendment. The call comes from Fianna Fails Spokesperson on Health, Stephen Donnelly, TD. "We heard yesterday that the aim is to have the legislation passed in October and for the new healthcare services to be fully operational by January of next year," Deputy Donnelly said last night. "We need to get the legislation right, and the regulation, and the medical care. And if that takes the next seven months, then so be it." He insists that these are such measures that can be brought in a matter of weeks. He points out that travelling to the UK in the case of Fatal Foetal Abnormality can cost families thousands of euro. These costs, he insists, should be fully covered. Contraception could be made free. Additional funding for counselling services could be provided," he said. He also says that the 1995 Act governing provision of information on abortion services could be repealed and the 2013 Act could be amended to decriminalise terminations. Yesterday I submitted a Bill that would give effect to both of these. However, the Minister has asked for two weeks for his officials to focus on the new legislation, and so I will not move the Bill at this time, concluded Donnelly. A massive Yes vote from Wicklow. Well done to all who walked the roads, climbed the ladders, staffed the stalls, and everything in between. #RepealedThe8th pic.twitter.com/h2Zw66Eats Stephen Donnelly (@DonnellyStephen) May 26, 2018 Nora Twomey can now call herself an Oscars regular. The animator, director and co-founder of Cartoon Saloon has now been three times, with The Secret Of Kells, Song Of The Sea and now The Breadwinner. The stunning feature tells the story of Parvana, an 11-year-old girl in Afghanistan who must disguise herself as a boy to help her family. Nominated for Best Animated Film at this years Academy Awards, the film is rightfully scooping up praise left, right and centre for its incredible artistry. But was making an animated film about Afghanistan a hard sell, when we more commonly associate animation with cheerful kids films? 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. A former warehouse on Crane Avenue has been transformed into a small animal shelter. Sonsini Animal Shelter Reopening at New Location This Weekend The shelter has a few dogs already available for adoption and will accept surrenders once again. It can hold up to 10 big dogs at the new location. PITTSFIELD, Mass. The Eleanor Sonsini Animal Shelter will open its doors at its new home on Saturday. The shelter relocated to Crane Avenue after the city rescinded its contract to house stray dogs and forced it to leave the city-owned building in the Downing Industrial Business Park. For the last six weeks or so, shelter staff have been renovating a former warehouse owned by Dennis Miller into a shelter. "It was a warehouse. It wasn't an animal shelter," Friends of Eleanor Sonsini Animal Shelter Inc. Chairwoman Krista Wroldson-Miller said. The shelter has 10 new kennels for larger dogs, six cat crates, and a couple smaller kennels for small dogs. The no-kill shelter is typically known for its work with difficult to rehome dogs -- working with them and getting them adoptable. "We're mostly not going to have strays anymore. We still have contracts with Dalton, Lanesborough, Hinsdale, and Hancock. We will still work with all of those places," Wroldson-Miller said. Sonsini needed a place to go after the eviction from the city amidst ongoing drama and court battles within its leadership. During that time, Miller offered to lease a warehouse he had used for storage. He cleaned it out and the shelter purchased the new kennels, brought what it could from the former shelter, and went to task cleaning, painting, installing security, fencing, trimming and new flooring, and will be installing a new air conditioning unit. "We're reusing some of the gates from the other shelter but it was logistically impossible to move kennels," Wroldson-Miller said. The location also provides plenty of wooded areas for the dogs to be walked. The organization moved the dogs in its possession in mid-April, when it closed at the former building and has been taking care of the animals on Crane Avenue while also working to spruce up the place. "It was a huge transition for our animals. There are smaller kennels inside, we have to do a lot more work with them outside now," Wroldson-Miller said. The Crane Avenue location is smaller than the Downing Industrial building but it is also only being eyed as a temporary home. The nonprofit shelter has launched a fundraising campaign looking to raise $750,000 so it can buy a piece of property and build a larger shelter. "I am hoping to raise the money we need in a year but I know that is extremely ambitious," Wroldson-Miller said. "We don't have to be out in a year but I would like to raise it in a year so we can get some property, building a new shelter." Moving past the leadership controversy, Sonsini is starting fairly fresh. It has a few dogs available for adoption right now and those looking to adopt can visit the shelter on weekend from noon until 5 and Tuesday through Fridays from noon until 6. Or, you can go online to see the dogs available and get the adoption paperwork. "We still need volunteers. Anybody who's good at walking big strong dogs, we can absolutely use them at any time," Wroldson-Miller said. Wroldson-Miller said the organization is down to just two volunteers who can walk dogs. She hopes more people will join the organization. Anne Marie Jones is one of the most recent volunteers at the shelter. She said she had to surrender her dog about six months ago after having her child. She said she is grateful for the help Sonsini had given her in helping find her dog a new home and is now giving back to the organization. "A lot of people don't realize just how much this place serves a need in the community. There are a lot of people who are down on their luck. There are a lot of people that one life transition happens and something has to shift," Jones said. "It is hard to rehome your pet. It is hard to be honest and say things aren't going well and I can't do what I am normally able to do. That's a hard thing to do and they allow people the space to do that." AL Justice Parker Defeats SPLC in Free Speech Victory Contact: Mat Staver, 407-875-1776, Liberty@LC.org The controversy started in 2015, when the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) filed a politically-motivated ethics complaint with the JIC against Justice Parker's radio comments regarding same-sex "marriage." Instead of dismissing the SPLC's frivolous complaint, the JIC decided to undertake a year-long "investigation" into whether Justice Parker's public comments on an issue of great public importance were in violation of Alabama Judicial Canons 1, 2A and 3A(6). Justice Parker initiated this lawsuit, challenging the canons on First Amendment grounds. In March 2018, the federal district court entered a preliminary injunction against the JIC, concluding that Justice Parker was likely to prevail on his constitutional challenge because judges have a First Amendment right to speak on issues of public importance if their comments are not likely to affect the outcome or impair the fairness of cases pending before them. In the settlement submitted to the court, the JIC has now agreed to make its preliminary injunction permanent, including the court's finding that "A judicial candidate's discussion of issues is protected by the First Amendment." The "The SPLC's sinister plan has backfired spectacularly," said Horatio Mihet, Chief Litigation Counsel for Liberty Counsel. "The SPLC's effort to muzzle Justice Parker has instead brought freedom of expression on critical public issues to all judges in Alabama. We are glad that the JIC has finally seen the proverbial writing on the wall and has abandoned its defense and enforcement of these unconstitutional laws," said Mihet. Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel said, "This is an important victory for free speech, not just for Justice Tom Parker, but for all judges. This is also a victory for the public because they have a right to hear what judges want to say about important issues, especially during elections. Judges must also be free to speak about past cases when teaching law students in the classroom," said Staver. The speech restrictive rule was so broad that it prevented any Alabama judge from commenting on any case pending anywhere in the country. This rule would even apply to judges teaching law school students and commenting on a case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. MONTGOMERY, Ala., June 1, 2018 / Christian Newswire / -- The Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission (JIC) has agreed to settle Liberty Counsel's lawsuit on behalf of Alabama Supreme Court Justice Tom Parker with a permanent injunction, which will bar the use of judicial ethics canons to censor judges' public comments. The JIC will also pay $100,000.00 compensation to Liberty Counsel for legal fees.The controversy started in 2015, when the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) filed a politically-motivated ethics complaint with the JIC against Justice Parker's radio comments regarding same-sex "marriage." Instead of dismissing the SPLC's frivolous complaint, the JIC decided to undertake a year-long "investigation" into whether Justice Parker's public comments on an issue of great public importance were in violation of Alabama Judicial Canons 1, 2A and 3A(6). Justice Parker initiated this lawsuit, challenging the canons on First Amendment grounds. In March 2018, the federal district court entered a preliminary injunction against the JIC, concluding that Justice Parker was likely to prevail on his constitutional challenge because judges have a First Amendment right to speak on issues of public importance if their comments are not likely to affect the outcome or impair the fairness of cases pending before them.In the settlement submitted to the court, the JIC has now agreed to make its preliminary injunction permanent, including the court's finding that "A judicial candidate's discussion of issues is protected by the First Amendment." The Agreed Permanent Injunction has now been submitted to the court for final approval. The injunction makes clear that "Public discussion by judges or judicial candidates of an issue of public importance cannot be proscribed or punished under Canons 1, 2A and 3A(6) merely because that issue may happen to be the subject of a pending or impending proceeding in any court.""The SPLC's sinister plan has backfired spectacularly," said Horatio Mihet, Chief Litigation Counsel for Liberty Counsel. "The SPLC's effort to muzzle Justice Parker has instead brought freedom of expression on critical public issues to all judges in Alabama. We are glad that the JIC has finally seen the proverbial writing on the wall and has abandoned its defense and enforcement of these unconstitutional laws," said Mihet.Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel said, "This is an important victory for free speech, not just for Justice Tom Parker, but for all judges. This is also a victory for the public because they have a right to hear what judges want to say about important issues, especially during elections. Judges must also be free to speak about past cases when teaching law students in the classroom," said Staver.The speech restrictive rule was so broad that it prevented any Alabama judge from commenting on any case pending anywhere in the country. This rule would even apply to judges teaching law school students and commenting on a case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. "The Southern Poverty Law Center wanted to silence Justice Parker and remove him from the Alabama Supreme Court. Their ill intent backfired, and now Justice Parker has won the right for all judges to speak on important legal issues," concluded Staver. Justice Parker is currently an Associate Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court and is running for the position of Chief Justice in a primary election being held on June 5, 2018. Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics. Share Tweet Applications are now being accepted for the city of Pittsfield's first Citizens Academy, which will be held this fall. Citizens Academy Applications Being Accepted in Pittsfield PITTSFIELD, Mass. Applications are now being accepted for the city of Pittsfield's first Citizens Academy, which will be held this fall. The Citizens Academy is a free, 10-week session program designed to help community members understand the operations of local government. Participants will gain awareness on the various functions of city departments within municipal government, tour designated locations, and engage in breakout activities. Attendees also will learn more about service opportunities available within local government. Executive Assistant to the Mayor Catherine VanBramer developed the program after hearing about the success of similar programs throughout the state at a Massachusetts Municipal Association conference earlier this year. "I am very excited about this program because it will provide residents with a first-hand view of the work that takes place every day in city government," said VanBramer, who engages with the public on a daily basis in the mayor's office. "I also recognize that there are sometimes misconceptions about the workings of government, so this program will help to create an awareness of how government works while providing an understanding of how one can become more actively involved." The sessions will be held 6 to 8 p.m. Thursdays in the months of September through November at various locations to be determined within the city. Transportation options will be available, as needed. iciHaiti - Security : Message from the DG of the PNH Wednesday, 2 days after the publication of the presidential decree submitting to the approval of the National Police Superior Council (CSPN), the decisions of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24541-haiti-politic-the-government-explains-about-the-decree-concerning-the-decisions-of-the-pnh.html Michel-Ange Gedeon, Director General of the National Police of Haiti posted on his facebook page a message to the police, some see in this message a reaction "between the lines" on this Order. Message of Gedeon : "Our police is National, but we can not hide behind our sovereignty to do anything. All eyes are fixed on us. We have a duty of image and a duty of result. Then, I would like to stress for you in strong ink that old partisan political practices have never done good to our institution. Whenever politics enters the kitchen of the institution, it is to spoil everything. The facts are there and the examples are so eloquent. Be and stay professional! Governments are passing, the police are staying. Each candidate has a government program, but none can do without the security component. You are therefore unavoidable. Be proud of it without having a big head." See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24541-haiti-politic-the-government-explains-about-the-decree-concerning-the-decisions-of-the-pnh.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24529-haiti-politic-the-state-takes-control-of-the-pnh-strong-reactions.html IH/ iciHaiti In secret, behind locked gates, our Nation's Oldest City dumped a landfill in a lake (Old City Reservoir), while emitting sewage in our rivers and salt marsh. Organized citizens exposed and defeated pollution, racism and cronyism. We elected a new Mayor. We're transforming our City -- advanced citizenship. Ask questions. Make disclosures. Demand answers. Be involved. Expect democracy. Report and expose corruption. Smile! Help enact a St. Augustine National Park and Seashore. We shall overcome! Veere Di Wedding has several bold aspects that are made an integral part of the movie, the characterizations and the plot and never seem like gimmicks that are attempts to salvage a weak script and film. (Veere Di Wedding/Twitter photo) Entrepreneur Waqar Vic Ahmed, Indian American founder of the business incubator Innovation Pavilion and a former trustee for TiE Global, has been accused of sexually assaulting a female employee. Ahmed, who has stepped down as CEO of the company, said in a written statement to 9News.com: "The civil charges that have been brought against me that imply coercion, harassment, particularly sexual, however, are categorically false. (screen grab of YouTube/Speak Growth) Naidu Rayapati, an Indian American plant pathologist at Washington State University, has been named director of the universitys Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center in Prosser as well as assistant dean of the College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Resource Sciences. (Washington State University photo) Susamma Barua was named by California State University at Fullerton as the next dean of the universitys College of Engineering and Computer Science. The Indian American educator, who has held the post in an interim capacity since July 2016, will assume the position June 1. (Cal State Fullerton photo) Two Jacksonville City Council members indicted on fraud charges By Jacksonville City Council members Katrina Brown and Reggie Brown political allies at City Hall stood together Thursday in a federal courtroom where they listened grimly while prosecutors outlined a 38-count indictment that accuses them of fraudulently getting tens of thousands of dollars from a U.S. Small Business Administration loan. The 60-page indictment is the latest blow for Katrina Brown stemming from her role in a Jerome Brown BBQ Sauce manufacturing plant that went belly-up after receiving a $2.65 million loan backed by the Small Business Administration, along with a $380,000 city loan and a $210,000 city grant. The criminal case swept up Reggie Brown as well due to his involvement in two businesses A Plus Training and RB Packaging that the indictment contends he and Katrina Brown formed in order to file fake invoices so a Louisiana bank would continue to release money from the SBA loan. Reggie Brown declared as he left the U.S Courthouse, Im innocent, and the end of the story will definitely justify the outcome. Notable scandals in recent Jacksonville history Previous 18/18 HIDE CAPTION Shirk refused to resign and even mounted an unsuccessful bid to be re-elected to a third term as public defender. Instead, Charlie Cofer, a 64-year-old former judge whod spent his working life outside the limelight, trounced Shirk, once a rising Republican star who saw the political and legal establishment abandon him in the face of scandal. [Times-Union, file] 1/18 HIDE CAPTION The indictments of two sitting Jacksonville City Council members are the latest in a series of scandals that have rocked local political leaders. U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, Jacksonville police union chief Nelson Cuba, JaxPort board member Tony Nelson, State Rep. Reginald Fullwood, Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll and Public Defender Matt Shirk were each in the headlines for months, and in some cases, years. Some faced criminal charges. Others lost elected positions because of scandals that never resulted in indictments. Heres a look at those cases. 2/18 HIDE CAPTION Former U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown was indicted in July 2016 on 22 charges involving mail and wire fraud. She was accused of conspiring to cash in on more than $800,000 her supporters donated to a sham charity, One Door for Education. [Times-Union, file] 3/18 HIDE CAPTION Brown, who had served in congress from 1992 until she was voted out of office in 2016 during the primary and after her indictment, was convicted in May 2017 on 18 counts. [Times-Union, file] 4/18 HIDE CAPTION Brown began a five-year prison sentence in January 2018 at a minimum-security camp in a federal prison complex in Sumter County. She continues to appeal her conviction. [Times-Union, file] 5/18 HIDE CAPTION Browns chief of staff Ronnie Simmons was sentenced to 48 months in prison on related charges. [Times-Union, file] 6/18 HIDE CAPTION The fake charitys founder Carla Wiley (left) was sentenced to 21 months. [Times-Union, file] 7/18 HIDE CAPTION In 2013, 57 people were arrested after the state alleged a $300 million racketeering and money laundering scheme that involved internet cafes. Prosecutors said St. Augustine-based Allied Veterans of the World internet cafes wasnt a charity and only gave two percent of its profits to charitable causes. [Times-Union, file] 8/18 HIDE CAPTION Nelson Cuba, the then powerful leader of the Jacksonville Fraternal Order of Police, was charged of racketeering, money laundering, running an illegal lottery, keeping gambling houses and illegally structuring financial transactions. Prosecutors argued that Cuba, shown here in 2012, was paid off to keep police away from Allied Veterans operations. [Times-Union, file] 9/18 HIDE CAPTION Nelson pleaded guilty to one count each of the manufacture, sale or possession of illegal slot machines, operating an illegal lottery and illegally structuring a monetary transaction. He was sentenced to one year of house arrest and four years of probation. He also agreed to donate $45,000 to charity. Robbie Freitas, Cubas second in command at the union, pleaded guilty to illegally structuring financial transactions and running an illegal lottery, but got no jail time. [Times-Union, file] 10/18 HIDE CAPTION Then Florida lieutenant governor Jennifer Carroll, who was not charged in the case, resigned from office. A public relations firm she had co-owned had done work for Allied and she had promoted the organization on television. She said she was forced out of her job by gubernatorial aides who couldnt control her and didnt like that she had the ear of Gov. Rick Scott. [Associated Press, file] 11/18 HIDE CAPTION A local attorney, who prosecutors dubbed the mastermind of the scheme, was convicted and received six years in prison, but that was later overturned. Others involved in the organization cut deals, but none of those faced prison time. [Times-Union, file] 12/18 HIDE CAPTION Former Jacksonville Port Authority Chairman Tony Nelson was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2010 on 44 counts charging him with conspiracy, money launching, mail fraud, bribery and making a false statement to the FBI. After a four-year federal probe, he was accused of accepting bribes to use his influence at the independent authority. [Times-Union, file] 13/18 HIDE CAPTION In May 2011, Nelson was found guilty of multiple counts of bribery, money laundering, mail fraud and one count each of conspiracy and lying to the FBI. In February 2012, he was sentenced to 40 months in a Jesup, Ga., prison. Nelson was also required to serve one year of supervised release, to perform 200 hours of community service and to let the government review his finances. [Times-Union, file] 14/18 HIDE CAPTION In April 2016, then State Rep. Reggie Fullwood was charged in federal court with 10 counts of wire fraud and four charges of not filing income tax returns from 2011 to 2014. Fullwood, who had control over his campaigns bank account, was accused of transferring thousands of dollars online to another account belonging to a defunct company he created, Rhino Harbor LLC. Once money was moved to the Rhino Harbor account, Fullwood was accused of used to pay personal expenses at grocery stores, jewelers, restaurants and other businesses. [Times-Union, file] 15/18 HIDE CAPTION In September 2016, Fullwood pleaded guilty to single counts of wire fraud and not filling an income tax return. In return for those pleas, prosecutors dropped nine other wire fraud counts and three more tax charges.In February 2017, Fullwood was sentenced to six months of home detention followed by federal supervision. [Times-Union, file] 16/18 HIDE CAPTION An August 2013 Times-Union investigation details dissension in the office of Public Defender Matt Shirk following the hiring of a young woman Shirk sought out after seeing her photo on social media and ending with Shirks chief of staff asking a former investigator to help him avoid following the public records law. In between, there was a perceived unusual closeness between Shirk and the young woman, the quick hiring of the young womans friend and a visit to the office from Shirks wife, who a second investigator said threatened a third womans employment after the woman received an inappropriate text from Shirks phone. Not long after Shirks wifes visit, the three women were terminated and two investigators resigned in anger over the women losing their jobs for reasons beyond their control. [Times-Union, file] 17/18 HIDE CAPTION In Dec. 2014, a Duval County grand jury recommended Shirk resign immediately following its findings that: - Shirk fired three women from his office solely to help repair his marriage. - Shirk violated local law by offering alcohol in his office. - Shirk violated attorney-client privilege when he shared details from a conversation he had with Cristian Fernandez with a documentary crew. - Shirk and his staff redirected funds to pay for an unapproved shower in his office. - Shirks chief of staff was looking to keep the public from knowing about Shirks wifes altercation at the Public Defenders Office when he order the removal of her access badge data. - Shirk embarrassed his office and used it as his personal playpen to satisfy his whims. - Shirks behavior unnecessarily exposed the taxpayers to a lawsuit. [Times-Union, file] 18/18 HIDE CAPTION Shirk refused to resign and even mounted an unsuccessful bid to be re-elected to a third term as public defender. Instead, Charlie Cofer, a 64-year-old former judge whod spent his working life outside the limelight, trounced Shirk, once a rising Republican star who saw the political and legal establishment abandon him in the face of scandal. [Times-Union, file] 1/18 HIDE CAPTION The indictments of two sitting Jacksonville City Council members are the latest in a series of scandals that have rocked local political leaders. U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, Jacksonville police union chief Nelson Cuba, JaxPort board member Tony Nelson, State Rep. Reginald Fullwood, Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll and Public Defender Matt Shirk were each in the headlines for months, and in some cases, years. Some faced criminal charges. Others lost elected positions because of scandals that never resulted in indictments. Heres a look at those cases. 2/18 HIDE CAPTION Former U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown was indicted in July 2016 on 22 charges involving mail and wire fraud. She was accused of conspiring to cash in on more than $800,000 her supporters donated to a sham charity, One Door for Education. [Times-Union, file] 3/18 HIDE CAPTION Brown, who had served in congress from 1992 until she was voted out of office in 2016 during the primary and after her indictment, was convicted in May 2017 on 18 counts. [Times-Union, file] 4/18 HIDE CAPTION Brown began a five-year prison sentence in January 2018 at a minimum-security camp in a federal prison complex in Sumter County. She continues to appeal her conviction. [Times-Union, file] 5/18 HIDE CAPTION Browns chief of staff Ronnie Simmons was sentenced to 48 months in prison on related charges. [Times-Union, file] 6/18 HIDE CAPTION The fake charitys founder Carla Wiley (left) was sentenced to 21 months. [Times-Union, file] 7/18 HIDE CAPTION In 2013, 57 people were arrested after the state alleged a $300 million racketeering and money laundering scheme that involved internet cafes. Prosecutors said St. Augustine-based Allied Veterans of the World internet cafes wasnt a charity and only gave two percent of its profits to charitable causes. [Times-Union, file] 8/18 HIDE CAPTION Nelson Cuba, the then powerful leader of the Jacksonville Fraternal Order of Police, was charged of racketeering, money laundering, running an illegal lottery, keeping gambling houses and illegally structuring financial transactions. Prosecutors argued that Cuba, shown here in 2012, was paid off to keep police away from Allied Veterans operations. [Times-Union, file] 9/18 HIDE CAPTION Nelson pleaded guilty to one count each of the manufacture, sale or possession of illegal slot machines, operating an illegal lottery and illegally structuring a monetary transaction. He was sentenced to one year of house arrest and four years of probation. He also agreed to donate $45,000 to charity. Robbie Freitas, Cubas second in command at the union, pleaded guilty to illegally structuring financial transactions and running an illegal lottery, but got no jail time. [Times-Union, file] 10/18 HIDE CAPTION Then Florida lieutenant governor Jennifer Carroll, who was not charged in the case, resigned from office. A public relations firm she had co-owned had done work for Allied and she had promoted the organization on television. She said she was forced out of her job by gubernatorial aides who couldnt control her and didnt like that she had the ear of Gov. Rick Scott. [Associated Press, file] 11/18 HIDE CAPTION A local attorney, who prosecutors dubbed the mastermind of the scheme, was convicted and received six years in prison, but that was later overturned. Others involved in the organization cut deals, but none of those faced prison time. [Times-Union, file] 12/18 HIDE CAPTION Former Jacksonville Port Authority Chairman Tony Nelson was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2010 on 44 counts charging him with conspiracy, money launching, mail fraud, bribery and making a false statement to the FBI. After a four-year federal probe, he was accused of accepting bribes to use his influence at the independent authority. [Times-Union, file] 13/18 HIDE CAPTION In May 2011, Nelson was found guilty of multiple counts of bribery, money laundering, mail fraud and one count each of conspiracy and lying to the FBI. In February 2012, he was sentenced to 40 months in a Jesup, Ga., prison. Nelson was also required to serve one year of supervised release, to perform 200 hours of community service and to let the government review his finances. [Times-Union, file] 14/18 HIDE CAPTION In April 2016, then State Rep. Reggie Fullwood was charged in federal court with 10 counts of wire fraud and four charges of not filing income tax returns from 2011 to 2014. Fullwood, who had control over his campaigns bank account, was accused of transferring thousands of dollars online to another account belonging to a defunct company he created, Rhino Harbor LLC. Once money was moved to the Rhino Harbor account, Fullwood was accused of used to pay personal expenses at grocery stores, jewelers, restaurants and other businesses. [Times-Union, file] 15/18 HIDE CAPTION In September 2016, Fullwood pleaded guilty to single counts of wire fraud and not filling an income tax return. In return for those pleas, prosecutors dropped nine other wire fraud counts and three more tax charges.In February 2017, Fullwood was sentenced to six months of home detention followed by federal supervision. [Times-Union, file] 16/18 HIDE CAPTION An August 2013 Times-Union investigation details dissension in the office of Public Defender Matt Shirk following the hiring of a young woman Shirk sought out after seeing her photo on social media and ending with Shirks chief of staff asking a former investigator to help him avoid following the public records law. In between, there was a perceived unusual closeness between Shirk and the young woman, the quick hiring of the young womans friend and a visit to the office from Shirks wife, who a second investigator said threatened a third womans employment after the woman received an inappropriate text from Shirks phone. Not long after Shirks wifes visit, the three women were terminated and two investigators resigned in anger over the women losing their jobs for reasons beyond their control. [Times-Union, file] 17/18 HIDE CAPTION In Dec. 2014, a Duval County grand jury recommended Shirk resign immediately following its findings that: - Shirk fired three women from his office solely to help repair his marriage. - Shirk violated local law by offering alcohol in his office. - Shirk violated attorney-client privilege when he shared details from a conversation he had with Cristian Fernandez with a documentary crew. - Shirk and his staff redirected funds to pay for an unapproved shower in his office. - Shirks chief of staff was looking to keep the public from knowing about Shirks wifes altercation at the Public Defenders Office when he order the removal of her access badge data. - Shirk embarrassed his office and used it as his personal playpen to satisfy his whims. - Shirks behavior unnecessarily exposed the taxpayers to a lawsuit. [Times-Union, file] 18/18 HIDE CAPTION Shirk refused to resign and even mounted an unsuccessful bid to be re-elected to a third term as public defender. Instead, Charlie Cofer, a 64-year-old former judge whod spent his working life outside the limelight, trounced Shirk, once a rising Republican star who saw the political and legal establishment abandon him in the face of scandal. [Times-Union, file] Next Katrina Brown did not say anything on her way out of the courthouse. Her attorney, Curtis Fallgatter, said the federal governments fraud case fails to show she gained any personal benefit. Shes not out buying yachts, fancy cars, fancy trips, jewelry, Fallgatter said. Comparing her case to that of Bernie Madoff, who was convicted of an elaborate scheme to defraud investors, Fallgatter said, Bernie Madoff bought a lot of toys for himself. Shes still living with her parents. He said that from 2011 to 2016, Brown drew about $3,000 in income from the sauce business. If thats a crime for her to work five years and make $600 a year, Ive never seen it in my 40 years of practicing law, Fallgatter said. Fallgatter said every penny of the $2.65 million Small Business Administration loan went into the barbecue sauce manufacturing business, which ultimately failed. Every time a business fails does not mean a crime occurred, said Alan Ceballos, attorney for Reggie Brown. Katrina Brown and Reggie Brown were quiet and reserved when they addressed U.S. Magistrate James Klindt at a first appearance hearing where the charges were summarized and attorneys talked about their plans for the case. Neither Fallgatter nor Ceballos were ready Thursday to guarantee their firms would represent the council members through a trial or plea agreement. Klindt scheduled a June 14 hearing to settle that, and said the hearing might become an arraignment, where defendants formally plead their innocence or guilt. Assistant U.S. Attorney A. Tysen Duva summarized the charges, which carry a purely theoretical potential for sentences as long as 720 years for Katrina Brown and 601 years for Reggie Brown. Those charges basically center around lying so lenders would believe enough work had been completed and would release portions of the 2.65 million federally backed loan that financed the sauce plant. The indictment describes Katrina Brown and an unnamed Person A signing a November 2011 loan agreement with BizCapital, which seems to be a loan the council member and her mother, JoAnn Brown, signed that same day. The agreement required Basic Products, the sauce businesss operating company, to file detailed invoices of its expenses for BizCapital to release money in installments to covers costs as they arose for turning a large Commonwealth Avenue building into a sauce manufacturing operation. The charges claim that some invoices were false, and that a lot of money paid to RB Packaging and A Plus Training ended up back in Basic Products bank account. In July 2014, the indictment says, Katrina Brown emailed the lender a note in all capital letters saying money was needed to pay for equipment including sauce bottles. WE NEED THOSE BOTTLES ASAP WE HAVE ORDERS TO FILL, the email read, according to the indictment. The document says an $18,661 check was sent from the lender to a supposed vendor, RB Packaging, but then that company wrote a $16,500 check back to Basic Products. State records list Reggie Brown as the manager and registered agent of RB Packaging LLC, but the indictment says Katrina Brown actually incorporated that business and another, A Plus Training. The indictment claims the companies performed no legitimate business, and were created only after Basic Products struggled to meet the big business forecasts it had when the loan was first approved. The U.S. Small Business Administration had guaranteed 75 percent of the BizCapital loan, and the city had separately agreed to a $380,000 loan and a grant that ended up being $210,000. Katrina Brown conspired with Reggie Brown to use the two companies to submit fraudulent invoices in order to keep getting money for the sauce business instead of admitting that the venture was struggling, the indictment said. About $252,000 in SBA loan money ended up reaching RB Packaging, the indictment said, adding that at least $165,000 of that was later sent to Basic Products and Katrina Brown. On a smaller scale, A Plus Training was used as a conduit to improperly receive approximately $12,500 in SBA loan funds, only to funnel funds back to Basic Products and Katrina Brown, the indictment said. The invoices and other information sent to BizCapital were also used later by the city when it approved releasing $210,000 in grant money for Basic Products use, the U.S. Attorneys Office said in a release Thursday. The indictment says the federal government will seek to obtain the forfeiture of property in amount of at least $754,613, an amount that represents proceeds the conspiracy obtained directly or indirectly. Katrina Brown is charged with 37 separate counts involving conspiracy, aiding and abetting mail and wire fraud, attempted bank fraud, illegal monetary transactions and making false statements to a federally insured institution. Reggie Brown faces 34 counts involving conspiracy, aiding and abetting mail and wire fraud, illegal transactions and failure to file a 2014 income tax return. When Katrina Brown was elected to City Council in 2015, her campaign touted her ability to win the loans and grants in support of the venture to manufacture the Jerome Brown BBQ brand of sauce. The sauce, which her father concocted and used at the familys drive-in barbecue restaurant, won backing from the citys Northwest Jacksonville Economic Development Fund, which aims to help businesses in struggling parts of the city. In 2011, City Council approved the citys share of the financing package. In exchange, the sauce business was supposed to create 56 jobs, but it failed to show the city that even a single new job was created. The city sued Cowealth LLC and Basic Products LLC both businesses owned by Katrina Brown and her mother and won a judgment demanding repayment of the $210,000 grant. Earlier this month, the city sued Katrina Brown to compel her to make good on the largely unpaid city loan. A grand jury returned the indictment on May 23. The indictment was sealed that day and unsealed Thursday. Reggie Browns annual financial disclosure statements, which are on file with the Florida Commission on Ethics, do not make any mention of either A Plus Training or RB Packaging where elected officials must disclose sources of income. david.bauerlein (904) 359-4581 steve.patterson (904) 359-4263 Charges in the indictment: Conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud Aiding and abetting mail and wire fraud (26 counts) Illegal monetary transactions (six counts) Attempted bank fraud (two counts) False statements to a federally insured institution (two counts) Failure to file Form 1040 Return Related stories: What do mineral exploration companies Chalice Gold Mines, King River Copper, Technology Metals Australia, Vanadium Corp, Australian Vanadium, Six Sigma Metals, Tando Resources, TNG Ltd as well as lithium-miner Neometals all have in common? All of these companies are searching for vanadium, a now sought-after mineral used in vanadium redox batteries (VRBs). According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), vanadium is traditionally used in steel alloy production and is predominantly mined in China, but also in South Africa, Russia and Brazil. As a consequence of the US import dependence, the USGS named vanadium on its final list of critical minerals, announced on May 18. The VRB sector is expanding thanks to its wide range of energy applications. Their large storage capacity and high cycle performance and durability make these batteries particularly suitable for grid and large scale industrial and residential uses. Another mineral that all of these companies have in common is titanium. This is because geologically speaking, vanadium and titanium commonly occur together in anorthositic, mafic to ultramafic rocks and are often referred to as vanadiferous titanomagnetite (VTM) deposits. Recent market announcements, explored below, revealed that investors, explorers and miners are actively seeking to become the next vanadium producers, and therefore, also the next titanium producers. These companies are flying under the radar in terms of titanium, due to their battery-industry focus. Of these companies, the most advanced projects are held by Australia Securities Exchange (ASX)-listed companies Neometals Ltd and TNG Ltd. On May 8, Neometals, an established lithium producer, reported that its Western Australia-located titanium-vanadium Barrambie direct shipping ore (DSO) project was the subject of bulk-sampling and test work. The companys titanium feedstock has been confirmed to be suitable for high-purity (>99%) titanium dioxide production, and can be precipitated selectively from a leach solution at recoveries greater than 90%. Barrambie's Eastern Band made a total mineral resource for Barrambie is estimated to be 280.1 million tonnes at 9.18% titanium dioxide and 0.44% vanadium pentoxide. Elsewhere, TNGs Australian Northern Territory Mount Peake Vanadium-Titanium Iron Project was awarded federal environmental approval on May 15 of this year. The project, which contains 160 million tonnes of 5.31% titanium dioxide and 0.28% vanadium pentoxide as part of its resource (as of 2013), will now need a mine management plan in order to proceed to a stage where offtake, funding and construction may proceed. A long list of early to mid-stage explorers also exist, and while they are a long way from production, present another potential source of titanium in the long term. ASX-listed explorer Tando Resources commenced exploration on May 21 on its South African high-grade vanadium project, after acquiring it from Vanadium Resources Ltd on March 22. The companys preliminary estimates on a concentrate indicate grades of 2% vanadium pentoxide and 13% titanium dioxide. Likewise, ASX-listed explorer Chalice Gold Mines announced on May 23 that it had applied for a number of vanadium focused exploration licenses in Queensland and Western Australia. The company notes that the areas are "highly prospective" for nickel, copper platinum group elements and titanium. Another Australia-based ASX-listed explorer, Six Sigma Metals, has recently agreed to acquire "highly prospective" vanadium-titanium and lithium assets located in Zimbabwe from Mirrorplex Ltd. The announcement, made on May 17, said that the acquisition was part of a strategy to "capitalize on the rising interest in the sector due to recent global [battery] technology advances". This company has likened its geology to that of ASX-listed Australian Vanadiums Western Australian Gabanintha deposit, as well as ASX-listed King River Coppers Western Australian Speerwah deposit. Of these, King River Copper has conducted advanced metallurgical test work which has resulted in high purity titanium dioxide and vanadium pentoxide products. Australian Vanadium has also carried out test work on their project, resulting in the production of a combined concentrate yielding around 15% titanium dioxide. In late February, ASX-listed Technology Metals Australia reported that it had recovered up to 97.8% vanadium in magnetic concentrates during metallurgical test work. While initial results focused on vanadium, early success may pave the way to future titanium production at this deposit, which contains 9.7% titanium dioxide. Despite these companies focused on vanadium production, the potential volume of titanium dioxide that could be supplied into pigment markets is substantial. Industrial Minerals reported prices for titanium dioxide pigment, high quality, bulk volume, cfr Asia, on May 24 at $2,800-3,100 per tonne, unchanged from the previous week. The price had been assessed at $2,720-3,100 per tonne a year earlier. Titanium dioxide prices have been rising since early 2017 due to increased demand driven by the global economic recovery and the reduction in output due to environmental inspections in China, Industrial Minerals reported earlier in May. While this may be the case, it remains to be seen as to whether vanadium-driven titanium dioxide production can provide any pricing relief. Indian exporters of barite are pushing offer prices even lower, while Morocco-origin material is becoming more expensive, market participants told Industrial Minerals on Friday June 1. "India is being very aggressive on pricing," one buyer said. An Indian seller, meanwhile, reported brisk demand for 4.2 SG barite from the Middle... The head of the Spanish Navys 11th Aircraft Wing, Lieutenant Commander Santiago Juan Yanez Gomez, on Thursday will take part at the UNVEX S&D roundtable discussion analyzing the operational experience with RPAS in all military branches. While attending the drone fair being hosted by the northwestern Spanish city of Leon, the Navys chief officer responsible for the use of RPAS talked to Infodefensa.com about the missions that the drones perform within Spains naval force. What are RPAS main uses in the Navy? The Navy mainly employs RPAS for ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) tasks. Basically, our mission is to provide tactical information in real time via high-resolution images over a long period of time. This information is of great help to the command when it comes to decision-making, as well as to the units themselves, either as a baseline for the planning stages or as a security element during the missions execution. In practice, weve carried out this mission at sea during Operation Atalanta, and on the ground in our support mission in Iraq. How are the systems used on land and at sea? At sea, our system is used as a complement to the vessel in search, localization and identification operations, for example when it comes to pirate groups threatening maritime traffic. On land, we survey the area, the routes and zones of interest, we support planning, we locate and identify targets and provide security to the multinational Special Ops groups deployed in the area. Which new needs have been detected that these systems could cover? Their possibilities are almost infinite. Its a sector that is developing at an amazing speed, and every day, new things appear that further widen the scope of uses RPAS offer. Weve recently been testing an optical system for maritime search operations, which is completely passive, that allows us to locate a shipwrecked person isolated in a large area in a matter of minutes. Using the connection with autonomous submarine vessels, it could be a very powerful tool in anti-submarine warfare or as a communications relay for the submarines themselves. And for civilian use? As to civilian applications, weve been recently seeing how our colleagues in the Australian Navy use these systems for support at their strategic infrastructures (oil and gas pipelines) by detecting via a specific software any leak or spillage in expansive areas that are hard to access. Until now, they needed months of work and large investments in personnel and material for this. These are only some examples of these systems huge capabilities. Every day, as Ive mentioned, many more are discovered. Join us for the Second Copper Cobalt Africa Conference in the heart of Africa. To be held at Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, this prestigious event will provide a unique forum for discussion, sharing of experience and knowledge, and networking for all those interested in the processing of copper and cobalt in an African context in one of the worlds most spectacular settings. Combined with the Ninth Southern African Base Metals Conference, this event is scheduled to take place at Victoria Falls, Livingstone, Zambia, in July 2018. The event will also offer preconference Continuing Professional Development short courses and post conference tours to the regions most important commercial operations. 4-year -old pupil of a private school has been hailed for identifying a staff who allegedly molested her in school. The suspect a 19-year-old staff of a private school in Minna, Niger State, lured the little girl to the school toilet where he sexually molested her. According to reports, Victor Opute, the alleged molester was given away when the girl was seen crying..She later narrated what happened to one of the officials of the school. The school officials, it was learnt, assembled all the male staff for screening to identify the culprit behind the assault. The child was said to have identified Opute out of the 19 males that were paraded and he did not deny the allegation but blamed it on the devil . The little girl was said to have been taken to the hospital for treatment, while the suspect was handed over to the officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. Childish Gambinos This Is America has recently reached platinum certification. According to Billboard, the hit song has now gotten 1 million equivalent song units in the U.S. And One equivalent song unit, as recognized by the RIAA, is equal to: one digital song sale, or 150 on-demand audio and/or video streams. This is America has also inspired several parodies and covers since its release, the most interesting being Falzs This is Nigeria, which references a number of recent flashpoints including police brutality, corruption, religious violence, the ongoing Fulani herdsmen tragedy, the kidnap of young girls, and also blatant corrupt practices ravaging the nation. See Gambinos version below. -Akpraise Operatives of EFCC in the Port Harcourts Zonal Office, have arrested a fake Pastor James Ezekiel for defrauding an unsuspecting victim the sum of N1, 330, 000.00 (One Million, Three Hundred Thousand Naira) only by deceiving him to enlist as one of the financiers of a spurious contract in the sum of N1,800,000,000.00( One Billion, Eight Hundred Million Naira) only. Ezekiel, a purported Presiding Pastor of One Touch Power Ministry , Agudama, Epie, Bayelsa State, allegedly claimed to have won a contract for the roofing of a church cathedral belonging to the Salvation Ministries in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. He reportedly put the contract sum at N1,800,000,000.00 and showed a contract award letter to his victim. He also wooed his victim to collaborate with him as one of the financiers of the contract. He allegedly promised the victim mouth- watering interests on his investment. Troubles came for Ezekiel when the victim demanded a repayment of his money with the interests. EFCCs investigations showed that Ezekiel delayed making payments to his victim by deceiving him that he had been paid the sum of N800,000,000.00 (Eight Hundred Million Naira) only as mobilization fees for the contract but could not access the funds because his companys account had been frozen by the EFCC. He also contrived a fake EFCCs e-mail message notifying him of the freezing of the account. The victim sensed foul play and petitioned the EFCC. Further investigations showed that the Salvation Ministries did not award any contract to Ezekiel and no transfer of N800,000,000.00 was made into his companys account. Besides, the e-mail address he ascribed to the EFCC does not belong to the Commission. The suspect allegedly initiated the scam to fraudulently obtain money from the petitioner and other unsuspecting members of the public. The suspect is in the custody of the EFCC and would be charged to court soon. Leave a Comment comments Former president of Gambia Yahya Jammeh, is been sued by three people living with HIV/AIDSfor allegedly detaining and abusing them and using them as guinea pigs to test his supposed cure. According to their lawyer, Combeh Gaye while speaking to AFP shortly after filing the suit on Thursday, he said My clients are claiming damages for false imprisonment and (declaring) that the defendant subjected the plaintiffs to inhumane and degrading treatment, contrary to the constitution, while they underwent Jammehs alleged HIV/AIDS cure. Jammeh, whose tough 22-year rule, was ended by armed intervention claimed to possess a range of mystical gifts, including the power to cure asthma, epilepsy and sterility as well as AIDS, using plants and chants. The AIDS patients who have gone to court are two men of 63 and 64 years old and a woman of 51. They are members of associations that support people living with HIV/AIDS, according to the text of their suit seen by AFP. Shortly after Jammeh in January 2007 publicly announced his discovery of an AIDS cure, the three plaintiffs and six other people, including a minor, were invited to meet the president at State House and became his first batch of experimental subjects. In their court case, they testified that top among Jammehs rules was that the members of the group should immediately desist from using any anti-retroviral drugs and/or any other form of conventional medication given to people with HIV/AIDS. Jammeh kept the patients locked up during some six months of treatment until July 2007, brushing aside their objections to being filmed during the alleged therapeutic sessions. They later learned that videos had been broadcast on state media, including official GRTS television, the three plaintiffs said. Despite the ineffective and painful nature of the supposed remedy, the first batch of subjects backed up Jammehs claim to have cured them when they were discharged. The court case specifies that they were compelled by fear and threats from the defendants agents. Then health minister Tamsir Mbowe joined Jammeh in false and misleading claims, encouraging numerous other people with HIV actively to seek magical treatment, the plaintiffs argue. A Muslim onetime soldier, Jammeh seized power in a bloodless 1994 coup in the former British colony, a small enclave of a nation inside Senegal either side of the Gambia river and with an Atlantic seaboard. From 1996, the increasingly erratic leader won successive presidential elections until he was beaten by opposition candidate Adama Barrow in December 2016, agreed to step down and then changed his mind. After a six-week political crisis, Jammeh left the country on January 21, 2017, in the wake of military intervention by the Economic Community of West African States and a final mediation bid. U.S. Treasury announced on Wednesday it has imposed sanctions on three Iran-related entities and six Iranians, accusing them of involvement in human rights abuses. "We will continue to make efforts to fulfill Iran's hopes for economic recovery and good trade relations as long as Iran is ready and able to prove that it adheres to its obligations under the nuclear deal", Maas said on Tuesday. Total signed a $4.8 billion contract to develop phase 11 of the South Pars-by far the world's largest natural gas field-last July, after the 2015 nuclear deal struck between the U.S., Iran and five other world powers saw a rolling back of sanctions against the revolutionary Shiite Muslim nation in exchange for it cutting nuclear production. Iranian lawmakers held high-level meetings with the European Union this week, with those close to the negotiations saying Tehran is attempting to circumvent American sanctions just weeks after President Trump withdrew from the worldwide nuclear agreement. Trump's May 8 withdrawal from the nuclear accord, however, has put this investment at risk and Iranian Petroleum Minister Bijan Zanganeh said the state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), which already claims 30 percent of the project, could take the French supercompany's 50.1 percent stake. Top Photo | Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif arrives for a meeting of the foreign ministers from Britain, France and Germany and European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, at the Europa building in Brussels, Tuesday, May 15, 2018. "India follows only [United Nations] sanctions and not unilateral sanctions by any country", Swaraj was quoted as saying, emphasizing that India remains "independent" and immune to "pressure". He said: "Total has 60 days to negotiate with the United States government". In a statement obtained by Reuters, a Total spokesman said Wednesday that "On May 16, we said that in accordance with our contractual commitments vis a vis the Iranian authorities, Total was engaging with the French and USA authorities to examine the possibility of a project waiver". "Secretary Pompeo speaks frequently with his counterparts from the UK, France, and Germany as well as our allies in the Middle East and Asia", the official said. Lukoil's cautious stance follows an announcement by French energy giant Total earlier this month that it will abandon a major gas project in Iran unless it gets a US sanctions waiver. "We are fully engaged at all levels". The countries are also discussing the barter-like system to avoid U.S. sanctions, Sputnik reports. "India is going out of its way to alienate members of Congress, including many who have been sympathetic and trying to help them", said one senior congressional official who works on the issue and has discussed the matter with the administration. They are republished from a number of sources, and are not produced by MintPress News. They keep telling us they want a new relationship with America but then they act in these destructive ways. After weeks of being away from the Senate Chambers, the Senator representing the Kogi West Senatorial Constituency, Senator Dino Melaye has resumed plenary. Senator Melaye resumed plenary on Wednesday and asked to be moved from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) side of the chamber to the Opposition. The Senator who resumed plenary after battling with the police and being on admission in the hospital for a while asked Senate President Bukola Saraki for permission to leave his allotted seat and move to the opposite side of the Senate chamber. He specifically asked that he wants to sit beside the former Senate President, David Mark. According to Senator Melaye, his reason for wanting a change of seat is because his present seat is no longer comfortable after his ordeal with the police and his health issues. But the lawmakers from the ruling APC kicked against the move by Senator Melaye arguing that it is against the constitution. Meanwhile, Dino Melaye took to his instagram to reveal more on the reason behind his option to switch seats. He wrote; I see lion,tiger and snakes on this sit. Change my sit mbok. -Dailypost Punch The lawmaker representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Senator Dino Melaye, maintained his seat at the Peoples Democratic Party section in the chamber. He relocated to the seat on Wednesday in spite of being a member of the All Progressives Congress. Vanguard WARRIIJAW and Itsekiri youths have enjoined the Federal Government to ensure the commencement and completion of the dredging of the Excravos bar to Warri port, noting that the project should not be abandoned like several other projects in the Niger Delta region. The Sun Daily Sun gathered that the coordinated armed robbers, who targeted council workers salaries, made away with N9 million in Gwandu, unspecified amount in Suru and about N1.655 million meant for civil servants in Birnin-Kebbi local government. Thisday The United States Congress has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to publicly condemn attacks on Christian farmers by Fulani herdsmen. Daily Times The palatial home of the gubernatorial aspirant on the platform of the People Democratic Party (PDP) in Ilorin metropolis is Currently under demolition by government officials. Daily Trust Chairman of the Senate committee on Special Duties, Abdul-Aziz Murtala Nyako (APC, Adamawa), said yesterday that the Not Too Young To Run bill is not conceived to send elder politicians away. Tribune A reliable source close to the Government House disclosed that the Governor has already transmitted the name of Audu Sule Katagum to the State House of Assembly for confirmation. Leadership The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday, arraiged and Five Thousand Naira (N 23, 299,705,000.00) NNPC missing funds some years ago by the former Minister of Petroleum Resources Mrs Diezani Alison Madueke. The Nation The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has declared war on militants who are regrouping in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria and vowed not to give them a hiding place. The Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) has said the declaration made by President Muhammadu Buhari, that Nigerian youths should not contest the Presidency in the 2019 general elections is unacceptable. The opposition party made the statement via his National publicity secretary on June 1st, said the declaration was unlawful and proof that President Buhari has disdain for the youths. See statement below Few hours after celebrity stylist and fashion entrepreneur, Toyin Lawani got Big Brother Naija 2018 finalist, Nina a car for her birthday, thereve been lots of controversy over the news. From trolls saying her gesture has an ulterior motive, to people attacking Bobrisky too over the report and all. It was also alleged by an Instagram blogger Chinny, that according to a close source who spoke to her, the car was actually from Miracle who begged Toyin to present it to Nina to avoid issues with his family. Toyin however reacted to the claim as she says Ogun will kill Chinny and her source. Toyin Lawani wrote in reaction: Ogun will kill you and your source, miracle ko, menopause ni, car I used my money to buy. Screenshots below: Below are photos of the car: Leave a Comment comments South Africas Minister of Health, Aaron Motsoaledi, has said doggy style during sex is the major cause of cancer and stroke. He said after three years of arduous research, he found out that the high pumping of blood during sex, when one is standing or kneeling overloads the veins in the legs which ultimately causes stroke. He told The Insider, On cancer one of the main causes of cancer is stress, fatigue and tiredness. The most energy consuming and stressful sexual position for men is doggy; hence the connection is more than clear. Look, I am only giving you guys a snippet, but we will be posting the results of the full research on the Ministry website. He added that he is in talks with Home Affairs Minister, Malusi Gigaba to craft a legislation that will seek to outlaw this style. According to him, occasional doggy style like only on Christmas day and Valentine is harmless but be sure that each night is suicidal. This is the reason why South African married men die and leave their wives a lot these days, the 58-year-old man added. Leave a Comment comments Professor Awonusi Olusegun,who was accused by a female student of UNILAG, of sexually molesting her and some other female colleagues has finally reacted to the viral news. The professor of English Studies in the University of Lagos, UNILAG, Akoka, and former Vice-Chancellor of Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), Ijagun, Ogun State, revealed that his phone was stolen. Professor Awonusi, whose nude pictures allegedly taken by the victim while in his office , has denied the allegation, describing it as a cheap blackmail. In an interview with New Telegraph, Awonusi, who was identified in the photographs accompanying the allegation, explained that the pictures revealed by the accuser had been taken about four years ago, and that the concerned student had graduated from the university about three years ago. Awonusi said he lost his phone sometimes ago, and that the accuser, who he described as a blackmailer, might have secured the pictures from the lost phone. He said: It is blackmail. The said pictures were taken about four years ago but sometimes ago, I received a message from a particular lady, saying she was in possession of my nude photos and that I should pay her N400,000. The lady said if I did not pay the money, she would go public with the photos. I think this is what she had promised. Meanwhile, the University, in a statement issued by the Communication Unit of the Corporate Affairs Directorate, acknowledged the news, but promised to conduct thorough investigation and get to the roots of the matter. The management has a zero tolerance for allegations pertaining to sexual impropriety, and has a well-established policy against such practices. We wish to reassure all our stakeholders, students, parents, members of staff and the general public that management will not treat this matter with levity. Management will tackle the allegation with every sense of responsibility and seriousness that the matter deserves. The issue would be thoroughly investigated with transparency, the statement said. The university has, therefore, called for relevant information from members of the public, and particularly the concerned student, pledging confidentiality and protection of informants. Leave a Comment comments The Nigerian Movie Industry has been thrown into mourning yet again as it has been reported that Veteran Yoruba Actress, Motunrayo Adeoye has passed away in Ibadan, Oyo State. According to reports, the talented actress died this morning June 1st after battling chronic ulcer for many years and she will be buried today at her residence located at Akobo Ojurin, Ibadan Oyo State today according to Islamic rite. In her life time, Madam Adeoye was a well-known name in Nollywood. She was among the 10 most featured Veteran Yoruba actresses in the industry. She was a niece to a top class traditional ruler in Yoruba Land, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, The Alafin of Oyo, Oyo State. She graduated from Osogbo Technical College, Osun State where she studied Electronics before she later went to Switzerland for a 7 months course to acquire more knowledge about the profession. In the 70s, she joined BCOS Communication, Ibadan as a studio/audio engineer. The job she did for almost 40 years before she got her retirement in 2010. Almost immediately after her retirement, she went fully into acting. Her hard-hitting role in Kunle Afods hit movie, Igbekun made her a force to reckon with in the industry. Leave a Comment comments Manila (CNN Philippines Life) In CNN Philippines Build for the Future forum, CNN International Correspondent Andrew Stevens, who facilitated the discussion with CNN Philippines chief correspondent Pia Hontiveros, asked the panel consisting of government agency heads about a Forbes report stating that the Build, Build, Build program is going to blow up the Philippines national debt. Budget Secretary Ben Diokno dismissed this claim as fake news and that the government forecast is that economic growth will outpace the level of debt. It was interesting because we put that back to Ed Francisco [President of BDO Capital and Investment Corporation, who was part of the private sector panel] and he concurred, so he agreed [with Diokno], says Stevens. It was a good issue to highlight. You have the government's view, was it supported by independence if you like, and they said yes it was. In the panel discussion, Stevens says that he admired how the panelists from the private sector didnt shy away from questioning the government. What I was impressed with is that we had some heavy hitters from the private sector who were prepared to push back against the government and ask questions and particularly concerned about whether the private sectors are being squeezed out of Build, Build, Build, he says. It's actually a very healthy forthright discussion between the government and the private sector. It looked like it was a discussion that needed to be had. In 2013, Stevens was also in the Philippines to cover Typhoon Haiyan, where he raised concerns to then Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas about the inefficiency of the relief operations. CNNs coverage went on to win Best International News story at Londons Royal Television Society awards. A year later, he covered the Umbrella Revolution in Hong Kong, a political movement that was mainly driven by students who wanted to be heard politically and democratically. He recalls being in Mongkok, one of the areas that protesters occupied, and seeing the manifestations of democracy. While Stevens has covered major events across the Asia Pacific region, his specialty has been on reporting finance and business stories, having anchored CNNs BizAsia program which also won him the Asian Television Award for Best Business Programming. When asked if hes seen the kind of discourse in the Build for the Future forum, where private sectors and government agencies actively talk about economic plans, in other parts of Asia, he says that there are some countries that are more autocratic than other and others that are less so. In some countries, there's more dialogue, like say, in Hong Kong, he says. I think the Build, Build, Build program, this is obviously fairly key policy for the Duterte government. It's very ambitious and they gave every indication that they want to do it right and they want to do it now. And they want to keep the private sector in the loop, so to speak. The Build, Build, Build program has promised Filipinos six airports, nine railways, three rapid bus transits, and 32 roads and bridges, and the government has claimed that this program will usher in the Golden Age of Infrastructure in the Philippines. Whether or not these plans will materialize still remains to be seen. CNN Philippines Life talked to Stevens to mull over the insights that came out of the Build for the Future discussion, where the Philippines is at in the global economy, and if Dutertes drug policy can be separated from the administrations seemingly promising economic policy. Below are edited excerpts from the interview. CNN International Correspondent Andrew Stevens and CNN Philippines chief correspondent Pia Hontiveros facilitated the discussions among government agency heads and panelists from the private sector at CNN Philippines' business forum, "Build for the Future." Photo by JL JAVIER During the Build, Build, Build forum, you asked about the Forbes report stating that the project could balloon our national debt, but then this was contested by Budget Secretary Ben Diokno. Why is there this gap between Forbes report and what the government agencies [and the private sectors] are saying? That happens. Economics is a dismal science. If you put all the economists in the world, end to end, line them up end to end, they still wouldn't reach a conclusion. So [in] economics, there is various sort of 'This is what we think is going to happen' and another would probably say 'This is what's gonna happen.' So you get these diverse opinions. So this is an opinion from Forbes, which is going to be [over] 150 percent [debt-GDP ratio] in 10 years because of Build, Build, Build. Government says no that's not the case, in fact, it's going to drop from the current level of 42 because of economic growth, that was their rationale for it. We don't know what the economic growth is going to be but there are forecasts out there, that's what the government is standing by and like I said, BDO, private sector guys, they tend to agree with it. I don't think there was any sort of huge disconnect there and I don't think it was the government really sort of peddling a lie. And again, if they're wrong, they're going to have to confront it in some stage anyway because you can't hide that sort of thing. I watched an interview in 2012 where you said that when you were meeting business leaders at that time, they seemed to be very optimistic of the Aquino administration. Have you seen that change in the last couple of years or maybe having heard from business leaders in the forum, do you see that optimism changing under the Duterte administration? Obviously there are issues about the drug policy, for example. But on the economic side of things, with Dutertenomics, there doesn't seem to be nearly the same level of controversy or concern and let's face it, the Philippines needs a lot of infrastructure. It's always falling behind in that and poor countries pay the price so people wanna see that. At the forum, Stevens brought up a Forbes report stating that the Build, Build, Build program is going to blow up the Philippines national debt. Budget Secretary Ben Diokno contested the report, saying that the government forecast is that economic growth will outpace the level of debt. Photo by JL JAVIER And that's why they were supported by the business community. Like I said before, they just want to get more involved in it. But [...] I haven't detected any big dissent about the government's economic policy. And you know those people were optimistic about the previous administration's development, but it was a very slow process. Noynoy was very careful on signing off contracts because corruption was a big issue and he wanted to make sure everything was fine but it was a very slow process, likewise [what] the government was saying [in the forum]. And [...] there is no concern, major concern on corruption involving this government that I had seen or I've heard. And they were very clear about their policy on corruption. So the Aquino administration is slow, this administration, they want to make it faster, they want to get it going, and there seems to be a general level of support for that, a big support. You mentioned the governments drug policy. Is that something that can be entirely isolated from economic policy? Basically, yes. The drug policy is what the government is doing. As we know, there's been real, international outcry. But the economic policy is a completely different agenda. In that same 2012 interview, there were several comparisons between Indonesia and the Philippines. But it was discussed that before Indonesia went into this economic growth, it was led by Suharto, a strongman who created a very unsustainable economy. Do you think the Philippines could go down that path? Or do you see any foreseeable challenges about Build, Build, Build? I actually covered the downfall of Suharto and it was sort of sparked by, as I remember it, sudden sharp rise of fuel prices which affected small local traders. And there was a general dissatisfaction. I mean it was a very, very corrupt regime. There was an elite which ruled and the people of Indonesia didn't see much improvement in their lives. We're only two years into this administration and you would know better than I how much resentment or disillusionment there is when it comes to economic policy. And what I've seen when I'm speaking to people abroad, I haven't seen much disillusionment at all. Maybe that will change after six years but at the moment, the economy is performing strongly, it's getting better, the peso is weaker but that's for this whole Build, Build, Build program. So in the moment, it's way too early to say that they're going down the wrong track or it's not working, it seems to be there [are] these tailwinds of optimism. The World Bank reported though that while the Philippine economy is growing, poverty is still high. How do you think can that be addressed? The government says that [poverty alleviation] is its target. As you said poverty is growing, it's about 21.6 percent I think. The government says theyre going to bring down to 14 percent through this Build, Build, Build. Now if that works, and it's still an if at this stage, but if they build the roads, they decentralize to a degree, that's what happens. On the panel discussion at the forum, Stevens says that he was impressed by how the panelists from the private sector were prepared to question and ask the government. In photo: San Miguel's Chief Finance Officer Raoul Romulo suggesting for better manpower in different levels of government agencies as well as raising concerns about how they feel that the private sector is being squeezed out of the "Build, Build, Build" program. Photo by JL JAVIER A good example to look at is China. China is a one-party State and the Philippines is a democracy, but China lifted hundreds and millions of people out of poverty through economic development, through infrastructure The infrastructure in China is really quite extraordinary now. So I dont know if it's a model they're following, but certainly, the impact on investment in the economy on infrastructure does have the effect of raising all boats, lifting people out of poverty. There was also this report by the International Monetary Fund saying that the global economy is worse than before the financial crisis. How do you think can this impact a country like the Philippines? My understanding of the global economy at the moment is ... Apart from last week where we've seen these wobbles in Europe and now the U.S. is once again in trade sanctions in China. But the general feeling is that the global economy has been in quite a sweet spot in the last 12 months or so because it is shaking off the effects of the global financial crisis. The banks are slightly better regulated, they're certainly better prepared to weather another downturn. World traders are picking up, Japan was looking good, the U.S. as we know is performing pretty well, even the Eurozone was looking better. Asia was chugging along, China was chugging along. So everything looks pretty good. And then we started getting these almost self-inflicted crises like the trade war almost with China. And there are still the extreme political movements in Europe, which we're seeing in Italy. But generally, compared with 2008, where the global economy stopped, we're in a much better place. "What I've seen when I'm speaking to people abroad, I haven't seen much disillusionment at all," says Stevens. "Maybe that will change after six years but at the moment, the economy is performing strongly, it's getting better, the peso is weaker but that's for this whole 'Build, Build, Build' program. So in the moment, it's way too early to say that they're going down the wrong track or it's not working, it seems to be there [are] these tailwinds of optimism." Photo by JL JAVIER And the Philippines is making its own headway. The growth is strong. The Aquino administration should be sort of applauded for at least laying the groundwork for the Philippine economy to start moving again. You look around, the construction here. The question is if it's trickling out from the population centers across the country. I don't know. But the Philippines is one of the best performing economies in Asia now. And it doesn't look like it's built from sand. This economic push isn't built on sand, there's actually some substance to it and things seem to be moving in the right direction. And hence, this Build, Build, Build, it's going to create a lot of jobs and put a lot of money into the economy, and it's also going to create the structure that will allow the Philippines to continue this economic growth, ideally. What do you personally think about the Build, Build, Build program? What I see is it's desperately needed so they are tackling a great big festering sore in the Philippines called infrastructure. They're actually doing something about it in a mega way. That's got to be a good thing whether it happens, whether it works according to plan, we'll have to wait and see. But I think having the plan to start with is better than not having a plan at all. *** Catch the initial telecast of the Build of the Future forum on Friday, June 1, at 7 p.m. People Move thumbnail Jacksons role is one of the leading positions at TIGTA, which employs more than 380 staff based in 66 locations throughout the US and Puerto Rico. TIGTA has also announced the appointment of two more staff: Ruben Florez is now the assistant inspector general for investigations (AIGI) over field operations, and Jeffrey Long is now the AIGI over the threat, agent safety, and sensitive investigations directorate for TIGTAs Office of Investigations. The two new employees will provide executive leadership to TIGTAs investigative operations and headquarters support duty. The material on this site is for financial institutions, professional investors and their professional advisers. It is for information only. Please read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy before using the site. All material subject to strictly enforced copyright laws. 2021 Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC. For help please see our FAQ. Share this article Dublin, Ireland - June 1, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) AID:Tech, the company that uses Digital Identity and Blockchain technology to revolutionize how governments, enterprises and NGOs deliver digital entitlements, today announced an ongoing partnership with PharmAccess Foundation, the group dedicated to improving access to healthcare throughout Africa. The partnership has been running an initiative called Chain of Trust (CoT) which has been monitoring digitally guided pregnancies through blockchain technology. The first baby from the initiative is due to be delivered today, June 1, 2018, marking a significant milestone for both companies involved, and the Tanzanian healthcare system as a whole. Commenting on the announcement, Niall Dennehy, COO of AID:Tech said: "From a lack of healthcare funding to high child and maternal mortality rates, there are a number of challenges present within the healthcare system in Tanzania, all of which can and will be combated. By utilizing AID:Tech's Blockchain platform we are facilitating the collection, identification, and verification of digital health data to make women's antenatal care a far safer and effective process. All the time protecting the women's data and allowing them to have full control of their health records." Monique Dolfing, CEO of PharmAccess said, "As an organization we are dedicated to using technological innovation to provide access to better healthcare for as many people in Africa as possible. Our partnership with AID:Tech allows us to address the challenges associated with current practices while improving the lives of the patients. This project demonstrates a transparent, innovative, performance-based financing model for healthcare." Launched on April 25th, the CoT project is already providing evidence leading to informed decision making. It tracks the journey of pregnant women from their first hospital visit at 16 weeks, monitors their antenatal care throughout, the delivery, and subsequent postnatal care at the trial clinic. In addition, AID:Tech and PharmAccess can ensure that patients will receive their medical entitlements in an efficient and transparent way, as well as supporting the care provider with tools to gather data quickly on the information of each patient's journey and manage appointments. Ultimately, the CoT project aims to provide a proof-of-concept for the efficacy of blockchain technology in assembling, tagging and verifying digital health data. Founded in 2014, AID:Tech was the first company in the world to deliver international aid using blockchain technology. In a ground-breaking project in Tripoli, Northern Lebanon, the company utilized their platform to transparently deliver aid to Syrian refugees. AID:Tech's platform enables entitlements like aid, welfare, remittances, donations, and healthcare to be digitized and delivered through blockchain technology in a completely transparent manner. Founded in 2001, PharmAccess has initiated a digital platform that connects all parties in the healthcare industry, bringing transparency, accountability and direct access to and for end-users. Dedicated to improving access to better healthcare in Africa, PharmAccess is uniquely mobilizing both public and private resources for the benefit of both doctors and patients. PharmAccess places mobile technology at the forefront of its work across clinical standards, care quality improvements, loans for healthcare providers, health insurance, mobile health innovations, and research. "Offering financial and medical solutions to people in need not only has the potential to transform lives but to ultimately save them. The results we expect to see will have untold impact on the lives of these individual women and their children, and we are delighted to welcome the first baby born from this program," concluded Dennehy. For more information visit https://aid.technology/ & https://www.pharmaccess.org/ Niall Dennehy COO of AID:Tech and Monique Dolfing, CEO of PharmAccess are available for interview About AID:Tech Founded in 2014, AID:Tech was the first company in the world to deliver international aid using blockchain technology in 2015. In a ground-breaking project in Tripoli, Northern Lebanon, the company utilized their platform to transparently deliver aid to Syrian refugees. AID:Tech's platform enables entitlements like aid, welfare, remittances, donations and healthcare to be digitised and transparently delivered to end users through blockchain technology in a completely transparent manner. In addition to winning numerous awards, AID:Tech claimed the Citi Tech4Integrity challenge award at the IMF last year and received the James Wolfensohn game changer award from managing director Madame Christine Lagarde. Media Contact: Alex Sheehan Account Supervisor//Wachsman alex@wachsman.com // +353 87 097 9702 More Info: This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions. More disclaimer info: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp Learn more about publishing your news release and our other news services on the Investorideas.com newswire https://www.investorideas.com/News-Upload/ and tickertagstocknews.com Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp June 1, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) A Vancouver-based miner diversifies by adding a Brazilian portfolio to its Mexican project. Leagold Mining Corp. (LMC:TSX.V; LMCNF:OTCQX) announced on May 24 that it has closed its acquisition of Brio Gold. This is a major milestone in the company's goal to become a mid-tier gold producer with a focus on Latin America. The Brio acquisition brings three operating mines, a near-term gold mine restart project and two development projects, all located in Brazil. Neil Woodyer, Leagold CEO, stated: "We are very excited about Leagold's new position as a mid-tier gold producer with the growth of our production rate to over 400,000 ounces per year. Our business and market profiles are strengthened by our diversification in both Mexico and Brazil and across four operating mines. Leagold's measured and indicated resources have increased to 16.4 million ounces and proven and probable reserves have increased to 5.6 million ounces." The company's original project is Los Filos, where it is operating two open-pit mines, Los Filos and Bermejal, and one underground mine. Leagold acquired Los Filos from Goldcorp in 2017. Leagold is continuing exploration activities at the Los Filos Underground Mine and earlier this month announced high-grade drill results of 24.2 grams per tonne (g/t) over 4.10 metres, 23.6 g/t over 6.95 metres, and 9.1 g/t over 8.69 metres. The company has stated that the goal of the drill program is to "identify additional resources to replace reserves and extend the overall mine life. The program is on track with over 12,000 metres of step-out drilling completed to date and the majority of the exploration drilling to take place in the second half of this year." The company plans to incorporate the drill results into a final resource estimate by the end of the year. Peter Marrone, CEO of Yamana Gold, has accepted a position on Leagold's board. Yamana holds a 20.5% stake in the company. Leagold has gained the attention of industry analysts. CIBC just initiated coverage of Leagold with an Outperformer rating and a 12- to 18-month target price of $5 per share. Leagold's shares are currently trading at around $2.87. Analyst David Haughton of CIBC wrote on May 29 that "an experienced operating and development team backed by a solid balance sheet should offer investors greater assurance that Leagold can achieve the full potential of the Brio assets and Los Filos." He sees the company having a strong platform for growth, noting that the firm expects Leagold to "produce ~365koz in 2018 and potentially over 700koz by 2020E. The near-term focus is to improve each operation, to redevelop Santa Luz, and to complete the Bermejal underground at Los Filos. Upside of the possible Los Filos CIL development could offset any changes in outlook for the higher-risk Santa Luz project." "Leagold provides an attractive combination of a better-than-average growth profile and value amongst mid-tier gold producers. The P/NPV of just 0.5x at spot reflects the legacy issues at Brio that Leagold has the opportunity to improve," Haughton concluded. Jamie Spratt, an analyst with Clarus Securities, noted on May 4 that Leagold "currently trades at a ~50% discount to peers on a P/NAV basis and in our view, this provides a deep value re-rating opportunity with continued management execution and a successful integration of the Brio assets." Clarus has a target price of $6.24 and gives Leagold a Buy rating. Disclosure: 1) Patrice Fusillo compiled this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise reports as an employee. She or members of her household own securities of the following companies mentioned in the article: None. She or members of her household are paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None. 2) The following companies mentioned in this article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: Leagold Mining Corp. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. 3) Comments and opinions expressed are those of the specific experts and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. 4) The 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. Disclosures from CIBC, Leagold Mining Corp., May 29, 2018 Analyst Certification: Each CIBC World Markets Corp./Inc. research analyst named on the front page of this research report, or at the beginning of any subsection hereof, hereby certifies that (i) the recommendations and opinions expressed herein accurately reflect such research analyst's personal views about the company and securities that are the subject of this report and all other companies and securities mentioned in this report that are covered by such research analyst and (ii) no part of the research analyst's compensation was, is, or will be, directly or indirectly, related to the specific recommendations or views expressed by such research analyst in this report. Analysts employed outside the U.S. are not registered as research analysts with FINRA. These analysts may not be associated persons of CIBC World Markets Corp. and therefore may not be subject to FINRA Rule 2241 restrictions on communications with a subject company, public appearances and trading securities held by a research analyst account. Potential Conflicts of Interest: Equity research analysts employed by CIBC World Markets Corp./Inc. are compensated from revenues generated by various CIBC World Markets Corp./Inc. businesses, including the CIBC World Markets Investment Banking Department. Research analysts do not receive compensation based upon revenues from specific investment banking transactions. CIBC World Markets Corp./Inc. generally prohibits any research analyst and any member of his or her household from executing trades in the securities of a company that such research analyst covers. Additionally, CIBC World Markets Corp./Inc. generally prohibits any research analyst from serving as an officer, director or advisory board member of a company that such analyst covers. In addition to 1% ownership positions in covered companies that are required to be specifically disclosed in this report, CIBC World Markets Corp./Inc. may have a long position of less than 1% or a short position or deal as principal in the securities discussed herein, related securities or in options, futures or other derivative instruments based thereon. Recipients of this report are advised that any or all of the foregoing arrangements, as well as more specific disclosures set forth below, may at times give rise to potential conflicts of interest. Important Disclosure Footnotes for Leagold Mining CIBC World Markets Inc. expects to receive or intends to seek compensation for investment banking services from Leagold Mining Corporation in the next 3 months. Disclosures from Clarus Securities, Leagold Mining Corp., May 4, 2018 The analyst has visited the Company's mining operations in Mexico. Partial payment or reimbursement was received from the issuer for the associated travel costs. The research analyst and/or associates who prepared this report are compensated based upon (among other factors) the overall profitability of Clarus Securities and its affiliate, which includes the overall profitability of investment banking and related services. In the normal course of its business, Clarus Securities or its affiliate may provide financial advisory and/or investment banking services for the issuers mentioned in this report in return for remuneration and might seek to become engaged for such services from any of such issuers in this report within the next three months. Clarus Securities or its affiliate may buy from or sell to customers the securities of issuers mentioned in this report on a principal basis. Clarus Securities, its affiliate, and/or their respective officers, directors or employees may from time to time acquire, hold or sell securities discussed herein, or in related securities or in options, futures or other derivative instruments based thereon. Each Clarus Securities research analyst whose name appears on the front page of this research report hereby certifies that (i) the recommendations and opinions expressed in the research report accurately reflect the research analysts personal views about the Company and securities that are the subject of this report and all other companies and securities mentioned in this report that are covered by such research analyst and (ii) no part of the research analysts compensation was, is, or will be directly or indirectly, related to the specific recommendations or views expressed by such research analyst in this report. More Info: This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions. More disclaimer info: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp Learn more about publishing your news release and our other news services on the Investorideas.com newswire https://www.investorideas.com/News-Upload/ and tickertagstocknews.com Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp Vancouver, British Columbia - June 1, 2018 (Newsfile Corp.) (Investorideas.com Newswire) Coronet Metals Inc. (CSE: CRF) (FSE: 2CM2) (OTC Pink: CORMF) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it is has changed its name from Coronet to "MegumaGold Corp." At the open of the market on Monday, June 4, 2018 (the "Effective Date"), the Company will commence trading under its new name of MegumaGold Corp. The trading symbol of the Company will change to "NSAU". The CUSIP and ISIN numbers will change to 58518M104 and CA58518M1041 respectively. The Company also wishes to announce that Regan Isenor has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the Company effective immediately, filling the vacancy created by the resignation of Theo van der Linde as Chief Executive Officer. Mr. van der Linde will remain a director and the President of the Company. Mr. Isenor obtained a B.A. from Acadia University and master's in Project Management from St. Mary's University and has 14 years' experience in exploration projects around the world with publicly traded companies. Mr. Isenor has worked on various international projects in Turkey (Menderes), West Africa (Burkina Faso, Bissa Hill deposit, Mali Siribaya Gold project), Ireland (Zinc), Northern Ontario and at home in Nova Scotia. Mr. Isenor served on the executive and was a past president of the Mining Society of Nova Scotia. The Company also announces the launch of its new website, www.megumagold.com. The Company will continue to add content and up to date information on its programs. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND ENQUIRIES: Theo van der Linde President Tel: +1 604-336-3193 Email: tvanderlinde@coronetmetals.com Neither the CSE nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. More Info: This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions. More disclaimer info: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp Learn more about publishing your news release and our other news services on the Investorideas.com newswire https://www.investorideas.com/News-Upload/ and tickertagstocknews.com Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp Apple has cut orders for power management chips from Dialog by 30 percent for this year. The reduction in order points to the Cupertino company debuting its own power management chip with its 2018 iPhones. Dialog has been a long-time supplier of power management chips to Apple. However, there were reports of the Cupertino company switching to its in-house developed power management chip for greater efficiency and control over its platform. With Dialog CEO now confirming that Apple has ordered 30 percent fewer chips than last year, its clear the company has decided to transition to its in-house power management chips with its 2018 iPhone lineup. The CEO even expects a similar reduction in Apples orders for next year. I would expect there would be a similar reduction [in demand for the power management chips] next year but beyond that I dont know, said chief executive Jalal Bagherli. We are making a lot of new inroads with new customers. Apples move to its in-house power management chip has also forced Dialog to meet the formers quality, price, and volume expectations whilst continuing to improve its technology to meet Apples requirements. While Dialogs revenue will continue to grow for the foreseeable future, it will not grow at a pace it had initially expected. The companys profitability is also expected to take a hit. To make up for the loss in revenue though, Dialog will be looking to supply its power management chips to other companies. Our Take Its typical of Apple to not make the switch to a new technology across its entire product lineup at once which is what the company is doing here. Now, it remains to be seen if over the next few years, the company will completely transition to its own power management chip or continue to source at least half of it from Dialog. Apples move to its in-house chips has always been disastrous for its long term suppliers. The company made the switch to its in-house GPU with the iPhone X last year which eventually led to its long-time GPU supplier Imagination Technologies putting itself up for sale where it was acquired by a Chinese funded company. [Via The Financial Times Venice, Italy (CNN Philippines Life) Artist Yason Banal admits he questions the idea of Freespace the theme of this years Venice Architecture Biennale itself. Banal, whose work is at the center of the Philippine Pavilions The City Who Had Two Navels, doesnt hesitate to question the institution that has given him a chance to showcase his work here; for him, it is a criticality needed when working within a venue as large as the biennale. From the context of the biennale, it seems like an ideal jump-off point for global discussion as to what constitutes a freespace. This years artistic directors Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara of the Dublin-based Grafton Architects is keen on making small ripples of criticality in this large, sprawling event that runs for six months and gathers some of the best talents in the stellar world of architecture. In their manifesto, their edition of the biennale will present for public scrutiny examples, proposals, elements built or unbuilt of work that exemplifies essential qualities of architecture which include the modulation, richness and materiality of surface; the orchestration and sequencing of movement, revealing the embodied power and beauty of architecture. In the Giardini, one of the two venues of the Venice Biennale where most of the first world pavilions are, the idealized freespace are sometimes empty spaces, like the British, Swiss, and the Greek Pavilions, where discussions will arise from the questions that their respective emptiness will point out, though some are more successful than others. But in the context of a developing country such as the Philippines, Banal asks, What does freespace mean in a postcolonial state with strong undercurrents of feudalism, authoritarianism, and transglobal capitalism? How is the neoliberal landscape of openness, transparency, and fluidity connected to the market forces, surveillance systems, and creative expressions? The City Who Had Two Navels, curated by Edson Cabalfin is a study on how two navels the forces of colonialism and neoliberalism have shaped the way we live in our cities. The pavilion features works from UP Diliman, De La Salle - College of St. Benilde, University of San Carlos, UP Mindanao, TAO Pilipinas, a women-led architectural NGO; as well as artist Yason Banal and photographers Marvin Maning and Jinggo Montenejo. Cabalfin also commissioned individuals to contribute videos that chronicle their lives in urban cities. The pavilion's outer wall is covered with LCD T.V. screens, scale models, photographs, and video installations contributed by UP Diliman, De La Salle - College of St. Benilde, University of San Carlos, UP Mindanao, and woman-led architectural NGO TAO Pilipinas among others. Photo by DON JAUCIAN Ten minutes away from the Philippine Pavilion at the Arsenale is the main biennale venue, the Giardini where our former colonial master, Spain, the Pavilion of which gathers works, proposals, responses, and criticism from the countrys architecture students from 2012 to 2017. A few minutes walk is the U.S. Pavilion, embroiled in its discussions on race, humanity in the face of data collection, and architectural impact of politics and environment. The Japanese Pavilion is at the Giardini as well, its pavilions covered in architectural drawings which ask visitors to think about and feel their response to the works on display. The Philippines, on the other hand, seemingly still hasnt moved on from our colonial past, and trapped in the notions of free market posed by prevailing economic forces such as the U.S. and the U.K. And this is what our pavilion, The City with Two Navels, proposes: Where will Philippine architecture go while were still in the claws of these insidious forces? In separate interviews, CNN Philippines Life spoke to curator Edson Cabalfin and artist Yason Banal to talk about the design of the pavilion, collaborating with the architectural schools for responses to colonialism and neoliberalism, and why we should remain hopeful about our country. "If you dont even know what the question [is] then how can you even dismantle it. How can you even have a revolution when you dont even know what youre up against?" says curator Edson Cabalfin. "And that for me is the role of the Philippine Pavilion at the moment, to begin that conversation and to question, then it can move to the revolution, if thats what the country wants." Photo by ANDREA D'ALTOE AND PAOLO LUCA FOR THE PHILIPPINE ARTS IN VENICE BIENNALE Edson Cabalfin, curator and associate professor, University of Cincinnati At the Q&A during the opening of the pavilion, there were questions that were really pushing for an answer, like what can we do with the points that youve raised? And whats the next step in addressing colonialism and neoliberalism? The architecture schools [works] are part of that, Yason Banals [installation] is part of that response its not my response. James C. Scott has a book called Weapons of the Weak and he was writing about the everyday form of peasant resistances. He said that these resistances do not need to be large gestures. For him, and he had examples of that, he showed these peasants in Indonesia that resisted the large forces of the government in subtle and incremental ways. Im not saying that the revolution is not necessary. But Im also very careful that I dont want this to be about my opinion. If you ask me, yes of course! I think we do need a revolution. But I think we can still do other things that these incremental and maybe everyday forms of resistances [do], which is like the street food markets A revolution requires a lot of effort. Look at what happened in 1896, yung pag-assemble ng revolution is a big task. And it has to be organized. It cannot be isolated. But sometimes that is not even possible. Im not discounting the fact that the revolution might not happen. For me [what] TAO Inc. are doing is great because theyre instituting change in small ways. I had a conversation with the head of TAO Inc. and asked why there isnt more participatory design in the Philippines and she said they do train architects for it but once they finish, most of them leave to work in other countries or start their own firms ... Kasi were still under all of these forces [of colonialism and neoliberalism]. Kaya kailangan natin maghanap ng ways If we embrace it and understand whats going on then we do something. I did a closing plenary talk at a national convention and after that a lot of people came up to me and said they didnt realize that neoliberalism was so entrenched and embedded in architecture. So I felt that I was successful in that way because the term became part of the conversation now. If you dont even acknowledge that it even exists then how can we even fight it, diba? I always hear this in UP before: Kwestyunin, Hamunin, at Basagin. To question, to challenge, and to dismantle. If you dont even know what the question [is] then how can you even dismantle it. How can you even have a revolution when you dont even know what youre up against? And that for me is the role of the Philippine Pavilion at the moment, to begin that conversation and to question, then it can move to the revolution, if thats what the country wants. Youre always asked about solutions to your proposals. Why do you think this is? People are already very disappointed. And theyre tired that nothings happening. That its all the same. Theyre so hungry for anybody to provide an answer and they will take it. Thats why sa akin, I dont want to provide an answer because am I already imposing an idea? For me its about allowing other people to find answers and solutions. And it has to come from themselves. What does freespace mean in a postcolonial state with strong undercurrents of feudalism, authoritarianism, and transglobal capitalism?" asks artist Yason Banal. "How is the neoliberal landscape of openness, transparency, and fluidity connected to the market forces, surveillance systems, and creative expressions? Photo by DON JAUCIAN Hence the participation of the schools, which was a way to see what people will propose as answers. Exactly. Because I also knew I dont have all the answers. I acknowledge that. So I dont claim to be able to present a solution. Partly, this is my solution, to instigate conversation, but I know thats not enough. Thats why theres a call to action. I want people to respond to it, to think about it, and do something about it. It was a very conscious effort for me to allow other people [to join in the conversation] because I was interested in the multiplicity of voices. Kailangan vested yung mga tao, they have to be involved in it because otherwise, just like colonialism and neoliberalism, its gonna be imposed on them. Its also great that this humanity is shown in the day-in-a-life video installations in the pavilion, which show how these built environments are actually lived. I feel kasi thats whats missing. When you talk about the humanity of architecture and thats also something you should look at, for example, in terms of the way architecture is represented, you have these very glamorous and sexy pictures but there are no people in it. So thats my response to freespace, you have to highlight the people inhabiting the space, architecture is not just produced by architects because the people inhabiting the space are also creating architecture. Given all these notions of what architecture is, what forces are impeding progress and in the course of your research have you come up with the idea of what Philippine Architecture is now? Its still the definition which I wrote in my childrens book, What kids should know about Filipino Architecture. For me, that is how I see Philippine Architecture. Bahay kubo is part of it but its not just the bahay kubo. The kariton na nagbebenta ng buko, to the condominium, to the shopping mall. Therefore the practice of architecture does not solely rest on the architect. I want to highlight people in this. Again, just like the idea of freespace is the idea of humanity. If you look at the Artiglierie, its about the stars. But I think Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara also made an effort to highlight other practices that are not known but its still about the individual practice. Its about the practices. Which I purposely did not want to do. Architecture is not just produced by architects. Somebody made this estimate na only ten percent of the worlds architecture are produced by professional architects and designers. So what happens to the 90 percent of buildings and structures of any kind? Thats why [for me] it was a conscious effort to avoid highlighting just architects. TAO Pilipinas, the schools, that in itself is almost verging on that but still I resisted highlighting this is what the firm did because they were already producing and given this chance yet students are not given that opportunity to be exposed. Partly, Im also a professor, I see the power of education to change. Artist Yason Banal stands inside the pavilion where his multi-channel video installation Untitled Formation, Concrete Supernatural, Pixel Unbound, is projected onto the inner walls of the two navels. Photo by ANDREA D'ALTOE AND PAOLO LUCA FOR THE PHILIPPINE ARTS IN VENICE BIENNALE YASON BANAL, artist and professor, University of the Philippines What do you think is the worth of joining the Venice Biennale? Theres always a dilemma and its always important to raise those problems and questions and also engaging in them. Like Venice, its a canonical exhibition and Western, so it has gone through different translations so to speak, at the end of the day, while the canon is there and times are changing, have changed and new forces are arising, more so the curators, artists, and thinkers and journalists need to engage. That is how I think about these things, I see myself within and therefore I would rather address the powers that be rather than romanticize my position outside. But I would put my stake [in], I am not an apologist, thats why I make these statements to put that in that platform and it goes to the Philippines also, that show. Were also programming films, Im showing films from the grassroots, showing demolition videos in another month so I think its really how participants approach the project. Its not the canon that makes something canonical, its when its repeated uncritically. I feel like theres a certain sense of anxiety in the pavilion, from your installation to the works of the architects in the two navels. Where do you think this is coming from? Absolutely. I think whats tricky now is that theres a lot of righting ... these neoliberalisms [were made] way back in the 80s. The anxiety that it causes is hard to pinpoint. [What is it like] to be free these days? Before kasi [you can say] Spain, the usual suspects, dictatorships, of course those are to remember, not to forget and revise. But its a trickier arena because forces create freedom. And when youre free you tend to be less empathetic towards the others. Kasi youre okay, eh. There is [something] beneath that commodification of freedom and were all part of this. Its hypocritical to say [otherwise]. And to say that the statement of anxiety is a certain awareness that we live in complex times. Complexity is not necessarily depressing which is why I think anxiety is to be aware of certain darkness and to engage in it, not to be apathetic and to approach it in the work. How do you make sure that there is enough historical background for the work without alienating the viewers who dont know enough of the Philippine context? Yun yung interesting when I was making the work, I had so many folders, I went to Bataan, to Pampanga but I was doing a lot of readings, which I also always liked. But the question of how a locality can be translated into something global and I think yun yung interesting sa neoliberal society is that it almost homogenizes, it almost becomes the human condition. One doesnt need to be excluded from the other, one can be speaking of a local or a personal so the Philippines situation is not foreign to whats happening in London, gentrification in Manila to invasion of territories where the state and corporate culture collide, so may particularity. "There is [something] beneath that commodification of freedom and were all part of this. Its hypocritical to say [otherwise]," says artist Yason Banal on the sense of anxiety produced by the Philippine pavilion. "And to say that the statement of anxiety is a certain awareness that we live in complex times. Complexity is not necessarily depressing which is why I think anxiety is to be aware of certain darkness and to engage in it, not to be apathetic and to approach it in the work." Photo by DON JAUCIAN I think thats what art does. May local particularities gender, religion but theres something about practice where you acknowledge those nuances because but then ano yung commonalities, what are these forces? These are forces of empire, forces of corporate culture, forces of fascism. May language na din kasi may history sa buong mundo. Yun yung pwedeng magawa ng exhibition making, pwedeng maging discursive and pleasurable. What is the importance of having the state be behind something like this? Since it tackles a lot of issues that the state isnt keen on addressing. At least for me, the classical notion of aesthetics says beauty, and thats also been used by neoliberal forces, everything from beauty na aspirational but I think thats what art does, like journalism, it forms a check and balance. My being in the university [means] Im part of the government but that doesnt mean you are beholden. You love your country but that doesnt mean your state is the country, and you recognize it yourself. And the history of the Biennale has had artists [who made statements about the state] Hans Haacke destroyed the German Pavilion, Ai Weiwei showed his incarceration in [a collateral exhibition in 2013], Mark Bradford in the U.S. Pavilion talked about race its so inspiring to have artists like Nick Joaquin who refused an award or Lav Diaz or Mike De Leon yun yung nakakabuhay na no, mag-engage! and engage in the difficulty because it is the state. At hindi siya antagonistic, its being aware of traditions The state is an easy suspect. Sasabihin free economy is beyond? Yun ang problematic. We have to look at that and how these two forces are working. Clark is fascinating! You cant even script that. In one place you have the history of colonization, it becomes a duty free shop selling export overruns with Chinese billboards thats it, its so veiled. It becomes so abstract. Di katulad dati, alam mo kung Amerikano thats why there has to be an engagement. ______ Filipino architecture is the type of architecture specific to the Philippines and Filipinos. Architecture designed by Filipinos is considered Philippine architecture. When a building is designed for Filipinos, that is also Filipino architecture. When the architectural design helps us to understand the conditions of the Philippines (such as climate, geography, culture, economics, politics, and history), that too, is part of Filipino architecture. Filipino architecture is architecture that responds to the needs, conditions, hopes, and dreams of Filipinos. Cabalfin, What Kids Should Know About Filipino Architecture *** The Philippine Pavilion at the 16th Venice Architecture Biennale is on view until Nov. 25, 2018 at the Artiglierie, Arsenale in Venice, Italy. The history of this exhibition is absolutely unique: it was to be inaugurated on 13th September 1973 in Santiago and the works had already arrived in the capital of Chile. But because of the coup, the exhibition was suspended and remained so "pendiente" for many years. The works of the great muralists - belonging to the collection of Alvar Carrillo Gil and his wife Carmen Tejero - risked the destruction, but were finally saved (coming up to our days) thanks to the support of commissioners, curators, institutions and the Mexican and Chilean Chancelleries . This has allowed, over 40 years, to exhibit them 2015 in Chile, 2016 in Argentina, 2017 in Peru and now in Italy. [The Three Big mural, credit Chris English] The exhibition presents about 70 works by three great artists: Jose Clemente Orozco, Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros so famous as to be called "LOS TRES GRANDES"(The 3 Big), prominent figures of Mexican and international culture. Their art represents the excellence of mural painting and one of the most important currents of the twentieth century at the international level. Since 1922 (the year in which "Los Tres Grandes" created an important mural in the Ancient College of San Ildefonso of Mexico City, onwards, in addition to the murals, these three great artists also experimented with other artistic techniques, ranging from works on canvas, drawing and engraving, receiving numerous public and private commissions not only in Mexico, but also in the United States and in South America: this exhibition allows the visitor to fully explore the knowledge of the artistic practice of these three masters, presenting also less known works and experiments, such as sketches for murals and large drawings. [Orozco, Dartmouth College, Baker Memorial Library] The collection is composed almost entirely of oils and drawings of great political commitment that testify, in an effective and engaging way, the poetics of the three major muralists, emblem of Mexican modernity in the world. The exhibited works are accompanied by a large documentation of the original murals, realized with modern HD video animation technologies that allow you to admire and locate the main works of the three muralists in the various cities of Mexico. [Rivera, Staircase, Mexikan Eagle, credit Wolfgang Sauber] In addition to the "Mostra Sospesa" there are also some historical documents: a video documentary, newspaper articles, telegrams and handwritten letters of solidarity and cultural exchange that existed between Mexico and Chile in 1973. Finally, thanks to a wide and fascinating photographic collection, the exhibition presents the artistic and sentimental story of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, who were the absolute protagonists of that artistic and historical season. [Siqueiros, Apotheosis of Cuauhtemoc, credit Anderson KL] The exhibition is made possible thanks to the Museo d'Arte Carrillo Gil with the support of the Mexican Embassy in Italy. Promoted by the Palazzo Ducale Foundation, the exhibition is organized by Glocal Project Consulting and Civita Mostre. Palazzo Ducale - Apartment of the Doge Genova, Piazza Matteotti, 9 Info: www.palazzoducale.genova.it/mexico-la-pittura-dei-grandi-muralisti-e-gli-scatti-di-vita-di-diego-rivera-e-frida-kahlo/ http://www.mostramexico.it/index-en.html Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 1) The Commission on Audit has flagged the office of Solicitor General Jose Calida for excess allowances it received in 2017 amounting to over P10.77 million. The COA 2017 audit on the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) was obtained by the media on Friday. This new controversy comes amid issues regarding the over P261 million worth of contracts between Calida's security agency and government agencies. COA found out some OSG officials, including Calida, received allowances above the cap for such extra compensation provided under a COA circular issued in 1985, which is 50 percent of their annual basic pay. "The honoraria/allowances paid to some OSG officials for legal services and advices rendered to client agencies had exceeded the 50 percent of the annual basic salary by P10,774,283.93," the COA report said. Out of that P10.77 million in excess allowances, SolGen Calida received P7.46 million, COA said. His annual salary is P1.827 million and he was only allowed to receive P913,950 in excess allowance and honoraria, in accordance with COA rules. COA also found that 14 of Calida's subordinates received allowances more than the allowed 50 percent of their annual salary in 2017 for their legal services. The officials and their corresponding excess allowances were listed by the report as: Henry Angeles (P697,039), Herman Cimafranca (P62,454), James Candangan (P448,707), Renan Ramos (P837,252), Rex Bernardo Pascual (P9,394), Bernard Hernandez (P136,814), Ma. Antonia Edita Dizon (P273,746), Raymund Rigodon (P363,894), Danilo Leyva (P50,051), Lilian Abenojar (P90,626), John Dale Ballinan (P99,026), Perfecto Adelfo Chua Cheng (P158,501), Laney Layug-Delfin (P70,626), and Gift Mohametano (P13,739). COA said the some of the excess allowances were directly remitted to OSG lawyers but not reported to the OSG-Financial Management Service (FMS). The government's auditing body recommended that OSG refund the excess amount received by the officials. It also urged OSG officials to limit the receipt of their allowances to not more than 50 percent of their annual salary. Excessive travels for officials, low take home pay for some employees COA also said some OSG personnel had "excessive claims" on hotel accommodations and expenses for their local and foreign travels. "We noted that claims for local and foreign travels totaling to P53,796 and P78,096.64, respectively, were more than the allowable travel expenses," the COA report said. Under EO 298, all government personnel are only allowed to spend P800 per day for travel expenses. COA recommended that the OSG refund excess claims on traveling allowance and refrain from granting travel expenses more than the allowable rate. With all these excessive allowances, COA also noted there are some OSG employees not receiving the mandated net home pay, adding one employee took home only P1,008 a month. "Seven employees net take home pay is below the mandated minimum amount of 4,000 due to accommodation for payroll deduction of employee obligations," the report said It said this was in violation of Section 47 of the General Provisions of Republic Act No.10924, General Appropriations Act for FY 2017, "thus, defeating the general intent of the law to boost employees' morale and self-esteem in order to promote efficiency and effectiveness in government service." 'Nothing new' Calida released a statement on the COA findings later that day. "This issue is not new. It has been on-going for the past 5 years since the time of Solicitor General Florin Hilbay," Calida said. He added that the honoraria and allowances were paid in accordance with the law, and that there is no basis for the COA finding of "excessive honoraria and allowances." He said that a COA circular can not prevail over the Section 8 of An Act to Strengthen the Office of the Solicitor General (R.A. no. 9417). "Consistent with the provisions of Executive Order No. 292, otherwise known as the Revised Administrative Code of 1987, the legal staff of the Office of the Solicitor General are allowed to receive honoraria and allowances from client departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the Government," the cited section of R.A. no. 9417 read. Calida argues that this means that R.A. no. 9417 does not limit agencies to pay OSG lawyers for their services. Attached to the Solicitor General's statement is a memorandum signed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea on January 16, 2017, which approved the exemption of OSG capacity-building programs abroad from Administrative Order no. 103 series of 2004. This Administrative Order was signed by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, mandating austerity from all national government agencies. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 1) The Philippine National Police announced a big time reshuffle among its 27 officers on Friday. The biggest surprise the relief of Metro Manila Police Chief Camilo Cascolan more than a month after his appointment. It's business as usual in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City despite the surprise change of leadership. Cascolan was supposed to meet Muslin community leaders in Pasig but he opted to stay in his office. In an order effective June 1, Cascolan will hand over the post to Calabarzon Director Chief Superintendent Guillermo Eleazar. Several officers paid their courtesies to Cascolan before he formally steps down. His wife was also present during lunch. "I recognize and appreciate all the personnel of NCRPO for a job well done. Let's continue to serve with a smile. To all of you, maraming salamat sa inyong suporta (thank you very much for your support)," Cascolan said. The PNP leadership said the movement in some key PNP posts is due to the retirement of some officers and based on the performance assessment of an oversight committee. "Ito ang naging result ng (this is the result of the) assessment and evaluation of the members of the oversight committee as announced by the Chief, PNP upon his assumption," PNP Spokesman and incoming PNP Western Visayas Director CSupt. John Bulalacao said. "They have determined na magkaroon ng reshuffling sa ngayon kasi sabi naman nila, na para lang magkaroon ng well-rounded career pattern ang ating mga senior police officers (They have determined to have a reshuffling because they said this will give our senior police officers a well-rounded career)," he added. In his short stint as Metro Manila Police chief, Cascolan said he managed to ensure peace and order situation during several high-profile events like the Asian Development Bank Summit, Labor Day, and the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections. He added the lowest crime rate in Metro Manila under the Duterte administration was recorded under his watch which makes him wonder why he was removed from his post. "We're doing fine, we're doing good. And I still don't know why we were relieved but as good soldiers we just have to follow," said Cascolan. He is now assigned to the Civil Security Group or CSG, an operating unit of the PNP's Directorate for Operations a position Cascolan held before becoming Metro Manila Police chief. But the PNP leadership denies that Cascolan was demoted, saying that there is just a need for him to be placed in a position that he is familiar with. "Hindi actually demotion yung position na pinuntahan ni General Cascolan (General Cascolan was not demoted). Because the position requires 2-star rank also... Yung kanyang designation doon is based on his competence dahil alam niya ang trabaho sa Civil Security Group. It was once under him when he was the director for operations," Bulalacao explained. Meantime, incoming Metro Manila Police Chief Eleazar is humbled by his new appointment and assures he will continue focusing on the anti-illegal drugs and anti-criminality campaigns. "This indeed is a challenge for me. Im really glad. Nagpapasalamat ako sa ating Chief PNP, General Oscar Albayalde for his trust and confidence. And i will do my best not to fail him," Eleazar assured. Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Acting Secretary Eduardo Ano said that he has full trust and confidence in Albayalde and expressed confidence that the reshuffling will not affect the administration's anti-drug campaign. He is currently in Cebu to award firefighters who had protected the city from the fires that hit it in the past few months. Other officers who are part of the reshuffle include: CSupt. Edward Carranza - PRO 4A CSupt. John Bulalacao -PRO 6 CSupt. Rolando Nana -PRO Cordillera CSupt. Mariel Magaway -PRO 8 CSupt. Debold Sinas -PRO 7 CSupt. Cesar Binag -DICTM CSupt. Roberto Fajardo - HPG CSupt. Jigs Coronel - DRDA, NCRPO SSupt. Rolando Anduyan - MPD SSupt. Bong Durana -PIO CSupt. Rolando Hinanay - Crime Laboratory CSupt. Lurimer Detrab - DRD CSupt. Edmund Gonzales -IG CSupt. Robert Quenery -Deputy, DC CSupt. Amador Corpus - Deputy, DI CSupt. Allan Cuevillas - Deputy, DPRM CSupt. Gilbert Cruz -DIPO Eastern Mindanao CSupt. Rey Lawas - Deputy, DO CSupt. Wilben Mayor - Deputy, DPCR SSupt. Celso Pestano - Deputy, DICTM SSupt. John Luglug - DDA, CIDG CSupt. Norberto Solomon - ExO, DICTM CSupt. Arnel Escobal - RCDS, NCRPO SSupt. Madid Paitao - DRDA, ARMM SSupt. Rodolfo Azurin- ExO, DPRM SSupt. Chiquito Malayo - ExO, DHRDD The PNP said another round of movements may happen soon, this time among provincial directors of the PNP. CNN Philippines' Dale Israel contributed to this report. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 1) The Philippines is set to sign four bilateral agreements with South Korea as President Rodrigo Duterte will meet his counterpart Moon Jae-in. "This will be the first official visit of the President to the Republic of Korea," Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ernesto Abella said in Malacanang Friday. Duterte will be in South Korea on June 3 to 5. "Part of the meeting will be referenced to the Marawi rehabilitation, as the Republic of Korea donated US$100,000 (5 million) to the Philippine Red Cross," Abella said. The agreements to be signed include: A Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and South Korea's Ministry of Land, Industry and Transport. A Memorandum of Understanding on scientific and technological cooperation between the Department of Science and Technology and South Korea's Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning. A loan agreement on the new Cebu International Container Port project between the Department of Finance (DOF) and Export-Import Bank of Korea. A Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on trade and economic cooperation. The President will also visit the estimated 68,000 Filipinos in South Korea, who are mostly skilled workers. Diplomatic ties between the two countries were established in 1949. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 1) People anywhere in the country can soon call 911 during emergencies. President Rodrigo Duterte on May 25 signed Executive Order No. 56, "institutionalizing the use of 911 as the Nationwide Emergency Hotline Number," replacing 117. A copy of the order was released to the media on Friday. The change in hotline number was meant "to conform with international standards" and ensure "a seamless nationwide communication infrastructure for emergency services," the order read. Countries like the U.S. have been using 911 as an emergency contact number. Under Duterte's order, the Emergency 911 Commission, headed by the secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), is tasked to make sure all calls are free. Private communication carriers and telecom companies are meanwhile mandated to ensure the uninterrupted connectivity and integration of calls. All local government units are urged to establish local 911 call centers in their area, using their own funds. Primary service responders include the Bureau of Fire Protection for fire incidents and search and rescue services, and the Philippine National Police to ensure public safety and crime prevention. Other government agencies and organizations are mandated to respond to emergencies when necessary. The order, however, warns against prank calls. "All fraudulent, hoax, or prank reports shall be dealt with in accordance with existing and applicable laws, rules, and regulations and the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of this order," the order read. The DILG is tasked to come up with the IRR within 60 days, while the law takes effect upon publication in a newspaper with general circulation. Officials earlier said the hotline was derived from Davao City's Central 911 which provides medical, fire, rescue, and police assistance as well as K-9 or sniffer dog units. Duterte, the former mayor of Davao City, introduced the 911 emergency hotline in August 2016 as part of his measures fight crime and corruption. The newly signed order, however, institutionalizes the the number as the emergency hotline nationwide. Date: May 12, 2018 3:48 PM Subject: good friendship Cc: how are you doing i hope fine, Well thanks for taking your precious time to reply to my mail. I am more than happy and grateful to you. I know and i am very optimistic you will be a good and honest friend. What can i say! OK let me tell you a little bit about myself and with time we will know more about each other OK.I am Dr.Alice Mathis, born and brought up in No 1 Birmingham Avenue, London, CZ32 88A/ United Kingdom, into a family of three, I am 26 female single. However;again i have a Palestinian descent and origin from my grand parents. I attended my high school in England. After then I proceeded to Birmingham, for my University career and graduated as a Medical Practitioner who majored in Pediatry and general medicine. Presently i work with the United Kingdom Health Department and the General medical center as a consultant on Child health. It is very paramount to note here that Serving God is my top priority in life because I believe that nothing ever exists without the permission of God, this makes me to believe in the joy of friendship, a thing that has given me the opportunity of knowing you. So how are you coping with life? what is your country like? l have not been in your country before, I hope my knowing you will make an avenue for me to be there some day by God grace. This is just a little about myself and i hope you will tell me about yourself, your country, occupation and everything that is worth knowing about you OK.Do you also have your families over there or do you live alone? Please I am here strictly for friendship. i will be waiting for your reply soon. Regards. Dr.Alice Mathis From: " Alice Mathis" < alicemathis677@gmail.com Date: May 12, 2018 3:48 PMSubject: good friendshipCc: Date: May 23, 2018 1:08 PM Subject: My dear Send me your address Cc: Almighty Father bless you, I am Rev Sis Mary Palmer, a sister to Your friend from United Kingdom. Am here in Senegal for missionary work with (Hope Worldwide Aid support to Senegal with my Groups Sisters of Our Lady of Christian Doctrine.) In regards to the Parcel of Items sent to you by your Friend, please send me your information, meanwhile after our province meeting, i will be going to the DHL Courier Service office to make inquiry on how your Items will be deliver to your address, Please kindly include all the information which they may need and for my verifications about you. Your Name . . . address. . . . . receiver country . . . . . . . Your Phone Number . . . . . . . You can contact me direct through church phone line to enable us discuss further. Rev Sister Mary Palmer . Email: Phone: +221769495037 From: " Rev sister mary palmer" < rev.sistermarypalmer@yahoo.com Date: May 23, 2018 1:08 PMSubject: My dear Send me your addressCc:Almighty Father bless you, I am Rev Sis Mary Palmer, a sister to Your friend from United Kingdom. Am here in Senegal for missionary work with (Hope Worldwide Aid support to Senegal with my Groups Sisters of Our Lady of Christian Doctrine.)In regards to the Parcel of Items sent to you by your Friend, please send me your information, meanwhile after our province meeting, i will be going to the DHL Courier Service office to make inquiry on how your Items will be deliver to your address,Please kindly include all the information which they may need and for my verifications about you.Your Name . . .address. . . . .receiver country . . . . . . .Your Phone Number . . . . . . .You can contact me direct through church phone line to enable us discuss further.Rev Sister Mary Palmer .Email: rev_sistermarypalmer@yahoo.com Phone: +221769495037 Date: May 25, 2018 12:57 PM Subject: From Sis Mary Palmer Cc: may the name of the Lord be praise, i just receive your mail now, i am very busy in the church, I made contact from DHL Courier Service contingence the sending of the package which contain 3 laptops computer, 5-Phone, AN ENVELOPE, Video Camera, Wrist Watch, Some jewelries, and Safety Shoes and photos. The DHL courier services here has confirmed your given address: They checked the Packages and charge ($120, dollar) as their Postage Fee. They demanded you to quickly send this amount before they can dispatch the Items to your contact address . The D.H.L Agents said that in next Three days you will receive the Packages after sending the fee, I advise you to Quickly send the postage money through WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER OR MONEY GRAM in my names in order to post the packages to you immediately. Receiver Name. . . . . . Mary Palmer Address. . . . . . . . . . . . 72 B grand yoff, Country. . . . . . . . . . . . Senegal . City. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dakar Phone. . . . . . . . . . . . + 221769495037 Try and send me this money immediately so that i can send you the gift immediately because we will be visiting some villages here as soon as possible. This money is the only thing that is holding me to post the package to you now. Thanks may God bless you, Rev Sister Mary Palmer From: " Rev sister mary palmer" < rev.sistermarypalmer@yahoo.com Date: May 25, 2018 12:57 PMSubject: From Sis Mary PalmerCc:may the name of the Lord be praise, i just receive your mail now, i am very busy in the church, I made contact from DHL Courier Service contingence the sending of the package which contain 3 laptops computer, 5-Phone, AN ENVELOPE, Video Camera, Wrist Watch, Some jewelries, and Safety Shoes and photos. The DHL courier services here has confirmed your given address: They checked the Packages and charge ($120, dollar) as their Postage Fee. They demanded you to quickly send this amount before they can dispatch the Items to your contact address . The D.H.L Agents said that in next Three days you will receive the Packages after sending the fee,I advise you to Quickly send the postage money through WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER OR MONEY GRAM in my names in order to post the packages to you immediately.Receiver Name. . . . . . Mary PalmerAddress. . . . . . . . . . . . Date: May 27, 2018 7:49 PM Subject: hello my love Cc: Hello my dearest, how are you today and your family, i hope that all is fine, my dear i am very busy over here in Haiti and i don' t have access in the computer. Now what a sad mail from you and sister mary i hope everything is going well i miss you a lot darling. my dear i an so much worried with the envelope that was together with the packages which i advice the sister mary not to open it as it was a very big surprise to you, i have to tell you little of the surprise that was inside the envelope so that you will not lost it or the Senegal DHL to take it when they open the envelope it was my family pictures inside the envelope together with bank cheque of 100, 000 british sterling pounds, that is why i told the sister that know one should open it but only you my sweet friend, now that everything is like this i have start thinking and worried about the money i put in side the envelope, please i don' t want you to be angry just because they ask you to present fee the sister mary explain to me that DHL will give it back to you when they arrive in your country so kindly communicate with sister and send her the postage fee so that they will not open the envelope and take the money don' t even tell sister mary what is inside the envelope you will be very happy when you will receive the packages and open it darling i have make a very big mistake by sending the gifts to you from sister mary next time i will send it direct to your country, what you have to do now contact the sister with the postage fee, i will send more things direct to you when i go back to UK, now that am not in UK to send the little money to sister mary to present to DHL office so that your gifts will post so try to make sure that you receive the envelope without them to open it from the first time i read your mail my heart full of joy that i have find a good friend for a long relationship which i don' t want this little money to bring a problem to our best relationship i want you to always believe in future wait for another gifts from me direct to your country when i will go back to UK, try your best to make sure you receive this my first gifts it was very important, don' t worry so much about the money the Senegal DHL ask you for only put your self together to be happy with what you will see darling i said that i will not make another mistake to send any gifts to you again from some body but will send it direct to you, i do love and want you here in UK take good care of your self we are together forever with this strong relationship. once again tell sister mary that you have agree for know one to open the envelope. kiss i hope to hear from you that you have contact the sister mary with the postage fee. and also sister explain to me that DHL in senegal said that you will receive the packages in Three working day immediately you send them there postages fee. love you forever From: " Alice Mathis" < alicemathis677@gmail.com Date: May 27, 2018 7:49 PMSubject: hello my loveCc: 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.... Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 1) The government is engaged in "very serious discussions" with China over the Asian giant's alleged militarization of disputed islands in the South China Sea. This was the assurance of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ernesto Abella on Thursday, as China and the United States got into a verbal spat over the issue of increasing militarization of the contested waters. "The Philippines continues to engage in diplomatic actions towards our partner countries and especially in this case, those who are having claims in the West Philippine Sea, South China Sea," Abella said in a chance interview with reporters. The West Philippine Sea pertains to areas in the South China Sea that lie within the country's 200-mile exclusive economic zone, as stated in the July 2016 arbitral ruling. Abella refused to disclose details of the diplomatic actions the government has taken, saying these were classified information. "[But] we continue to assure you, that we continue to engage in very serious conversations," he said. Did PH file dozens of protests? Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano earlier said the Duterte administration has filed "dozens" of diplomatic protests over the past two years a claim that was backed by Malacanang. He counts as a diplomatic protest any form of disagreement aired by the government. "If we list down everything, that's a protest. If we list down 10 things, then we 'protest' 10 things. It's the content. If I get the microphone and I say, 'China, what you're doing is wrong,' that's a protest," he said during a House hearing on Wednesday. Opposition lawmaker Gary Alejano however said Cayetano is redefining the term, insisting that a diplomatic protest should be formally filed in "written form." Books on diplomacy, however, say these communications may be oral or in writing. Other reports say the Duterte government filed a note verbale or diplomatic note to China for the first time last Saturday. It reportedly includes the installation of missile systems on artificial islands in the contested Spratlys, and the Chinese Navy's harassment of Filipino troops in Ayungin Shoal, a hundred nautical miles from Palawan. China to U.S.: Stop playing up militarization issue The Chinese government earlier took a swipe at the U.S. for asserting that Beijing is militarizing the South China Sea. "The U.S, military presence in the South China Sea far exceeds the total military strength of China and other littoral countries," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a Thursday briefing. "It is self-evident to a keener eye who is militarizing the South China Sea," she added. Verbal tensions between the Pentagon and Beijing recently increased after the U.S. sailed two warships through the South China Sea to demonstrate U.S. naval presence in an area that the U.S. says are international waters, while the Chinese claim nearly all the area as their territorial waters. Malacanang has said President Rodrigo Duterte will not take sides in the brewing feud between China and the U.S. Duterte has sought friendly relations with China, while the U.S. remains a treaty ally. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. 05/31/2018 JSU Education Librarian Laurie Charnigo Heathcock has been honored with the Alabama Library Associations Humanitarian Award for her efforts in developing the Childrens Corner at Houston Cole Library. The Humanitarian Award is presented to a person or an organization making a substantial contribution toward the development or improvement of a library or libraries within Alabama. Heathcock was nominated for the honor by JSU Library Medium Program Chair Dr. Wendy Steadman Stephens. I believe that Ms. Heathcocks creation of the new Childrens Reading Room at the Houston Cole Library is worthy of recognition both because of the innovative community-centered thinking the project embodies and the potential to improve early childhood literacy in Calhoun and Etowah counties and beyond, Stephens wrote in her nomination. Heathcock said the award came as a surprise to her. However, this award really belongs to all of the people that helped create the Childrens Corner, she said. One of the best things about this project was how supportive and enthusiastic faculty, staff and students were about the idea of creating a colorful and imaginative space for the children in our community. Childrens Corner opened on October 25. Heathcocks efforts included a training workshop for student volunteers, coordinating a calendar of Tuesday night story times and sending home information to students in the Jacksonville City School system to bring students on campus. This past spring Heathcock also organized a series of events featuring childrens literature from around the world, tying in students living in the International House. When I first put out a call to form a committee of faculty, staff, and students interested in creating the room, I had people from all over campus who wanted to help out with the project, especially from Education, Drama, Art, Family & Consumer Sciences, and Library Media, Heathcock said. Allison Newton helped me apply for my first grant. Our biggest supporters, monetarily, were the Friends of the Houston Cole Library Foundation and the Alabama Council for the Arts. The ADA compliant Childrens Corner reaches out to various JSU departments to enhance story times and incorporate volunteers into the program. We hope the Childrens Corner will provide children in the community with a fun space to celebrate reading for years to come, Heathcock said. RHYS BOWEN JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING LUCY BURDETTE INGRID THOFT JENN McKINLAY HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN HALLIE EPHRON DEBORAH CROMBIE : I don't generally shop for souvenirs, especially in the UK. I don't want to add anything heavy to my suitcase, or more stuff to my already cluttered house. But sometimes irresistible things present themselves, like this painting I bought on my recent visit to Eureka Springs, Arkansas for a book festival. My last night I had dinner with friends at an Italian restaurant in town. Artwork by the restaurant's hostess, Teresa Pelliccio, was displayed on the dining room walls, and I fell in love with this little piece--enough so that I hand carried it home on the plane, AND found a place to hang it! So who is a collector? What do you bring back when you travel? : As you know I am currently in Tuscany, teaching my writing workshop. And I have to confess that one of the joys of travel is shopping. I've shopped and bargained for leather in Morocco (big mistake. I couldn't get rid of the stink), I've been lured into carpet stores in Turkey and plied with tea and music. The most memorable, in a bad way, was the fur salesman who showed up at my houseboat in Kashmir and proceeded to throw fur coats all over my sofa--wolf, linx and then... leopard. I kept my feelings to myself as I asked, "But surely, I won't be able to bring that coat home to America?""Ah, madame. You buy the coat, we will guarantee that it arrives" he said. Apparently they made a leather pillow with a false double lining and the coat squished inside. "And if you want baby snow leopard, I can get it for you," he said.I think there was a tremble in my voice when I asked, "And how many baby snow leopards would it take?"Twenty five," he said. At this point I could have strangled him. I was civilized enough to say, "I don't want any of them. Where I live we do not like to see animals killed to make coats."These days it's hard to find a genuine souvenir made locally and not in China, isn't it?Unfortunately the small town of Castellina in Chianti has very little in the way of shops. One rather lovely and very expensive clothing store, some good wine stores and a Saturday market where last time I found a gorgeous pink leather purse. This time I'll look for one in another color when we go to the market later today. Apart from those it's salami or cheeses (which unfortunately we can't bring into the States--do you remember Lucille Ball trying to bring back the big sausage disguised as a baby?) Last time we brought back some amazing balsamic vinegar that cost more than a good wine. But you only need a couple of drops at a time.I think I've passed the stage of bringing back souvenirs like ashtrays painted with donkeys/silk scarves with St. Peters on them. We already have too much stuff. So what I've been doing for many years now is finding a unique little box and bringing back to add to my box collection. Alas the glass topped table is horribly full and I may have to weed out the less interesting boxes. I put a slip of paper in each saying where I bought it, in case I forget. Apart from that my big collection is of dolls from all over the world. My father used to go to Germany and Sweden on business all the time and my aunt was an intrepid world traveler and they both brought me back dolls each time so I have this wonderful collection. But no room for any more.So what do you bring back when you travel? Do you love shopping in markets and little alleyways? Any adventures to relate; I always seem to bring back a cold. Badum-BOOM! Thanks, I'll be here all week. Seriously, I bring back books, because I always go books shopping when I travel (most of which is for work, so at least the book stores are convenient.) I also like pieces of jewelry (nothing too expensive) and have some lovely Mexican silver things. On our Christmas trip to Hawai'i, I got earrings. (Side note: I'm so grateful we got to see Kilauea and the Volcano National Park visitor's center before it all explodes/gets covered in ash.)I have a friend who does scarves, not the kitschy type, but real scarves she finds at local stores. And of course, when my kids were little, there were the inevitable gifts from every book tour they weren't invited on. BTW, the smartest souvenir trick I ever heard was from a mom whose family went to Disney once every few years. She would pick up Disney merchandise at yard sales and Goodwill, stash it all away and then pull it out during the trip to short-circuit her kids whining for pricey on-site toys!: We are trying to schlep things out of the house, rather than bring things in. But I do like to find Christmas presents, and books for our grandchildren. In India, we saw amazing fabrics and I so wanted a sari. But I knew I would never wear it. I did buy a few scarves instead, and I hope to figure out how to wear them!: I love to bring something home that I can display in our homesomething that will remind us of the trip every time we see it. We managed to bring hand painted plates back from turkey (in one piece!) and cloisonne from China. A gorgeous hand-stitched pillow with an Aboriginal design was my find in Sydney, and I look seeing in it my office when Im writing. In Granada, Spain, I found a ceramic pomegranate, the official symbol of the city, and just a month ago, I purchased a beautiful piece of hand painted Navajo pottery. Bookmarks are my other souvenir of choice. Theyre inexpensive and easy to pack and lovely reminders of far flung destinations.: LOL, Julia! If I can leave the plague and pestilence behind on a trip, I call it a win! I'm not much of a souvenir gal but my mom has always collected refrigerator magnets from every place she's traveled and somewhere in my twenties, I started to do the same. So, a magnet is a must. And then it's whatever the place is known for like a small glass object from Milan or maple syrup from Vermont, you know, that sort of thing. If it's consumable all the better, so it won't cause clutter. And Rhys, I loved the I Love Lucy sausage-baby episode!!!: OH, Rhys, Castellina! I love that town and when we were there, I sent back hand-painted ceramic house numbers. I wanted to get the whole deal, 19 River Street, but the numbers were SO expensive, I settled for just 1 and 9. :-) I am a big big sucker for scarves. (Which at least are light and flat.) When we went to the Palio in Siena, each contrade had a silk scarf with their emblem and colors. That was a DISASTER of a spree, but I still wear the scarves. And t-shirts, oh my dear, I cannot resist, and HOW MANY t-shirts can one person have? (Don't answer.) I was at the AWP conference recently, and bought one that says: USE YOUR WORDS. How could I not? But again, light and flat. And they don't melt or break.: I travel light, so my criteria for what I can bring home is: small, flat. So YES on scarves! And tiles. I have a handprinted tile from Mexico, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Great Britain, Italy, Morocco... My dining room has a plate rail all the way 'round where I display them. No ore room now, so no more tiles. China is a great place for scarves, and I brought one back from our trip to Alaska, too.But the souvenirs have to find me, because I really hate to use my time traveling to shop. I did make an exception in Tuscany for the aMAZing leather goods. There's nothing like them here in the States. Nothing affordable, that is.RHYS: These days I take my sketch book and the little sketches are the best souvenirs. They really bring back the feel of the place: Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards signed [press release] a bill [text, PDF] Wednesday banning abortions after 15 weeks. The new law makes it illegal for a physician to perform an abortion after 15 weeks gestational age, which is defined as the age of an unborn child as calculated from the first day of the last menstrual period of the pregnant woman, as determined by the use of standard medical practices and techniques. If a physician performs an abortion after 15 weeks, they would face up to 10 years of prison time as well as a fine of not less than ten thousand dollars nor more than one hundred thousand dollars. The bill is now law, but will not go into effect unless the US District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi [official website] upholds a similar ban [JURIST report] in Mississippi. There is a reasonable basis to believe that Venezuelan government has committed crimes against humanity since at least 2012, according to the Organization of American States (OAS) [official website]. After releasing a 400-page report [text, PDF] from a panel of independent experts, the OAS will be turning over its findings to the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website) to aid in an